it is official. sonia sotomayor becomes the first latina on the u.s. supreme court. we're going to show you the history in the making here. from unregistered nurse to registered suspect? after pretending at work and even staging a banquet in her honor, she now faces real jail time. after 23 years behind bars for a crime he didn't commit, a texas man is now free. what turned things in his favor? getting pulled over by the cops in one connecticut time is pretty sweet. police use reverse psychology here and reward to keep the peace. hi. you're watching hln news and views. we start with breaking news out of new york. a tourist helicopter and a small

plane have collided and crashed into the hudson river near manhattan. take a look at this tower cam view here of the scene. details are still coming in right now but here is what we know. police say six people were believed to be on board the liberty tours helicopter. it's unclear if that number includes the pilot or not. as far as the other aircraft, the small plane, we don't know how many people were on board that. one witness tells the ap that the helicopter dropped rapidly and he could see that the plane had lost its wing. right now rescue operations are under way in the hudson river near hoboken, new jersey. crews are looking for both survivors and wreckage. this air space over the hudson river and around new york city is typically crowded with tourists and aircraft traffic. we're going to bring you more details as soon as they become available. judge sonia sotomayor now has a new title, justice sonia sotomayor. in a ceremony this morning,

sotomayor was sworn in as the newest member of the supreme court. >> hi, sonia sotomayor, do solemnly swear. >> i, sonia sotomayor, do solemnly swear. >> that i will administer justice without respect to persons. >> that i will administer justice without respect to persons. >> and do equal right to the poor and the rich. >> and do equal right to the poor and to the rich. >> and that i will faithfully and impartially. >> and that i will faithfully and impartially. >> discharge and perform. >> discharge and perform. >> all the duties incumbent upon me. >> all of the duties incumbent upon me. >> as associate justice of the supreme court of the united states. >> as an associate justice of the supreme court of the united states. >> under the constitution and laws of the united states. >> under the constitution and laws of the united states. >> so help me god. >> so help me god. >> congratulations and welcome to the court.

>> sotomayor is now the third woman and the first latina to sit on the high court. we want to bring you the latest now from massachusetts and news on eunice kennedy shriver. a sister of president john f. kennedy and senator ted kennedy. the 88-year-old was reported in critical but stable condition yesterday and now her family is by her side at a hospital in massachusetts. that includes her daughter here, maria shriver, and maria's husband governor arnold schwarzenegger. it's still unclear why she went to the hospital, but shriver's had a series of strokes in recent years. she's best known as the founders of the special olympics which helps millions of people with disabilities worldwide. a man suspected of planting several deadly bombings in indonesia is dead. he was killed in a dramatic shoot-out with police. noordin top was allegedly in this house in a small town in java. the police raid lasted 18 hours and once it was over, authorities say that top was

dead. the fbi had placed him on its top ten list of suspected terrorists here. he was wanted in connection with last month's bombings at two indonesian luxury hotels that killed nine people, including the two bombers. top was allegedly a bomb maker and a recruiter for an indonesian terrorist group with suspected ties to al qaeda. a florida medical examiner says that cocaine contributed to the heart disease that killed famed tv pitchman billy mays. the hillsborough medical examiner's office says mays last used cocaine in the days before his death but he wasn't under the influence of the drugs when he died. mays' family says they never knew he used cocaine nor other drugs. they also say that they may ask for an independent review of mays' official autopsy. his wife found him dead in their florida condo on june 28th. the debate on health care may actually be hazardous to your health. this week congressional leaders faced loud and sometimes violent

crowds as they held town hall meetings to explain the current health care reform plan. now democrats say the protests are being staged by republican-backed mobs. republicans say the disruptions show the public does not support legislation. a political analyst for our sister network cnn says the chaos at some of the meetings is a threat to democracy. >> the real question facing us as a people, are we a self-governing people or not? can we face the large challenges we have as a country and health care is clearly one of them. i think this is putting democracy to a real test and leadership on both sides, leaders on both sides, need to step up and put an end to these disruptive kind of brawling, physically violent sessions so that claire mccaskill even had to cancel one because of fear of violence. >> senator chair mccaskill's office said she didn't cancel her town hall meeting. the school where it was going to

be held called it off. you expect the people who take care of you, the doctor's office, to be ledgeit, right? police say a connecticut woman posed as registered nurse and threw herself a reception and gave herself an award without having the proper training. now she faces criminal charges and five years in prison. here's affiliate wfsb. >> reporter: we started our day at the door of betty lichenstein who didn't answer. according to her arrest warrant affidavit, the 56-year-old norwalk woman is accused of pretending to be a registered nurse. this was first discovered when a patient complained about getting a shot from lichenstein to the department of health and stated that the antibiotic had to be injected slowly and they were very painful when administered by the accused. >> big surprise, i guess. >> big surprise. i thought she was a nice woman. still do. maybe just went down the wrong road. >> reporter: lichenstein worked

at the office of dr. gerald wise, a norwalk neurologist, who when approached, did not want to discuss the matter of his employee, either outside or inside his practice. >> betty lichenstein. >> can't talk about it. >> reporter: the notion that lichenstein was a nurse was reinforced when a 41-guest reception was thrown at the norwalk inn last november where she was honored as 2008 nurse of the year by the connecticut nursing association. problem is, there is no connecticut nursing association. the state says she made it all up, even covering the $3,000 affair on her own dime. >> i think how can she spend so much just to be just a thing that's all going to be a flush, you know, all a wash. >> again, that was affiliate wfsb reporting. we want to point out here, while the fake award was supposedly from the connecticut nursing association, there is actually a legitimate professional group, the connecticut nurses association.

people in hawaii are getting ready for hurricane felicia. fortunately forecasters at the national hurricane center say that the storm will likely be downgraded to a tropical storm or a tropical depression by the time it reaches the island. at one point, felicia had become a category 4 storm, but it's been losing strength as it began traveling over colder waters. meanwhile, a typhoon is dumping some heavy rain on the island of taiwan. this storm is blamed in the deaths of ten people in the philippines, including three french tourists who were swept away in floodwaters. check out this video here. an alleged robber is getting dragged by his own getaway car. police say he led them on a three-mile chase after snatching someone's purse. as you can see he opened his door to ditch the ride and run, but his leg got tangled up in his seat belt. the car kept rolling with most of his body dragging underneath.

