and as a result a.c.o.r.n. d seiu have become the enemy of corporations that are willing to pay beltway slime merchants almost anything if it might mean avoiding paying higher wages to their own employees. the easiest way to destroy the whole movement to rage the wages and the standard of living for poor americans, of course, to destroy the best advocates of that cause, to destroy the groups that organize and campaign for living wages and a raised minimum wage. so, a.c.o.r.n., we've already seen what those attacks look like. seiu, you're next. then who's next after that? and are democrats and liberals going to stand up for these guys, or are they just going to let them defend themselves and see how it goes? >>> joining us now is peter drier. he's the professor of politics at occidental college in los angeles. he's also the co-author of a new study on media coverage of a.c.o.r.n., professor, it's very nice to see you again. thank you for joining us. >> good to be here. >> your study about a.c.o.r.n. details the e

demonize a.c.o.r.n. and some republican governors have enthusiastically defunded a.c.o.r.n., as well, despite the fact those governors didn't fund them in the first place. thanks for the right wing crusade against it. a.c.o.r.n. has become a household acronym, and republican america's most reliable trumped up bogeyman. it was the sixth most covered story in the country last week. a.c.o.r.n. has been caricatured by people as a company that steals elections and turns a blind eye to prostitution. that's the story line the media has latched on to, as well. what you might not know from all of the breathless a.c.o.r.n. damnation coverage is what a.c.o.r.n. actually does. they do things like advocating for a higher minimum wage. they do things like helping low-income families file their taxes. they do things like helping low-income families find jobs. they register people to vote. that sort of work, as you might expect, has the tendency to rile up the kinds of industries that don't want minimum wage to go up and ar

today railing against the community organizing group a.c.o.r.n. and falsely accusing president obama of being a.c.o.r.n.'s lead chief organizer. this sort of animous towards a.c.o.r.n. has been percolating on the right for a long time now. but it's broken open recently as democrats in congress have decided to go along with efforts to demonize a.c.o.r.n. and some governors have defunded a.c.o.n. as well, despite the fact that they didn't fund them in the first place. a.c.o.r.n. has become america's most reliable trumped up boog giman. it was the sixth most covered story in the country last week. a.c.o.r.n. has been caricatured as a corrupt commercial enterprise that steals elections and turns a blind eye to prostitution. what you might not know from all the breathless a.c.o.r.n. damnation coverage is what a.c.o.r.n. actually does. they do things like advocating for a higher minimum wage. they do things like helping low income families file their dfans they do things like help low-income families find jobs. registering people to vote. that sort of work,

and . a.c.o.r.n. who's active in 21 states claim that the two activist filmmakers responsible for posting the videos tried the same thing at their offices in san diego, los angeles, miami, new york and philadelphia and failed. a.c.o.r.n. gave cnn a copy of the police complaint filed against a.c.o.r.n. in philadelphia. jils was a no-show for an agreed to interview with cnn. congressman steve king of iowa wants a federal investigation of a.c.o.r.n. zplvmt we have got to audit them completely, every single affiliated corporation that they have. there should be a department of justice audit complete forensic investigation. we need to do congressional investigations and we need to shut off every dime of funding. >> reporter: arrest warrants for 11 voter registration workers were thrown out on charges of registration fraud in florida in an investigation that a.c.o.r.n. did help niinitiate. in nevada ac.o.r.n. -- base on the number of voters registered, which is illegal under nevada law. a.c.o.r.n. has called

a.c.o.r.n. was and remains a flawed but legitimate organization which helps register low-income americans to vote. no accusation has ever been substantiated that anyone registered by a.c.o.r.n. ever voted fraudulently. the bush white house viewed voter fraud as the mother of all wedge issues. it's paying its dividends today. and remarkably, democrats are playing right along with it. joining us now is david iglesias, the former u.s. attorney for new mexico who was allegedly fired for failing to prosecute a.c.o.r.n. for voter fraud. mr. iglesias is also the author of "injustice -- inside the scandal that rocked the bush administration." mr. iglesias, thanks very much for being here today. >> thanks, rachel. good to be back. >> in the lead-up to the '04 election, in terms of the climate in new mexico, the political climate, was a.c.o.r.n. very active in registering voters in new mexico? >> oh, sure. they were working in albuquerque and throughout the state. there was tremendous local media attention on wha

and a.c.o.r.n.and thinks they're nothing but a liberal lap dog. this is on myspace, i got it while you and i were watching this report on the air. there it is, it's from chris, and chris said, right wing filmmaker exposes a place like a.c.o.r.n. and he's a hero in the eyes of the media. michael moore makes a film that exposes the corporate greed and he's considered the communist. that shows how fair and balanced our immediamedia really is. interesting perspective, i thought you would want to hear it. here's a couple of other a.c.o.r.n. notes, at least two lawmakers have now asked the department of justice to investigate the group, including allegations of voter fraud. the latest call comes from senator mike johans from nebraska. during the last election, a.c.o.r.n staged a massive get out the vote effort but ends up being accused of falsifying voter registration forms. we also learned today that a.c.o.r.n. has halted new hires pending a wide ranging review of all pending operations. so there's movem

