lots going on in the middle east and here in the united states as well. martha: a busy day ahead. thanks for being here, gregg. >> my pleasure. martha: bill will be be back here on monday. see you on monday. "happening now" starts five or six seconds from now. have a great weekend. bye, everybody. jon: a fox news alert and we're continuing to keep an eye on the swat situation underway right now in situation. both pittsburgh and fbi s.w.a.t. teams are on the scene of a hostage situation taking place on the 16th floor of a downtown highway. the cw brightsman company we understand is the setting for all of this. an ex-military man we're told walked into that office this morning where apparently he used to work. asked for one individual in particular and has now taken hostages. it is not absolutely clear that the one person that he named is the person who is being held hostage. there might be as many as

two hostages. we're told no shots have been fired. unknown weaponry involved and police say they have a visual wall on the suspect the they know who he is. they have brought his mother to the building to help deal with negotiations but so far the hostage situation continues in downtown pittsburgh on the 16th floor of a high-rise. no shots fired so far. we'll keep you updated as the hour rolls along. >> we will. brand new stories and more breaking news. jon: good to see you, arthel the white house is it calling the assault in lib libya a terrorist attack. what is the political fallout here. governor romney saying he is the candidate of change going after comments by the president last night that you could not change washington from the inside. could change be the message

the romney campaign is looking for. a fair and balanced debate. two years after giant whale killed one of its trainers, seaworld wants a court to allow trainers back in the tank with the enormous orcas. all that and breaking news all "happening now." jon: good morning to you on this friday. "happening now", the ever-changing story of a deadly attack in libya. hello, i'm jon scott. arthel: i'm arthel neville in for jenna lee. a lot of confusion as new details are emerging about the attack on the u.s. consulate in benghazi. four americans were killed including our ambassador to libya but when asked about the attack president obama wouldn't give a clear answer exactly what happened. as you by now know the obama administration insisted the deadly violence grew out of a spontaneous protest. for the first time yesterday white house press secretary

said this. it is i think self-evident that what happened in benghazi was a terrorist attack. our embassy was attacked violently and the result was four deaths of american officials. doug mckelway is live at white house now. doug, what is the latest from the white house there this morning? >> reporter: arthel, seemed after that statement that you just read from jay carney aboard air force one yesterday, after so many mixed signals from the white house and mixed messages from monday that would signal some kind of alignment in white house messaging. after the plane, air force one landed in miami for the univision forum yesterday, the president obama sent an entirely different signal. here's the president. >> what we've seen over the last week, week and a half is something we've seen in the past where there is an offensive video or cartoon directed at the prophet muhammad and this is obviously something that then is used as an excuse by some to carry out

inexcusable violent acts, directed at westerners or americans. >> reporter: those remarks again suggesting that it is the film itself that bears responsibility for triggering the attacks and the deaths of americans and notice again the president absolutely tiptoed around using the phrase terrorist attack in those remarks yesterday, arthel. arthel: doug, we understand that some congressional republicans are upset over a classified briefing they received about the attacks just yesterday. is that right? >> reporter: both the house and senate the intelligence committees were briefed by secretary of state hillary clinton and also three intelligence officials about the terrorist attacks. bob corker, the republican senator from tennessee, came away from that briefing saying this, and i quote, it was the most useless, worthless briefing i've attended in a long time. senator mccain also suggested that the administration just doesn't get it. here's mccain. >> it's not the video. it's islamists pushing this

video throughout the internet, throughout the world, to inflaem -- inflame passions on part of people of muslim faith so they can spark, not only these demonstrations but eventually take over these countries. >> reporter: and chairman of the house armed services committee buck mckeown this morning on fox accused the president of intentionally misleading the public. there he is. >> you hate to think that the president would purposely mislead the american people but it sure looks like it to me. >> reporter: mckeon also objects the fbi investigating this attack as a criminal matter. there is no word on when that fbi investigation might be complete. republicans certainly doubt it will be complete by election day. arthel? arthel: doug, certainly so many questions still left unanswered. we'll get into this later in the show with judith miller. i thank you for that report from the white house. doug mckelway. >> reporter: sure. jon: more on the investigation into the deadly attack on the u.s.

consulate in benghazi. fbi agents are on the ground there as new questions are raised about critical security lapses and miscues that may have contributed to the tragic loss of four american lives. greg palkot is streaming live from tripoli. greg. >> reporter: hey, jon. i spoke to a u.s. official here today and he confirmed to me those fbi agent remain here in tripoli. we have no confirmation that any have yet to reach the scene of the killing of ambassador stevens and others in the eastern side of this country in benghazi. that area is deemed not to save for americans to work in but there also are worries that the crime scene 10 days later could be contaminated. likewise confirmed to us a marine anti-terror rapid response team remains here. the embassy here in tripoli is well-guarded. this among other questions being raised the night of the killing u.s. military teams did not move fast enough as well as new questions about inadequate security at that consulate.

and maybe not enough attention to other attacks in the benghazi area in the past couple months as we've been hearing on the ground here to some degree the militants and militias remain very much in charge in big parts of benghazi. meanwhile we're also hearing about a protest which is just beginning in benghazi. thousands said to be marching to the center of that city but a bit of a change from others we're seeing around the world right now, jon. in favor of the u.s. or at least honoring the late u.s. ambassador and other americans but there is a broader message to this protest as well, that the government based here in tripoli needs to crack down on militias, the militant groups in that city. the problem is, jon, we're also hearing about another protest being called for at the same time at the same place by the militant group ansar al-sharia. that is a group said to be linked or suspected to be linked to the killing of the ambassador and the other americans. so far we are not hearing about that militant group out in the street. so far we're not hearing

about trouble. back to you. jon: greg palkot reporting live. greg, thank you. arthel: we have a fox news alert now. video of new anti-american protests rocking the muslim world, turning deadly today in pakistan. in the northwest police firing on rioters as they torched a movie theater. at least one person was killed and one policeman badly injured. in indonesia, demonstrators there rallying outside the american embassy in jakarta. mobs denouncing an anti-islamic film produced in the u.s. that seemed to fuel the anger. the protests leading the u.s. to close its diplomatic post in that country. in iraq, thousands flooding the streets in the southn city, some carrying banners praising iran's supreme leader and chanting death to america and death to israel. meanwhile new sabre-rattling out of iran over the film that mocks the prophet muhammad.

iran's president mahmoud ahmadinejad accusing the west quote of trying to cause religious conflicts and trying to hide behind freedom of speech. ahmadinejad making remarks at military parade in iran showcasing a new iranian made air defense system. as the u.s. flexes its muscle leading a military --. jon: going to california. the special 747 shuttling shuttle endeavour to its home in los angeles. it is on pretakeoff roll taxiing into position. the plane or planes are going to be flying over northern california, making sort of a historic tour flying past the golden gate bridge and san francisco skyline. supposed to take off five

minutes from now. they have delayed this by an hour because of fog over san francisco, as so often happens in that city. they're hoping that the fog will be burned off by the time the shuttle endeavour gets off the ground hire at edwards air force base and gets up to the san francisco bay area. it will also be doing a flyover the los angeles area. we'll keep you updated. arthel: such a great sight when you see it up in the air. jon: that is a beautiful thing to see. i wish frankly it was still flying in space. but that's just me. arthel: i understand. when we come back 16 trillion in debt, $16. no worries but president obama under fire what he said on letterman on america's exploding debt. stephen hayes what he cause big whoppers on late night. jon: we'll put them to the truth-o-meter a bike ride in the country turns scary after a motorist gets too close and angry for comfort. answers on what is going on

