one reason why legendary golfer arnold palmer called it the monster. today tiger woods treated the monster like a dwarf. defeating harrington to win for the seventh time in akron, ohio. here it is. key moment of the tournament. tiger woods one shot back on the 16th hole. the hmonster. his third shot from 181 yards away. golf fans, you'll love it. the ball lands above the hole and then rolls to within inches of the cup. tiger would birdie to take the lead. he's wearing red. he's awesome. harrington wouldn't be so founate. his fourth shot from behind the green flies into the water. he'd triple bogey and fall out of the running for the win. tiger on 18 only needs this short putt to win the bridge stone invitation all. he wins for the seventh time on the same golf course, a pga

record. >> i've always felt comfortable here. certain golf courses you just feel comfortable. you see the tee shots. you see the pro shots. and the greens seem to be easier to read than others. this golf course is one of those for me. and i think my results kind of show that. >> tiger woods winning for the 70th time on the pga tour. if you don't think soccer is big in america, you might want to rethink that. today more than 72,000 fans packed fedex field to watch international power house real madrid take on d.c. united. there they are. real madrid. they did not disappoint. 57th minute. no score. real on the attack. he beats josh wick to give them a 1-0. he makes a lot of money. 59th minute. d.c. united going for the equalizer. a lot of million. he scores again.

real madrid would add another goal to beat d.c. united 3-0, proving why they're one of the best in the world. drama at rock creek park today for the lake mason title. a three-set thriller between defending champ juan martin and andy roddick. the two exchange ground strokes from the baseline. then roddick hits the back hand volley at the net for the winner right here. that's fire as the young kids would say nowadays. roddick wins the first set 6-3. second set. roddick with the forehand down the line. we go to a third set. here we go. third set tie breaker. roddick serving to save a championship point. he picks up the return but he says you're not returning this. the ball yjustatches the line. roddick challenges the call.

it's upheld. that's it. steve villanueva's boy. beating roddick in three sets. they hug it out at the net. good match down there at rock creek park today. when we come back, we'll tell you why you won't be seeing steve villanueva anymore. we're going to talk about that. like how i worked that in. > t >>ttcupeoaomtion where all you have to do is sit and sweat. come back. ó#ó#>

ti ♪ (announcer) it's right here. it's easy. p♪ tel it's the money you could be saving with geico. r♪

time for our weekly foray into the odd, unusual or just plain strange. tonight another unusual competition in finland. the finish have given us those now famous wife carrying mud soccer. the challenge is simple. who can sit in the sun the longest. they sat in the sauna where the temperature was about 232 degree. gets better. every 30 seconds they poured water on the stones.

the winner a fin who steamed for four hours, 36 minutes. we don't like to do this. but we have to. for folks who watch regularly this is the last time you're going to watch steve villanueva. where you going? >> heading back to new york. getting out of the television business. after 15 years of working in tv, time f a change. i'm moving home. my wife's due in december. we're having our first baby. so, you know, it's a new chapter in my life and i'm looking forward to it. my three years here at wrc were fantastic. i loved working here. everyone's been just super nice. it's been a real pleasure. >> folks know you as meteorologist. when i got here, you were one of the first folks who beprefriend me, so thank you. >> class act. >> it's been a pleasure working with you guys. i'm going to miss working here. >> be good. we'll see you back here tomorrow. tomorrow at 4:55.

"he "meet the press" is up next. you want to say good night? >> good night, everyone! (announcer) now when verizon brings fios straight to your home, you can get amazing tv, internet and phone for just $79.99 a month for six months. that's like getting all three incredible fios services for the price of two. call the verizon center for customers with disabilities at 800-974-6006 tty/v today. this is fios. this is big.

you can get amazing tv, internet and phone for jus $79.99 a month for six months. that's like getting all three incredible fios services for the price of two. call the verizon center for customers with disabilities at 800-974-6006 tty/v today. this is fios. this is big. captions by vitac0-- tty/v www.vitac.com captions paid for by nbc-universal television this sunday -- the happy homecoming. >> when we walked in through the doors, we saw standing before us