. >> and a.c.o.r.n. is under fire, calling for investigations and demands tonight that president obama cut off all, all government ties to the organization. we'll have the latest report on a.c.o.r.n., a report you'll see only here. >>> good evening, everybody. preaching to the choir, that's what president obama hopes he was doing today. in three campaign style speeches, president obama went to union country trying to shore up big labor support of his health care plans. plans that by most measures are in big trouble. it was the beginning of a planned health care media blitz. a blitz that will have the president appear on five sunday talk shows and david letterman. any legitimate efforts to recruit republicans seemed to have been abandoned by the administration, even the gang of six, the bipartisan group of senators, has collapsed. dan lothian reports from the white house. it seems certain that the president and the democrats will be going it alone. >> reporter: well, it really does seem that way, but the w

and remember a.c.o.r.n. is a grass roots voter registration group. o'keefe and the so-called prostitute were asking for advice on how to set up a prostitution ring involving underaged girls from elvalue a door. one says you want to keep them clean and make sure they go to school and she says to train them to keep their mouths shut. one worker said she could even claim some of the girls as dependents. and there was even a suggestion that the woman who was posing as a prostitute stop calling herself and prostitute and start calling herself an entertainment artist. >> you might have to name it something else. performance arts. let's see, independent artists. you could use that. your business is a performing artist. which you are. okay? so you're not lying. >> that's kind of boosting my ego. >> you're a performing artist, okay? so stop saying prostitute, okay? >> republican congressman steve king of iowa is calling for a full congressional investigation into the matter and here's what he had to say. >> underline our electoral process and do so for partisa

a.c.o.r.n. as one entity, wolf, and that is decidedly part of the problem that a.c.o.r.n. is having with itself, and i'll get to that in a minute, but it's really like hundreds of various agencies, corporations, non-profits and even partisan political groups that all work under this umbrella of a.c.o.r.n. yes, they do help people with low-income housing. yes, they do help modify mortgages. yes, they do some good things, but there's also a lot of political things they do and a lot of other things that they do, voter registration drives, that have come into question, and internally a.c.o.r.n. has been having a lot of problems as of late. >> and as we just heard, a.c.o.r.n. does have a lot of problems. there's been a lot of controversy over the past year or so. what else is part of the controversy beyond these current videotapes? >> it all has to do with the organization of a.c.o.r.n. we reported on an internal 14-page memo that a.c.o.r.n. had done of itself last summer, wolf. it looked at how this organization was put together, and quite frankly the summation of that memo was

reaching out to poor and minority communities. a.c.o.r.n. has received about $20 million in federal funds in the last decade and has helped those communities with voter registration, housing and employment issues. but despite close relationships with democrats, the senate and today, the white house, are reviewing all their ties to the group. >> the conduct that you see on those tapes is completely unacceptable. >> reporter: "those tapes" were made by two young conservatives dressed as a prostitute and a pimp receiving advice from a.c.o.r.n. employees in different cities on how to skirt the law and hide a fictitious prostitution ring. >> find another name, find another name for and don't say that you are prostituting or whatever. >> reporter: this is not the first time a.c.o.r.n. has drawn on bad headlines. last week, 11 a.c.o.r.n. employees in miami were arrested and charged with voter registration fraud. republicans have long opposed a.c.o.r.n.'s politics and methods. last year, they attacked the president and his campaign for past ties to

an unavoidable factor and the controversy surrounding a.c.o.r.n. and the communitity organizizer that is came up during the campaign. an activist landed a.c.o.r.n. in trouble. our senior investigative correspondent lisa myers has our report. >> reporter: a.c.o.r.n. has been a target of conservatives and was an issue in last year's election. >> we need to know the full extent of barack obama's affiliation with a.c.o.r.n. >> reporter: republicans questioned the method and accused a.c.o.r.n. of trying to steal the election for barack obama. a.c.o.r.n. received tens of millions of federal dollars to help poor families with housing. it provides other community rvices. now, hidden camera video shows a.c.o.r.n. workers in several cities how to evade the i.r.s. and conceal underage prostitution. >> if they are making money and are underage, don't let nobody know, anyway. >> reporter: the videos were shot by a 25-year-old conservative activist and friend who posed as a pimp and prostitute. republican leaders reacted quickly. >> we need to make sure we sever

the couple who took the video, james o'keefe and hanna giles are both conservative activists. a.c.o.r.ncontends they've been deliberately manipulating the videos to put the liberal group, which has become a target amid serious corruption and voter fraud allegations, in the worst light possible. amy shir is a.c.o.r.n.'s california chair woman. she accompanied tersa kaelke to the interview. >> we believe these conservative activists broke the law filming this. and then what are they putting on air and online? they are putting doctored, edited, sliced and diced versions of these tapes. >> reporter: that said, a.c.o.r.n. has already fired four workers for the earlier tapes and kaelke told us she's been placed on indefinite suspension. rick, i want to tell you, we've tried many, many times to get interviews with the filmmakers, but so far, they've refused. rick? >> yeah, they are another important part of the story. thanks so much. by the way, a.c.o.r.n.'s taking a lot of heat for all this. so what do they have to do now to fix this? can they? i'll ask a.c.o.r.n.'s ceo, bertha lewis. she's g