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jon: right now president obama is facing questions about how seriously he is taking america's debt crisis. this after an appearance on the late show with david letterman the other night. the president didn't seem to know the exact amount america owes and then he said we don't have to worry about it in the short term. president also seemed to blame his republican predecessor for the mess. listen. >> well, here's what happened. we had a surplus when bill clinton was president. it was projected to continue to be a surplus. we decided to launch two wars on a credit card. we cut taxes twice without finding offsetting costs for it, or ways to pay for it, a

prescription drug plan. and then we had a massive recession. and so, when i walked into office we had a trillion dollar deficit. debt had mounted and then we had to take a bunch of emergency measures. that cost money. saving auto industry. making sure the financial system got back on track. jon: stephen hayes is senior writer for "the weekly standard" and a fox news contributor and, steve, it is my understanding that you have a little problem with the president's answers there? >> well, i sure do. it was interesting because david letterman asked what was a pretty open-ended question. he pointed out that republican had this debt clock at their convention and asked the president what about it. as you mentioned president couldn't exactly specify what the debt was although letterman's question was a little ambiguous. then he went on and deliberately conflated the debt and deficit suggesting that there was a surplus when bill clinton left office and neglecting to mention that the debt itself was about $6 trillion at the

time. he tried to make it time all the debt we have been accumulated under president bush which simply wasn't the case. when he listed those specifics that you played, the prescription drug benefit, two wars, tax cuts, important to remember he supports and is expanding the prescription drug benefit. he extended the bush tax cuts and he supported one of those wars he says is responsible for all of thisr debt. jon: he also went on to talk about government programs that don't work. and your point is that if there are government programs out there that don't work, why are they still in existence four years after he took office? >> he has been president. you know, he has this thing, he says he uses this on the stump, uses it in interviews sometimes, look, we can manage this problem. this is pretty easy. all we have to do is eliminate the government programs that don't work and raise taxes on the rich. it is not true first of all and highly misleading. the president hasn't eliminated these programs that don't work. he has not proposing to eliminate anything. he is certainly not

campaigning on anything. and in any case, what we need to do is, reform our entitlements to make any kind of serious change in the trajectory of our debt. the president hasn't done that. and if you look at the tax cuts on the rich what he proposed to do would raise about a trillion dollars over a decade and we're talking about adding in president obama's proposed budget, $6.4 trillion in that same period. so you're talking about a plus 5 trillion total in the ten-year window the president is talking about. jon: so when bill clinton left office we had national debt, 5.7 trillion, give or take a buck. and it is now above $16 trillion. isn't it the case that president obama has racked up more of the nation's debt than all of the previous presidents combined? >> yeah. there are aways that you can slice it up and ways that you can come to that con

conclusion. the bigger point, you mentioned this earlier, the president said there is no problem with our debt in the short term. that is wrong. that is flat-out untrue. we're adding $4 billion per day in new, in new debt. that is a short-term problem. we were just downgraded in fact because we're adding debt at that kind of a rate and beuse this rating agency, eagan jones, wasn't pleased with qe3 and what the president and what the federal reserve plan to do about it. jon: stephen hayes, the media hasn't noticed much about what the president says. i'm glad you're pointing it out. >> it could use some fact check, that's for sure. jon: stephen hayes, from "the weekly standard." thanks. >> thanks, jon. arthel: a fox news alert. just what jon scott has been waiting for, shut tell -- shuttle endeavour took off from edwards air force base in antelope valley, 100 miles north of los angeles on the specially modified jumbo jet.

the 747 there, riege --. jon: that a beautiful sight. this is the final journey for the space shut tell. it will make its home in the los angeles area. arthel: at a science museum out there. so, all right. jon: shuttle endeavour i'm sure landed at edwards a time or two when kennedy was fogged in, the kennedy space center. arthel: always the backup place. jon: so they're back there at edwards. it won't be landing there anymore. >> back at home, because that's where it was built in california. we move on now. as you just heard some of the number crunching there with stephen hayes and i guess it will continue as the race for the white house gets even more intense as governor mitt romney jumps on comments president obama made about changing washington. a fair and balanced debate coming up for you. a massive wildfire closing in on hundreds of homes where the flames are burning and whether firefighters are making any progress. we'll check it out for you. testing...1...2. am i on the radio?

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jon: fox news alert. we are in peek campaign season. the president right now is addressing the aarp convention in new orleans, louisiana, via satellite. of course seniors vote in huge numbers. they are are a very big consistency. both candidates are trying hard to push social security and medicare issues. that is what the president is talking about now. let's listen in for a moment. >> and wellness services. in fact the health reform law we passed has already saved more than 5.5 million seniors and people with disabilities, nearly $4.5 billion on their prescription drugs. seniors who received a discount have saved an average of more than $600

this year alone. and over the next 10 years we expect the average medicare beneficiary to save nearly $5,000 as a result of this law. now my opponents have pledged to repeal these savings and benefits in their first day on the job. which means billions in new profits for insurance companies but also would mean immediately increased costs for seniors, and would bankrupt the medicare trust fund in just four years. and what would they replace it with? their plan replaces guaranteed medicare benefits with a voucher that wouldn't keep up with costs. and when they tell you that their plan lets you keep your doctor, they're leaving out one thing and that is the facts. a new study says under their plan if just 5% of seniors switched to private plans, 40% of doctors who currently --. jon: president speaking about medicare which is headed for bankruptcy within a few years if something

doesn't change. you can catch the rest of his remarks, if you would like to. streaming live for you on foxnews.com. arthel: that aarp convention taking at the convention center down in new orleans. mitt romney making a promise to americans while slamming comments from president obama. take a listen. >> the president today threw in the white flag of surrender again. he said he can't change washington from inside. he can only change it from outside. well we'll give i am that chance from november. he is going outside!. [cheers and applause] i can change washington. i will change washington. we'll get the job done from the inside. republicans and democrats will come together. arthel: that is governor romney refering to mark remarks made by mr. obama at at forum in florida yesterday. >> i've learned some lesson

over the last four years and the most important lesson i've learned is that you can't change washington from the inside. you can only change it from the outside. that is how i got elected and that's how the big accomplishments like health care got done was because we mobilized the american people to speak out. that is how we were able to cut taxes for middle class families. arthel: let's discuss this now. monica crowley here. she is radio talk show host and fox news contributor. julie roginsky former political advisor to democratic senator frank lautenberg from new jersey. she is also a fox news contributor. great to see you ladies. we saw the two sound bites back-to-back. julie, i will start with you. why is this a big deal and what does it say about anything of the candidates. >> i don't know why it was a big deal. mitt romney said that in 2008. he said i can't change washington from the inside. you have to change it from the outside. what mitt romney said four

years ago you need people to become involved in the political process. that is great message. i don't know why the romney campaign will say it will not resonate with american people. we need more people involved in grassroots change. people like you and me. not elected officials. fabulous message. i think the romney campaign embraced message four years ago. pus link to me. arthel: monica, you're saying that is not necessarily the message. the point is contradiction. is that what you're saying? >> first of all change was obama's whole reason in 2008. hope and change. change we can believe in. now he seems to see say look, even though i'm the ultimate washington insider, president of the united states and i spent two years in the u.s. senate before that, and i had huge democrat majorities in the congress, when i was president for at least the first two years, i estimate couldn't affect the change i wanted. so that's one interesting thing. the other thing is if you take him at his word where he says change must come from the outside as julie says grassroots. his two biggest legislative

