the topic is al franken. go ahead. caller: i think that al franken, being a little bit different, might be a breath of fresh air. but the thing i have seen -- and i am 70 years old now. i have voted for both republicans and democrats and i have been disappointed in both of them. i would hope that the american people for the most part would start thinking of themselves more as independents. if we allow one party complete control, we are asking for disaster. don't forget, the problems we got some economically and the wars, were caused by most of these congress people and only two reasons -- they are either enact or corrupt or a combination. and the longer they are in congress, the more chances they have of being corrupt. i have never seen anything any different in my life. so if you consider yourself a republican or a democrat, you are really narrowing your choices. host: thank you. erin mcpike. guest: one thing i will say to that is indeed there are more independents after this last election. i think voters are trying t

i joined all minnesotans in congratulating al franken. sure, i wanted to win, not just myself but for the wonderful supporters who worked so hard and prayed so hard and put some much into this effort. and for the important values i always fought for. i also thought it was important to stand up for enfranchising thousands of minnesota and whose votes were not counted as others. issues and politicians come and go, but voting is fundamental. we knew we needed to do everything we could to get it right. i am forever grateful and humbled that the people of minnesota gave me the honor to represent them. even more grateful for the wisdom, courage, patience and understanding. host: it was a unanimous ruling. 32-page ruling. the court said he failed to show state election officials were in error. what you see is the secretary of state in minnesota signing the election certificate for democrat al franken. this was in st. paul yesterday. governor pawlenty said he will certify the results. "the washington times" next to this photo, a little background

>> al franken onwon. the lower court decision from earlier this spring was correct. he had a 312 flow lead out of nearly 3 million cast. as a result, the ruling was decisive and it up held the sweeping ruling. coleman had little recourse but to concede. >> al franken spoke shortly after mr. kohl man conceded. what did he say? >> he talked about how he was humbled by the victory and he was looking forward to representing minnesota. he said he is going to except some committee assignments including on the senate health committee insuring that he will play a role in developing a broad health reform package that democrats were trying to push through in july. also the judiciary committee which is hearing the nomination of sonia sotomayor. tomorrow they are having a victory rally in minneapolis. >> there has been talk about more appeals from norm coleman, what did he say? >> he said that he has taken all of the arguments before the court and they have all been rejected and he has no recourse. he is right about

>> i thought al franken did well. it is quite a challenge when you have a brand, when you are known to a lot of folks in such an intense way, cutting-edge humor, to come to the u.s. senate and change that and become taken seriously. hillary clinton, first lady, goes to the u.s. senate. would she bring that old persona with her. the pothole senator in new york state to become nope as a serious person. bill bradley, basketball star wants to go to the u.s. senate and become an intellect. franken, willing to have some fun and also a demonstration of depth. it is interesting the generational change, how old school the u.s. senator looks when you see someone like lindsey graham on the republican side and al franken on the republican side both use the kind of language we might all use around the kitchen table. i think it makes the senate so much more accessible and makes them appear more honest. >> the questions were also different. you had arlen specter talking about congressional per og ga tiff and issues that as a senator

thy you see on monday will be theerious al franken, maybe evenhe boring al franken. chris matthew returnedon mond at 5:00 and 7:00 e easter fofor "hardball." up next,t,our business. lf a ronhood of the direing world. buick ave the finest lcrossover ever. i need some zen time with thisismodel thank you. according toto a sdy presented by better homes and garardens denity color recapture.. it c crects e look ofof wrinks and discoloration. 5000 voters. one illiant winner. aw a line in yoyour sandwich do you want more of the same? more of a zing are the new miracle whip now with more of our own mixed upup ble o ospices more of who we are and definitely n not may we are the new miracle whip and we will not tone it down. budid you know you also tt hotel price assurarance? it's a one-two pununch of savings -- pow! pow lower hotel booking fe m mea you gea a lowetotal price. plus, if another orbitz customer th books the same hotell for less, we send you a checfofo the didiffenenceautomatically.

i congratulate al franken. he enjoys the vantage that our congressional delegation has over the other five had attended by people on capitol hill. he represents minnesota. speaking of which come we to take a moment to thank amy klobuchar for her staff. they have done a great job the last six months trying the burden of two united states senators. she is an extraordinary public servant. i do not reach this with any big regret. i ran the campaign. i conducted the legal challenges. i have always believed you do the best you can and be the result of to a higher authority. i am at peace with that. the future plans are subject for another day. we live in a great country and a great state. we have confidence, we can all come together and arrive at a better future that we all seek. thank you. may god bless you and minnesota. they got continue to bless the united states of america. [applause] >> this means we are ruling out any more appeals. this is done. >> i have congratulated al franken. 2008 is a long time ago. it i

al franken, the washington post and gov. sarah palin leaves you know. >> i will not shut any door. >> the nation's unemployment rate is currently at 9.5% and currently headed to double digits. with the president out of the country vice-president biden conceded the initial predictions that unemployment would peak at 8.5% were too optimistic. >> the truth is, we and everyone else must read -- miss read the economy. >> this is the greatest abdication i have seen. >> the question is, do we need a second stimulus? >> the first stimulus bill was like taking a half a tablet of niagara and have also a budget can be mixed and. >> that is warren buffett, they are called -- the oracle omaha. dempf the president said he and his advisers did not mislead the economy but he did say they had incomplete information about how bad things were. but it claims he would have not done anything differently even if they had more information. how long will voters way before they try to exact retribution? we already see independences shifting and in an