president bill clinton. >> now the back story. how the white house and the former president secured the release of two journalists in north korea. did washington pay an unacceptable price, or is this an opportunity for finding a new way forward with the world's most secretive nuclear power? our guest, the man in the middle of it all, the president's national security advisor, general james jones. then the obama economy. >> today we're pointed in the right direction. >> job losses slow, pointing to signs of recovery. but when can we expect to see americans ck at work? is the president's stimulus plan reaching the front lines quickly enough? joining us, two big-city mayors, michael bloomberg of new york and cory booker of newark, new jersey, on jobs, housing, and fears of the swine flu hitting their cities this fall. finally, congress leaves for the summer and finds a lot of

heat over health care back home. the politics of health care reform and how each side plans to wage the bat this will month. our roundtable puts it in perspective. "new york times" columnist david brooks, anchor of cnn's "street signs" erin burnett, and editor of "newsweek" magazine, jon meacham. but first general james jones, welcome back. >> thank you, sir. >> north korea, the two american journalists back home. this was the scene in los angeles on wednesday. former president bill clinton accompanying the two journalists back home. he has since come back east and you have been able to fully debrief him. what can you say you have now learned about north korea and specifically kim jong-il? >> well, i think that, first of all, i want to emphasize this was a private mission, and we can get into that if you'd like, but this was a private mission

where -- in which there were no official or unofficial messages sent by this government or by president obama. so, we celebrate the fact that we've had this great reunion and -- but we can say that -- we can al report that the president did -- former president did spend time with the korean leader, that he appeared to be in control of his government and his -- he sounded very -- very reasoned in terms of his conversations. >> his health. right? >> his health is a big issue, but obviously we didn't have any time to make an assessments there, but he seemed in control of his faculties, and the former president was able to engage him on a number of subjects. as you know, he had a relationship with his father when the president was in office. and so, he was able to convey his own -- his personal views with regard to the importance of

the issues of the moment, which is making sure that nuclear weapons do not appear on the korean peninsula. >> let's talk about that. the nuclear issue. it must have come up during their conversation. what was said? >> well, i think -- i don't want to speak for president clinton. we're in the process of getting his thoughts, as well. we haven't completely finished with that. but it's clear thus far that he did press home the fact that if north korea really desired to rejoin the family of nations in a credible way, that the way forward is not t build nuclear weapons and to rejoin the six party talks and within the context of those talks they could have a dialogue with the united states. >> north korea said they don't want to be part of these six-party talks anymore. a couple weeks ago they were exchanging info with the secretary of state hillary clinton. did they give a an indication to the former president that that's changed, that they might be

willing to come back now? >> i think time will tell on that, david, to be honest, but i'm quite sure the former president was very articulate and persuasive, that the north koreans know exactly what the global community, particularly the members of the six-party talks expect. and there is a path for them to move forward. >> any positive signs, though, from the talks? >> we'll have to wait and see. >> is there a deadline in your mind for when they need to come back? >> i think this is such a big issue that -- and we're making such good progress with our relations with china and russia and other countries to show them the wisdom of making the right decision here. but it is up to them, and we -- they know exactly what the end stage should look like. >> let me ask you about the back story. how did this first come up, this idea of sending president clinton over there? you did a lot of vetting of this idea. what were your concerns, and how

did it come up? >> well, it actually came up through a private channel, through a communication from this two girls to their families. and evidently, the north koreans implied that if former president clinton were to take on this mission that they would guarantee the release of the two girls. >> but it had to be bill clinton? couldn't be al gore, couldn't be somebody else? >> they specified bill clinton. and so, the president said, well ooshgs let's see if former president clinton would be willing to do this. >> so, there were no reservations in your mind or the president's mind? >> i think the president from day one gave us the task of trying to get those girls back. and that was -- that really was job number one. and we thought that -- and president clinton, former president clinton said he would be -- he would take this on in a private way and that's exactly what happened. >> the north koreans say things all the time and they don't live up to their agreement.

how did you test that, in fact, he wouldn't come back empty-handed? >> well, you know, ultimately, regardless of all of the backwards and forwards on this -- and we did have -- we do have channels to talk to the north koreans. we received a personal assurance of the leader that they would grant their term, "special amnesty," and that if former president clinton came to north korea that he would leave with those two girls. and ultimately, you say, okay. >> right. >> let's see -- let's see if they live up tho to their word and they did. >> there's been some criticism of this mission, and it centers around this photograph. this was theicture that experts say kim jong-il wanted and he got it. there is the former president sitting right next to him. henry kissinger writes this this morning in the op-ed piece in "the washington post."