achievement, obamacare and stimulus never had public support and in fact still don't. i'm not quite sure what change he is talking about in terms of mobilizing people. i would point to the fact when the tea party he opposed that change. arthel: let me jump in on here we're talking about the tail of the tape. let's hear what governor romney said in 2007 when he was running for the gop nomination. go ahead. >> senator mccain for instance, has been there in washington 27 seven years. so he has certainly political skill but i believe at this time, to f0ñ7be helpful to have somebody who comes with more private sector skill, experience outside washington. i don't think you change washington from the inside. i think you change it from the outside. arthel: so basically there it is, governor romney saying the same thing the president is saying. president saying i'm sitting in the seat. have been four years. you can't do it from the outside or inside. let me go hear with you guys

though. but isn't, the typical neophyte ambitions of a newly-elected president, versus the realities of the political struggle fwels in washington? basically, let's talk about this guys, the jig is up. guess what? whoever the president is for the next four years congress has to work together. congressional, as you know their numbers are in the gutter. so if it is the economy stupid, right, if they don't get together, then we'll be stuck in the stupid economy. >> well, what i don't understand from a purely strategic standpoint why the romney campaign is wasting a day talking about this when they should be hammering the central message is the economy. as you said the economy stupid. we had them saying this, today. trying to get gaffs the president they think made as opposed to laying out the case for why he would be the better commander-in-chief, why he would be the better president and wasting time on stupid little debates as opposed to laying out a grand vision what he would do better. from a purely not partisan standpoint but from

strategic standpoint makes no sense to me why he is doing it. i don't understand. >> what governor romney should be doing is taking these comments and teasing them out a little bit to make a moral case for the free market, right? because obama and his team are making the moral case such as it is for social justice and wealth redistribution. mitt romney should say look, from the outside most americans want pro-growth economic policies. that's what i'm all about, tax reform, entitlement reform, regulatory reform. repealing obamacare. these are things that most of the american people. arthel: they want to hear specifics how he will do it. he is not doing that, giving specifics. >> i disagree. he has. he put out a 59 point plan. narrowed it down to five. should he be doing it more? absolutely. >> hear is the problem. i see this every week, monica crowley laid out much better case for mitt romney than mitt romney has. you can't run for president because he is running today. that is the issue. he is not laying out specifics. he is not talking about it. jumping on stupid gaffs

every day a. mitt romney people would be willing to vote for you why they should as opposed to jumping down obama's throat when he make as gaffe which is not a gaffe. arthel: you realize monica crowley is fabulous. >> i realize it every day. are you kidding. arthel: monica, julie, thanks very much. thank you for the honest conversation. jon: fabulous. love that. what is really behind the violence and the anti-american rage that is exploding in the middle east? why a prominent editorial page argues, obama administration policy is what's to blame. i'm only in my 60's...

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arthel: 46 days to go before the election day is finally here. we find the candidates in where he is, the swing states. president obama is in virginia. governor romney in nevada. the commonwealth of virginia home to 30 steen electoral -- 13 electoral votes where "fox news poll" showing president obama opening up a lead in likely voters there. in nevada, the poll showing silver state and six electoral votes up for grab. john roberts is here to break it all down. hey, john. >> reporter: governor romney in the important swing state of nevada today. appearing at university of las vegas. six electoral votes. in 2008, president obama won the state over john mccain

by 10 points, 53-43. new cnn poll find it is within margin of error here is why. things mitt romney has in favor. housing crisis. talk a lot about that. tough economy. new unaffiliated residents moved in. 7% mormon operation. better ground operation than republicans hat in '08 with mccain. working against him. large hispanic population. union population in population centers of reno and las vegas. and harry reid's political operation. we heard recent days battleground poll show mr. obama in substantial lead places like iowa, colorado, wisconsin. it was "wall street journal", nbc news, marist poll. if you look at numbers you behind interesting things. in iowa, president obama hat sample incruded 6% more democrats than republicans. in wisconsin, 33-26. democrats oversampled by 7%.

in colorado, democrats over sampled by 3%. some pollsters believe that skewed the numbers to give president obama an appearance of more support than he may actually have, arthel. it is believed the polls could be closer than what those polls found. arthel: john, other numbers we're looking at in terms of dollars and who has left in their coffers. tell us now what is happening of the fund-raising for both of those campaigns. >> reporter: and the way too, arthel, that the story is being presented, you've read all kinds of stories that mitt romney having a horrible fund-raising month in august. it is true that the obama campaign outraised the romney campaign by about $20 million. 85 million to $66 million. if you take all of the fund-raising together, the campaigns, committees, all of the other funds, the cash on hand that mitt romney had at the end of august, 168.5 million was far more than what the obama campaign had. they were back at 125.1 million dollars. so you look at campaign to campaign tells one story. but if you take things in

the aggregate, a much better picture for mitt romney going forward in the month of august, arthel. arthel: john roberts. thanks for breaking it all down for us. jon: of course whoever wins the oval office will direct foreign policy in country for the next four years and there are new questions about the effectiveness of our foreign policy as violence explodes across the middle east. in syria more than 20,000 people are dead in a civil war that has no end in sight. new amateur video reportedly shows a government airstrike hitting a gas station there, killing dozens of people. new reports that iran is fueling the bloodshed with steady shipments of weapons. in iraq a homicide bomber strikes near western embassies. in egypt out of control riots erupting on september 11th. a new "wall street journal" editorial argues this administration's policy is to blame for that chaos in part of the world. the piece reads in part, president obama keeps using his campaign catchphrase

that the tide of war is receding but the real receding tide is in u.s. power and influence. our growing irrelevance to the region comes with costs that are growing an likely to draw us back in later at a much higher price. let's talk about it with paul gigot, the editorial page editor of "the wall street journal.". pretty ominous ending to that piece. >> well i think this is a part of the world that we might like to think we can leave without consequences but, we really can't. we have a crucial lie there in israel that we have moral and strategic obligations to. we obviously have alliances with the gulf states. of course it is a source still of enormous amounts of oil. so it is not a region of the world we can say, let's just wash our hands of it. but what is happening our influence in the last few years has been ebbing there. that's the danger because when u.s. influence recedes, bad actors tend to fill in. jon: one of those bad actors, obviously iran. >> yes. jon: iran has been shipping weapons to syria to help

prop up the as sued government there and they have been doing so flying through iraqi airspace. we told the iraqis hey, could you not let them do that? what was the response? >> joe biden, the vice president, president obama's point man on iraq, personally interceded with the prime minister of iraq, nouriel maliki and asked him to stop the overflights and maliki said no. it is a sign i think of the fact our influence with iraq which we spent so much blood and treasure to lib rate from saddam hussein, even they are saying look we're not going to listen to you. iraq is in a tough neighborhood. remember if we're not there, remember we pulled out lock, stock and barrel. jon: no bases on the ground. >> no residual troops. we could have left 10,000 or so and negotiated and sought that. we're out now. so our leverage is really low. meanwhile iraq has to live next to iran which is a power in the region. maliki, the prime minister of iraq, has to decide where

he wants to pick his fights and he said basically joe biden, forget it, i'm going it iran. jon: better to tick off joe biden than the mullahs next door. >> that is exactly right. jon: what is the solution? the president gave one of his first big speeches in cairo promising to reset relations with the muslim world. >> clearly i think one of the things you have to do is, probably the most important thing you should do, basically show we're going to stop iran from giving a nuclear weapon. that is the single biggest problem in the region. if iran is able to assert itself there despite all world opinion and u.s. insistence that the president said that is unacceptable we'll see insertion of really, dangerous consequences in the middle east, as the u.s. influence recedes even further. and i think it is an illusion to think that we can forget about this because i think, in the next four years, we're likely to see more trouble in the middle east and that might bring america in no matter who is president. jon: paul gigot, thank you. you can catch more of paul this weekend when he hosts

the "journal editorial report", a program now expanded to a full hour as we get closer to the election in november, saturday, tomorrow, 2:00 p.m. eastern, right here on fox news channel. thanks, paul. >> thank you. arthel: sounds good, jon. well a new chapter in the legal battle overkiller whales and the threat they pose to their trainers. we'll look at seaworld's latest efforts to get everyone back in the water together. a battle of a different kind down in texas. a annual swat competition getting underway right now. we're live in dallas.