>> believe it or not, that frequently happens. it frequently happens that they do, generally though, they stop the car before they get out and not let it keep rolling. he was doing maybe ten miles an hour, but still, he went up the curb and into a front yard while he was being dragged. >> the man ended up with a broken leg. the open door also smashed him in the head. he was later charged with armed robbery and fleeing police. your 401(k) probably got a boost from news that fewer jobs than expected were cut last month. the surprise drop in the unemployment rate jolted wall street. stocks rallied yesterday closing at the highest point in nine months. the improved jobless rate of 9.4% caught most financial experts off guard. they had expected it to be worse. it's the first drop in the unemployment rate in more than a year. planning to get away to sunny san diego any time soon? we found a luxury resort that's offering a $19 room. seriously here. but before you book it, you should know that you're going to

have to pack a few extra things here. what the survivor package includes and what it doesn't.

so when a luxury resort offers room for 19 bucks a night, you immediately start to think there's got to be a catch here, right? take a look at what you get for that. an empty room. and i do mean empty. guests get to sleep in a tent here. no lights, though. no ac. and don't forget to bring your own toilet paper. the hotel staff, they came up with this whole discount idea during a brainstorming session. >> it started, you know, kind of easy stuff, towels and sheets and pillows. there was a little savings. try to discount from there. we started to get more carried away, what about the air conditioning and what about the water and eventually we came down to let's take everything out including the bed. >> the san diego hotel ran the so-called survivor package deal last june and 100 people took

the offer. love him or hate him, there's really no denying those colorful, corky crocs. since they first hit the market the shoes with the holes have been popular. hln money expert clark howard tells us how the crocs craze may be coming to an end. >> you know the people who make crocs, those cute little shoes that are so ugly that they're cute, that really caught on with kids and kids of all ages, including adults? well, that company was hotter than it could possibly be just a couple years ago. selling them like mad. and you know what, then they weren't hot anymore. but in the meantime the people who make crocs had expanded like crazy, taking on a whole lot of overhead and now that crocs went from hot to not, they're just clinging on, be trying to

survive. keen lesson for you, if you are in your own business and suddenly demand starts to rise, you want to grow gradually. no matter how much the order book looks tempting, be careful what overhead you take on because if you take on too much and sales suddenly aren't as strong, you could be on the ropes. i'm clark howard. for more advice from me go to cnn.com/clarkhoward. in response to the media reports about the company's future the managing director of crocs europe says he is extremely confident it will survive, adding that crocs is here to stay and has continually invested in product development. as always, you can get much more advice from clark today at 4:00 p.m. and it's free. but in this struggling economy clark's going to help you save more, spend less, and avoid getting ripped off. more now on that crash of a tourist helicopter and a small plane here in a hudson river near manhattan. the coast guard says that one

person has been rescued and teams from several organizations are searching the river right now. police say six people were believed to be on board a liberty tours helicopter when it collided with a small plane. now it's unclear if that number includes the pilot or not. as far as the plane, we don't know how many people were on board that. the air space over the hudson river and around new york city is typically crowded with both tourists and other small aircraft traffic. did you ever agonize over what to name a baby that was on the way? an arkansas woman kind of has a solution to who that dilemma. she is giving someone else the right to name her unborn child through an ebay auction. she says she desperately needs the money since she's pregnant with her seventh child and her husband suddenly left her. she turned to ebay on a whim. >> i really had no expectations. anything is a blessing. so i am open for anything. >> it's cool because she needs

the money. she probably needs the money for the baby. >> i think she ought to give that baby up for adoption if that's all the care she has for that child. >> some of the relatives are frowning on the idea of the highest bidder naming her child. the bidding started at $100. some people in north texas are learning their homes are not on as firm footing as they thought. heat with rain are causing some of the foundations of homes to crack. that is leaving homeowners with an expensive problem to repair. it is so bad that some people say their windows are out of alignment and their doors won't lock. experts say the soil has a lot of clay in it which means it can drastically shrink in the heat and substantialically expand in the rain. the st. louis police department is cracking down on its own cops. if they have ink that is. it's trying out a new no visible tattoo policy, but what if you got inked before the whole rule changed?

former alaska governor sarah palin is weighing in on president obama's push for health care reform. on her facebook page palin calls the proposed plan downright evil. in the post, she warned americans that they may eventually have to stand in front of an obama death panel to prove that they are worthy of health care. in his weekly address, president obama once again urged congress

to pass health care reform. he also talked about some of the misconceptions about the plan. >> let me explain what reform will mean for you. and let me start by dispelling the outlandish rumors that reform will promote euthanasia or cut medicaid or bring about a government takeover of health care. that's simply not true. this isn't about putting government in charge of your health insurance. it's about putting you in charge of your health insurance. under the reforms we seek f you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor. if you like your health care plan, you can keep your health care plan. and while reform is obviously essential for the 46 million americans who don't have health insurance, it will also provide more stability and security to the hundreds of millions who do. >> congress is on a month-long summer vacation, but lawmakers have promised to take up the legislation when they return. two of the three women killed in a pennsylvania gym

rampage will be laid to rest today. funeral services for heidi overmier and elizabeth began no gannon and jody billingsley funeral will be wednesday. all were at an aerobics class in a pittsburgh area la fitness when gunned down by george sodini. he ended the rampage committing suicide. new dna tests show a texas man convicted for life in prison for a sexual assault may not have committed the crime. earnest sonjays is free after serving 23 years behind bars. a judge ordered him released in part because tests showed blood stains on the alleged vibts's plants could not have come from him. >> i always told, you know, people that knew me in prison, you know, that i was innocent. when you're in prison, you know, when you tell the same story, the first thing they say, you know, everybody, everybody say that. i used to be mad. but like, you know, to have --

the past is the past. >> he is the sixth convicted man released after results from the houston police department crime lab were challenged. the harris county district attorney's office is now revi reviewing more than 150 cases because of allegations of impropriety and inaccurate test results from the lab. the st. louis police can no longer sport their tattoos. a ban on visible body art took effect last week. it's already caused problems for some cops who have been sent home because their ink was showing. the police association says the whole ban is unfair and there should be some leeway. >> this would be an issue where folks could be grandfathered in. i mean, we have people who came on the police department and then had tattoos put on later on because the department didn't object to it. >> get this, some officers are forced to wear makeup to cover their artwork. the tattoo ban affects cities and civilian employees. most of us cringe at the thought of getting a speeding ticket. some cops are actually writing tickets that put a smile on the

driver's faces. what?

it is official. sonia sotomayor becomes the first latina on the u.s. supreme court. we're going to show you the history in the making here. from unregistered nurse to registered suspect? after pretending at work and even staging a banquet in her honor, she now faces real jail time. after 23 years behind bars for a crime he didn't commit, a texas man is now free. what turned things in his favor? getting pulled over by the cops in one connecticut time is pretty sweet. police use reverse psychology here and reward to keep the peace. >> we start with breaking news out of new york. a tourist helicopter and a small

plane have collided and crashed here in the hudson river near manhattan. the coast guard says one person has been rescued. their condition, though, is not known. now this is a tower cam view of the scene here. it's unclear exactly how many people were on board each of the aircraft. now, earlier, police said that six people were believed to be on board the liberty tours helicopter. one witness tells the associated press that the helicopter dropped rapidly and he could actually see that the plane had lost its wing. right now, rescue operations are under way in the hudson river between manhattan and hoboken, new jersey, a busy area. crews are looking for both survivors and wreckage. this air space over the hudson river and around new york city is typically pretty crowded with both tourists and other small aircraft traffic. judge sonia sotomayor now has a new title, justice sonia sotomayor. in a ceremony this morning, sotomayor was sworn in as the newest member of the supreme court.