>> did this president just hand kim jong-il a propaganda victory? >> i don't think so. i mean, maybe in kim jong-il's mind and he'll play it out inside of north korea any way he wants, but we vetted this mission with the south koreans, the japanese, with the chinese weather the russian, and we had 100% support by all these countries. the former president also asked for the release of a south korean detainee and the japanese abduck tees, which we think would be also a great picture to see the reunification of those families, which we're very concerned about. so, no, i just think that wanted to get those girls out, the north koreans gave us a path to that, and the president of the united states said we want these families reunified.

they shouldn't be held in captivity. and by the way, if we hadn't done that, we'd be having a different conversation tonight -- today because they would have said, well, you had an opportunity just to send the former president. >> all right. to that point, former president clinton, he goes to pyongyang, goes to north korea, gets this result. if you want a breakthrough with north korea, that breakthrough that's been so elusive to previous administrations, should president obama go to north korea and talk to the north koreans? >> that is -- the future relationship of our two countries wholly dependent upon the ability of the north koreans to understand where they are in terms of not only just the united states but this big issue about nuclear weapons and -- >> but would you rule that out as potential for a breakthrough? >> i wouldn't speculate on hypotheticals. we are doing -- we're doing the right thing with the whole family of nations. proliferation is a big issue. it's a big issue in north korea. it's a huge issue in iran. and we are at the center point

of this debate and it's a global debate. it is not just about bilateral relations. this is a very serious problem. >> let me go through a few other hot-button issues in our remaining moments. in pakistan, an important al qaeda figure, mesud, the head of pakistan's al qaeda leadership, reportedly killed. are you able to confirm that today? >> i wish i could to be honest with you. totally, we think so. put it in a 90% category if you want. pakistan has confirmed it. we know that there are some reports now from the mesud tribe that he wasn't, but the evidence is pretty conclusive. >> what does it mean to the united states' security? >> well, i think it's -- this is a big deal. and it's not only -- by the way, it's not only happening in this part of the world, it's happening in other parts of the world, as well, with some -- with a gradual coming together by the family of nations to

reject terrorism as something that's acceptable. in terms of the region, it means that the pakistani armed forces and the pakistani government are doing quite well in terms of their fight against extremism. this was -- baitullah mesud was the public enemy number one in pakistan, so it's their biggest target, and we've already seen evidence of dissension in the ranks about who's going to follow him. this is -- if this is -- if this happened, and we think it did, that is good thing. >> is it still your belief that islamaba osama bin laden is in pakistan? >> that ones a little elusive. we are still very much on the hunt. we think that he's still in that general region, but that's a tougher nut to crack. this is the big deal. >> let me ask you about afghanistan. general mcchrystal, commander on the ground, is doing an assessments of the mission and what he needs to achieve that mission successfully. the question about the end game,

"the washington post" reports today about the long-term costs to america. >> what is the end game in afghanistan? what kind of time frame should americans expect? >> the end game in afghanistan is obviously to turn the responsibility for their security and economic prosperity and governance over to afghans as quickly as possible. we're doing that three ways. one is in march we announced comprehensive strategy that wasn't only focused on troop strength and security, although there's a certain minimum there that's required, but also the cohesion of security, economic development, and good governce and rule of law from local mayors all the way up to kabul. we've generally done pretty well over time on the securit pilar.

nato, the united states, and 47 sovereign countries are on the ground in afghanistan. the u.n., the nato, the european union, the world bank, all sorts of nongovernmental organizations, all the instruments are there to turn this thing in the right direction. the question is how do you get th to work for cohesively, and that's the new strategy. and if we can get that done, and we will know that fairly quicy -- we published a new set of metrics, not published, but they're being developed in concert with the congressional guidance. we have an envoy in -- hard at work to frame this whole thing, new commanders, new ambassadors, and we think that it's going to change -- it's going to move the the right direction. i can't tell you- >> at least a decade, though? >> no, no, no. >> less than a decade. >> you can't predict here where the tipping point is just like we couldn't predict it in iraq,

but if it's done right and done cohesi cohesively, the tipping poent will be much sooner, much quicker. we will know whether this strategy is working within -- by the end of the next year and we'll be able to make maybe some predictions at that time but not before. >> general mcchrystal wants more troop for afghanistan. will he get a skeptical response from president obama? >> general mcchrystal is doing what all good commanders do. when you take over a job, you do an assessment. he has the overall strategy that's been agreed to, and he is making his commander's estimate on how to function within that strategy. and we'll just have to wait and see what he has to say. but it has to be -- whatever we do is within the context of a strategy agreed upon in march and a very comprehensive one. >> before you go, on iran, new developments this morning about those three american hikers who strayed into iran. >> yes. there are in the sense that the