jon: a fox news alert. two s.w.a.t. teams still on the ground in downtown pittsburgh where in the 16th floor of the gateway center a man walked in this morning to a financial resources company where he apparently used to work, asked for a particular individual, and then took one, perhaps two hostages. police say he is an ex-military person. no shots fired so far but

they are still on the ground. state police, swat and fbi swat are keeping an eye on things but so far no resolution to this crisis. arthel: jon, speaking of s.w.a.t., right now police officers from around the country are teaming up to refine their swat skills. the today dallas police department is holding the national competition this weekend. 30 teams will battle for bragging rights in shooting events and an obstacle course while gaining valuable skills that could save countless lives in the field. casey stiegel is live in dallas to tell us all about it. hi, casey. >> reporter: do you like my safety glasses? i know fashion forward. a live ammunition exercise is getting ready to start behind me so we have to wear them for safety reasons. did you know there are more s.w.a.t. teams in the state of texas than any other state in the country? so no wonder nearly 200 officers from around the world by the way have converged on this spot. teams as far as away as

germany is here. we have the senior corporal with the dallas police department s.w.a.t. team joins us live. christian, this is really a competition, however there are valuable training exercises fold in as well? >> you're correct, casey. the importance after competition like this to put together s.w.a.t. teams like you mentioned. there are a variety of s.w.a.t. teams. small teams that teams that have to join each other to make a complete team. there is a great network and exchange of ideas here. so the small teams see what the big teams do. >> reporter: i'm glad you point out the small teams and big teams. i hate to interrupt you. obviously s.w.a.t. situations are not unique to major metro areas. recently in texas we had a situation down in college station near the a and m campus where a constable went to serve eviction papers as you know. the suspect fired a 30 minute gunbattle ensued. that is small department. those smaller departments here with larger ones.

that has to be huge because they're learning from the big guns, no pun intended. >> nowhere to tell where the stuff happens. that is why the training is so important. you mentioned college station. that is very important because one of the exercises is doing officer rescue, officer down scenario. that is what they're training here. they're getting very valuable training from the rest of the team. dallas s.w.a.t. is hosting it. >> thanks very much. we have to go. live tv. we were hoping gunshots would go on behind us. it didn't happen. this runs all weekend of the arthel, our hats off to the men and women out there risking their lives to protect ours. arthel: indeed. s.w.a.t. is very important. you, casey stiegel, very safe and stylish. >> reporter: thanks, arthel. >> seaworld is fighting to get its trainers back in the tank with its whale. a judge ruled earlier this year to prevent performances with the orcas after one trainer was killed in 2010. harris faulkner has an

update from the newsroom. >> reporter: just to remind everybody how this began. the story was so jarring and in the news for months. the seaworld employee died in the killer whale tank in 2010. you may arm, dawn brand chow was working with a orca that killed her. seaworld was fined with three safety violations and the it ruled killer whales can no longer join in the shows. the seaworld is trying to appeal the ruling. the in july they lobbied the federal occupational health review commission to go every the ruling. that division of osha said no to the request. the park is back knocking at the door of the feds, trying to get animal trainers back in the water with killer orcas popular performance which draw millions of visitors. by the way did a little reading today. orcas are defined as versatile opportunistic predators. key word, predator.

jon? jon: harris faulkner in the newsroom. thank you. arthel: terrifying ordeal for bicyclists caught on tape when a motorist gets way too close. [honking] great. thank you. in addition to us monitoring your accounts for unusual activity, you could also set up free account alerts. okay. [ female announcer ] at wells fargo we're working around the clock to help protect your money and financial information. here's your temporary card. welcome back. how was london? [ female announcer ] wells fargo. together we'll go far.

[horn honking] >> this is getting old. jon: those are two cyclists in colorado shooting some frightening cell phone video that eventually helped police find the guy behind the wheel of that suv. you can see that ford explorer following these bikers out for a ride on

sunday morning near boulder. the driver stayed behind them, honking the horn for a couple of minutes. obviously a very dangerous situation. and there didn't seem to be any cause for it. the road was wide open. well eventually police or state troopers found the 75-year-old man who was behind the wheel. he has been charged with two counts of harrassment and a few other things. dirk freel is the lead cyclist of that group, founder of training peaks.com. you shot all of this on your cell phone. that is you in front doing the shooting, right, dirk? >> yeah, definitely that was me shooting. we were out to enjoy a beautiful fall day in colorado and, sunday morning and we're out riding and, you know, there isn't a big shoulder on this road but a very quiet road. jon: yes. >> when we heard cars coming up from behind would go single file. and after we went single file all of sudden we start hearing this horn. it was okay, we get that.

we know you're there. come on around. plenty of room, and then it just kept going and going and going. and i'm like, you know, maybe i should record this? so, i realized, i had my phone in my pocket, pulled it out and started hitting record. and, i mean half of me was, was scared. half of me, was angry. i didn't know how ugly this situation might become. jon: that's why you pull out the cell phone. >> exactly. jon: we're running this thing intact as you shot it. you can see when you pan the camera forward the road is wide open. he could easily get by you if he wanted to, but he didn't take that opportunity? >> exactly. we were riding right of the white line. that is only four inches right there. but in fact you can actually see during the video how there's a car behind the suv, and so he is actually

impeding traffic. and that car, eventually just decided to go around all of us. you know, and this incident went well beyond the two minute video i posted to youtube. it was actually about five minutes long, the entire incident. jon: i know it has gone viral. it has gone viral on youtube. i guess the good news here, the 75-year-old driver has been ticketed, but, share the road is the message. the organization that you're with? >> well, you know i'm trying to raise awareness for cycling in general. and, bicycle colorado does a wonderful job of making colorado a bicycle-friendly state. they work with a lot of governmental agencies. jon: it is great and healthy state too. lowest body fat of any in the nation. i'm from there. dirk freel, thanks very much. arthel: and you have hardly any body fat. jon: oh, i have way more than i had when i was a

cyclist in colorado. he is former professional, former professional cyclist. i was just, you know. arthel: what gives? go around, guy. jon: who knows. he got a ticket. arthel: when we come back i will get back to politics. a rough week for both presidential candidates. if you had to pick a winner, who would it be? we'll talk to our contributors when we come back and they will tell us what they think. call imperial structured settlements. the experts at imperial can convert your long-term payout into a lump sum of cash today. @ ♪ atmix of energies.ve the world needs a broader that's why we're supplying natural gas to