, did you hear what al franken said, jessica? >> i did not. shepard: they both like perry mason. al franken thought this was pretty cool. you missed it. senator al franken and judge sonia sotomayor. two minutes. eeredit report dot ! tell your friends, tell your dad, tell your mom! never mind, they've been singing our songs since we first showed up with our pirate hats on! if you're not into fake sword fights pointy slippers and green wool tights take a tip from a knight who knows free credit report dot com, let's go! vo: offer applies with enrollment in triple advantage. shepard: now to the confirmation hearing for supreme court nominee judge sonia sotomayor. judge sotomayor was back on capitol hill for another day of questioning. for the most part democrats are praising her 17 year record on the bren much and republicans are focusing on the "wise latina" thing. for the most part, everything is going as expected. watch as the judge takes a pointed question about gun ownership rights from the republican tom coburn and turns it int

a half hour of al franken coming up as a senator. this is really going to be sort of interesting for us who have watched him over the years to see how he takes this and see how much he spreads his wings and how well he keeps his head down. i think this may be a real mixed bag here in seeing the franken we've gotten to know over the years and the senator in that post. anyway, let's go to norah o'donnell, who's in the hearing room watching the senators reconvene. >> i'm excited, too. we know him as a comedian and "saturday night live" man, but he's harvard educated, he's going to be playing the role of senator here today. he's played the role of senator way back when on "saturday night live," he played paul simon, questioning clarence thomas and so this will be different here today. i should also point out, senator arlen specter, if he had been a republican, he would have been the ranking republican. he would have been sitting where jeff sessions was. but now, he's at the end of this table. he's a junior senator. even more junior than

minutes each to ask their questions, including arlen specter, the return turned democrat and al franken, the newest member of the senate jud judiciary committee. we will have extensive coverage we will have extensive coverage of all of this right after this.

our favorite part of the day was al franken. got to ask his very first questions as a u.s. senator.r the record he asked really good questions about abortion, about judicial activism. but he made his first joke, bringing up the classic tv show that inspired the judge. check this out. >> you mentioned perry mason. i was a big man of perry mason. i watched perry mason every week with my dad, my mom and brother. and it amazes me that you wanted to become a prosecutor based on that show. because in perry mason, the prosecutor, burger, lost every week. with one exception, which we'll get to later. but i think that says something about your determination to defy the odds. what was the one case in "perry mason" that burger won? >> i wish i remembered the name of the episode, but i don't. i just was always struck but there was only one case where his client was actually guilty. >> and you don't remember that case? >> i know i should remember the name of it. but i haven't looked at the episode. >> didn't the white house prepare you for that? >> so, this was franken's first confirmation heari

later, senator-elect al franken.

they would be scared to death of those two. >> al franken sworn in. my question is, will he leave his comedic talents at the door, because it would be a shame? it needs lighting up. >> on the show the other week i mentioned that he would carry some of the old al franken with him, and i heard from one listeners that pointed out he was a harvard graduate and there is a lot more -- >> so was al gore. >> and so was pat roberts, but i did not want to say that to my listener. we need all we can get. then i still think we need a few laughs and the senate. >> he probably won't give them to us at least up front. >> former defense secretary to us at least up front. >> former defense secretary robert mcnamara died at age 93. ah, just installed fios in the whole building. now everyone has the fastest upload speeds. and we're giving them a mini netbook. well, i'm sticking with cable. so's ted. (voice) no i'm not! he's just goofing. (voice) no i'm not! (sighing) ted has betrayed me. (announcer) unlike cable, fios brings 100% fiber optics straight to your home and w

one is al franken. we heard sim just a couple of days ago for the very first time really as the united states senator when he gave his opening statement. and it was very interesting to hear the fact that he said he's not a lawyer. he's obviously a brand new senator, but he wants to bring the perspective of regular americans, because most americans aren't lawyers either. i can tell you just from watching al franken over the past couple of days, it's been noteworthy that he hasn't been doing much at all except watching intently. watching the judge. watching the other senators, the way they question and really trying to take it all in. even really not spending a lot of time taking notes and writing down questions he might like to ask like many other senators are doing. and another one that will be interesting is arlen specter, of course, the republican turned democrat. he at one time was the chairman of this commit tee, even chaired the alito hearings back in george bush's days and he's going to be second