government has officially acknowledged them that they have them in their custody. >> and that's news. that had not been diggs closed before. >> that is as of this morning. we do have that confirmation. >> how does this administration deal with mahmoud ahmadinejad? is he in a position, do you think weather the political fighting to engage with the west? >> we certainly hope so. he is the figure of authority that we have to deal with. but it's clear that there's major -- major problems going on -- i won't say major problems but major events going on inside of iran that have to do with the election. but we have to deal with the figures of authority that are in position. we have sent strong messages that we would like these three young people released as soon as possible and also others that they have in their custody, as well. this is -- these are innocent people. we want their families reunited.

and we would like to have it done as quickly as possible. >> general jones, thank you very much. >> thanks. up next, how is the president's economic plan fare across the nation? two big-city mayors, new york city's michael bloomberg and new jersey's cory booker weigh in. and our political roundtable. all serve. ♪ to deliver the technologies... vital to freedom. ♪ to help carry hope to those in need. ♪ around the globe, the people of boeing... are working together -- for what matters most. that's why we're here. ♪

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we are back now with a look at the economy and the president's stimulus plan and their impact on big cities across the country. we welcome mayor cory booker of newark, new jersey, and welcome back, and michael bloomberg of new york city. thank you for being here after such a day of tragedy in new york city yesterday and that midair collision between a tourist helicopter and a single-engine plane into the hudson. this was the image of the impact

yesterday and what led to, as you told new yorkers and around the region, a grim recovery effort as that went forward yesterday. and as we look live here this morning, that recovery effort is ongoing now. what can you tell us is the very latest about what you've learned? >> well, the most important thing at this point is to make sure that our divers don't risk their lives because this is not a rescue effort. this is a recovery effort. both the aircraft are under 30 feet of water. we haven't even found one of them yet. visibility is only a couple feet. we do think we've found the helicopter. we've recovered a couple of bodies. we'll continue to search until we get everybody out. but the bottom line is it's going to take time and we want to take care. >> nine people killed, including a 15-year-old boy, italian tourist on that tour, helicopter, as well, such a terrible ls of life and also questions about unregulated travel in the air in that particular corridor. are there some changes that

should be made about the fact that there can be such unregulated travel there? >> well, the national transportation safety board will do a complete complete investigation and figure out what happened and see whether measures should be taken. that in the end will be up to the faa. they're the ones that set these rules as to where you can fly. these are very heavily used corridors. helicopters are very important to the city and used all the time. tourists seem to love it and for commerce. this is -- just an accident, total tragedy, or may be, in fact, if we had different procedures you could have prevented it. we've not had very many accidents in the area. the last one that was most notable was the plane putting down in the hudson river where everybody survived. in this case, we don't think it was survivable from virtually the instant the crash took place. and it's very tragic as you point out. >> all right. let's talk about the economy now. the jobless rate now is at 9.4% nationally, some good newse mitiadst the administration, jobs being

lost at a smaller clip than we've seen earlier on inhe year. here's the unemployment rate for your two cities. new york city, 9.5%, pretty close to the nional average, newark, new jersey, however, 14.3%. and it speaks to something that's happening around the ci. this is what reuters reported last week. u.s. cits are n vexed by surging unemployment with 18 metropolitan areas recording jobless rates of more than 15% in june, according to a labor department report. it was the sixth continue second noif that all 372 metro areas in a monthly survey registered increases this-in the rate, a full 144 metropolitan areas reported jobless rates of at least 10% in the month, up from 112 in may. a year ago, only six cities had rates that high, more than three-quarters of americans, of course, living in cities. mayor booker, are you seeing recovery? >> well, look, this is an economy that has a tremendous am of pain. unemployment is often the last

thing that recovers. so, we're seeing hope and possibility, most importantly, but we're not seeing the recovery yet. and what's good, though, that's happening is the obama administration is giving us a tremendous opportunity to reframe our city and to change the narrative of american cities. so, what while we're doing the block lg and tackling of trying to help people on unemployment, trying to find ways and opportunities of attracting business and the like, what we're also seeing is opportunities to stimulate a new economy within newark. one of the best examples, there's a new green economy. we believe if you're going to have the american dream in newark, it's got to be a green dream. we've attracted three solar companies to the city under my leadership. we've started training people in weatherization and having people getting good union jobs doing that. we see opportunities to retrofit city buildings and reduce the cost of government and energy. a lot of the streams of the stimulus money are setting the stage, in my opinion, to change newark's economy so it's ready for the 21st century. >> mayor bloomberg, are you seeing recovery? in march you said there was a