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arthel: a tough political week for president obama and governor mitt romney -- jon: as we can count down the last few critical weeks before the election. all the fallout for the two men who want to win the white house in november. which one managed to win the week despite the tough headlines? plus, a high stakes senate race with a razor thin margin pitting testimony -- democrat against republican. and a haunting decision to prevent a young boy from carrying out his popular halloween tradition done in the

name of charity. we will talk to him coming up. jon: well, the obama administration does an about face, reversing its position on the nature of the deadly assault on america's consulate in libya, calling it a terror attack now. welcome to the second hour of "happening now." arthel: i'm arthel neville in today for jenna lee. jon: i'm jon scott. the investigation uncovering new details about the brutal attack, and the white house is backtracking after insisting for more than a week that violence was spontaneous. now the white house says it's self-evident the assault was an act of terror. four americans, including the u.s. ambassador to libya, were killed amid gunfire and mortar rounds as americans were honoring those who died on 9/11. our chief intelligence correspondent catherine herridge is live in washington for us. catherine, what has the investigation uncovered so far? be. >> reporter: well, jon, we

were first to report four days ago that there were two waves to the attack and that insider help was likely because mortar fire hit the consulate roof as well as a safehouse as much as a mile away. what was relayed in libya was that in the first wave the attackers were hurt to say, quote, we got him, a reference to the ambassador who was dead. the attackers regrouped, and the second wave went after the motorcade and the support personnel. a military source tells fox news that the former seals were in libya working for a separate agency, they were not part of the state department security detail, and further, they were not at a consulate when it was attacked, they were at a safehouse outside the compound. they responded when they heard the gunfire, and they were killed themselves. correspondent greg talcott is reporting from tripoli this morning that the fbi is on the ground, but there is still no confirmation that the bureau's agents have reached the scene of the murders in benghazi, and there is real concern that the crime scene is now contaminated

ten days later. on capitol hill late yesterday we had that classified briefing by the secretary of state and the direct offer of national intelligence -- director of national intelligence, and it left lawmakers frustrated. >> it was a waste of my time. there were more details in "the new york times"es today about the attack than was shared with members of the senate last night. i asked specifically how many security personnel were at the consulate, said we'll get back with you on that. there are numbers all over the board. >> reporter: i think there are really sort of two leading edges to this story right now, one is this window between the first and second attack and what exactly unfold ld, and the second, what we've heard repeatedly from lawmakers is it does seem the administration is approaching the attack in libya with a law enforcement model. that would mean if individuals were captured, if possible, they would be extradited back to the united states and prosecute inside a criminal court. jon: is anyone talking about documents that might have been

taken from the consulate? that is one of the big things we lost in the tehran embassy attack in 1979. >> reporter: well, the initial reporting after the attack is that we were not aware of documents being taken, but what i would caution is that there are still no fbi agents on the ground. it's ten days later, and one would be foolish not to assume that elements have been taken from that consulate, though a lot of it was burned, and that may be a saving grace for the united states. jon: catherine herridge in washington, thank you. >> reporter: you're welcome. arthel: jon, meantime, the obama administration is backtracking on earlier statements that the deadly attack on our consulate benghazi grew out of a spontaneous protest. on september 12th, white house press secretary jay carney said it was too early to speculate on who was behind the attack. on september 14th the administration said the unrest was a response to an anti-muslim film privately produced in the u.s., then two days later came the remarks from ambassador

susan rice on the sunday morning talk shows that it was part of a spontaneous reaction to that film. then from jay carney this past tuesday, the same theme that armed groups were responding to that video. and now comes the reversal. here's jay carney. >> it is, i think, self-earth that what happened -- self-evident that what happened in benghazi was a terrorist attack. our embassy was attacked violently, and the result was four deaths of american officials. so, again, i think it's self-evident. arthel: judith miller is a pulitzer prize-winning investigative reporter, author and fox news contributor. good to see you, judith. >> nice to see you. arthel: so let's pick up right here on libya, okay? we were listening to a little bit of foggy audio, but jay carney saying, quote, it was self-evident that the terrorist attack on the u.s. copse laipt, it was self-evident there.

so there are so many questions swirling, and let me take some time because we certainly don't want to be flippant on such a serious matter. was it a cover-up? was it a deadly security blunder and got caught off guard, and if so, how could a small group, perhaps a less organized al-qaeda, outsmart u.s. intelligence, or ask you this, is this matter too complicated for a multiple choice answer? [laughter] >> i think all of those questions are exactly the right questions. they are the questions that the senators and the house members on the intelligence committees have been asking, and they haven't been getting answers that are persuasive. the administration clung to this explanation that it was just a respond -- spontaneous protest gone wild until the facts absolutely overwhelmed that assertion, and now they've gradually been backing off. there was an extraordinary piece in the wall street journal today that attributes these four deaths to a combination of lack

of security preparations, bad calls including by a security call by our terrific ambassador who said he didn't need the extra protection, an annex that was so secret and involved in some kinds of secret operations that the libyans themselves didn't know where it was, so they couldn't have provided extra help, and finally, what the journal called the fog of war which is just decisions made in the middle of a battle. there is this odd gap that jon mentioned earlier, this two-hour gap between the attack on the consulate and the attack on the annex. we need to know more about that. but now what we do know is that the story that was initially put out seems not to be correct even though in the new york times this morning they were still saying that the intelligence was unclear about whether or not this was a spontaneous event, that militants took advantage of it, or a planned attack as so many analysts in washington are

now concluding. arthel: and, judith, you mentioned the fog of war. >> right. arthel: so i ask you in your experience, do you feel that right now perhaps foreign policy is a more delicate dance than it ever has been? you've got dictators down, the voices of people up, so many resources where people can get information, misinformation? i don't know, is it just trickier than ever before? >> i think the thing that really complicates an investigation into this right now, frankly, is politics. the fact that we are in the middle of a very heated, a very intense presidential campaign, and clearly the administration does not want to be accused of being soft on security or not having taken steps that it should have taken to protect our personnel and our property overseas. so this is becoming a very political issue, and, you know, that interferes, the politicization of this interferes with a calm, dispassionate investigation. the fact that the fbi is still not able to be at the site ten

days after tells you something about the dangerousness of the situation on the ground. arthel: well, we certainly don't want to forget about the lives lost there -- >> no. arthel: -- of course. >> four americans. arthel: i'm sorry? >> four americans. arthel: yeah, four americans. >> and many more, perhaps, if these protests spread over the film that no one has seen. arthel: judith, i have to go. of course, we want to be fair and not discount any of the major advances that the administration has made over in the middle east. however, there are some mistakes and missteps and maybe some corrections that immediate to take place going forward. >> exactly. arthel: judith miller, thank you very much. >> thank you. jon: a major military milestone in afghanistan. the last of the nearly 35,000 u.s. troops sent to that nation as part of a surge against the taliban are coming home. the announcement was made with little fanfare by secretary of defense leon panetta during a visit to new zealand.

the surge is credited with enabling the training of thousands of afghan police and army personnel, though critics say it has done little to quell violence in that country as well as the insider attacks that have taken the lives of so many of our troops. arthel: and, jon, now to war-torn syria where a defiant dictator says he's not going anywhere. syrian president bashar assad standing firm, saying his regime will not fall. it's been a year and a half since the brutal anti-government uprising began. assad also lashing out at gulf countries, accusing them of using their enormous wealth to drive him from power. syria's brutal crackdown has escalated to civil war leaving more than 23,000 people dead. ♪ jon: new fallout from a fiery debate in a very close senate race that could change the balance of power in congress.

