that's not fear. that's not fear. >> fear factor. trying to separate fact from fiction in the healthcare debate. foreclosure crisis. u.s. home loans failed at a record pace last month. and bomber controversy. reports that the terminally ill lockerbie bomber will be released sparks outrage. captioning funded by cbs good morning. thanks for joining us. i'm michelle guillen. tomorrow president obama makes his pitch for healthcare reform at a town hall meeting in montana. at a bozeman suburb, hundreds are expected to show up in protest. the healthcare reform has triggered a wave of growing anger in the country.

susan roberts is in washington with more. susan, good morning. >> reporter: michelle, good morning to you. the white house is trying to push back against these explosive town hall meetings through its online campaign and the president himself. the administration is trying to quiet the critics of healthcare reform. critics angry over the president's healthcare reform plan are not holding back. >> you listen to us. >> reporter: americans will have another chance to be heard today at town hall meetings across the country. democrats are trying to win over an increasingly skeptical public fed up with the proposed overhaul. >> nobody tells me how to live my life. nobody tells me how long i should live and when i should die. >> reporter: but not everyone is out to crush reform. >> that's not fear. that's not fear. >> reporter: supporters are also speaking out. this woman recently lost her health insurance after getting laid off. >> i have three children that i have to be around for, and i need healthcare. >> reporter: democratic lawmakers are trying their best

to get the public on board, but it's not always easy when you're talking about a bill that's not even finished. in fact, four different versions are floating around capitol hill, and all of the options are providing confusion on a range of issues, from possible coverage to illegal immigrants. >> that's just false. >> reporter: president obama hopes to set the record straight tomorrow at his own town hall meeting in bozeman, montana. officials expect at least 500 people to rally outside the event. and the administration is speaking out at the town hall meetings against the allegations that they're trying to run hospitals and doctors offices, and that the so-called death panels would decide the end of life for many americans. on the "cbs money watch," stock markets in asia rebounded this morning, and u.s. foreclosures hit a new record. claire leka is here in new york with the details.

asia was back in rally mode overnight. japan's benchmark nikkei jumped nearly 1%. hong kong stocks soared more than 2%. investors around the world are cheering a better report card about the u.s. economy from the federal reserve. the fed says conditions in financial markets are improving. and 20 months after the economy went into a downturn, it appears to be leveling off. but that has come at a price. government spending to jump start the economy has pushed the federal deficit above $1.25 trillion so far this fiscal year. meanwhile, the fed says it's keeping interest rates right where they are at their record lows near zero. after two straight down sessions, that sent wall street higher. the dow jones industrial average starts the day up 120 points. the tech heavy nasdaq begins up 29. july retail sales are due before the start of trading, and they are expected to show modest

growth as consumers took advantage of the government's cash for clunkers program. sales likely rose .8%, the most in six months. and walmart rolls out its quarterly profits this morning. the number one retailer has been one of the few bright spots in retailing this year, benefitting from shoppers focusing on necessities during the recession. walmart is expected to post a profit of 86 cents a share last quarter. and the number of u.s. households on the verge of losing their homes hit a new record last month, jumping 32% from a year earlier and rising 7% from june to july. this according to realty track. now one in every 355 homes across the country received a foreclosure notice in july despite continued government efforts to put together a safety net for distressed homeowners. nevada had the nation's highest foreclosure rate for the 31st straight month at six times the national average.

michelle? >> claire leka here in new york. claire, thank you. former vice president dick cheney is apparently ready to ache aim at his former boss in a tell-all memoir. "the washington post" reports that cheney believes presi bush turned away from his advice during the second term, and now the statute of limitations up. according to his biographer, cheney says, "now we're talking about after i left office. i have strong feelings about what happened, and i don't have any reason not to forthrightly express those views." the scottish government says there's no final decision, but it's reported this morning that the former libyan secret service agentsh convicted in the lockere bombing wl p releases. james matthews of britain's sky news reports. >> reporter: another day in jail. for theoc lkerbie bomber, it could be wup of his last. those inside the scottish government deciding his fate have concluded he should be sent home. it's news welcomed by british relatives of lockerbie victims

but derided by those across the atlantic. >> i've been waiting a number of years to find he's guilty as charged. i find the humanity of the situation to keep him in prison for this long when he's known to be dying and desperate to get back to his family has been inhumane. if scotland repatriates him now, that would be to scotland's credit. >> i would feel absolutely horrible. i think it's something that should not be done. there was no compassion shown for the 270 victims who were murdered. >> reporter: it was four days before christmas, 1988, when a passenger jet was blown up over lockerbie. it killed 270 people. in the wreckage strewn across thndtown a beyond were the clues that led to the conviction of one man. bits of the london to new york flight were gradually pieced together. reconstruction showed a suitcase bomb had blown a hole in the

luggage hold. 30,000 feet up, passengers hadn't stood a chance. abdelbaset ali al megrahi is the only man convicted of carrying out this atrocity. inquiries into the lockerbie bombing took detectives halfway around the world. ultimately, they camewn up withe investigative jigsaw that had megrahi as its centerpiece. investigators found a piece of electronic circuit board which had been used to detonate the bomb. it was found tucked inside the collar of the shirt wrapped around the device. the shirt had been bought here at a clothes shop in malta. the shop owner picked out megrahi as the buyer. three years after the bombing, megrahi was indicted with a second libyan. the pair were accused of placing a suitcase bomb on board a plane in malta, which was later transferred to pan am flight 103.