crisis of confidence. do you see that changes? >> let me first say something about what cory can't say but has to be true. he has one of the most difficult jobs in america. he's taken over a city where you've had many years of under investment and lack of foresight and he is ooh the future of newark. they have a chance to rectify things. he's got a tougher job than i do. in new york city, we do see some green shoots. businesses are doing slightly better. but remember, we still have people losing their homes, we still have people losing their jobs. i'm encouraged for the future. new york is unique and the country is getting better and the president's programs, i think, are helping, but nevertheless, we can't walk away and say, well, all we have to do is sit back and it's going to get better. so, we're trying to focus on helping small businesses by reducing their taxes and giving them loan programs, training people for the jobs that are available, not necessarily the jobs they had, making sure that when the other industries come

back, the people that we need will be there. and i think what you're seeing is is we've saved $2 billion or $3 billion over the last few years because we thought that the good times would end. we're using that now to get through this tough period, but we're also working hard to attract businesses from around the world to come to us because we have to have a future. >> is the stimulus getting to the cities? >> well, in new york's case, the city's case, we've had a couple of billion dollars in what you'd call budget relief mainly for education and medicaid. we've had some stimulus moneys, much smaller amount, for infrastructure and those kinds of things. i think the main thing the stimulus program has done so far, however, is given the country hope that there will be more economic activity down the road because, remember, most of the stimulus money hasn't been spent yet. the infrastructure money we've got, the requirement was shovel-ready projects. we have some. we're actually putting it to work. we're trying to create new jobs, jobs that would not be there otherwise. but we do have a crisis of

confidence, and i think this president can look back on six months in office a say i've gotten the country a little bit through that, i've given them some hope. we still have a long ways to go. nobody should suggest that this is easy. but i think you've seen the worst and now if you have worked in the past and made investments and diversified your economy you're going to have a future. >> let me talk act taxes. mayor booker, if the president wants to expand government with not just the stimulus program but also a massive health care overhaul, can he keep his pledge of not raising taxes on the middle class? is that the responsible thing to do? >> well, look, in our cities we're finding that the more we can create tax incentives, the more we can create tax-free zones, the more you stimulate the economy, the more you create opportunity. if we're going to create competitive cities for the future, we've got to continue programs like the one started by jack kemp and supported by many democrats, which was enterprise zones and things like that.

i'm hoping, and my conversations with the obama administration is if they're looking for ways to create more competitive cities to compete with the mumbais, the dubais, the shanghais, cities like new york and cities like newark. the challenge is when you want to do more and provide more as a government in terms of services, we have to figure out a way to pay for it. but take the reality of health care for example. right now urban hospitals are being crushed under the weight of paying for the uninsured, paying for undocumented immigrants. i've had two hospitals close in my city that sent out tsunamis in terms of waves of people that need help and need support. we've got to find a way to pay for these things because unfortunately the cost is getting passed on. >> that's the question. can you do all of that? can you relieve that crunch and just tax the wealthiest americans or do you have to extend that? >> you have to talk about or e totality. if you don't have things like tort reform or advocating prevention programs, if you start working more aggressively in the totality of the problem,

you reduce the burden on the taxpayer. that's why cost control is important. >> mayor bloomberg, this is something you wrote in may in "newsweek" magazine about the challenges for president obama. if he's willing to risk seeing his ll numbers in the 20s, he'll earn many more long-term victories and deep respect from voters. is he living up to that, or is this refusal to think about a middle-class tax hike inconsistent with that admonition? >> two separate questions. i think he is living up to that. my advice to him is there's two important things to do when you take office. one is to build a team. number two is to address the toughest issues right away because then you have time to take unpopular decisions and win the confidence of the public back when your decisions turn out to be the correct ones. and he has. he can't take on everything, but he's certainly taken on a numr of controversial things here and he's been dealt a tough hand, although it's fair to say that