scott brown facing his challenger, democrat elizabeth warren. it got heated right off the bat. warren facing criticism for her claims of a native american heritage. molly line is live in boston with some of the highlights for us. >> reporter: hi, jon, tsa exactly right. this was a very feisty debate between scott brown, the republican, and his democratic challenger, harvard professor elizabeth warren, and as you mentioned, it got confrontational right from the beginning when the moderator asked about character in this race, was it an issue? scott brown went after elizabeth brown and her claims of native american heritage asking for evidence that it did not advance her academic career. >> character is important. as you know, i think what you're referring to is the fact that professor warren claimed that she was a native american, a person of color. and as you can see, she's not. that being said, she checked the box. >> when i was growing up, these are the stories i knew about my heritage. um, i believed my mother and my father and my aunts and my

uncles, and i never asked anybody for any documentation. i don't know any kid who did. >> reporter: scott brown worked to drive home his image as an independent voice for massachusetts, highlighting bipartisan legislative victories and not mentioning his party's republican nominee and fellow bay stater mitt romney, even as warren repeatedly praised president obama. brown scored an upset victory in 2010 when he won the seat long held by ted kennedy. massachusetts is a true blue state dominated by democrats, and he's pitted against warren who has strong ties to the current obama administration. still, this is a neck-and-neck race. earlier polls this week showed warren up by a small margin, and the latest poll yesterday by "the boston herald" showed that brown was up by six points. so a super tight race and one to watch. jon: we'll be watching it all the way to election day. molly line from boston, thank you.

arthel: 46 days and counting. a senior democrat on capitol hill under fire for possible ethics violations, learning her fate today. a house committee announcing its decision, we've got the details for you. plus, the presidential candidates fighting for the swing state of north carolina. why the economy could play a big role in who wins the key battle ground state. >> these are critical times. you know they're critical times. right here in, boy, i'll tell you, with north carolina having unemployment of 9.4%, with the manufacturing sector here in high point having suffered by virtue of a lot of jobs going overseas. ♪ forz(power!) andiamo! andiamo! (let's go! let's go!) avanti! avanti! (keep going! keep going!) hahaha...hahahaha!

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jon: president obama speaking now at a campaign event in northern virginia, you're looking at live pictures. the president there holding a rally at a minor league baseball stadium in woodbridge, and a

short time ago the president was connected via satellite to the aarp life at 50 plus event in new orleans, arthel's hometown. you can watch this event in its entirety if you'd like to hear the president's remarks streaming live at foxnews.com. arthel: in the meantime, president obama is hoping to repeat his 2008 victory in north carolina, traditionally a republican stronghold. democrats even held their national convention in charlotte. hoping to keep the state in their camp this time around. but north carolina is one of the few battleground states where governor romney is ahead in the polls. the state holds 15 electoral votes, the unemployment rate is now 9.7%, well above the national average of 8.1% overall. more than 450,000 people in that state are out of work. the real clear politics polling average showing governor romney narrowly leading in statewide polls. bringing in, now, rob christianson, chief political writer for the news and observer

in raleigh, also the author of "the paradox of tarheel politics." good to see you. >> good to be here. arthel: so we just showed that poll, and it's an example of how that state is performing so far this election cycle. is it trending the way you would expect at this juncture? >> well, most people thought that this would be a really tough state for president obama to win again. it was such a narrow victory last time. we've had persistently high unemployment in the last four years. however, we've had $58 million spent in this state over the summer, and the needle has hardly moved. the polls tend to be, show the state to be within the margin of error, and it's been, the voters are very disappointed with the economy and with president obama's performance here. but governor romney simply has not closed the sale in this state. and so this state is still up for grabs. arthel: it's still up for grabs, and so there is why, i'd

imagine, the first lady, michelle obama, perhaps the president's secret weapon, making, what, 11 visits to north carolina since 2009? talk about mrs. obama's appeal there. >> well, she has stressed military families and helping them and, of course, north carolina has a very strong military presence with fort bragg and camp lejeune, the marine base. so military issues are very important. it's a way -- she's much more popular than her husband is here, and it's a way to portray herself and to portray, sell the obama administration in a very nonpartisan way because it has broad support, it goes across party lines, of course. arthel: and then, rob, you mentioned that 2008 election. of course, the obama/biden ticket getting 49.70% of the votes there, the mccain/palin ticket, 9.48. so close -- 39.48. so close. so i ask you, what is it about the politics of north carolina that makes it such an enigma? >> well, there's a couple things going on here.

first of all, it's a upper-tier southern state, it's much more like virginia than a deep south state, so it's always been much more moderate. we've had 20 years of democratic governors which is the longest anywhere in the country except for the states of washington and oregon, so it's very much of a split state in terms of its politics even though it tends to go republican in presidential races. it has a very large-sized african-american population, so that tends to help president obama. and like florida and like virginia, it has had a tremendous number of people moving into the state from across the country and particularly the northeast and midwest, and they bring a little bit different attitudes that are a little bit more moderate in their politics, and that has helped transform the state. arthel: i know you keep a close eye on it. rob christensen, thank you very much for your time. >> sure. jon: pretty major news out of

washington, reuters news agency is reporting that the united states will drop the iranian dissident group huge ya ha dean -- mek from the terror watch list. for years they have been thought to be a record group, but they are also very much in opposition to the current regime of the ayatollahs there. and so washington has decided, apparently, that better to have them on our side. they are, they have been dropped, the people's mujahideen of iran, or mek, they have been dropped from the terror watch list. we'll be right back with more "happening now." when you have diabetes... your doctor will say get smart about your weight. that's why there's glucerna hunger smart shakes. they have carb steady, with carbs that digest slowly to help minimize blood sugar spikes. [ male announcer ] glucerna hunger smart. a smart way to help manage hunger and diabetes.

jon: just in, new video of what they call the great escape from capitol hill. these are members of the house and senate leaving the capitol

building to head back to their home districts, their business is done, they're going to be campaigning, basically, from now until election day. scott brown, as you might have seen, was one of the -- well, he left yesterday to go to that debate last night with elizabeth warren, but these are your members of congress helding out to go home and greet you, the american campaign -- the american citizen. one of the representatives hitting the road just minutes ago, california congresswoman maxine waters. we also learned late yesterday that waters will not be charged with ethics violations. the house ethics committee saying it has not found any evidence of wrongdoing. waters, a senior democrat on the financial services committee, fought allegations that she tried to steer a u.s. financial bailout to a bank in which her husband is an investor. the committee announcing the findings at a hearing, but it has not issued a final report. well, an old video causing

problems for the romney campaign early in the week, now it's ending with more anti-american violence overseas, casting a shadow on president obama's foreign policy. so these two men both are fighting to win to value office -- the oval office, which won the week? let's talk about it with bob beckel, co-host of "the five." ed rollins has lots of experience managing republican campaigns, including ronald reagan's, he is also a fox news contributor. this was a week in which events overseas showed us why, you know, the person that we put in that office is so important. you don't think this was a particularly good week for mitt romney. >> well, listen, the way that this foreign policy crisis started for romney because he came out and gave that statement early, and he got jumped on from everybody from democrats to republicans. now, the week did not pan out that well for president obama, but nonetheless, the marker was put down, and romney was not able to dig out of that trench

from beginning to end, and plus the fact he had all kinds of other problems for the week. jon: so it is interesting to me, ed, i mean, again, if this had happened in the bush administration where they start out, you know, all week with the u.n. ambassador on the sunday shows saying this was just all about the film and then end the week saying, oh, it's self-apparent the embassy attacks were violence, if that had happened in the bush administration, the press would have been all over it, but president obama hasn't taken much heat for it. >> well, that story is not complete yet, and i think the critical thing here as we find more and more about it, were the libyan security guards involved in it and all the rest of it and all the denial that had gone on for the white house, i think it's an indictment on the president's leadership. the critical thing, though, is romney had this bad tape, it was a fundraiser months ago. he had to spend two or three days fighting over the issue and the way the media handled it. a lot of polls came out that showed movement towards the obama campaign, and i think to a