>> i, sonia sotomayor, do solemnly swear. >> i, sonia sotomayor, do solemnly swear. >> that i will administer justice without respect to persons. >> that i will administer justice without respect to persons. >> and do equal right to the poor and to the rich. >> and do equal right to the poor and to the rich. >> and that i will faithfully and impartially. >> and that i will faithfully and impartially. >> discharge and perform. >> discharge and perform. >> all the duties incumbent upon me. >> all of the duties incumbent upon me. >> as associate justice of the supreme court of the united states. >> as an associate justice of the supreme court of the united states. >> under the constitution and laws of the united states. >> under the constitution and laws of the united states. >> so help me god. >> so help me god. >> congratulations and welcome to the court. >> sotomayor is now the third woman and the first latina to sit on the high court.

we want to bring you the latest now from massachusetts and news on eunice kennedy shriver. a sister of president john f. kennedy and senator ted kennedy. the 88-year-old was reported in critical but stable condition yesterday and now her family is by her side at a hospital in massachusetts. that includes her daughter here, maria shriver, and maria's husband governor arnold schwarzenegger. now, it's still unclear why she wept to the hospital, but shriver's had a series of strokes in recent years. she's best known as the founders of the special olympics which helps millions of people with disabilities worldwide. a man suspected of planting several deadly bombings in indonesia is dead. he was killed in a dramatic shoot-out with police. noordin top was allegedly in this house in a small town in java. the police raid lasted 18 hours and once it was over, authorities say that top was dead. the fbi had placed him on its top ten list of suspected terrorists here.

he was wanted in connection with last month's bombings at two indonesian luxury hotels that killed nine people, including the two bombers. top was allegedly a bomb maker and a recruiter for an indonesian terrorist group with suspected ties to al qaeda. a florida medical examiner says that cocaine contributed to the heart disease that killed famed tv pitchman billy mays. the hillsborough medical examiner's office says mays last used cocaine in the days before his death but he wasn't under the influence of the drugs when he died. mays' family says they never knew he used cocaine nor other drugs. they also say that they may ask for an independent review of mays' official autopsy. his wife found him dead in their florida condo on june 28th. the debate on health care may actually be hazardous to your health. this week congressional leaders faced loud and sometimes violent crowds as they held town hall meetings to explain the current health care reform plan. now democrats say the protests

are being staged by republican-backed mobs. republicans say the disruptions show that the public does not support the legislation. a political analyst for our sister network cnn says the chaos at some of the meetings is a threat to democracy. >> the real question facing us as a people, are we a self-governing people or not? can we face the large challenges we have as a country and health care is clearly one of them. i think this is putting democracy to a real test and leadership on both sides, leaders on both sides, need to step up and put an end to these disruptive kind of brawling, physically violent sessions so that claire mccaskill even had to cancel one because of fear of violence. >> to clarify what was said there, senator claire mccaskill's office said she didn't cancel her town hall meeting. the school where it was going to be held called it off. you expect the people who take care of you, the doctor's office, to be legit, right?

but investigators say a connecticut woman posed as a registered nurse and even threw herself a reception and gave herself an award, all without having the proper training. now she faces criminal charges and five years in prison. here's affiliate wfsb. >> reporter: we started our day at the door of betty lichenstein who didn't answer. according to her arrest warrant affidavit, the 56-year-old norwalk woman is accused of pretending to be a registered nurse. this was first discovered when a patient complained about getting a shot from lichenstein to the department of health and stated that the antibiotic had to be injected slowly and they were very painful when administered by the accused. >> big surprise, i guess. >> big surprise. i thought she was a nice woman. still do. maybe just went down the wrong road. >> reporter: lichenstein worked at the office of dr. gerald wise, a norwalk neurologist, who when approached, did not want to

discuss the matter of his employee, either outside or inside his practice. >> betty lichenstein. >> no comment at this time. can't talk about it. >> reporter: the notion that lichenstein was a nurse was reinforced when a 41-guest reception was thrown at the norwalk inn last november where she was honored as 2008 nurse of the year by the connecticut nursing association. problem is, there is no connecticut nursing association. the state says she made it all up, even covering the $3,000 affair on her own dime. >> i think how can she spend so much just to be just a thing that's all going to be a flush, you know, all a wash. >> again, that was affiliate wfsb reporting. we want to point out here, while the fake award was supposedly from the connecticut nursing association, there is actually a legitimate professional group, the connecticut nurses association. people in hawaii are getting ready for hurricane felicia. fortunately forecasters at the national hurricane center say

that the storm will likely be downgraded to a tropical storm or a tropical depression by the time it reaches the island. at one point, felicia had become a category 4 storm, but it's been losing strength as it began traveling over colder waters. meanwhile, a typhoon is dumping some heavy rain on the island of taiwan. this storm is blamed in the deaths of ten people in the philippines, including three french tourists who were swept away in floodwaters. when it comes to medical tests sometimes the simplest one is really the best choice. but that's not always what the doctor suggests. medical correspondent elizabeth cohen has more in today's "help for her." >> a recently published study suggests many women undergoing diagnostic tests for possible breast cancer may be enduring a lot more pain and spending a lot more money than necessary. that report published in the journal of the "american college of surgeons" says about 40% of

female patients had open surgical biopsies despite professional guidelines that say a needle biopsy is just as good. >> the state of the art todays is needle biopsy. a needle biopsy is far less expensive, it hurts less, it doesn't cause any significant scarring. >> reporter: which is why some doctors are now crying foul and pointing fingers. >> here's why it's happening. unfortunately, many of these patients are controlled by surgeons and it may be that those surgeons do not know how to do needle biopsies or do not have the skill to do it, so rather than refer the patient to somebody who can do it, they do an open surgical biopsy which is, you know, ten years behind the time. >> reporter: surgical biopsies cost almost twice as much as needle biopsies, a cost difference that can run into the thousands of dollars. however there are certain times when a needle biopsy isn't the best option. >> there are occasional cases

where the leeion is such a position that you can't do a needle biopsy. >> reporter: as with any medical procedure, make sure you check with your doctor first and know exactly which option will work best for you. elizabeth cohen, cnn, atlanta. .

so when a luxury resort offers rooms for $19 a night, you immediately start to think, you know, there's got to be a catch here, right? take a look at what you get for that. an empty room. guests get to sleep in a tent

here. no lights, though. no ac. and don't forget to bring your own toilet paper. the hotel staff, they came up with this whole discount idea during a brainstorming session. >> it started, you know, kind of easy stuff, towels and sheets and pillows and, you know, little savings and try to discount from there and then we kind of get more carried away, what about the air conditioning and what about the water and eventually we came down to let's take everything out including the bed. >> the san diego hotel ran the so-called survivor package deal last june and 100 people took the offer. your 401(k) probably got a boost from news that fewer jobs than expected were cut last month. the surprise drop in the unemployment rate jolted wall street. stocks rallied yesterday closing at the highest point in nine months. the improved jobless rate of 9.4% caught most financial experts off guard. they had expected it to be worse. it's the first drop in the unemployment rate in more than a year.