every president coming into office has a tough hand. it is not an easy job. i think he is doing exactly what he should do. we'll have some failures. then there's no easy answers. everybody wants more services. nobody wants to pay for them. you can only get so much money, so much blood out of a stone. you have to share the burden. we have to make sure that we're competitive with countries overseas, as cory said we're in an international competition for the best and the brightest and for jobs. >> mm-hmm. >> and this country's immigration policy, for example, is driving the industries of the future overseas. if you take a look at where the most innovative medicine is being done, it's being done in india, and an awful lot of the doctors doing it were educated here. >> but does the president have to look beyond the rich for taxes? >> well, yeah. there's just -- the middle class bears the real burden here. that's why the middle class is getting hurt. and what you keep hearing, i take the subway in the morning, and people, everybody talks

about what their complaints are. it's new york. and paying taxes is something nobody likes. now, they like the services that taxes pay for, but you have to have the burden -- everybody's going to have to sacrifice, everody's going to have to reach in their pocket if we're going to have a city and country of the future. >> does he have to reconsider that promise not to raise taxes on the middle class? >> i think we'll see down the road. in the end, the president has to deal with the reality and some of the things are beyond his control. he makes commitments, and he tries to live up to them, and i think the courage of being able to say, look, the world is different than what i anticipated or what it was before and i'm going to have to face that, that does not mean he veal to raise taxes on the middle class, but we certainly are spending an enormous amount of money that we don't have. and we've got to get our costs under control. we've got to be a lot smarter in defense purchases. we've got to be a lot smarter, as cory pointed out, in

providing medical services. one of the big problems with health care is that we spend a lot more than we do in western europe but they have a longer life expectancy than we do. there's something wrong. and addressing that issue are the people in there giving -- doing the things that we want? do we have the right hospitals in the right place? are we relying on the right tests? cory mentioned tort reform, and unless you do tort reform and immigration reform, you're not going to really fix the problem with health care. >> let me tk to you both about a very important public safety issue and that's the issue of guns. mayor bloomberg, you have spearheaded an effort called mayors against illegal guns. you've spent $2.9 million of your own money in that effort. you recently were successful in defeating the nra. there was an amendment in the senate that would have allowed individuals to carry concealed weapons across state lines. you defeated the nra. that measure failed in the senate. but even in defeat, the nra claimed some silver lining. this is how the las vegas sun reported it last sunday.

>> how can you muster the clout and the power to take on the nra? >> we have 450 mayors representing 50 or 60 million people. it's mayors -- cory, myself, john peyton in jacksonville, tom menino in boston -- mayors who have to go explain at the hospital to the loved ones that their sons, daughters, spouses, parents aren't coming home. we see the damage of illegal guns. and i think that we can pull together. you know, the nra doesn't spend that much money. if you look at what the real numbers are, i think that we can pull together here and raise enough money.

and incidentally in the past, i gave some, i did my share, but there were plenty of other people that did, as well. we can raise enough money and take on this issue and explain to congress this is an outrage. there's a federal law that says criminals can't have guns and we should enforce that law and get guns off the streets. nothing wrong with the second amendment. >> would you personally put more money in? >> i'm not only going to do that myself but ask plenty of other people to do it. if you want to beat the nra, you have to get your message out and that costs money. that's all we're trying to do. i don't think this was a victory for me in the thune amendment defeat, this this was a victory for america, this was a victory for all our police officers across the country who would have been more at risk with their lives if the lowest standards were applied to everybod which is what the thune amendment is about. >> we have to break out of this left/right debate. this is not an issue of the nra versus liberals. this is an issue that mayor bloomberg and i agree that, i'm

not concerned about law-abiding citizens having access to guns. not one shooting in my city last year was by somebody who went, had a background check, bought a gun in my city. does not happen. what we're concerned with is these myriad of laws that create a flow of illegal weapons into our cities that most americans -- in fact, mayor bloomberg, again, extraordinary leadership, polled gun owners and 80% to 95% of gun owners agree that these laws should be changed. example. how is it you can be on a no-fly list as a potential terrorist but you can still go to a gun shop and buy a trunk load of weapons? how is it you can go to a retail shop and done a background check on you to buy a gun, which we all accept is reasonable, but off loophole at gun shows? which means again a terrorist or someone with malevolent intentions can go get a truckload of weapons. most gun owner, the overwhelming majority agree, these loopholes should be closed. this is an american issue, not a