. >>> nextup, franken goes to washingt. al was underestimateby everyo, especially the republican par from e day annound he was running for the senate. everyonexcept me. as soon as he announced, i predicted he was going to win. i used a lot of the usual political aritet in making at prediction but mostly i used my personal kwledge of al franken. for 30 years i have known him to be a srt guy who works hard and he knows how to do his homework. that's how he got into harvard and at's how i knew he was going to get into the senate. now everyo is wondering ich al franken is going to show up for 3407nd'supreme court confirmation hearing of sonia sotomayor. member this guy? that's paul simon. very hard-working, very boring united statesenator when al was still a wild and crazy guy writing and performing at urday night live." e al franken you're goin to see on monday. that by the way is a sho of al franken playing paul simoon "surday night live." e guy you're going to see on nday, that' going to be the serious al frank. maybe even the

al franken, senator al franken making his debut on capitol hill today at the newest democrat in the u.s. senate. former incumbent republican norm coleman finally conceded last week after the minnesota supreme court declared al franken had won that seemingly endless race. today franken ran through swearing in ceremony. gives democrats a possible super majority in the senate enabling them to fight off republican filibusters if they are united. he addressed that today. >> a lot has been made of this number 60. the number i'm focused on is the number two. i see myself as the second senator from the state of minnesota. i'm ready to get to work. shepard: senator elect franken says he wants to focus on education, health care and energy issues. taliban militants today claimed they do, in fact, have kidnapped american soldier in afghanistan. the same soldier missing last week after he apparently just wandered off the u.s. base without any of his stuff. it happened in the eastern part of the country near the pakistan border. it's actually in a place not far from what amounts to the headquarters t

once again, al franken will be at the podium momentarily. >>> coming to an end. al. >> thank you, mr. leader. i want to thank the leader for all of your support during and after the campaign and i look forward to working under your leadership. a lot has been made of this number 60, the number i'm focused on is the number two. i see myself as the second senator from the state of minnesota. minnesotans are practical people. they want to make sure the work we do here in the senate makes sense. and that the decisions we make for the future have a strong return on investment. minnesotans want a rational health care system that provides health care for all americans, that is accessible and affordable, gets the cost down. minnesotans want an economy that works for working families and that means jobs. it means decent day's wage for an honest day's work and means protecting people's retirements. americans want a new energy policy that creates jobs that addresses climate change and that is going to wean us from our dependance on foreign oil. and minnesotans want their kids

is al franken the golde ticket to g all of thes things ne? no.early, there are at least que a few people in washington who think that hisrrival as a u.s. sator is pretty exciting. joining us now is the senior senator from mnesota, amy klobucr. senatorklobuchar, thank you much for coming bck on the show tonight. >> it is great to be on again, rachel. thk you. >> so i'm measurin the excitement ithe senate virtue of how long the interrupted applause went on. what -- was it th exciting? were people as psych as it seemed? >> well, the gallery was filled with al's friends and hisfamily and justeople who have been waitinfor this to happen r so lon you ow, the trial lasted long than the lindbergh baby kidnapng trial. it went onor something like -- who's counting -- but 246 days since the day of the ection. so the was just a lot of good feeling for him and just lot of joy inhat roo and alws when anew senator comes in, there's a lot of dignity and sixsix civility in senate. so it s good day. >>efore we get to t big piure of him coming into the senate, t me

. >> reporter: democrats are counting the seconds until live from washington it's al franken. >> thank you. >> the former "saturday night live" comedian turned politician is about to hand his party 60 seats in the senate, if you include the two independents now aligned with democrats. franken, a harvard graduate who can do the math is downplaying expect as. >> the way i see it, i'm not going to washington to be the 60th democratic senator i'm going to washington to be the second senator from the state of minnesota. >> reporter: that's not how others see it. >> it should be a gam changer. >> reporter: that's 60, they are challenging wavering colleagues in the new democratic supermajority to stick together, block any filibuster attempts aimed at health care. >> at the very least what we should be doing united is saying to the republicans, you cannot filibuster a strong health care bill to death. if it turns out there are only 52, 53, 54 people who vote for final passage, that's the way it is. that's the majority. >> reporter: but in that deck of 60, there are a few wild cards. take conne

al franken senator-elect. al franken donned his trademark smile and a washington power suit at a press conference with democratic leader harry reid. >> he is going to work hard and be an outstanding senator. >> it was the refrain of the day. >> i am going to workday and night. i'm ready to get to work. >> reporter: the foreman "saturday night live" funnyman left his sense of humor the at the door and talked about the issues. >> minnesotans want a rational health care system that provides health care for all americans. minnesotans want an economy that works for working family, and that means jobs. >> reporter: back at franken's new office, up went his name plate. furniture arrived and office supplies were delivered. in the senate where it takes a 60-vote supermajority to pass legislation, franken will be the 60th senator aligned with democrats. the walking by franken's office, senator dorgen downplayed thats will get everything they want. >> people make a lot over this number 60, but it's difficult to find 60 p