a.c.o.r.n. giving tips to a pimp and prostitute. a female a.c.o.r.n. s being set up and was playing along. it fired four people on other videos. it claims the videos are doctored. republicans in congress want the president and the irs to cut all ties with a.c.o.r.n. >>> a 353 pound alligator proved to be no match for that little girl. the 16-year-old took down a ten-foot gator with a cross bow sunday night in south carolina at a swamp. she has been hunting with her dad since she was about 2. this is her first time alligator hunting. >> i that it was going to be way smaller. it was a huge adrenaline rush. >> she is a cheerleader. everyone is like cheerleaders are wimpy. she is not. she duck hunts, alligators. she deer hunts. she does it all. she plays softball. >> this whole thing was very exciting and hopes to land a bigger catch on her next trip. >>> hundreds of people in north carolina got together to get endangered baby turtles back in the ocean. guiding the 70 leather back turtles back into the water. the babies follow whatever light they see. >>> f

and it was voted to cut off all funding to a.c.o.r.n. k that politics is pretty clear on that part of the ethnic front. that group really looks bad right now for giving advice in some case to the hooker and a pimp looking for a place to live and a place to set up shop. they were giving them advice? well, we'll see what that does politically. chris and jonathan, back in a minute. i'm walgreens ceo and i'm also a pharmacist. getting an early flu shot is the best thing you can do... to protect you and your loved ones from the flu. it's also one of the easiest things you can do... because walgreens is now offering seasonal flu shots... every day of the week with convenient hours guaranteed. so you can just stop in. our 16,000 dedicated pharmacists... and take care clinic nurse practitioners... are waiting to help you beat the flu... in neighborhoods nationwide. at walgreens we want you to know, there's a way to stay well. [ thinking ] burning, itching... but the pain's the worst. i shoulda used... [ bump ] [ male announcer ] preparation h cre

a.c.o.r.n. has raised a lot of questions, namely who's producing them and why. cnn national political correspondent jessica yellin. >> reporter: these are the hidden camera videos that triggered a firestorm over grass roots activist group a.c.o.r.n., hanna jils seen here posing as a prostitute and james o'keefe pretended to be her pimp. according to her web biography, she's appeared on fox news. >> as i sat there, i was like i cannot believe they're actually falling for this and not necessarily falling for it, but what can we get them to say next? >> o'keefe says she's a filmmaker dedicated to uncovering corruption he feels the main stream media ignores. here he is in his pimp outfit. >> the two have gotten results, since these videos were posted, the u.s. senate has voted to cut off some of a.c.o.r.n.'s funding. >> where were the real reporters on this story? you know what? investigative media? where the hell were you? >> reporter: the animal rights group p.i.t.a. makes them all the time. and political campaigns have driven news with videos like this, remember m

they're putting, doctored, edited, sliced and diced versions of these tapes. >> reporter: that said, a.c.o.r.n. has already fired four workers for the earlier tapes and kaelke told us she's been placed on indefinite suspension. >> rick sanchez is up next. >>> he hit me closed fisted repeated times. i have knots on my head. >> did he kick you too. >> yes, he did. >> on the record, a woman beaten in front of her daughter in the doorway of a cracker barrel. you're talking about it, the fbi is investigating. she joining me life. >>> finally an arrest, police say he did it. he strangled annie le and stuffed her in a wall at yale university. we are on it. >> this is outrageous, it was indefensible. >> pimps, prostitutes and a.c.o.r.n., the organization's ceo takes the tough questions, but also says -- >> this is a well orchestrated, well funded, concerted, relentless campaign to attack this organization. >> outrageous and indefensible actions by her own employees or a conspiracy by her own organization's enemies? >>> you used to see a lot of chris brown like this, then he beat rihanna and we got to

and prostitute. on the taip, an a.c.o.r.n. pation as a performan performance. >>> details on the conservative activists who posed as a pimp and prostitute. >>> a south carolina republican who shouted "you lie" to president obama wednesday said he did not plan the outburst. in an interview, representative joe wilson denied speculation that he might have planned to disrupt the president's health care speech to congress. >> when it was stated that it wouldn't apply to illegal aliens, i just, i just, i just couldn't, i truly had to speak out. did you snap? no, no, i didn't snap. it wasn't premeditated. i didn't snap either. i just because if i'd snapped i would have kept on objecting but i didn't. >> he shouted just after president obama said illegal immigrants wouldn't get free health care. wilson has apologized. what about the validity of what the president said? a review by cnn said that the president did not lie. it shows the president's plan could force illegal immigrants to buy health coverage. they would have to pay for it.

a.c.o.r.n. workers gave advise to two people posing as a pimp and a prostitute. so what now for a.c.o.r.n. d the two people who taped the workers? joining me now from washington, carol lenig of the "washington post" who recounts the whole a.c.o.r.n. episode. thank you for joining us. tell us exactly how this started as these two people posing as a pimp and a prostitute? >> these two individuals who are james o'keefe and hanna jiles. they're 25 and 24 years old. so it seems as if they would be too young to pull off this kind of pretty amazing stunt to bring down a liberal political organization. but both of these have histories with the larger conservative movement that's been very concerned for a long time about a.c.o.r.n.'s operations and has claimed that the group's been engaged in voter registration fraud. long story short, two attractive and smart people had an idea, it really started with hanna, let's go undercover to a.c.o.r.n. offices where we have heard people are really undertrained and don't understand sort of what their mission is and what their organization is supposed to be doi