left/right issue. >> are you disappointed with president obama for not leading the charge against assault -- this ban on assault weapons? >> no, but i'm certainly going to urge him to do so. i talked to an knee duncan and he said one of his signature issues is guns. when he was in chicago he watched 12-year-olds get shot by some crazy guy with an illegal gun and it's just got to stop. and i couldn't agree more. i'll certainly urge everybod this isn't a bat where will you want to assign blame. as cory pointed out, it's north, south, east, west, big city, small city, republican, democratic, same people say there should be reasonable controls. the supreme court has said reasonable controls are constitutional. we're not trying to get rid of guns. we're simply trying to get guns out of the hands of criminals where the federal law says they don't have a right to buy them. >> let me ask you about education. swine flu this fall, what impact is it going to have in both your

cities, especially this question of whether schools should be closed as a result? >> we dealt with the swine flu this past spring. we made the decision repeatedly whether to keep the school open or closed depending on the percentage of kids that reported to the nurse with a fever and cough. the experts basically say if the child appears sick or you appear sick, stay home until the symptoms go away. but closing the schools isn't the right answer in most cases for a variety of the reasons. one, the kids aren't going to stay home. they're going to go to the park, where they're just as likely to catch it. two, remember, a lot of parents work and missing a day ofork or, worse, leaving the child home unsupervised puts the child in danger or hurts the family. and number three, there's just no evidence that it really stops the flu. a lot of this is by the time you find out people are already infected. the good news is this has been a

relatively mild version. the bad news is we don't know what's going to happen before. but even the the president recommends that we keep the schools open and the centers for disease control now run by my former commissioner department of health and mental hygiene has said basically, evaluate it every time, but closing the schools as a blanket thing is not the right solution. >> go ahead. >> again, we have to do the basic blocking attack that's going to protect our children especially from this challenge. i want to allude to something mayor bloomberg has been a national leader on. we can't allow the problems today to distract us from tomorrow. we need to give full attention to swine flu, but the real health challenge in schools today is the overwhelming obesity problem, childhood diabetes. these are the kinds of things we have to have a comprehensive health initiative. not only will parents know what to do if they have the sniffles but i also want parents to know

what to do to prepare their children nutritionally. these long-term health problems will have an effect on our gdp in the level of billions. >> mayor bloomberg, you're up for re-election for a third term and here's the headline recently about the poll. the poll suggests the mayor may be losing some ground. you were up in june by 22 points over william thompson, your rival. now that's narrowed to ten points. why do you see the race tightening? >> well, number one, the polls don't matter other than the one that's taken on november 3rd, election day. >> i've heard that before. >> number two, some of these things are how you ask the question. three, i can't worry about that. i got elected twice because people wanted know listen to them and do what i think is right and stand up even if it's not good politically but just focus on not giving away the store, make sure the government is efficient and deliver the services people want for the least cost. i'm going to continue to do that.

that will resonateith so people, and others say i want a political environment where i can get my friend appointed or i don't want to change something because it's worked and i'm comfortable with it. and i happen to think there are new things you can do all the time, and if you don't, you won't have a future. i'm just going to do what i think is right. >> mayor booker is very political aastute, and on twittr he recently wrote -- so, mayor, you can make news here. will you shave your head for re-election? >> let me equivocate on that and duck the issue. but i think -- my hair is falling out at sufficient rate that i won't have to shave. >> time for a preemptive strike. >> i know you're going to say that. >> ip endorsed mayor bloomberg. he's a republican. we cast our country too specifically in left/right debates. he's been a leader on gun issues

for all americans, brought people together on low carbon footprint, the left/right coalition. this is the way to move forward. we have issues in the country that unite people. i am the right leaning for ex-offensive ender programs because we miss the opportunities to get them to work where they'll produce tax receipts and benefits for society as a whole. i'm proud to sit here as a republican because that's the only way our country will move forward. >> your name was mentioned for potential governor of new jersey. governor corzine is staying in the race. he's vulnerable, as you well know. what will this race for governor of new jersey say about the president's performance? >> well, i think this is two separate issues. governor jon corzine has been a governor that has been extraordinarily successful. murder in our state has gone down 24%. he's had to cut the state budget $4 billion, but yet he's increased investments in education over billion dollars. the problem with jon corzine right now is most of the state

of new jersey does not realize the tough cards he was dealt and the great decisions he's made under difficult, difficult circumstances. and as far as obama, look, we have two graces nationally right now, virginia and new jersey. many people want to use them as a litmus test against the incumbent president. but understand this -- we're in a down enomy, facing incredible challenges. every incumbent in america is going to face very difficult times in their re-election. this has nothing to do with the president. we are in national crisis. hopefully, we're going to come together to do this. it shouldn't be about watching the stock market. >> thank you both for being here today. next, congress takes heat this august over health care back home. who will win the i'veeen growing ale for 35ears. most people try to ri t ged of algae, and we're trying to grow it. the algae are very beautiful. they come in blue or red, golden, green. algae could be converted into biofuels... that we could someday run our cars on.