did you ever agonize over what to name a baby that was on the way? an arkansas woman kind of has a solution to that whole dilemma. she is giving someone else the right to name her unborn child through an ebay auction. she says she needs the money since she's pregnant with her seventh child and her husband suddenly left her. she turned to ebay on a whim. >> i really had no expectations. anything is a blessing. so i am open for anything. >> it's cool because she needs money. she probably needs money for the baby. >> i think she ought to go ahead and give that baby up for adoption if that's all the care she has for that child. >> some of the woman's relatives are also frowning on the idea of the highest ebay bidder naming her child. the bidding started at 100 bucks. it's now over $3,000. the st. louis police department is cracking down on its own cops. if they have ink, that is. it's trying out a new no visible

tattoo policy. but what if you got inked before the whole rule changed? >> a cheesy business with southern charm in today's "how we got started." kathy made a good living as an advertising executive but she wasn't happy. >> i woke up one day and i realized that the corporate world and i were kind of not laughing at the same joke. >> reporter: one day while eating her mother's homemade cheese straws she got an idea. >> i'm looking at these cheese straws going, you know, i think i could make a business out of this. >> reporter: before she quit her job. >> i promised my husband that i would do a full year of research to make sure this wasn't just a whim. so the next step that i did, was i went to a grocery chain -- i couldn't find any cheese straws anywhere. >> reporter: the southern specialty was only available in gourmet stores. kathy convinced a major supermarket chain to sell the cheese straws named after her mother and she finally got a loan to buy a factory. >> after calling on 17 banks,

the 18th bank said yes. >> reporter: trying to save money on labor, kathy's husband signed on. >> i came back here and figured out how each machine works. >> reporter: 12 years later her products can be found across the country. kathy says all the hard woshrk paid off. >> the reward of going into a store and seeing my product on the shelf is wonderful. .

former alaska governor sarah palin is weighing in on president obama's push for health care reform. on her facebook page, palin calls the proposed plan, downright evil. in the post, she warned americans that they may eventually have to stand in front of an obama death panel to prove they're worthy of health care. president obama urged congress to pass health care reform and talked about some of the misconsense gse sepgss about th

plan. >> let me explain what reform will mean for you and let me start by dispelling the outlandish rumors that reform will promote euthanasia or cut medicaid or bring about a government takeover of health care. that's simply not true. this isn't about putting government in charge of your health insurance. it's about putting you in charge of your health insurance. under the reforms we seek, if you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor. if you like your health care plan, you can keep your health care plan. and while reform is obviously essential for the 46 million americans who don't have health insurance, it will also provide more stability and security to the hundreds of millions who do. >> congress is on a month-long summer vacation, but lawmakers have promised to take up the legislation when they return. new dna tests show that a texas man convicted to life in prison for a sexual assault may not have committed the crime. earnest sonnier is free after

serving 23 years behind bars. a judge ordered him released in part because tests showed that blood stains on the alleged victim's plants could not have come from sonnier. >> i always told, you know, people that not have come from him. >> i told people who knew me in prison that i was innocent. when you in prison you tell the same story. everybody -- everybody say that. i used to be mad, you know, but like -- you know, the past is the past. >> he's the sixth convicted man released after results from the houston police department crime lab were challenged. the district attorney is reviewing 160 cases because of allegations and inaccurate test results from the lab. a camping trip for a mother and son turned deadly for the 11-year-old boy. he and his mom ventured into death valley a week ago on what was supposed to be an overnight

trip. they along with their dog was found. they were buried up to the car's axels in the sand. she fixed a flat tire and continued into death valley depending on gps directions. death valley is the average size of connecticut and the average temperature is 106 degrees. body art caused problems for cops who have been sent home because of their ink showing. they say the ban is unfair and there should be leeway. >> this would be an issue where folks are grandfathered in. people came into the department and had ink put on later on. >> some are forced to wear make up to cover their artwork. it affects city and civilian

employees. >> most of us cringe at the thought of a ticket. some cops are writing a ticket that puts a smile on the driver's faces. what?

we start with breaking news out of new york. a tourist helicopter and a small plane have collided and crashed in the hudson river near manhattan. the coast guard says one person has been rescued. their condition is not known. this is a view of the scene here. it's unclear exactly how many people were on board each of the aircraft. earlier, police said six people were believed to be on board the helicopter. one witness tells the associated press the helicopter dropped rapidly and could see the plane dropped its wings.

it's between manhattan and new jersey. they are looking for survivors and wreckage. this air space over the hudson river and around new york city is typically crowded with tourists and other aircraft traffic. we want to bring in a former nypd supervisor. he's telling us what might be going on. what happened here? is it uncommon for several aircraft to be in the air over the hudson at the same time? >> it's a very busy air corridor now. it always has been. you have the statue of liberty, ellis island and also you have commercial traffic that flies through there and private aircraft. right now, it's a rather chaotic scene. you have police, fire and coast guard and you have emergency management all working together coordinated effort trying to do the rescue attempts going on.

you have police, scuba divers in the water, under the water and you also have coast guard and fire department in the water. there are locations they are looking into where there have been debris spills that they have divers doing now. >> a lot of activity and hoping now. thank you for your insight. keep it here for the latest on the story. judge sonia sotomayer has a new title, justice sonia sotomayer. she was sworn in as the newest member of the supreme court. >> i sonia sotomayer do solemnly swear -- >> i sonia sotomayer do solemnly swear. >> i will administer justice without respect to persons. >> i will administer justice without respect to persons. >> equal right to the poor and

rich. >> equal right to the poor and rich. >> i will faithfully and impartially -- discharge and perform. >> all the duties incumbent upon me. >> as associate justice of the supreme court of the united states. >> as associate justice of the supreme court of the united states. >> under the constitution and laws of the united states. >> so help me god. >> so help me god. >> congratulations and welcome to the court. >> sotomayer is the third woman and first latino to sit on the court. >> a sister of president john f. kennedy and ted kennedy. the 88-year-old was reported in critical but stable condition yesterday. now, her family is by her side in a hospital in massachusetts. that includes her daughter,

maria shriver and her husband arnold schwarzenegger. it's unclear why she went to the hospital. she has a series of strokes in recent years. she helped found special olympics. several bombings in indonesia is dead. he was killed in a shootout with police. he was allegedly in this house in a small town in java. the raid lasted 18 hours. once it was over, he was dead. the fbi placed him on the top ten list of terrorists here. he was wanted in connection with bombings at two luxury hotels that killed nine people. he was a bomb maker and a recruiter for a terrorist group with ties to al qaeda. a florida medical examiner says that cocaine contributed to the heart disease that killed

billy mays. the medical examiners office said mays last used cocaine in the days before his death. he wasn't under the influence when he died. mays family members never knew he used cocaine or other drugs. they may ask for an independent review of another autopsy. the debate on health care may be hazardous to your health. congreti congressional leaders face loud and violent crowds to explain the current health care reform plan. the protests are staged by republican backed mobs. republicans say the disruption shows the public does not support legislation. cnn says the chaos at the meetings is a threat to democracy. >> the real question facing us is are we a self-governing people or not?

can we face the challenges we have as a country? health care is one of them. this is putting democracy to the test. leaders on both sides need to step up and put an end to the brawling, physically violent session. claire mccaskill had to cancel one because of violence. >> snar claire mccaskill says they didn't cancel the meeting, the school called it off. the people who take care of you to be legit, right? investigators say a connecticut woman posed as a registered nurse and gave herself an award without having proper training. now, she faces criminal charges and five years in prison. here is lynne. >> reporter: we start our day at the door of betty who didn't answer.