a.c.o.r.n. they were frying to push this and trying to tie obama to a.c.o.r.n.folks in america have a clue what a.c.o.r.n. is and how it impacts the country or their community. maybe for now they can get some short term benefit, but in the long-term i'm not sure it helps them politically. >> my hunch is that it's a way to go after poor black people and their representation in tough neighborhoods where they do have needs and portrayed as people just whining and people trying to get federal dollars. it's a great opportunity for conservatives, especially glenn beck and the others. he sees this as an opportunity to stick the pig, right? they know what they're doing because they're getting an audience from this. >> conva

and a place to set up their business. well, that video has caused a firing by a.c.o.r.n. congress by 345-75 to cut off the somewhat limited funding of a.c.o.r.n. by the federal government. your thoughts first, chris? >> this is not a great issue for any politician, certainly any democratic politician. look, it's not surprising to me that cutting off funds went past overwhelmingly on a bipartisan measure in the house and the senate. i think that democrats would do well to distance themselves from it. look, a.c.o.r.n. has long been a touchstone for conservatives who have taken with the way they register voters. this video is damning. i don't think republican there's let it go with these two votes in the house and senate. i got an e-mail from john cornyn, calling on senate majority leader harry reid to open an investigation into a.c.o.r.n. republicans think they have something here. >> they smell blood. >> and they're going to stick to it. >> you're not sure? >> i'm not sure what the political benefit here is for republicans. some folks in the conservative movement who have b

both videos were the tipping point and that a.c.o.r.n.'s involvement in the census may be a distraction and maybe even a discouragement for participation participation. a second video in washington, d.c. this time the pimp was that georgetown law student, the woman was posing as his prostitute girlfriend. the a.c.o.r.n. workers tell the prostitute to hide her profession for tax purposes and just like in baltimore, two workers have been fired. >> that served as a distraction. >> reporter: last night sonia merchant jones, chairwoman of the community organizations for reform now, spoke to us about that secret taping. >> there was nothing done where a.c.o.r.n. took any type of moneys from them. there was nothing that we found that was done illegal. >> reporter: today, leaders refused to talk as the fallout continues. the organization's involvement in the 2010 census has been terminated. however, one legal expert says a.c.o.r.n. here in baltimore can fight back. >> prosecuting the producers of the video would not be difficult. >> reporter: it i

another outrageous hidden video and more action in washington today, to cut off funding to the activist group a.c.o.r.n. and first it was jimmy carter playing the race card, now house speaker nancy pelosi warning the president's critics that they could spill blood. i'll be talking about race and politics with the naacp's hillary shelton. >>> also allegations the white house is secretly trying to take your private information off the internet. join us for all of that, all the day's news and much more at the top of the hour, right here on cnn. >>> let's go to jack cafferty once again for "the cafferty file." >>> question this hour, are you as happy with your job as you were a year ago? getting deep into this recession now, cnnmoney.com has an article about employee morale. and an absolute sense of purpose for those still struggling, keep the faith. derek in new york says i'm very happy to still have a job. there are dark days these days for sure. i have confidence things will get better. in the meantime i try to remember adversity is an opportunity. i know it sounds cliche' but every day things are a lit

. >>> and a.c.o.r.n. has had support cut off. this shows an a.c.o.r.n. er giving tax advice to a man and woman posing as sex workers. a.c.o.r.n. has been under fire from republican, after workers submitted false registration voter forms last year. >>> and space shuttle "discovery" was forced to land at california's edwards air force base because of bad weather in florida. the shuttle completed a 14-day mission to the international space station. it will be flown back to fl on the back of a 747. >>> and derek jeter has broken lou gehrig's record for most hits of a new york yankee. the single to break the team record of 2,721 career hits, which had stood for more than seven decades. jeter called the experience, quote, overwhelming. that's a first look at the headlines. >>> back to bill and kate. class act that guy. and a fan of marysol castro's, i recall. >> i'm not allowed to talk about the new york yankees on this broadcast. i'm going to get to the weather. good morning, the two of you. wet weekend for folks in southern texas. look at salado, texas. more

. >>> and then a.c.o.r.n. ties to the white house. and then coming up, who is behind the conspiracies, and do they have impact on public policy? if they do, we should know about it. >>> deadlines. does obama have a problem keeping them or is it something the public likes to talk about? >>> and then the home index showing some signs of housing stability, further evidence the bailout last year had been beneficial to the underlying economy in the short term, and at the same time allowed the bankers to perpetuate the largest theft and cover-up in the world. >>> and i will be more worried about independent opponents than republican opponents. >> new jersey voters will head to the polls to pick between corzine, and gop challenger, and a appeared nunt, chris dagget. he could get enough democratic votes from corzine to cost him the race. but then the challenge posed by independents becomes a nationwide issue in 2010. next year the governorships in 39 states go up for election. no incumbent running. and then there are already independent candid

a.c.o.r.n. employees encouraging tax evasion and prostitution. a.c.o.r.n. n of the system and processes. the senate voted to cut off federal housing money for the group. house republicans are urging president obama to end federal support. we are joining by a.c.o.r.n. bertha lewis. tell us about the actions you are taking and why? >> first of all, we are taking these actionss because a.c.o.r.n. is around 40 years, doing foreclosure prevention, trying to make sure people get affordable health care and have good neighborhoods. i will not tolerate any sort of inappropriate conversations or behaviors and so for us in order for us to really get a handle on this from top to bottom no one would have ever contemplated this kind of thing. but those employees did not live up to our professional standards and we need to continue our work helping low and moderate income people in this country. >> you said you are going to sue fox news for showing this video. a woman claims she killed her husband and a number of figures in fox news ran with that and pointed out there is s