its impact in the skies over lockerbie was recreated by accident investigators. were the two suspects acting under direct orders from you? >> reporter: for years, libya's leader colonel gadhafi laughed off accusations of his country's involvement. the two suspects remained in libya out of the prosecutors' release. but as gadhafi sought to repair relations with the u.s., the pair were handed over for trial. a pair of judges cleared fima, but found megrahi guilty of murder. megrahi has always maintained his innocence. he's been behind bars for his appeals. the only trip outside was for his medical test that found he was suffering from prostate cancer. just ahead on the morning news, ratcheting up rescue

operations for victims of the typhoons in china. and a bear beats the heat in the pool. first katie couric has a preview of tonight's cbs evening news. >> more than 1 billion people, 1 out of every 6, to not have access to fresh water. now a former nightclub owner is using his talent for promotion to change that one glass of water at a time. with a shared appetizer. s choose two entrees from over 15 chili's favorites, then share a decadent dessert. chili's --

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breathe better. sleep better. breathe right. teamwork... time together... real conversations... d memories. all for under $2 a serving. stouffer's. let's fix dinner. a fast and furious rainstorm left parts of eastern north carolina awash. more than eight inches of rain fell in just minutes yesterday, flooding lawns and parking lots, stranding motorists. the storm also knocked out power in some communities, but no injuries are reported. in taiwan, thousands more army troops join rescue efforts four days after a huge typhoon struck the island. it caused deadly mudslides and raging floods that ripped up roads hampering rescuers. military helicopters are bringing day survivors out of

the hardest hit areas to relief camps. officially 108 people are known dead and 61 missing, but hundreds remain unaccounted for. back in this country, a wayward bear had an excellent adventure in a southern california town. the good sized bear took a dip in a backyard swimming pool yesterday. with no fish there, he moved on to the garbage cans. then it was bear on the run, leaving police behind by scrambling over fences and wall walk. eventually, he returned home to the nearby angeles national forest. and more animals on the move in california. the four newest penguins at the san francisco zoo were marched out for the cameras yesterday and introduced to their new mates on the zoo's penguin island. there are more than 50 magellanic penguins in the colony, making it the largest in captivity. straight ahead, your thursday morning weather. and in sports, a great arm is throwing again. pedro martinez takes the mound for the phillies in chicago.

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and much of the northwest is looking at gray skies. later today thunderstorms will develop over the northern rockies as it begins to turn cooler. it will remain very hot across the dakotas and great plains. and most coastal sections of the eastern sea board will remain cloudy and wet at times. in sports, chicago and the seattle needed 14 innings to score. chica seattle left a man on third. then griffey's pinch-hit rbi gave the mariners a 1-0 win. pedro martinez is back after a long injury layoff. the three-time cy young award winner went five innings last night in his first start for philadelphia. the phillies scored eight runs in the fourth in a 12-5 win over the cubs. two old rivals got angry in san francisco. the giants' pablo sandoval didn't like this inside pitch by the dodgers' james mcdonald. the benches cleared, but there

was no fighting. then in the tenth inning, juan arribe cleared the left field wall to beat l.a. 4-2. in world cup soccer, the u.s. traveled to mexico, where the americans have never won a game. they didn't win this one either. with eight minutes to go, mexico's miguel sabas picked up a loose ball and s ired to beat the u.s. #-1. and a stunning apology from louisville basketball coach rick patino who admits he had sex with and paid $3,000 to a woman attempting to extort millions from him. after apologizing publicly yesterday, patino said he has no plans to quit over the affair. >> the love the fans, the players and this university. i don't want to coach anywhere else. so as long as they'll have me, i'm going to coach her. >> the woman karen cipher has playeded not guilty to extortion