according to her arrest warrant, the 56-year-old norwalk woman -- a patient complained about getting a shot. stated the antibiotic had to be injected slowly and were very painful when administered by the accused. >> big sur prize? >> big sur prize. just went down the wrong road. >> reporter: when approached didn't want to discuss the matter of the employee outside or inside his practice. >> can't talk about it. >> reporter: the notion that she was a nurse was reinforced when a 41 guest reception was thrown at the inn where she was honor ed as 2008 nurse of the year. problem is, there is no

connecticut nursing association. the state says she made it up, covering the $3,000 affair on her own dime. >> it's going to be all flush, you know. all a wash. again, that was an affiliate reporting. we want to point out while the fake award was from the connecticut nursing association, there's a legitimate professional group, the nurses association. people in hawaii are getting ready for hurricane felicia. they say the storm will be downgraded to a tropical storm or tropical depression by the time it reaches the island. it had become a category 4 storm. meanwhi meanwhile, a typhoon dumped heavy rain on taiwan. the storm is blamed for the

death of ten people in the philippines including french tourists swept away in flood waters. plan on getting away to san diego anytime soon? we found a resort for $19. you have to pack a few extra things. what the package includes and what it doesn't.

so when a luxury resort offers rooms for $19 a night, you think there's got to be a catch, right? look at what you get for that. an empty room. i mean empty. you get a sleep in a tent. no lights, no ac. don't forget to bring your own toilet paper. the hotel staff came up with this idea during a brainstorming session. >> it started easy stuff, towels, sheets, pillows. a little savings.

then we get more and more carried away. what about the air-conditioning, what about the water? we came down to take everything out, including the bed. >> they ran this deal last june and 100 people took the offer. as a general rule of thumb, it's not good to insult your neighbor. the state kicked off an edgy ad aimed at coaxing businesses away from california. one was talking to an arrange tang. another saying you can kiss your assets good-bye if they stay. at least one los angeles tv station told him it won't air them. did you ever agonize over what to name a baby that was on the way? an arkansas woman is giving someone else the right to name

her child through an ebay auction. she needs the money. she's pregnant with her seventh child and her husband left her. she turned to ebay on a whim. >> i had no expectations. anything is a blessing. i am open for anything. >> it's cool. she needs the money. she probably needs the money for the baby. >> i think she should give the baby up for adoption if that's all the care she has for the child. >> her family members are frowning on the idea. it started at $100. it's now over $3,000. take a tiny drop of your blood and it would predict if you would be sick in the next three days. we look at futuristic medicine. >> afghanistan. a u.s. soldier points his weapon and looks out over a remote landscape. for the troops, miles away from

the nearest field hospital, getting sick simply isn't an option. most of us had the flu at one time or another. it can knock you for a loop, so we don't want to have people going into battle who are not going to be performing optimally. they put themselves at risk and the other troops at risk. >> keeping them combat ready. in 2006, a team of scientists was given $6 million by the u.s. department of defense. their task? develop a device to predict the on set of disease before symptoms appear. >> go to cnn.com/vitalsigns.

former alaska governor sarah palin is weighing in on president obama's push for health care reform. on her facebook page, she calls the plan down right evil. in the post, she warned americans they may have to stand in front of an obama desk panel to prove they are worthy of health care. president obama once again urged congress to pass health carry form and talked about the misconceptions about the plan.

>> let me explain what reform will mean for you. let me start by dispelling the outlandish rumors that it will promote -- it's simply not true. it's not about putting government in charge of your health insurance, it's about putting you in charge of your health insurance. under the reforms we seek, if you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor. if you like your health care plan, you can keep your health care plan. while reform is obviously essential for the 46 million americans who don't have health insurance, it will provide more stability and security for the hundreds of millions who do. >> congress is on a month long summer vacation. lawmakers promised to take up the legislation when they return. new dna tests show a texas man convicted to life in prison for a sexual assault may not have committed the crime.

earnest is free after serving 23 years behind bars. tests show bloodstains on the victims plants could not have come from him. >> i always told, you know, people who knew me in prison that i was innocent. you know, when you in prison, you know, you tell the story they say you know, everybody say that. i used to be mad. you know, but like, you know, to -- the past is the past. >> he's the sixth convicted man released after results from the houston police department crime lab were challenged. they are reviewing over 150 cases because of allegations of inaccurate test results from the lab. a camping trip for a mother and son turned deadly for the 11-year-old boy. he and his mom ventured into death valley on what was supposed to be an overnight

camping trip. they were found thursday. their jeep was buried up to its axels in sand. the mother told rescuers her son died wednesday, days of they fixed a tire. to give you perspective here, death valley is roughly the size of connecticut and the average temperature is august is 113 degrees. st. louis police can no longer sport their tatoos. a ban on visible body art took effect last week and it's caused problems for some cops sent home because their ink is showing. the ban is unfair and there should be leeway. >> this would be an issue where folks could be grandfathered in. people came on the police department and had tatoos put on. some are forced to wear make up to cover their artwork.

you know what new orleans has the nation's highest murder rates and highest crime rates. two murders this year involved kids who were 14 years old. cnn hero is fighting to give the kids a safe place to go and he's doing it with music. >> i love to play. i keep drumsticks in my hand. the music in new orleans is dying fast. you have violence, drug life. i'm tired of it. my aim is to get kids off the street. my name is derrick. i started a free music education program for kids of new orleans. we do more than teach music. we do transportation, instrument. i feed you, so you're not hungry. i call it the no excuse policy.

you don't have an excuse why you not here. we meet five days a week year round. it's what keeps the kids coming back every day. >> i was getting in trouble. now, when i'm home, i practice. it turned my life. >> i love seeing kids happy. ♪ i'm going to keep teaching kids this culture. a whole different life of music. you can find out more about him or our heroes work at cnn.com/heroes. now you can see footage and get updates on facebook. go to facebook.com/cnnheroes.

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we start with breaking news out of new york a tourist helicopter and a small plane collided and crashed in the hudson river near manhattan. the coast guard says one person has been rescued. their condition is not known. this is a view of the scene here. it's unclear how many people were on board each of the aircraft. earlier, police said six people were believed to be on board the helicopter. one witness says the helicopter dropped rapidly and he could see the plane lost its wings. rescue operations are underway

in the hudson river near manhattan. crews are looking for survivors and wreckage. this air space is typically crowded with tourists and other small aircraft traffic. judge sonia sotomayer can get fitted for a new robe. she was sworn in as the justice for supreme court. we have more on the accomplishment. >> reporter: it was a historic moment as she took the -- ever to be sworn in on the high korlt. the first time cameras were allowed in the supreme court. >> i sonia sotomayer do solemnly swear -- >> i sonia sotomayer do solemnly swear. >> that i will add min strer justice without respect to persons. >> i will administer justice without respect to persons. >> equal right to the poor and rich. >> equal right to the poor and rich.