prostitute and secretly taped conversations with a.c.o.r.n. employees. e community organizing group says those tapes broke wiretapping laws and seriously damaged their reputation. correspondent richard lui joins us now. there's new fallout from the videos. >> there has been fallout. good morning to you. >>> the irs and the u.s. census bureau are the latest groups to distance themselves from a.c.o.r.n. the irs saying it will no longer include it in the tax assistance program. although a.c.o.r.n. says it had suspended its tax program. the census bureau has cut ties with the group and growing pressure for president obama as well to deny all federal funding to a.c.o.r.n. >> okay. so, richard, what does a. krc t a.c.o.r.n. say about all of this? >> they're concerned about it. the head of a.c.o.r.n. saying she is just as appalled but despite the funding cuts the organization will still continue to operate. meantime, a.c.o.r.n. is announcing a hiring freeze and new training programs for employees. they hired the attorney general to conduct an internal investigat

a.c.o.r.n. employees offering tax breaks for a pimp and prostitute. they were going from one a.c.o.r.n. auditor. and bertha lewis said she was outraged by her workers' and promised reforms. >> they were terminated immediately. and i made sure we are having an independent review, and suspend any walk-inactivity, so we can review what worked and what did not work. in those instances, those folks were thrown out. >> in response to the a.c.o.r.n. video, they voted that a.c.o.r.n. get less. mike, your thoughts? >> classic for the press, riding from one side of the road to the other. yesterday somebody sent me minutes from a.c.o.r.n. meetings out in california. i said, come on. it was great story, but it's time to move on. >> and it's a reflection of our priorities, if you ask me. >>> republicans have been pushing for an investigation of a.c.o.r.n. spending on the sunday talk show circuit, and president obama was asked to weigh in. >> i did not know a.c.o.r.n. was getting federal money. what i know is that what i saw on that video was certainly inappropriate -- >> you are not committing to cu

and that is to cut all funding to a.c.o.r.n. your thoughts on this? i voted for that resolution to move this bill to the conference committee with the senate. i'm not going to lose the opportunity to take those subsidies away from the banks and on a.c.o.r.n., we have investigations going on. we'll see what the results of that investigation in the house are and other investigations, and the congress will make its mind up. >> yesterday, senator shelby said he thought a.c.o.r.n. was corrupt across the board, that they've been doing this for years, they got problems everywhere. do you agree with that? >> i don't agree with that at all. i think they've had some very irresponsible people working for them that made some terrible decisions. but a.c.o.r.n. has been very, very important over many decades of empowering poor people, helping people register to vote, all kinds of economic activities on behalf of those who are many times disen franchised in this society. but they've made some horrendous mistakes. i don't know whether they can survive it. >> congress

the house vote came on the very same day a new hidden camera video surfaced and allegedly shows a.c.o.r.n diego now offering to help bring underage girls into the u.s. from mexico for prostitution. that's a what? hidden camera videos from four other cities have been released and caused quite the stir this week. they showed a.c.o.r.n. employees encouraging prostitution and tax evasion. a.c.o.r.n. fired or suspended the employees in those four videos. >>> meantime governor arnold schwarzenegger was asking california's attorney general to investigate a.c.o.r.n.'s active activeties in the states in which two of those videos were shot. >> that's what we call bad bull where i'm from. >> for sure. >>> up next -- republicans criticizing president obama for scrapping a program dating back to the bush era. >>> and then tom delay vowing to do what it takes to stay on the dance floor. remember, he's doing "dancing with the stars." you are watching "the big picture" on msnbc. protecting your heart includes watching your cholesterol. now there's new heart health advantage from bayer. its non-aspirin fo

while the employees were fired and their actions disavowed by a.c.o.r.n. leaders the group has been under fire. maryland's attorney general has launched is investigation into the incident in baltimore and now bank of american is backing away from the organization, say they won't enter into any other agreements with a.c.o.r.n. until all issues are resolved. a full accounting has been asked for for our dealings with air a.c.o.r.n.. bertha lewis, the chief executive, says she understands b of a's action and accused the republican lawmakers of intimidating banks. the same lawmakers ignored warnings about predatory lending on are now obstructing measures to help families. a.c.o.r.n. has launched a probe into the controversy. no word tonight when it will be complete. reporting live in baltimore county, terry owens, abc2 news. . >>> nice warm middle part of the day, then we had the showers and thunderstorms that quickly passed through the area seen here on maryland's most powerful radar. after that it was cooler, drier, and breezier and that's what we're seeing ri

joining me now, lisa green, legal analyst and nbc news producer. lisa, you have a.c.o.r.n. sort of campaign saying please don't cut the funding. we do good work and on cable news trying to answer questions and the third part of this, the lawsuit. how effective will that be? >> is it legally effective and effective as a public relations move? legally, they have a claim in maryland. why? it's legal in maryland to shoot hidden camera video with audio unless everyone who's a part of the conversation knows you're shooting. that means these two low-level employees in maryland obviously i think had no idea they were being shot and technically a violation of the law. but as a public relations matter, we showing the video again and keeps the matter an i live. you wonder about the strategy here. i suspect what they're hoping to do is block the dissemination of this video and other videos. >> however, the lawsuit also takes aim at a website called brightbart. is there any impact consequences for the website owner? >> well, here's an interesting thing. the supreme court is actually the