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on the "cbs morning news," here's a look at today's weather. it will be another beautiful day across the great plains and midwest. the northern rockies will turn stormy and cooler. here's another look at this morning's top stories. it's reported that the man serving a life sentence for the lockerbie bombing will be released. ali al megrahi is suffering from terminal cancer. the scottish government says no decision has been reached. and "the washington post" reports former vice president dick cheney felt former president george w. bush gradually turned away from his advice. cheney will tell all in his

upcoming memoir. the debate over the healthcare reform sometimes turns into a nasty debate. >> reporter: in hagerstown, maryland, there were so many they couldn't all fit inside. in new jersey, they had to move to a bigger space to accommodate the unusually large crowd. everyone wanted to be heard. >> no one tells me how to live my life. nobody tells me how long i should live and when i should die. >> reporter: some were furious when they weren't called on. >> and i'm very affected by this. i'll guarantee you i'll be one of them to be thrown away. >> i certainly respect your right to express your views. people putting out information that's just totally false. >> reporter: but separating fact from fiction isn't always easy in a healthcare reform bill that's not finished. in fact, four different versions have been approved by congressional committees. we searched for answers among the three drafts available. on abortion. >> what is your position on

taxpayer funded abortion which will increase the death of preborn infants by 30%? >> reporter: would the government pay for abortion? that's unclear. two of the bills don't address the question at all. under one version, abortions would have to be available through at least one insurance plan. but democrats say abortions would be paid for with the patient's premium, not federal money. on illegal immigrants. >> illegal aliens will not be in this bill, period, the end. >> reporter: would millions of illegal immigrants be covered through healthcare reform? it's unclear. the bill does state only individuals lawfully present in the u.s. can qualify. republicans say there's no verification mechanism to ensure that illegal immigrants don't apply. if one family member is eligible for healthcare, then every family member might be. on cost. >> how are you going to look at my children in their eyes and tell them they're going to have a better future. >> i am not going to vote for

any bill that adds to the national debt. >> you already have. >> reporter: would healthcare reform pay for itself? as of now, that's doubtful. the president says cost would be covered through savings and efficiency, but the congressional budget office can't quantify those factors, and its estimated healthcare reform would increase the deficit by $239 billion over ten years. on congress. >> are you willing to drop your preferential congressional healthcare and be stuck with this one? >> reporter: would members of congress participate in the plan? no. just 75 republicans and no democrats have signed a pledge to participate in any government-run healthcare plan they pass. we consulted with a number of political historians and none of them can remember an issue that gotten more people to town hall meetings irnmon es tde.im sharyl attkisson, washington. and star gazers got to see a

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topping the news today, police try to stop a crime that's on the rise. thieves are taking more things out of vehicle and often target cars parked in public

garages or malls. officers are putting up fliers to remind you not to leave valuables inside of them. u.s. marshals arrested james anderson in southeast dc. detectives in culpeper, virginia say that he squirted flammable liquid on a woman as he drove and then flew a lit match at her. she is now out of the hospital. we will have a look at the 2009 redskins. washington travels up the road to baltimore for a pre-season game. while many star players won take to the field we will get a look at one long-time skin who can't wait. good morning to kim. will we need umbrellas tonight? >> just a stray storm might be in the area but certainly odds favor it being dry. should be good. we will have the redskins forecast coming up in a little while.you within u with on on ursd. let's get vi aysdng . t's get moving. the tempthat have been the la have been the last three

daysthree days with 73 downtown. 70 andrews air force base. 54 cumberland, good morning, k ereverybody you have 70. ample storms fired up yesterday. across the chesapeake bathy at seems to have fallen apart. we have a wake of clear skies over dc and baltimore. we'll keep that sunshine going through 9:00. 78. in the afternoon high of 86. best odds of getting west are southeast and south of the district. montgomery county, downed wires on the off ramp from 270 to middle brook road. right now they are doing their best to clean it up. to the outer loop a clear ride from college park in to silver spring and bethesda. 66 westbound is clear manassas to centreville and in to the city. here's andrea.

as we mentioned the redskins play the first preseason game tonight in baltimore and one of their oldest players is among those most excited to get back on the field. as dave owens tells us, returning from a career- threatening injury has daniels feeling like the comeback kid. >> his season ended suddenly when he blew out his knee on the first day of training camp. a year later he has returned and ready for the wars and trenches once again. >> get a chance to go back out there and get on the green. never know what happens. i really can't tell you how i will be when i get out there but i definitely know i will play. >> reporter: the fact he will play is no surprise to his team. after briefly considering retirement, daniels decided injured was not the way to go back. so he fought back with a vengeance. >> he is fired up. every day he shows his

maturity. he shows his leadership and the idea of what team is all about. really a guy that inspires a lot of players. >> reporter: he credits his comeback in part to the weight room. he is a competitive body builder and says contrary to popular belief it helped in his rehab and as far as his fellow warriors on the line you can consider them believers. while he's been through preseason games before, he knows this one maybe different. >> i will be nervous the night before, even preseason game but nervous is a good thing. >> his teammates are happy to have him back. >> he is a brother off and on the field and for him to come back is big. >> reporter: dave owens, 9 news now and wusa9.com. from the first local station with news in high definition, this is 9 news now. a police operation is underway to keep drivers from becoming victims of a crime that's on the rise. good morning. i'm andrea roane. kim martucci is here