>> i do. >> congratulations, senator. >> following his official oath of office, senator al franken ande president biden did it again for the cameras. >> senato seemed amused at the amount of attention. since he are arrived -- arrived in washington, he repeated that he only sees himself as minnesota's junior lawmakers. but to democratic colleagues there is no joke about what the former comedian really represents, a 60 vote filibuster proof majority able to stall republican revolves before they begin. >> i know the national media thought they would see a riot act when he came out here. but that's not what he will do. >> reporter: with the pomp and circumstance ended, it didn't take long for the battle lines to be drawn here. >> the american people willfully understand that they own the government. >> reporter: with the new senator hours into his terms, the democratic majority leader had to defend his decision to place franken on the important senate judiciary committee which is about to hold hearings on son i don't sotomayor. >> i believe that it's not necessary to have all lawyers on th

here, senator al franken looks to his committee chairman to approve a request. >> i would ask that itentered into the record, sir, can i enter it into the record? thank you. >> reporter: franken's national debut seems to be amusing his old peers on the comedy circuit. >> i keep expecting him to go, live from new york! >> reporter: and his new peers in the senate, here earning chuckles after switching seats with committee chairman, leahy. franken also hit some comical notes, reading from a pocket constitution. asking judge sotomayor about the voting rights act, whether internet access should be protected, and for the definition of an activist judge. he even went where the administration did not want democrats to go, pressing the judge on abortion rights. he argued that abortion rights don't have to be written into the constitution to be protected. >> are the words "birth control" in the constitution? >> no, sir. >> are the words "price" in the constitution? or the word. >> the word "privacy," is not. >> reporter: but the water cooler moment of the hearing came when franken asked the ju

we are standing by for al franken, the junior senator from minnesota. he is up next.ll have his questioning as well including more from arlen specter and sonya sotomayor. cnn.com is streaming all of this live. you can see all of it uninterrupted. we will take a quick break and our kanch wi our coverage will continue after this. busy lifestyles can make it hard to get enough fiber and key nutrients in your diet. be proactive about your health with... this great-tasting chewable fiber supplement harnesses the goodness of real fruits and vegetables to provide you both natural fiber and protective antioxidants. its special blend of antioxidant vitamins c, e and beta carotene help support your long-term health and vitality. feel your best every day, even when you're on the go. try fiberchoice plus antioxidants. brand power. helping you buy better. so what do you think? i think i'll go with the basic package. good choice. only meineke lets you choose the brake service that's right for you. and save 50% on pads and shoes. meineke. >>> arlen specter is questioning sonya sotom

al franken prepares for his biggest act yet as u.s. senator. >> a robbery call helps end the search for a serial killer in south carolina. how police caught him and how many murders investigators think he committed. >> we will have more on the morning commute when we ♪ (speaking in french) chef, come look, it's incredible. ♪ (speaking in french) how is this possible? did you do this? you did this? when you take a bigger, thicker slice of the best potatoes, people notice. introducing alexia crunchy snacks. a giant leap for snack kind. >> welcome back to "11 news today." 70 degrees downtown. so it is mild but the dew points are very low. a minimal amount of moisture in the air making it quite bearable. we will have another nice day but feels more like spring with the low humidity. the high up to the mid 80's. storms are still circulating around south carolina this morning. around wilmington, north carolina, 6.43 inches so flooding concerns there and in the deep south. for us we are dry for the most part. about a 10% chance of isolated ev

al franken takes office after going through an eight-month recount battle with norm coleman.not like what you are about two years. one of president obama's economic advisers, laura tyson, says that the stimulus bill was a bit too small and that we should be planning on a contingency basis for a second round of stimulus. oh, no, a second round of stimulus? a writer for "the wall street journal," steve moore joins us. steve, a second round? yikes. your thoughts. >> greta, i predicted this would happen. the first stimulus did not work well. we have 9.5% unemployment. now, it is true that we have only spent part of the stimulus package, but it is almost like a python that has swallowed a pig, and the pig is halfway through, and now you are going to put another one in its mouth. if i think our fiscal situation today, greta, is a fiscal catastrophe. we're going to end of all we $2 trillion this year because the economy is worse than we thought, by far the biggest record in history, and you have to ask the question, greta, when do you stop all of this spending and start a new strate