he also said that the same crew tried filming the same kind of sting at other a.c.o.r.n. office and it was unsuccessful. remember, this was edited video where it could go black at times. a.c.o.r.n. is making it clear until they see the entire unedited video, they're not saying anything further. >> yeah, you know, it makes you wonder, is this something that authorities would look into or what's their role here? >> right. well, we did call the baltimore police department. they tell us that they're not looking into it the time. so we'll have just have to wait and see what happens. >> keep us posted. sure do appreciate that, abbie boudreau. thank you. >>> the taliban taking its toll on troops. >>> checking our top stories this morning. two taliban militants are under arrest in pakistan right now. a key commander -- were taken by pakistani security forces during operations in the volatile swat valley. three other commanders also detained. >>> two more coalition troops are dead in eastern afghanistan. military officials say one of the them --. now live from kabul, afghanistan, with the ve

>> no. >> reporter: posing as a pump and prostitute, he and a friend caught a.c.o.r.n. pearing to give advise on tax evasion, human struggling and prostitution. >> if you are just taking money from underage prostitutes, that doesn't sound good. >> reporter: they spent about $1300 to fund their trip. he won't say how many offices they visited. >> i consider myself a progressive radical. i don't want to conserve anything. >> reporter: how do you define yourself? >> i don't have a business card. i'm too busy doing what i do. >> it's a controversial style he's been honing since college days at rutgers university. >>. >> we're not all short. we have our difference in height and we are stereo typical. >> reporter: moved on to more outrageous political affairs like calling planned parenthood to accept donations to abort black babies. >> there's too many black people in ohio. i'm trying to do my part. >> okay, whatever. >> reporter: he's started thinking about his next project. >> i hope to do more of these types of things and expose more corruption and do more investigating, ab

a.c.o.r.n. office. the two posing as a pump and a pros opportunity are talking to the a.c.o.r.n.tute ring. one of the a.c.o.r.n. workers telling the pair, you want to keep them clean and make sure they go to school. she serkays, train them to keep their mouths shut. they can even claim some of the young girls as dependents to claim child tax secrets. one of the workers said that the woman posing as a prostitute should refer to herself as an entertainer on tax forms and to stop calling herself a prostitute. >> let's see what we have here. termination food service in drinking places. that doesn't sound good. you're going to have to name something else. performance arts. let's see. independent artist. i could do that. your business is as a performing artist, which you are. okay, so you're not lying. a little play on words. you're a performing artist. so stop saying prostitute. >> got it. >> okay? >> all right, republican congressman steve king of iowa is calling for a full congressional and justice department investigation into the matter, here's what he had to say. >> your business

and answer questions? we have invited you. the picture of a.c.o.r.n. workers giving illegal advice is wrong, and it has as such been reported. but one can't help but to begin to wonder what else may be wrong with this picture. my blog is cnn.com/ricksanchez. >>> coming up, the values on voters summit. stay with us. in new aveeno positively ageless multidefense. a combination of a high spf and powerful antioxidants... designed to reduce lines and wrinkles in just 4 weeks. new from aveeno. he better not be on the bed. you know you're gonna need it. why not stock up now? get everything you need for fall cleaning and fall allergies at an unbeatable price. save money. live better. walmart. so, what do you think? - preferred package. - good choice. only meineke let's you choose your service, choose your savings. like an oil change for just $19.95. meineke. >>> when these folks get together, they don't just have a meeting, they hold a summit. it's a values voter summit. you would guess that these people vote on the basis of values, right? but what kind of valu

and now washington d.c. for the second time in as many days, a video has surfaced showing workers for a.c.o.r.n. help, advice, for a couple pretending to be a pimp and a prostitute. >> my girlfriend is a prostitute. >> reporter: in the latest sting posted on youtube, they are heard asking for advice from a pair of broth they wills. >> you're going to have to say that it was a gift from somebody but the money has got to go in the bank. >> reporter: one of the workers offered career advice. >> i know it's your girlfriend but it's your money. >> you don't know where it's coming from? >> i personally know where it's coming from. >> but, right, you don't know where it's coming from is what we're trying to tell you. we're looking out for you. >> a.c.o.r.n. is active in 41 states and focuses on housing for the poor. they respond by saying that they were appalled and angry and that the two workers have been fired. we tried to reach both women for comment but were unsuccessful. and if all of this sounds familiar, it's because the same couple did the same sting operation in baltimore where they were advise

informed that the girls were smuggled in to the united states for the purpose of sex trafficking and a.c.o.r.n employees were told by the film maker that the reason for obtaining the residence was to establish a brothel that would house these underaged girls. consistent among all these a.c.o.r.n. offices was to lie to law enforcement, conceal the profits and ensure that any of the underaged girls involved in the prostitution ring, do not talk to law enforcement. one a.c.o.r.n. employee in baltimore, told the ring leader that, quote, girls under 16 don't exist, and make sure they keep their mouth shut, unquote. this heinous criminal activity is usually carried out by organized crime families. however it appears that a.c.o.r.n. who has offices in 41 cities nationwide are caught running a sex slavery ring, money laundering or even mortgage fraud. this was not random and the consistency of the advice indicates that this system is system attic and widespread within a.c.o.r.n. the complicit behavior of a.c.o.r.n. employees offering to assist persons engaging in sex trafficking is egregious behavior.

