i yelled maryann, brenda schaefer was beautiful. mel loved brenda schaefer and he killed her. i said you're fat, you're ugly and i'm telling you, he's going to kill you. >> you're right in her face? >> i'm in her face and i'm telling her, she's dead. >> what did she say to you? >> she doesn't say a word. she's just -- she just lowered her head and closed her eyes and i felt for a fleeting moment she's going to raise back up and say, okay, here's what happened. but she didn't. >>> when we come back -- >> he's bawling about how much he misses his sweetie and things like that. i thought that was strange that he would be having sex with this woman one month after she disappeared. [ male announcer ] there's more than one of these abandoned racetracks in america today. automotive performance is gone. and all we have left are fallen leaves and broken dreams. oh. wait a second. that is a dodge durango. looks like american performance is doing just fine. ♪ carry on. ♪ perdue is the first and the only chicken company to have usda-process-verified programs for fresh all-natural chicken.

we already closed that. >> brenda: you know what? i don't know if you can run for office, jonas, probably a compliment. eric, any chance seniors won't get their checks. >> no chance. whatever happens august 2nd of next year, here is why, there's 2.6 trillion dollars in the social security trust fund. that's supposed to be there. if obama raided the fund not our fault it's got to come from someone else, these people should be paid second right after the military and the rest and the debt and the rest is up for grabs. >> brenda: caroline, what's going to happen to the checks? are they in the mail or not? >> well, i think that it is an overstatement to say it couldn't happen because what we're talking about is a 44% cut, if we don't raise the ceiling. it's a 44% cut in remaining programs and that could include social security and medicare and i'm sure the president is it specifically focusing on that. but what's more likely is that unemployment will get cut. housing will get cut. food stamps will get cut and those who need it the most w

eastern, brenda, only hours before the asian markets only. what do you expect? >> the real fear here is that there may be a sell off. i would not say anything close to a crash but the truth is, the deal is, that all of this activity, that has been going on terms of the debt deal and breaking down and all of that, happened after the markets closed on friday. so, this is going to be our very first chance to see what wall street -- asian traders feel, now when the markets opened in tokyo at 8:00 p.m., there are u.s. stocks that trade there. and, that could have an impact. the main fear is not so much the debt ceiling, but the whole concept of our debt being downgraded from aaa ratings, to something less. and, s&p says there is about a 50% chance of that happening. and, what does that mean? that means, basically, when your credit rating goes down, you

the defendant's sister, brenda, took the stand.voice, she, in effect, ratted out her brother. she recounted how he'd asked her to lie to police, to tell them he arrived on her louisiana doorstep on use. >> now, you knew that was untrue? >> yes, sir. >> changing her story, she said her brother had in fact arrived on a thursday, nearly 24 hours after paul duncsak's murder in new jersey. but maybe there was an asterisk next to brenda's testimony. she also admitted on the stand that she had cut a deal with the state. her testimony in exchange for leniency on charges of hindering apprehension and obstructing just cities. still she insisted on the stand and to "dateline" later that she was telling the truth. >> it's a horrible thing to have to testify against your brother, but i really didn't have a choice. i wanted to do what i thought was the right thing to do. >> with his alibi crushed by his own sister, the brick-by-brick masonry of a circumstantial case was walling in edward ates. the prosecution had portrayed a vengeful man, carefu

few words with ates' sister brenda that night. she told them that her brother had arrived at their moms in louisiana that tuesday evening, one day before the murder of paul duncsak. >> did you think she was telling the truth? >> i wasn't certain. it was still very early on in the investigation. >> so the detectives kept look at the ates' family's possible involvement in the murder. roughly a month after the crime, they obtained wiretaps on various ates phone lines. what they heard sounded to them like a classic cover-up in the works. ed ates tried to make sure his family stayed on script when it came to the tuesday story, his alibi. >> you were there when i got there on tuesday. >> yes, right. >> okay. i've just got to make sure we're all saying the same thing when it comes to it. >> at least one of them is ed ates forcing his alibi on his sister, basically saying i got there on tuesday. >> coaching his story. >> yes. >> the detectives were also

(brenda) "i want tt o too ableeto."(rydell) "but 'l be act say they are confident they have far more than the to get this issue on the s eed pptitioo supporters who gathered wednesday night...say it's an issue that eserves to be decided by maryland voters. aad if thattpetition drive s successful...supporteessof the dream act...say theyyre ready. (miles) "get out of our wayywe will mount campaign, we will comes to refeeendum, every maryyander will bbecontacted andall of us will be in the rydell, fox 455neessat ten. police are investigating the citt's 01st homiiide onight after an overnight shooting in southwest altimore. killed hereeon breitwert ann - avenuee. near washington shock trauma where he died in surgery.there is no word on a do you know where youu kids - with baatimore pollce to make sure your kids stay saff on city treets... streees... karen pprks is live it will work.... pork.... fourth of july weekend s a great weekend o bring attention to such a committment... and its all safe.... (nats of kids t the harbor