>> i will faithfully and impartial impartially. >> discharge and perform. >> discharge and perform -- >> all the duties incumbent upon me. >> all of the duties incumbent upon me. >> as associate justice of the supreme court of the united states. as associate justice of the supreme court of the united states. >> under the constitution and laws of the united states. >> so help me god. >> so help me god. >> congratulations and welcome to the court. as for president obama, he did not attend the ceremony. instead, legal sources say he wanted it to take place away from the white house to send a message about the high courts independence. they will host a reception at the white house on wednesday. we want to bring the latest from massachusetts and news on

shriver. the 88-year-old was reported in critical but stable condition yesterday. now, her family is by her side at a hospital in massachusetts. that includes her daughter here, maria shriver and her husband, governor arnold schwarzenegger. it's unclear why she went to the hospital. shriver had a series of strokes in recent years. she's best known as the founder of the special olympics. a man suspected of planting several bombings in indonesia is dead. he was killed in a shootout with police. he was allegedly in this house in a small town in java. the police raid lasted 18 hours. once it was over, they said he was dead. he was on the top ten list of suspected terrorists here. he was connected with the

bombings of two luxurious hotels that killed nine people. he was allegedly a bomb maker and recruiter for a terrorist group with ties to al qaeda. a florida medical examiner says cocaine contributed to the heart disease that killed billy mays. the medical examiners office says mays last used cocaine in the days before his death. he wasn't under the influence of the drug when he died. mays family never knew he used cocaine or other drugs. they may ask for an independent review of the official autopsy. his wife found him dead in their florida condo june 28. the debate on health care may actually be hazardous to your health. yeah. this week, congressional leaders face loud and violent crowds to explain the current health care reform plans. it's being staged by republican backed mobs.

republicans say the disruptions show the public does not support legislation. cnn says the chaos at some of the meetings is a threat to democracy. >> the real question facing us is are we a self-governing people or not. health care is one of them. this, i think this is putting democracy to a test and leadership on both sides. leaders need to step up and put an end to the disruptive brawling physically violent sessions. claire mccaskill had to cancel one because of violence. >> to clarify, her office says she didn't cancel the town hall meeting, the school where it was going to be held called it off. you expect tome who day care care of you at the doctors office to take care of you. a woman posed as a nurse and

through herself a reception and gave herself an award without the proper training. she faces criminal charges and five years in prison. >> reporter: we start our day at the door of betty who didn't answer. according to her arrest warrant affidavit the 56-year-old woman pretended to be a registered nurse. it was discovered when a patient complained of getting a shot by her to the department of health. it had to be injected slowly. it was painful when administered by the accused. >> big sur prize? >> big sur prize. i thought she was a nice woman. still do. maybe just went down the wrong road. >> reporter: she worked at the office of doctor gerald weis. he did not want to discuss the matter of his employee outside

or inside his practice. >> can't talk about it. >> reporter: the notion she was a nurse was reinforced when a 41 guest reception was thrown last november. she was honored as 2008 nurse of the year by the nursing association. there is no connecticut nursing association. the state says she made it all up, covering the $3,000 affair on her own dime. >> this is going to be all a wash. all a wash. >> we want to point out while the award was from the connecticut nursing association, there is a legitimate professional group, the connecticut nurses association. people in hawaii are getting ready for hurricane felicia. reporters from the national hurricane center say it will be

downgraded to a tropical storm or depression by the time it reaches the island. it's become a category 4 storm. it's been losing strength while traveling over colder water. a typhoon dumped heavy rain on taiwan. it's blamed for the death of ten people including three french tourists swept away in flood waters. check out this video. an alleged robber is getting dragged by his own get away car. he led police on a three mile chase. he got tangled in his seatbelt and the car kept rolling. >> that frequently happens that they do, generally, they stop the car before they get out and not let it keep rolling. he was doing maybe 10 miles per

hour. he went off the curb and in a front yard. >> he ended up with a broken leg. the door smashed him in the head. he was charged with armed robbery and fleeing police. fewer jobs than expected were cut last month. the surprise drop in the unemployment rate jolted wall street. stocks rallied closing at the highest rate in nine months. it cost most financial experts off guard. it's the worst drop in unemployment rate in more than a year. planning a get away to sunny san diego anytime soon? we found a luxury resort offering a $19 room. seriously here. before you book it, you have to pack a few extra things here. what it includes and what it doesn't.

when a luxury resort offers rooms for $19 a night, you think there's got to be a catch here, right. take a look at what you get for that. an empty room. i mean empty. guests get to sleep in a tent. no lights and no ac. don't forget to bring your own toilet paper. hotel staff came up with the idea during a brainstorming session. >> started easy stuff, towels, sheets, pillows. there was a little savings. then we get more and more carried away. someone said what about the air-conditioning and the water.

let's take everything out including the bed. >> they ran the survivor deal last june and 100 people took the offer. as a general rule of thumb, it's not good to insult your neighbor, especially if he's bigger than you. nevada kicked off an edgy campaign. it compares state legislatures to talking to monkeys. another says they can kiss their assets good-bye, if they stay put. the ads are supposed to air in california. at least one los angeles tv station told him it won't air them. did you ever agonize over what to name a baby that was on the way? an arkansas woman has a solution to the dilemma. she's giving someone else the right to name her baby. she needs the money. she's pregnant with her seventh

child and her husband left her. she turned to ebay on a whim. >> i had no expectations. anything is a blessing. i am open to anything. >> she needs the money. she probably needs the money for the baby. >> she ought to give the baby up for adoption if that's all the care she has for the child. >> some relatives are frowning on the idea. the bidding started at $100. it's now over $3,000. people in north texas are learning their homes are not on firm footing. heavy rain is causing the foundation of some homes to crack. it's leaving homeowners with an expensive problem. it's so bad, some say their windows are out of alignment and their doors won't lock. the soil has a lot of clay in it. it means it can shrink in the

heat and expand in the rain. i'm reynolds wolf for hln. we have a lot of stories to cover in the weather. first is a hurricane in the pacific ocean, felicia. we expect it to weaken as it gets closer to the hawaiian islands. it should go to a tropical storm or depression. it's going to bring heavier serve and enhanced rainfall. we'll see plenty in the western great lakes, michigan and parts of the upper midwest. cooler conditions. rain drops. it's hot and dry in texas. temperatures going to 98 degrees. 95 in houston. 92 in memphis. upper 70s for boston and new york. 93 atlanta. 72 in salt lake city. 84 for the mile high city of denver. 69 in seattle. that is a wrap on your forecast.

i'm reynolds wolf for hln. the st. louis police department is cracking down on their own cops, if they have ink. they are trying a no visible tatoo policy. what if you got inked before the rule changed?

former alaska governor sarah palin is weighing in on president obama's push for health care reform. on her facebook page, she calls it plan down right evil. in the post, she warned americans that they may eventually have to stand in front of an obama panel to prove they are worthy of health care. president obama once again urged congress to pass health care reform. he talked about the misconceptions of the plan. >> let me explain what reform will mean for you. let me start by dispelling the rumors that it will cut medicaid or bring about a government take overof health care. it's simply not true. it's not about putting

government in charge of your health insurance. it's about putting you in charge of your health insurance under the reforms we seek, if you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor. if you like your health care plan, you can keep your health care plan. while reform is obviously essential for the 46 million americans who don't have health insurance, it will provide stability and security for the hundreds of millions who do. congress is on a month long summer vacation. lawmakers promised to take up the legislation when they return. new dna tests show a texas man convict ed of life in priso for a sexual assault may not have committed the crime. he is free after serving 23 years behind bars. a judge ordered him released. bloodstains on the plants could not have come from him. >> i always told, you know, people who knew me in prison, you know, that i was innocent.