a.c.o.r.n. the senate voted to strip them of housing funding and the census bureau already severed ties with hayn. that's not enough. they don't want to group to get federal funding. i know what's going on here. the fact is the conservatives don't want a.c.o.r.n. to be a part of anything. where was their outrage when halliburton was overcharging the government and electrocuting american soldiers? that's no excuse for a.c.o.r.n.'s behavior. i'm not here to defend them. they need to fix their problems fast. republicans are trying to broad brush this. it's not that simple. let me bring in the ceo of a.c.o.r.n., bertha lewis. let me ask you straight up, do you run an honest organization? the conservatives are saying everything about a.c.o.r.n. is dishonest. >> just because you repeat a lie over and over again doesn't make it true. of course we run an honest organization. we've been running this organization since 40 years, and we have been doing our core work of protecting people against foreclosures, absolutely making sure that people have affordable housing and affordable health care. >> what do y

sometime in july and just released today. >> reporter: and we can tell you we learned tonight the pair tried to pull off the same undercover act at a.c.o.r.n. offerses in l.a., new york, and philadelphia, but they were all turned away in those cases. jones admits it looks bad for baltimore so employees will work harder, she says, to enforce their own policies. as for the taping, it is illegal in maryland to record someone's voice without his or her permission. so a.c.o.r.n. may be pursuing legal action. >>> the other story we're staying on top of, the rain has been falling around the region, particularly on the eastern shore. norm is in the storm center with the first forecast, norm. >> thanks, the even shore got pelted. some places receiving over 3 inches of rain already and as you can see that coastal storm continues to pour moisture into the region. the showers come to the bay but seem to fall apart once they get here. we could see heavier rain overnight. forecast for the overnight period, showers and storms, breezy. overnight low 61 degrees. it will be cooler in the north and western suburbs. tomorrow there will be a recovery. things g

and now i'm the number one target of washington democrats, number one target of move on, number one target of a.c.o.r.nhey--but, hay, i trust my constituents, i have never taken them for granted and i'll work hard to justify their vote next year. that is my life, supporting the people of south carolina. >> a little emotional there. wilson also says he's thankful that president obama accepted his apology. >>> police in connecticut say they may never know the motive in the killing of a yale university grad school student. the only person who knows about the murder of annie le is the murder. police took dna samples from him. le's body was found behind a wall in the place where she worked. police say they are working through the evidence. >> we have a lot of stuff still going to the lab. it could take us someplace else with an additional suspect. or it may not. and so i just don't know. but there is no pending arrest. >> clark's bond is set at $3 milli million. he had not entered a plea. >>> fbi agents are expected to question again today a man at the center of a high profile terrorism investigation. naji

it is unacceptable and never met our professional standards. >> a.c.o.r.n. hiring freeze and new training programs for new employees, also hired a former massachusetts attorney to do an internal investigation there. but a.c.o.r.n. ceo saying it will continue to operate despite state and federal funding cuts ongoing. >> interesting. richard, thank you. >>> a popular cancer drug might work better in double doses. a new study finds adults with a common form of leukemia had a better chance of remission if they got the double dose. another study showed that it did not improve the outlook for elderly leukemia patients. >>> an author of one of the studies received support from two companies that make chemo drugs. >>> this next story may be disturbing. deputies outside chicago raided a dugfighting operation. it was in a house also used as a day care center. nine dogs were so badly hurt they had to have surgery. >> this is a difficult one to completely sum up, given the carnage and what you've seen on these poor dogs. but then when you add to this this was going on wi

and now this video released by an a.c.o.r.n. worker in philadelphia. e to the police. >> it appears mr. o'keefe lied to get his appointment. he was not dressed like he is on the internet and when we got suspicious about the questions he was asking at the philadelphia a.c.o.r.n. housing office, we called the police and filed this report. >> reporter: and there are other cases where a.c.o.r.n. workers said the videos didn't show the full story. this a.c.o.r.n. worker seen on one video claims to have killed her ex-husband in self-defense. >> and then i just picked up the gun and said [ bleep ] you and i shot him and he died, right there. >> reporter: but teresa kaelke tells cnn, she was just playing games. her ex-husband's just fine. >> he's alive and well. >> reporter: and local police confirm that. but coming on top of earlier tapes, which clearly show a.c.o.r.n. workers bending over backwards to help o'keefe and giles, questions about whether the tapes were taken legally, doctored, or even deliberately misleading seem to have been drowned out in the cla