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after this break, we are going to hear from senator specter and then going to hear from senator al frankenely been in the senate just a week. we will see if he can show everybody whether he is good enough, smart enough and doggone it people like him that is clearly one of the highlights, hearing from senator al franken, i think, andrea, he is not going to be funny. he is going to try to be very serious, probably only one of these seen doors on the hearing behind me, sat through every senators' questions, is he joking around with you guys back there they said, no, he is very serious. >> i think al franken's job, one is to prove that he can be boring. >> ex-a actually. even though we want to see something else, right, he has got to be serious. >> speaking of someone never borg, pat buchanan. >> yes, ma'am. >> has the nominee done enough to satisfy senator coburn and some of the other conservatives? has she spoken to the lock and load them constituency that you had in new hampshire some years ago? >> her job here, she has 60 democratic senators, and a number of republicans. her job here is no

he says, he does not mean to be disrespectful, but al franken is a clown. that is what he does for a living. finally, representative henry waxman, chairman of the house energy and commerce commission is in the hospital after fainting tuesday in his los angeles office. today, he is in good spirits and is turning his attention to turning on -- to working on health care reform. those are some of the latest headlines on c-span radio. host: here is our last half-hour in our final test of the morning. we're pleased to welcome edward montgomery, the director of monk -- the director of recovery at the office of autoworkers. what is your job mission? >> my job is to try and bring together people from the communities that have been impacted by the significant decline in the auto industry that has occurred over the coast -- the course of the last eight years, to work with community leaders, work with state governments, figure out what they need in terms of how to move forward in terms of both the current crisis we're in, and plan for the recovery and expansion. to mak

we just saw a short time ago, senator al franken wrap up his questioning of judge sotomayor. behind closed doors to answer a few more questions, presumely about her health. she has suffered from diabetes since a child. today, senator john cornyn of texas returned to the big issue. >> are you standing by that statement or are you saying that it was a bad idea and you -- are you disavowing that statement? >> it is clear from the attention that my words have gotten and the manner in which it has been understood by some people that my words fail. they didn't work. >> do you stand by your words of yesterday and when you said it was a failed rhetorical flourish that fell flat, that they are words that don't make sense and a bad idea? >> i understand that some people have understood them in a way that i never intended and i would hope that in the context of the speech that they would be understood. >> right now, these are live pictures of judge sotomayor being questioned by senator franken. she will go behind closed doors to answer personal questions. norah o'donnell is live on capi

capitol think of al franken. i say senator franken, you think -- >> joke. >> i'm strong enough, i'm good enough, and doggone it, people like me. >> reporter: -- but they're flexible saying he can earn their respect. >> yeah. depends on what he does when he's in there. not what he did before but what he's about now. >> reporter: he'll have a chance to show his stuff when he begins questioning sotomayor during the hearing today. over the past few days, senator franken has been spotted stopping capitol police to ask for directions. clearly, he's the new guy on the job. franken has said that he plans to lay low, take some time to learn, and he says, though he's the democrats' 60th vote, he will not rubber-stamp the president's agenda. >> that's our cnn's jessica yellin reporting. >>> i'm heidi collins in the "cnn newsroom." thanks for joining us, everybody. the beginning of day three of the sonia sotomayor confirmation hearings now just minutes away. wolf blitzer up next. back. >>> it's day three of the sonia sotomayo

senator al franken, if y delays, and soon-to-be former gov. sarah palin >> it would be apathetic to just hunker down and go with buflo. only dead fi go with the flow. >> alaska g. sarah palin decided the best way for bir to serve the state that e loves is to resign orffice. >> i cannot stand here as your goveor and allow the millis of dollars and all the time go waste so i and allthe title of goveor. >> in other words, you can take this job andhove it. befor wetart on sarah palin, whseems to inspire great devotion or bile in equal msure, let us look at the governor throh a different lens -- her uniqueness. you are in an airplane,t crass in a wildeess, you, nancy pelosi, and the goveor of alaska rvive. who would you ust more to build a fire to keep you warm, attract some game to be you and leave you back t civilization- nancy pelosi an sert -- or rah pali? >> and bring home a fish to eat. >> itakes a better dead. >> i bet she could eat one live, thats how goodhe is. she is a very great talenbut shes unprepared anif she left office becaus of the

it senator al franken, iou delays, and soon-to- former gov. sarah palin. >> it would be apathetic to just hunker down and go with buffalo only dead fish gwith the flow. >> alaskaov. sarah palin decided the best wa for bd to serve the state thashe loves is to resign office. >> i cannot stan here as your governor and allow the millions ofollars and all thetime go to waste so i and all th title of governor >> in other words, you can take this job and sho it. before we sta on sarah palin, o seems to inspire great devotion or bile in equal easure, let us look at the governor thugh a different lens -- her uniqueness. you are in an airplane, it crashes in a wildernes you, nay pelosi and the governor of alaska surve. who would you trus more to build a fire to keepou warm, attract some game to beat you and leave you back to civilization -- nancy pelosi and sert -- or sara pan? >> and bring home a fish to eat. >> i takes a better dead. >> i bet she could eat one live, th is how good she is. she is a very great talt but she is unprepared d if she left of