when you in prison, you know, you tell the same story and they say, you know, everybody -- everybody say that. i used to be mad, you know, but like, you but the past is the past. >> sonnier is the sixth man released after results from the houston police lap were challenged. the district attorney's office is reviewing 150 cases because of allegations of impropriety and inaccurate test results from the lab. a camping trip for a mother and son turned deadly for the 11-year-old boy. investigators say he and his mom vein churd into death valley a week ago on what was supposed to be an overnight camping trip. they, along with their pet dog were found thursday. the mother told rescuers her son died wednesday days after she fixed a flat tire and continued into death valley relying on directions from the gps device in the vehicle.

death valley is roughly the size of connecticut and the average daytime temperature there in august is about 113 degrees. st. louis police can no longer sport their tatoos. the ban on visible body art took effect last week and has already caused some problems for some cops who have been sent home because their ink was showing. the police association says the whole ban is unfair and there should be some leeway. >> this would be an issue where folks could be grandfathered in. i mean, we have people who came on the police department and then had tatoos put on later on because the department didn't object. >> get this. some officers are forced to wear makeup to cover their art work. the tatoo ban also affects city and civilian employees. most of us cringe at the thought of a speeding ticket but some cops are actually writing tickets that put a smile on the driver's faces. what?

a helicopter and a small plane collide over manhattan spurring a dramatic search and rescue in the hudson river. judge sonia sotomayor is now supreme court justice sonia sotomayor. we're going to show you some of the making of history here in the first such ceremony televised from the supreme court. and the st. louis pd wants to be ink free but will the new rule bend if an officer already has a tatoo people can actually see? you're watching hln news and views. i'm natasha curry. we start with breaking news out of new york. a tourist helicopter and a small plane have collided and crashed into the hudson river here near manhattan.÷ the faa says that three people

were believed to be onboard the plane and as many as five passengers and one pilot were on the helicopter. the coast guard says that at least one person was pulled from the hudson but we are getting conflicting reports as to whether that person was alive or dead. right now rescue operations are under way in the hudson river near hoboken, new jersey. crews are looking for survivors and wreckage. now, this air space over the hudson river here and around new york city is typically crowded with both tourists and other small aircraft traffic. we'll bring you more details as soon as they become available. judge sonia sotomayor now has a new title -- justice sonia sotomayor. in a ceremony this morning sotomayor was sworn in as the newest member of the supreme court. >> i sonia sotomayor do solemnly swear. >> i sonia sotomayor do solemnly swear. >> that i will administer justice without respect to persons. >> that i will administer justice without respect to

persons. >> and do equal right to the poor and to the rich. >> and do equal right to the poor and to the rich. >> and that i will faithfully and impartially. >> and that i will faithfully and impartially. >> discharge and perform. >> discharge and perform. >> all the duties incumbent upon me. >> all of the duties incumbent upon me. >> as associate justice of the supreme court of the united states. >> as an associate justice of the supreme court of the united states. >> under the constitution and laws of the united states. >> under the constitution and laws of the united states. >> so help me god. >> so help me god. >> congratulations and welcome to the court. >> sotomayor is now the third woman and the first latina to sit on the high court. a florida medical examiner says that cocaine contributed to the heart disease that killed famed tv pitch man billy mays. the hillsborough county medical

examiner's office says mays last used cocaine in the days before his death but wasn't under the influence of the drug when he died. mays' family says they never knew he used cocaine nor other drugs and also say they may ask for an independent review of mays' official autopsy. his wife found him dead in their florida condo on june 28th. two of the three women killed in the pennsylvania gym rampage will be laid to rest today. funeral services for heidi overmier and elizabeth gannon were held this morning and judy billingsley's funeral will be held on wednesday. all three women were at an aerobics class at a pittsburgh area la fitness when they were gunned down by george sodini tuesday night. sodini ended the rampage by committing suicide. new dna tests show that a texas man convicted to life in prison for a sexual assault may not have committed the crime. ernest sonnier is free now after serving 23 years behind bars. a judge ordered him released in

part because tests showed blood stains on the victim's plants could not have come from sonnier. >> i always told people that knew me in prison that i was innocent. you know, when you're in prison, you tell the same story to a person and they say, you know, everybody, everybody says that. i used to be mad. but the past is the past. >> sonnier is the sixth convicted man released after results from the houston police department crime lab were challenged. the harris county district attorney's office is now reviewing more than soo cases because of allegations of impropriety and inaccurate test results from the lab. a camping trip for a mother and son turned deadly for the 11-year-old boy. investigators say that he and his mom ventured into death valley a week ago on what was supposed to be an overnight camping trip. they, along with their pet dog were found thursday. the jeep cherokee was buried up to its axles in sand.

the mother told rescuers her son died wednesday, days after she fixed a flat tire and continued into death valley relying on directions from her gps device in the vehicle. now, to give you some perspective here, death valley is roughly the size of connecticut and the average daytime temperature there in august is about 113 degrees. check thought video. an alleged robber is getting dragged by his own getaway car. police say that he led them on a three-mile chase after snatching someone's purse. as you can see he opened his door to ditch the ride and run but his leg got tangled up in his seat belt. the car kept rolling with most of his body dragging underneath. >> believe it or not that frequently happens. it frequently happens that they do, generally, though, they stop the car before they get out and not let it keep rolling. he was doing maybe ten miles an hour but, still, he went up the curb and into a front yard while he was being dragged. >> the man ended up with a broken leg. the open door also smashed him

in the head. he was later charged with armed robbery and fleeing police. some people in north texas are learning that their homes are not on as firm footing as they thought. severe heat coupled with periods of heavy rain are causing the foundations of some homes to crack. that is leaving homeowners with an expensive problem to repair. it is so bad some people say their windows are now out of alignment and their doors won't lock. experts say the soil has a lot of clay in it which means it can drastically shrink in the heat and substantially expand in the rain. people in hawaii are getting ready for hurricane felicia. fortunately, the forecasters at the national hurricane center say the storm will likely be downgraded to a tropical storm or a tropical depression by the time it reaches the island. now, at one point felicia had become a category four storm but has been losing strength as it began traveling over colder waters. meanwhile, a typhoon with heavy

rain here on the island of taiwan. this storm is blamed in the deaths of ten people in the philippines including three french tourists who were swept away in flood waters. some town halls on health care reform are getting quite fierce with pushing, shoving, heckling. so why is health care stirring up such debate?