>> i think it shows that they're willing to commit fraud and encourage fraud. >> reporter: the census bureau has severed all ties with a.c.o.r.n. >> senators voting in the affirmative. >> reporter: and the senate, controlled by democrats, voted overwhelmingly, 83-7, on monday night to cut off any further housing grants to a.c.o.r.n. >> i would suggest, obviously, this is a pattern of very rotten behavior. >> reporter: by one estimate, a.c.o.r.n. has received $53 million in federal money since 1994. a.c.o.r.n.'s ceo says this is a smear campaign and that some of the videos have been doctored. she threatens to sue the filmmaker and conservative media which has extensively aired the videos. >> we are not going to take this lying down. we believe that -- in fact, we know -- that this was a form of entrapment. and yes, we're going to go after this videographer and fox. >> reporter: a.c.o.r.n. which says it delivered more than 1 million votes in the last election also claims it's being attacked as a way to hurt president obama. now, political analysts say this is largely driven by conservatives longstanding distaste for a.c.o.r.n. b

and they have not one, one case against a.c.o.r.n. for election fraud. >> ron, you get the last word on this. >> and ron christie was saying the justice department -- >> excuse me, joe, where they seem to be pursing things on partisan issues. if you look at the case dealing with the new black panther party, they had him on tape and eric holder, the attorney general, said that he did not want to prosecute the case. i think before the law it should be what is right and wrong and not what is black and white. it seems to me that obama's further allegations of racism and -- >> ron, i'm so sorry. we've got to cut it off here. quite an interesting discussion. keith, we'll take you another joe and ron and keith. >>> coming up at the top of the hour, campbell brown. campbell? >> breaking news about the swine flu. new information about how many shots you will have to get. also, i'll ask best selling author what parents should make of researchers finding that that six--month-old babies already judge each other based on the color of their skin. >>

a.c.o.r.n. in the videos seen and heard. there are calls in the senate for an investigation of a.c.o.r.n., house republicans funding the legislation to bar a.c.o.r.n. from receiving any federal money whatsoever. a.c.o.r.n. now receives an estimated 40% of its funding from the federal taxpayers. >>> president obama has faced a sharp round of criticism for the unprecedented number of czars he's appointed. president obama has named over 30 czars, so far, many of them to top policy making positions. but known of those advisers are subject to senate hearings or vetting. now, many in congress are demanding far more accountability and testimony from the so-called czars. lisa sylvester has our report. >> reporter: there are about 30 so-called czars watching over everything from afghanistan to the economy. some lawmakers complain these advisers have bypassed senate confirmation process, answering only to the president and can be forced to testify before congress. >> this formation of a shadow cabinet that in fact is more than twice th

we're investigating grew some claims involving one of california's oldest and largest cemetery and a.c.o.r.nre allegedly caught on tape how to run a prostitution ring and evade the irs. i'm wolf blitzer. you're in "the situation room." >>> we apologize that a phone call to the white house and now house leaders, democrats, that is, they want south carolina republican joe wilson to issue another apology, this time on the floor of the house of representatives for shouting you lie to the president of the united states during his health reform speech before a joint session of congress. aides say if wilson refuses, democrats will seek a resolution admonishing him. wilson has a video out on youtube in which he calls what he did wrong, but his tone is now more defiant. >> i will not be muzzled. i will speak up and speak loudly against this risky plan. the supporters of the government takeover of health care and the liberals who want to give health care to illegals are using my opposition as an excuse to distract from the critical questions being raised about this poorly conceived plan. they want to

i thought we were talking about housing and those other aspects of a.c.o.r.n. ove into the voter registration issues, why in god's name isn't that the function of the political parties and the political movements of this country? >> a very good question. >> why in the heck should they be receiving federal tax money, state tax money, city tax money? this is crazy. >> between the social services and some of those things like voter registration, the people who voted to strip them of their funding, i think, have some questions that they need to answer, like who's going to do this stuff. did they value it at all? >> how in the world did taxpayer money ever end up in the pockets of partisan nonprofit. >> not only partisan, but this is a group that's been caught on video at least five times offering advice on how to evade the authorities while enslaving girls as prostitutes. i mean, this is beyond -- this is beyond corruption. this is beyond partisanship. this is absolute depravity. >> and if you will, go to loudobbs.com to take a look at each of those videos. it's rev

informed that the girls were smuggled in to the united states for the purpose of sex trafficking and a.c.o.r.n. employees were told by the film maker that the reason for obtaining the residence was to establish a brothel that would house these underaged girls. consistent among all these a.c.o.r.n. offices was to lie to law enforcement, conceal the profits and ensure that any of the underaged girls involved in the prostitution ring, do not talk to law enforcement. one a.c.o.r.n. employee in baltimore, told the ring leader that, quote, girls under 16 don't exist, and make sure they keep their mouth shut, unquote. this heinous criminal activity is usually carried out by organized crime families. however it appears that a.c.o.r.n. who has offices in 41 cities nationwide are caught running a sex slavery ring, money laundering or even mortgage fraud. this was not random and the consistency of the advice indicates that this system is system attic and widespread within a.c.o.r.n. the complicit behavior of a.c.o.r.n. employees offering to assist persons engaging in sex trafficking is egregious behavior

a.c.o.r.n. workers acting as a pimp and a prostitute. >> a.c.o.r.n.'wsuit says the filmmaker set up its employees and violate state wire-tapping laws. in maryland where one of the tapes was made, it's illegal to record a conversation unless everyone knows they're on tape. the lawsuit seeks an injunction to stop any further distribution of the videos. >>> the economies of the g-20 nations took a big hit during the global recession. signs are pointing to a recovery but the pace differs around the world. poppy harlow joins us with a closer look on all of this. >> reporter: hi, susan. not talking about the united states today. the g-20 is kicking off. let's talk about china first because we want to take a snapshot of three different economies and when you look at china, this is a country that has weathered the economic downturn better than any other g-20 nation. there is the evidence. quarter after quarter, despite the slowdown, still growing at an annual rate of more than 6%. last quarter, that gdp rose up to 8%. china had a massive stimulus package just