certain extent it wasn't a good week. he needs to regroup, he's got six weeks to go, he needs to get into a sprint mode, fight hard for this office and, basically, make the president's lack of leadership not just on the economic issue, but on the foreign policy issue, basically, the issue for the rest of -- >> you know, we were talking about this. when you announce in the middle of the week that you're changing your strategy and you do it publicly, that's a sign of a campaign that's got some difficulties, to say the least. but i can understand it. romney has not been able to stay on his point, which is the economy and the jobs. if you think about it, it's been three weeks since he's been able to focus on that because something else seems to come out every other day. and this 49% thing, i mean, the thing that's shocking to me about it somebody didn't stop and think that includes senior citizens, retired veterans, wounded veterans, it's just one of those things you don't allow yourself to get into. >> anytime you have to explain this is what i really meant, you're in trouble. and, obviously, he needs to move away from that quickly, get it

back again on the leadership issue and the president. jon: but then the next day came that audio, the old audio of then-state senator obama talking about how he believes in redistribution, some of those remarks were truncated, but then again, some of the romney remarks were truncated as well. why, why did those not get the attention, or do the damage to the president that the other one did to romney? >> well, because the romney one was in may, it was four months ago, the other one was 12 years ago -- jon: 1998. >> 14 years ago. listen, ed and i were talking about this. obama's going to have a bad week here. at one point the press is going to turn, the press is not going to want to see this thick early, and i -- thing end early, and the other thing is we focus on debates now. jon: so the title of the segment is who won the week, bob, give us your take? >> obama easily. >> i would have to give it to obama this week. jon: so you're in agreement. we're going to have to get a scorecard up for the number of

weeks -- >> it doesn't matter at this point. one day counts, and a lot of votes are going to be cast in the next couple weeks, but this should be a shake-up call to the romney campaign, get on message, stay on message. >> the other thing is ohio started voting already. jon: early voting is already underway. >> yeah. jon: so in some respects, this campaign is already cast in concrete. >> that's right. jon: bob, ed, thank you both. arthel: john, space shuttle endeavour taking a victory lap, flying over the golden state bridge one last time. it's expected over the state capitol and then over the city by the bay, san francisco, of course. we're going to get the latest on its journey, exactly where it is. that's live straight ahead. are you receiving a payout from a legal settlement or annuity over 10 or even 20 years? call imperial structured settlements. the experts at imperial can convert your long-term payout into a lump sum of cash today.

arthel: oh, boy, today's the pig day for iphone fans, some of them waiting more than a week to get their hands on apple's latest must-have device, but it will take more than just apple fanatics buying the iphone 5 to meet wall street's high expectations. fox business network's robert gray is live at apple's flagship store on fifth avenue in new york city. sounds like i'm leading up to a word problem. [laughter] tell me what's going on, robert. >> reporter: oh, my goodness, there were 500 people. this is normally a 24/7 operate, they closed down last night around midnight.

australians getting in early this morning, 8 a.m. wall street analysts are looking at the crowds around the globe, estimating they'll sell somewhere between 8-10 million units before the end of the month, maybe even just this weekend alone. that would be double what we saw a year ago with the iphone 4s. i was just inside, and whenever there's an iphone around, it draws a crowd. people are trying to get a look at it, and these boys have got their hands on it, they were out singing about it this morning. tell me what it is about the iphone that drew you here, and you just had the iphone 4s, why upgrade now? >> it's faster, the camera pixel is better, and now you can use the whole screen as your, um, television because now it opens all the way up, so you get the full extent of the camera system. >> and what i like about it is just that it's -- we're reaching for the new 21st century, so technology is good, and whenever you can get a chance to catch technology at its finest and at its latest, then you should try to do it.

if you can afford to do it, go do it because it makes a difference. >> the camera system is amazing. >> i'll buy it for the camera. >> reporter: there have been criticisms out there about the new connectors and also about the maps program, but folks out here are buying it right now. they're singing with joy. >> yes. and we've got a sing -- we ready? ♪ now take that old iphone off the shelf, the iphone 5 stands by itself. ♪ the other phones ain't got the new hd, now everybody come sing with me. >> reporter: there you go, arthel. people still inside be, hundreds trying to check out as fast as they can. back to you. arthel: i like it. i'm trying to get the chorus for that. i can't of -- what's the line? they're going to do it. >> reporter: it's bob seger, old time rock and roll. arthel: i can't pull it out. i couldn't come up with the chorus line though.

jon: we sent robert to the apple store and an "american idol" audition. arthel: i know! it just broke out hook, line and sinker. jon: the white house now admits that certain media outlets like fox news channel were correct in assessing early on that the deadly attack in libya on our consulate there september 11th was carried out by terrorists and not part of a spontaneous protest against an anti-islam film that might not even exist. although the administration stopped short of saying that it believes the attacks were planned in advance. so how did the rest of the media do this week? let's bring in ouch news watch -- our news watch crew, kirsten powers, richard again el is a former spokesman to the united nations. richard, to you first. again, the white house has been all over the place in discussing what happened in libya. now jay carney at his briefing at about this time yesterday is saying, oh, it's self-evident

these were terror attacks as though they'd been talking that way the whole time. what's going on? >> it's really unbelievable. you know, i saw ed rollins and bob beckel say that obama won the week. i think, actually, the media won the week. this has been an unbelievable rewriting of history, beginning from the moment that they started pushing the narrative that this was all about the film. first, it was really romney, then it was all about the film. and then susan rice on sunday coming out and saying there's no news here. i think that the media now are beginning to investigate. well, i should say everybody but "the new york times." "the new york times" story today was, again, missing the mark. but they're having to scramble and having to rewrite now what they had thought was the story for a week because they didn't ask any questions. jon: well, kirsten, why -- if they were pushing this, you know, the film is the problem narrative to the media, why? what's the reason? >> well, i don't know, they seem

to have taken their marching orders from the obama administration on this from the very beginning. if you remember, the first thing that anything related to obama, any statement that came out other than the embassy statement was from ben he bolt on his campaign, expressing outrage over the fact that mitt romney had put out a statement. guess what the news ended up being for the next three days? that mitt romney put out a statement. then susan rice tells us this absurdity that terrorism played no role in this, that it was this spontaneous attack in libya because of the movie, protests that got out of control which they just all took, and they ran with that. now the president gets asked on univision was al-qaeda tied to this, and he says, we don't know that. well, that's interesting because susan rice actually was telling us over and over that we did know that it was caused by the movie. so the media has to at some point step up and can start investigating this because it's really, it really has reached an all-time low point when it comes

to their curiosity about what the obama administration is doing. jon: was some of it pushed, richard, by this video that, well, it's not exactly the video we have on screen now, but i believe it was reuters shot some video outside our embassy that night that, basically, just shows a bunch of guys walking through the streets with rocket-propelled grenade launchers in their hands. there was no rioting, no, you know, "death to america" kinds of chanting, it's just a bunch of thugs in the street with heavy weapons. >> yeah. i think the worst part about that, jon, is that we're really finding out now, "the wall street journal" had a very good piece this morning showing we just didn't have enough security. and so the question needs to be asked, why didn't we have enough security? why did our u.s. ambassador to libya not have enough security? why did susan rice have more security agents going to her "meet the press" interview than our u.s. ambassador had in libya? these are important questions, they're just now being asked.