former alaska governor sarah palin is weighing in on president obama's push for health care reform. on her facebook page palin calls the proposed plan downright evil. in "the post" she warned americans that they may eventually have to stand in front of an obama death panel to prove that they're worthy of health care. in his weekly address president obama once again urged congress to pass health care reform. he also talked about some of the misconceptions about the plan. >> let me explain what reform will mean for you. and let me start by disspelling

the outlandish rumors that reform will promote euthanasia or cut medicaid or bring about a government takeover of health care. that's simply not true. this isn't about putting government in charge of your health insurance. it's about putting you in charge of your health insurance. under the reforms we seek, if you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor. if you like your health care plan, you can keep your health care plan. and while reform is obviously essential for the 46 million americans who don't have health insurance, it will also provide more stability and security to the hundreds of millions who do. >> congress is on a month-long summer vacation but lawmakers have promised to take up the legislation when they return. many of the lawmakers will be spending at least part of their recess talking to their constituents about health care. so far, the town hall meetings have been a flash point and many really turning ugly. so why is it pushing the wrong

buttons for so many people? deputy political director paul ste steinhauser has some insight. >> when it comes to these demonstrations at these town halls on health care across the country the big question, are they organized or are they organic? i guess it's a little bit of both. let's start with the organized. some of these conservative advocacy groups that oppose the president's health care proposals, on their websites they're posting lists of where and when these town halls are being held and also posting ideas on what to say and how to protest. but at the same time, it's organic, as well, because there are a lot of people out there that do not like the president's health care proposals and are showing up at these town halls on their own. our poll, we put it out this week and found that people opposed to the president's health care plans are much more likely to attend these town halls than people that support the president's plans. we're seeing the democratic groups on the left now kind of reacting to what's been happening the past week and they're making a page from the right because they're now

reaching out and trying to mobilize their people to get out to these town halls and to speak out in favor of the president's plans. one thing, though, not all these town halls have been unruly. take a look at these pictures from donna edwards' town hall in maryland just the other way. you know what? there were some tough questions for the congresswoman but there was no disruption and it was a very civil affair. so what do people think about health care? our new cnn poll showed one thing that's very interesting. people overwhelmingly said, you know what? change is needed in health care because we have to bring down costs. they're too high. and, also, we need to insure all those millions of americans who don't have health insurance. at the same time people overwhelmingly said, you know what? we like the health care coverage we have right now. one other thing that's really important. take a look at this number. americans are divided on the president's health care plan. oo% say, yes, i like it. 45% oppose it. so a big division there and maybe that's playing out at these town halls across the country. when these town halls are over

with congress comes back in september, health care is still going to be the big discussion, the big item, big issue in front of congress but there are other things as well. clean energy reform is going to be something the senate will deal with this fall. it's already barely passed the house. the fight will now start up in the senate. imagine a small device that could take a tiny drop of your blood and predict whether or not you'd be sick say with a cold or flu within the next three days. well, dr. sanjay gupta looks at futuristic medicine in today's "vital signs." >> reporter: par one products, afghanistan. a u.s. soldier points his weapon and looks out over a remote landscape. for these troops miles away from the nearest field hospital, getting sick simply isn't an option. >> most of us have had the flu at one time or another and no matter how old or young you are, it can knock you for a loop. so we don't want to have people going into battle that are not going to be performing optimally. they put themselves at risk and the rest of the troops at risk.

>> reporter: keeping soldiers disease free and combat ready is a job of duke researcher jeff ginsberg. in 2006 ginsberg's team of scientists was given more than $6 million by the u.s. department of defense. their task? develop a device that could predict the onset of infectious disease before symptoms appear. >> for more on this and other exciting advances in medicine go to the website cnn.com/vital signs.

when a luxury resort offers rooms for 19 bucks a night you immediately start to think there's got to be a catch, right? well, take a look at what you get for that. an empty room. and i do mean empty. guests get to sleep in a tent here. no lights, though. no ac. and don't forget to bring your own toilet paper. the hotel staff came up with the whole discount idea during a brainstorming session. >> started kind of easy stuff, towels and sheets and pillows and, you know, a little savings. we tried to discount from there. then we just kind of get more and more carried away. someone said what about the air conditioning and the water and eventually we came down to let's just take everything out including the bed. >> the san diego hotel ran the so-called survivor package deal last june and 100 people took the offer.

as a general rule it's not good form to insult your neighbor, especially if he's bigger than you. that's not the case in nevada. the state just kicked off a new edgy ad campaign aimed at coaxing businesses away from california. one compares the state's legislators to talking orangutanes and another tells business owners they can kiss their assets good-bye if they stay put. the ads were supposed to air in california but the head of the campaign says at least one los angeles tv station told him it won't air them. >> congress is on a month-long summer vacation but lawmakers have promised to take up the legislation when they return. new dna tests show that a texas man convicted to life in prison for a sexual assault may not have committed the crime.

ernest sonnier is free now after serving 23 years behind bars. a judge ordered him released and in part because tests show that blood stains on the alleged victim's plants could not have come from sonnier. >> i always told people that knew me in prison, you know, that i was innocent. when you're in prison, you tell the same story and they say, you know, everybody, everybody says that. i used to be mad. but the past is the past. >> sonnier is the sixth convicted man released after results from the houston police department crime lab were challenged. the harris county district attorney's office is now reviewing more than 150 cases because of allegations of impropriety and inaccurate test results from the lab. a camping trip for a mother and son turned deadly for the 11-year-old boy. investigators say he and his mom ventured into death valley a week ago on what was supposed to

be an overnight camping trip. they along with their pet dog were found thursday. the jeep cherokee was buried up to the axles in sand. the mother told rescuers her son died wednesday days after she fixed a flat tire and continued into death valley relying on directions from the gps device in the vehicle. death valley is roughly the size of connecticut and the average daytime temperature there in august is about 113 degrees. st. louis police can no longer sport their tatoos. the ban on visible body art took effect last week and has already caused some problems for some cops who have been sent home because their ink was showing. the police association says the whole ban is unfair and there should be some leeway. >> this would be an issue where folks could be grandfathered in. we have people who came on the police department and then had tatoos put on later on because the department didn't object. >> get this. some officers are forced to wear makeup to cover their art work. the tatoo ban also affects

civilian employees. new orleans has the nation's highest murder rate and one of the highest crime rates. two murders this year involved kids who were just 14 years old. this week's cnn hero is fighting to give the children of new orleans a safe place to go and he's doing it with music. >> music has always been with me. i love to play and keep the drum sticks in my hand. the music of new orleans is really dying fast. life on the streets is really hard for a kid with the violence, the drug life. i'm just tired of it. my aim is to get kids off the streets. i start'd free music education program for the kids of new orleans. let's go. arms up. we do more than just teach music. we offer transportation. we offer instruments. i feed you so you're not hungry,

give you tutoring. you don't have no excuse why you're not here. you don't have to have any experience. we meet five days a week year round. it keeps the kids coming back every day, learning something new. >> i was getting in trouble. now when i'm here i practice. when i'm home i practice. >> i love seeing the kids happy and just having fun. ♪ we have to keep teaching these kids this culture. i don't want to say i'm saving lives but i'm giving life. a whole different life of hope -- music. >> you can find out more about derrick or any of our heroes' work at cnn.com/heroes and now you can see exclusive heroes footage and get updates on facebook. just go to facebook.com/cnn

heroes. i'll clean the pool if you clean the windows.

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