we're getting ready to hear from arlen specter and al franken.'ll hear those opening statements coming up next. sdmoo >>> republican turned democrat, arlen specter of pennsylvania, now speaking. >> a century later, there were only 161 signed opinions, 2007, there were only 67 signed opinions. i start on the cases which are not cited, although i could start in many, many areas. could start with the circuit splits, where one court of appeals in one section of the country goes one way, another court of appeals goes the other way, the rest of the courts don't know which way the precedents are and the supreme court decides not to decide. but take the case of the terrorist surveillance program, which was president bush's secret warrantless wiretaps, and contrast it with congressional authority exercised under article one on the foreign intelligence surveillance act, providing the exclusive way to have wiretaps. perhaps the sharpest conflict in the history of this great country on the article one powers of congress and the article two powers of the pres

tutici what now senator al franken could mean for president obama's agenda. my doctor told me i had to start doing things for my heart, but i wasn't ready to give up taste. sometimes, sacrifice is the name of the game. well, i've heard eating whole grain oats... can help lower my cholesterol. it's going to be a challenge... sure we nt to lower our cholesterol, but let's be real, being healthy is tough. yea. honey nut cheerios cereal... tastes great and can help lower cholesterol. bee happy. bee healthy. try apple cinnamon cheerios. baked in apple with... a daring amount of cinnamon. when a tornado tore through holly, colorado, air life denver took to the air... their night-vision goggles keeping them safe on a perilous flight... and poring those precision goggles--- is the only battery air life trusts: duracell. broad daylight or the darkest night... it just has to work. duracell. trusted everywhere. >>> downtown los angeles will be a busy area later today when they have the public memorial service for michael jackson. that will be coming up at 10:00 los ange

capitol think of al franken. >> i say senator franken, you think -- >> joke. >> i'm strong enough, i'mut they're flexible saying he can earn their respect. >> yeah. depends on what he does when he's in there. not what he did before but what he's about now. >> reporter: he'll have to chance to show his stuff when he begins questioning sotomayor during the hearing today. over the past few days, senator franken has been seen spotting capitol police asking for directions. clearly he is the new guy on the job. franken has said he plans to lay low, take some time to learn, and he said, though he is the democrat's 60th vote, he will not rubber-stamp the president's agenda. john? kiran? >> jessica yellin, thanks. you can also watch day three of judge sonya sotomayor's confirmation hearing right here on cnn with the best political team on television. again the hearing is set to get under way in about an hour and 20 minutes. if you're away from your tv, you can watch it online, cnn.com/live. >>> 11 minutes past the hour. >>> big day for hillary clinton after being called the invisible woman this

the role of a lifetime for comedian turned inquisitor al franken.r seemed comfortable in front of the cameras but less with congressional procedure. here senator al franken looks to his committee chairman to approve a request. >> i would ask that it be entered into the record. sir. can i enter it into the record. okay. thank you. >> franken's national debut seems to be amusing his old peers on the comedy circuit. >> i want to go, live from new york! >> and his new peers in the senate. here earning chuckles after switching seats with chairman leahy. franken also hit some serious notes, reading from a pocket constitution. >> section one, the right of citizens of the united states to vote. >> asking judge sotomayor about the voting rights act, whether internet access should be protected, and for the definition of an activist judge. he even wept where the administration did not want democrats to go, pressing the judge on abortion rights. he argued that abortion rights don't have to be written into the constitution to be protected. >> are the words "birt

at 5, what the hill's newest lawmaker al franken had to ask judge sotomayor. >>> plus, making a little money while you shop. how to take advantage of sweep rebates on the web . fox 5 news at 5 will be right back.  the pontiac summer closeout is here; hurry to get the ponti you want before they're gone. the price on the tag is the price you pay. get a 2009 pontiac vibe for $13,708 afterll offers. or get 0% apr for 60 months on most 2009 ptiac models! all are bacd with the best coverage in america, including a 5 year/100,000 mile powertrain warranty. get some excitement while you still can, during the pontiac summer closeout. visit pontiacdealer.com >> we're following a developing story in the district. a d.c. woman is under arrest for a long list of crimes, including trashing a church and trying to set it on fire. roby chavez is live in southeast following this one. >> reporter: detectives are calling this a one-person crime wave through parts of the district. a 46-year-old woman was arrested on friday night and charged, among other things, two fire bombings, i

. >> it is an important day for al franken. we will tell you what is on his agenda. >> the stage is now set for michael jackson's final act. >> i am adam caskey live in the weather center. fairly low humidity levels today. that will change later >> live and in hd, this is "good morning washington," on your side. >>> good morning, washington. welcome back. 6:28 is your time. i'm alison starling. >> and i'm doug mckelway. time for a look at traffic and weather. you're going to love what adam caskey has to say. >> any time. i wish every july could be like this. low humidity today. believe it or not, it will drop even more. >> looki nglike minnesota. >> kind o it has been warmer. 63 right look at that, total sunshine. dew point of only 59. you're not ggin to feel the humidity oute, tth aer least relative to early july. rockville, 61. a lot of sunshine this morning. becoming partly cloudy later this afternoon. we cannot rule out a brief passing shower north of town. less humid tomorrow with more sunshine. >> very smooth. 270 has bee