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the mobile hotspot that fits in your pocket. sprint. the now network. and we're back. if you thought the health care debate was heated in washington, outside the beltway it's gotten down right hostile. >> open up the door! >> from tampa, florida. >> just say no! >> to austin, texas. >> this man would -- >> to romulus, michigan. town hall meetings over health care have turned chaotic.

death threats against members of congress, taunting and shouting, even fistfights. democrats claim it's all political theater organized by reform opponents. >> i also have no doubt that there are groups that are -- have spread out people across the country to go to these things and to specifically generate videos that can be posted on internet sites. >> i mean, is that what we've come to in the united states that we're going to have people basically functioning as thugs coming into meetings, trying to disrupt them, shouting people down? >> republicans in office and on the airwaves insist the anger is real, reflecting real fears about a government takeover of the health care system. but the rhetoric has become extreme. >> there are far more similarities between nancy pelosi and adolf hitler than between these people showing up at town halls.

the protest, a hitler-like policy. >> white house advisers say the tactics will backfire against the gop, but can the president retake center stage of this debate? >> and we're joined now by jon meacham of "newsweek" magazine, cnbc's erin burnett, and david brooks of "the new york times." welcome to all of you. david, that is the question. that what's going on here a how does the president retake center stage? >> i hadn't seen the rush limbaugh thing. that is insane. what he's saying is insane. the first thing is it has been conventional wisdom among the smartest people in washington, this is a tough issue that needs to be done on a bipartisan basis. the obama administration decided not to. leaders of both parties could have gone out to the meetings. they didn't do that. they chose more or less a democratic plan and now all hell is breaking loose. it's not just the crazy, among who we just saw some. if you take overall ratings for

health care, the american public is as skeptical as they were when clinton care collapsed. so, it's not just the crazies. there is a real public concern about real issues. >> when you look at this from the approval rating and the quinnipiac poll, the president's handling of health care. here are the numbers. approvals at 39%, disarovals at 52%, erin. that's the question. big battle lines about whether this is manufactured grassroots organizing, opposition against health care. the truth is there are people who are angry and there are people who are opposed, whether they're being whipped up in some circumstances or not. >> i think that's absolutely true. you've sn those numbers drop dramatically in terms of approval. numbers from the end of july and in the past couple weeks how dramatically they've dropped. americans don't want health care that isn't bipartisan. i think people are focusing in on the health care plan is focused on extending coverage to all. the cost cutting that might be required as part of real health care reform doesn't appear to be a significant part of this bill and that's gettinging through. most people, when it comes down

to it, sort of like the health care that they have and then they get afraid that's going to change. that's partially i think what you're seeing. >> also the question of where is the president's leadership right now? because there's the criticism that he's overlearned the lesson that bill clinton learned, which is you can't dictate to congress, let them do it. but what is he for? and in the absence of that, people are whacking everything. >> i think that's exactly right. my sense is if you ask a lot of even very well-informed people what's in this plan, i'm not sure a lot of people cld really explain it. and i think that it's an unusual failure on the president's part to execute a kind of public education. i don't think he's made the case for this and now to go to the insane point from our conservative colleague, now you have the extremists taking over, and it turns into a very predictable, very un-obama-like fight of the extremes where you're going to have the folks coming in saying socialism,

socialism, socialism, you're going to have the left saying that they're all crazy. and by the time it's over, what's really going to happen. and i think that's -- this is the opportunity. the president has an opportunity here to step in and say, look, we've all -- it's hot. it's august. let me explain what this plan really is. and i just haven't -- i personally am not understanding that. >> sarah palin on facebook to the point of the opposition, this is what she writes -- the rhetoric, and also the question of what's true and what's false and what people are arguing about this notion of a death panel. >> again, that's crazy. the crazies are attacking the plan because it'll conduct off granny, and that's simply not true. that simply is not going to happen. the real reason for public skepticism is obama very eloquently and very tru s