the media have got to play catchup now, and i think, you know, kirsten is exactly right. this was a narrative coming from the obama campaign quickly to really disguise the fact that it wasn't about their weak policies in the middle east other the last four years -- over the last four years. they've been taking a backseat, but they don't want people to know it. jon: this is the video i was referring to earlier, this from the night of the attack. no common straights that -- demonstrations that we can see. all right. the, the other, um, question i wanted to ask, you mentioned the president and his univision interview, kirsten. they also asked him why wasn't your administration better prepared with more security at our embassies on september 11th? the president went off into this long-winded answer that never really answered the question. i mean, there are some very serious concerns here that the media ought to be focused on, and give credit to univision for

at least asking the question. >> yeah. well, the media should be embarrassed, actually, that it's only just now this question is being asked. they were so much, so obsessed with asking mitt romney seven times whether or not he should have put out a statement or should have used a different tone, um, and they're not concerned about why an american ambassador and three other americans were killed, or it's not just the libyan, um, consulate. why on 9/11 did our cairo embassy not have better protection? none of these questions have really been asked, and they need to be asked, and there needs to be an answer. why was susan rice lying? i mean, she has said two things i can think of that are demon availably false, one of them being what i brought up early and the other being there was this sort of protest that was going on that kind of got out of control, and then some people came in and took advantage of it. well, now there's been multiple reports including cbs that that wasn't true at all. jon: all right, kirsten and

rick, stick with us. if you've seen fox news, you know that jesse jackson affected the rescue of two americans in africa, but have the other media told that story? back with that in just a moment. arthel: right now republican vice presidential nominee paul ryan addressing the aarp members in new orleans at the memorial convention center. let's listen in. >> no longer will young families see their own incomes and their own hopes eaten away simply because they are carrying out their deep moral obligations to their parents and to their uncles and to their aunts. you see, there are two sides to that promise; obligations to young and old alike. and we must honor both. today our nation faces a political turning point. government mismanagement and political cowardice are threatening both sides of lbj's pledge.

seniors are threatened by obamacare, a law that would force steep cuts to real benefits in realtime for real people. meanwhile -- >> no! >> meanwhile, younger americans are burdened by an ever-growing national debt and a diminished future. here's the good news: by embracing common sense reforms now, we can get ahead of the problem. and keep promises people have organized their lives around. you see, if we reform medicare for my generation, we can protect it for those in or near retirement today. [applause] the first step to a stronger medicare is to repeal obamacare. >> boo! >> because it represents the worst of both worlds.

i had a feeling there'd be mixed reaction, so let me get into it. it weakens medicare for today's seniors and puts it at risk for the next generation. >> no! >> first, it funnels $716 billion out of medicare to pay for a new entitlement we didn't even ask for. >> boo! >> second, it puts 15 unelected bureaucrats in charge of medicare's future. let's talk about each one of these in turn. you may not have heard this side of the story. by now you've probably heard a lot of claims and counterclaims about the president's rate on medicare -- raid on medicare. the president said that this would actually strengthen the program. he said it would improve the program's solvency. ladies and gentlemen, that's just not true. the money wasn't walled off to stay in medicare.

instead, the law turned medicare into a piggybank for obamacare. >> boo! >> you don't have to take my word for it. you don't have to take my word for it, ask the chief actuary at the centers for medicare and medicaid services. he works for the obama administration, and his job is to look after your medicare. well, last year we invited him to congress to answer a simple question; if president obama's medicare cuts were used to pay for new spending in obamacare, how can they also improve medicare's solvency? his answer? they can't. it's simple. you can't spend the same dollar twice. his exact words were, quote: it takes two sets of money to the make it happen. [applause] president obama spent one set on a government takeover of health care, and he never provided the

other to strengthen medicare. so there it is. from the guy whose job it is to know. if anyone tries to tell you that obamacare strengthened medicare, just ask them where is the other $716 billion? but that's not all the new health care law did. you see, medicare's going bankrupt. everyone understands this. well, even president obama said last year, quote: if be you look at the number -- if you look at the numbers, medicare in the particular will run out of money, and we will not be able to sustain that program no matter how much taxes go up, end quote. so the disagreement is not about the problem, it's about the solution.

you might have heard about the approach mitt romney and i would take which i will lay out for you. but you probably haven't heard much about what president obama would do. the president doesn't talk much about what obamacare will really mean for seniors. and anyone who understands the details knows why. people don't like it. the president's health care law sets up something called the independent payment advisory board. it will be made up of 15 unelected bureaucrats. the president has said that he will appoint experts, but none of the 15 are required by law to have any medical training. and here's the thing, as medicare spending grows, this board is required to cut it. unless congress overrides these cuts with a supermajority vote, they automatically become law. think about what this means.

i know aarp was just involved in the annual debate over the so-called doc fix. back in 1997 democrats and republicans agreed to a budget deal that included large reductions in fees for doctors who treat medicare patients. well, it soon became clear that these cuts would make it impossible for many doctors to keep treating medicare patients. so every year, like clockwork, congress postpones the cuts. some of us learned a lesson from that experience. top down, bureaucratic cuts to medicare just don't work. providers stop providing care. that's what happens. [applause] unfortunately, some democrats, including the president, learned a different lesson. they never gave up on their belief in top-down, bureaucratic cuts.

but they did learn that the these cuts are very unpopular. so obamacare represents a first step in their new approach. they want to take responsibility for tease -- for these cuts out of the hands of your elected representatives and give it to unelected bureaucrats. they want to let them make the decisions and let them take the heat. here's medicare's chief actuary again on what that would mean. these consistents could be so severe, he said, that they could jeopardize access to care for beneficiaries. i deal with actuaries a lot as chairman of the house budget committee. they tend to be mild-mannered folks. so when one says something like that, here's what it means in plain english: red alert, do not proceed with this plan. but, you know, president obama's slogan, right? forward. forward into a future where seniors are denied the care that

they earned because a bureaucrat decided it wasn't worth the money. so now you've got the full story about the president's approach, let me tell you what mitt romney and i believe and what we will do if we are elected 46 days from now. when i think about medicare, i don't think about charts and graphs and numbers. >> [inaudible] >> my thoughts go back to a house on garfield street in janesville. my wonderful grand ma, janet, had alzheimer's. we did all those little things that made her feel loved. we had help from medicare, and it was there. just like it's there for my mom today. my mom is here with me today. and she's a senior from florida. [applause]

that time in my life when my nana lived with my mom and me is when we grew the closest. i'm very proud of my mom, and i'm happy she's having a good retirement. medicare is a part of her security. medicare is a promise, and we will honor it. a romney/ryan administration will protect and strengthen medicare for my mom's generation, for my generation and for my kids and yours. our plan keeps the protections that have made medicare a guaranteed promise for seniors throughout the years. [applause] and let me be clear, it makes no changes for those in or near retirement. >> [inaudible] [laughter] >> now, in order to save medicare for future generations, we propose putting 50 million seniors -- not 15 unaccountable bureaucrats -- in charge of

their own health care decisions. [applause] arthel: and that is gop p vp candidate paul ryan working very hard there in new orleans, addressing members of the aarp, trying to sell why the romney/ryan plan to reform medicare is a much better option than obamacare. lots of jeers, some cheers in the audience. we'll keep it streaming live on foxnews.com. you make the decision for yourself. we're back after this mistake. break. [ male announcer ] it's simple physics...

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negotiated to win that way. thank you both for joining us. >> thank you speech you join us this weekend for news watch saturday at 2:00 o'clock p.m. eastern. a special hour-long version from now until the election. jenna: there it is after 25 missions per in a live look at the space shuttle endevour on its final frontier, flying over california where it was made. flying over san francisco right now. it was blocking nearly 123 million miles. jon: they are worried about the blog but it looks like the marine layer burned off and they have mostly blue skies. what a beautiful sight as the endevour takes to the skies once again. we told you about that interview we were going to do with the