al franken isnsn i in nnesota anymymore.ng g e e rounds on capitol l llll iluding a private meetetinwiwithenate majojorityeaear, sorry senate peper jority leader harry reid. franken swearing in totomoowow, will give the dedemoataticaucus 6060otes, enough if they h hol totogeerer, end the threat of republican f fibibusrs. uth carolina, hello. mark sanford back k fr a a rereday fourth of july vacationon withihifamily and in-laws. wessssumthey brought fireworor orade their own while hihingng. welcoming g hibabacka private meetining oftata republicans trying to figure o o w whato do ababouhim. er to the south fork r ran i in texas s r r thsecond round of tht.t.e. parties. isisthe weekend's largest t t.e.a. organizers hoping g pull 50,000. attendanance w far below that until the fireworks showhich waattended by 37,000. the fundraising failing after one bought the bigponsorships. organizers a now hoping to brk even. texaxasenenor john cornyn got an eaearf from his t.e.a.a. bagsteres. he got booed d d d heled asas republican govern

this is exclusive video that we will show you of al franken arriving at his office. are we going to listen in? no, okay. frank and one and eight-month long battle with norm coleman -- franken won an eight-month long battle with norm coleman. carl cameron is watching this from the hill. >> yes, he is still a center left. he has not yet been sworn in. -- senator-elect. now a senator-elect franken will be sworn in, alongside his family. the orientation process will be pretty quick, as he sits on two key committees, the judiciary committee which will have the confirmation hearing for sonia sotomayor, and he will sit on the helalth committee as well. martha: tell me what democrats are expecting from him. are they expecting him to fall in line with the democratic leadership? it has been quite divisive lately. >> i think you can expect him to be one of the most loyal democratic votes. he will probably be a lock step democrat, perhaps more liberal than any other member of the democratic party. martha: thank you. let us listen in. >> i look forward to working under your leader

what is he calls al franken and questioning of supreme court nominee sonia sotomayor. the former governor of minnesota sounds off next on "larry king live." good evening. never -- special guest to begin things, jim moret. he's also an attorney. never before seen footage from the pepsi shoot which michael jackson's hair caught fire has been obtained and published by "us weekly" there's no audio but the raw imannuals tell the story. watch. >>> i see miko brando in there helping to put this out. you were covering that. >> i was the local reporter at abc station in los angeles. we've never seen that view before. nev only saw a grainy image from the front. realize for ten seconds perhaps michael jackson's hair was on fire, he didn't even know it. when people realize it, you see they came to his aid, but he had second and third degree burns, tremendous amount of pain. had to undergo surgeries, skin grafts. took demerol for the pain. >> larry: we knew about that. >> we knew about that. and knew later he became dependent on demerol. you look at that moment in the last days of

new senator al franken may get to ask questions today. newest member of the senate judiciary committee. the house intelligence committee wants documents about a cia program to kill al qaeda leaders that they knew nothing about. the new cia chief told them former vice president dick cheney kept it from congress. democrats say that that's against the law. they may push for a full investigation, but two former intelligence officials say that cheney's getting a bum wrap because the program never got off the ground. >>> new info in the case of a florida couple killed last week. the family just ended a news conference and their lawyer says that it's clear to her that the attack was a home invasion with the intent to rob the couple. nine children were home at the time when byrd and melanie billings were attacked. none of the kids was hurt. but the family is worried that the kids are not out of danger. >> this is an ongoing investigation. we understand there's the possibility of one or more arrests and while this is an ongoing investigation and we

al franken didn't quitite tctch that reptivity, butut evewiwi the court t deyse went from raradihostmmentator to u.s. senator in threree arars d nine monons,s, aof today, the fishshine. >>> > lar,r, w do i get the feing that the david letteterman voey against sarah palininonon't be thehe endf f ? ananinin wsts, joe the plumber does not realizeze tt t th uncumented immigrants in t this country outnumber ththe mitata, and a man named michchl l saer does not r reali y y can't go taking osama bin ladaden'sidid when it comes to b bwiwingp things andnd peoe e this country. you're watching "countdodown" o msnbnbc. ( honkin news radio update ) when youe rely in pain, reliefan't come fast enough. introducing new bayayer quick release crystals. tive crystals ssoe quickly on your tgu with an exa pain relieving booster, 's's rea to go to worork faer than caplplets t tlets. it's a whole new way fro bayer toto dissolvpain... st. new bayer quick rerelease crystals. >>> today, july 7t 2009, the man who played baggage handler number one in "tradi places," star o"snl," and the movies tuart saves his f

al franken becomes a u.s.estimate dollars that michael jackson spent half a billion dollars on himself before his untimely death. think about that. half a billion dollars. jackson went on wild shopping sprees spent as much as $30 million a year on clothes, travel and toys. his ranch out in santa barbara cost nearly $20 million and upkeep every year millions more. by the late 1 0s jackson's career diminished and he began taking out loans to support his lavish lifestyle ending up more than $400 million in debt according to some estimates. joining us from los angeles alexis martin kneelly a family law attorney and from long island reisner a lawyer to negotiated some contracts for michael jackson. let's begin with you, what does spending half a billion dollars on yourself say about a person. >> no physical control. no one really watching him. yet, people who used him. yet people that awiewz dollars him. people who took money from him. he did spend a lot of money allegedly on drugs. he spent a lot of money on never

wiwi al franken b be the crazy comedidi o or ll he be aererio caidate, sioio senatoror?at evevery tuturnn this campaign and e eer turnrn ithth appeals process, he been, you knkno would bebe senator seseris. anand think that's what weeill e e wh he shows uporor the mmittee hearings. >>e will betam with tim grieve a a d dav corrn. for more of f th p polics fix,x, you're watching "harardbl,l,only on msnsnbc where it's weak. whwherit's vulnerable. ♪ tylenol arthrititiwowork with your r body to blo t the pn, withouout inteering wi certain high bod pressure medicines like aleve somometimes can. ♪ so you don't j just eletter, u feel better knowing doctors recommend tyno moren any other brand of pain reliever. ♪ (announcer) transform your waer. womemen who drink crystal lighghdrink 20% more water. crystal light. make a delicicis change. kind of coconsider myself a robinhnhood of the directining world. buick enclave thest luxury crossover ever. i need s some zen n ime with this model ththyou. finally, good news for people with type 2 dies or at risk f dbetes. inoducing new nutris

. >>> to the senate floor, today our frank was sworn into office -- al franken was sworn into office. after months of wrangling, the minnesota democrat was sworn in by joe biden. he becomes the 60th democratic senator. one of his first jobs will be to sit on the judiciary committee. sonia sotomayor is getting support from the -- and a letter has been sent to the white house, saying she is well qualified. >>> alberto gonzalez has a new job. he plans to teach political science at texas tech university in the fall. the solace will teach a course on contemporary issues -- alberto gonzales will teach a course on contemporary issues. >>> more good weather around the metro area. >> the best athlete in the world is shocking the world today. lance armstrong is pleasing to the -- through thethe ( rock music playing ) this is about a new, more efficient luxury hybrid continuing to produce 70% fewer smog-forming emissions while delivering greater power. a fact not lost on the world around us. the all-new 2010 lexus rx hybrid. >>> nathan's is familiar to anyone who has ever stepped foot in georget

no jokes from al franken on this day. maybe down the road we'll get a few laughs from time to time. there were three interruptions, brief interruptions, hecklers being evicted but that was that. just a little housekeeping. tomorrow morning, we'll be here for our special coverage. it will begin at 9:30 a.m. eastern. that's when the questioning of sonia sotomayor by democrats and republicans will begin. that will be an important day tomorrow. we will learn a whole lot more. i'll be back in less than an hour here in "the situation room." right now, our coverage continues with rick sanchez and cnn "newsroom." >>> dick cheney told the cia don't tell congress? >> the cia is in the secrecy business. this is a question of whether the former vice president of the united states denied certain sensitive information to the intelligence leaders in congress. >> but if it happened, it's against the law, and cheney could be called on it. we are on that. >>> republicans turn up the heat on the quote, wise latina woman. >> if i said anything remotely like that, my career would have been over. >> what

check one, in a sad day for america al franken is now a u.s. senator.he minnesota supreme court ruled he won the election by 300 votes. frankson a blatantly dishonest individual, a far left zealot is ho is not qualified to hold any office. a man who trafficked in hate on his failed air america program. if you want proof check out page 96 in my book culture warrior. with people like franken on the hill, this country industry in deep trouble. check 2. as mentioned i was in switzerland last week and i did not see any litter on the street. let me repeat, i drove hundreds of miles. there was no litter anywhere. switzerland is the cleanest country in the world. i went there to look at the swiss environmental approach. the place is stunning. there are 7.5 -- there are 1.5 million people living in switzerland. 22% foreign born but apparently they are all green. according to the environmental performance index. switzerland is number one in the world and it shows. health care mandatory for the swiss but the government does not pay. and the worker, the company tha

. >> al franken is on capitol hill tonight and says he is ready to get to work.e met with majority leader harry reid and will be sworn in tomorrow. last november's election was finally resolved just last week by the state supreme court. tracy potts has more. >> his name is on the office now, so it is almost official. after an eight-month court battle, al franken arrived to be sworn in tomorrow as minnesota's junior senator. and there is plenty of work waiting. he brings the democrats all important 60th vote, providing a solid majority to pass health reform in the next month. >> a lot has been made on this number, 60. the number i am focused on is the no. 2. i see myself as the second senator from the state of minnesota. >> he has promised he will not just be a rubber stamp for the democrats. >> a guy that became famous for writing books does not sound like an independent thinker. he is a party line liberal democrat. >> harry reid promised he will not use his vote to crowd them out. >> we have and will continue to offer senate republicans a seat in any negotiating