. >> brenda: toby. >> where is the pop? >> if oil prices are going up as much as eric says, this stock is going to be a stinker. >> brenda: all right. cavuto on business up next. in the race for a debt deal are we days away from the real deal? hi, everyone, i'm charles payne, neil will be back next week. cut, cap and balance, the house days away from a vote will match a 2.4 trillion dollar limit hike with dollar per dollar spending cuts. is this what americans need even if democrats stay it's dead on arrival. to ben stein, dagen mcdowell, charlie gasperino, daying, this gets to the idea of of serious spending cuts? >> it does, but you need-- the devil's in the detail, charles. and we will he be getting more details on the plan, and plans in the coming days, but if you want to have a really serious debt reduction plan, you're going to have to tackle medicare and social security and medicaid and that's just the fact of the matter. and they are trying to-- one thing that's really important in this, they're trying to cap spendi

thank you very much, brenda. we appreciate your insight as always.nk you you. >> thank you. >> we are awaiting a meeting of republican senators. this is very important, on the status of the tentative debt deal and one of the people who will be attending that meeting is our next guest, republican senator mike lee of utah is a member of the? thesenate tea party caucus. thanks for taking a moment i know it is a busy day for you. i realize nothing is in stone just yet but the frame work is known. what is your opinion of this so far? >> well, first of all, i want to say i'men couraged by the fact that we moved the debate in a meaningful wait in the last six months. six months ago there were people in this town talking about the need for a new stimulus package. now, we are talking about the need for a new balanced budget amendment and the need to cut trillions of dollars of spending over the next ten years and i'm certainly happy about that. i said from the beginning sins before i took the oath of office i will not support an effort to raise the debt ceili

brenda wrote, and i quote, i was taught in school about henry clay and his great compromise. i still believe this is the way our government is supposed to work, with both sides giving some ground until a common position is met. we deserve more from our government. i also heard from social security recipients like alissa terry from bellingham, washington, who told me how important that monthly check is to her and just what it would mean if it didn't go out this month, and she said simply -- quote -- "social security is my lifeline. it stands between me and homelessness." mr. president, this isn't just about politics. it's about these people and millions more who may not even realize their well-being is on the line today. it's about average american families whose credit card interest rates would skyrocket. it's about homeowners whose mortgage payments will increase by over $1,000 a year. it's about rising food and utility and gas prices and what that would mean for our already cash-strapped families. and it's about retirement plans that would plummet. these americans are looki

. >> members of the commission, my name is brenda munos. we are a federal agency. but i am not here representing gao today. my testimony is based on a study that i conducted at the goldman school of public policy. they were interested in learning more about how various health reimbursement accounts worked. the difference supreme and health reimbursement account, held savings account, etc. -- the difference between a health reimbursement account, a health savings account, etc. what i learned during the study is that typically sell for reimbursement accounts have been used -- health reimbursement accounts are high-deductible health plans offered in tandem with spending accounts for the most part used as incentives to recruit employees or keep employees, given that health care premiums are very high. they try to incentivize employees to pay for a high deductible plan but put money in their account. in a lot of cases, this money is rolled over. although hra's have been offered with high deductible plans, they can be offered alone. that means that at this point there ar

best of luck to jerry and brenda. now as i mentioned in the piece, their first date, one of their first dates was watching sts 1 back in april of '81 take off. that particular space shuttle, there were only two astronauts inside, and i goat speak to one of them. bob crippen will be on set with me here in a matter of minutes. i'll ask him what it feel like sitting inside a shuttle at 3gs, lifting off. that it feels like also seating her 30 years later and this program is over, so a couple of questions for him. it's an interview you won't want to miss. bob crippen right here live in the newsroom. edie? >> one other little tidbit about the folks you talked to. i read about when they met, and apparently he walked up to her, i think it was at a bar, and he said hey there, i'm a rocket scientist, and she said that was all it took, so very cute couple. brooke, thank you very much. we're looking forward to the interview. see you in just a couple of minutes. >>> now also, you don't want to miss our special coverage of the shut

brenda moore of fairfield took this of the billowing smoke. >> and steve up loaded this one near the travis boulevard exit near i-80 eastbound. and finally a panoramic image taken from gary priest and interstate 80, just covering the sky there. >> remarkable images. >> and we invite you to continue up loading your pictures to you report at abc7news.com or e-mail them to you report at kgo-tv .com. we have all of the photos on our website, abc7news.com. just go there to check them out. >>> the law enforcement officers from eight agencies spent today searching for two gunmen who opened fire on an east bay parks police officer. they combed the remote terrain near moraga. officers believed the gunmen were protecting an illinois marijuana growth near the mexican cartel. they closed one hiking trail. while some still feel safe, others are unnerved by the incident. >> we are earn concerned because we have been warned by people, you know, stay away. >> i asked my wife if she locked the front door. >> last night a parks officer was on patrol when the gunmen fired assault rifles at him. he was

. >> you are part of our creative troika, including the founder, brenda wey and k.t. nelson. talk about what it is like to keep this campus going. >> it is a wonderful thing to be working with someone who is certainly your co-worker and also largely your mentor. i inherited the theater at a funny time in its life. it needed to make some decisions as an institution about what it wanted to be. whether it wanted to be exclusively a rental facility, it is needed to be a rehearsal space with a really high ceilings -- whatever it was, having that level of leadership that my founding director is also my boss really made that possible. i really felt like i had great stewardship and we were able to make really innovative decisions for how the theater could grow over the decade. >> living with -- living with someone who is both your immediate boss and also a working artist is also a huge asset. that is one of the things that keeps the creativity flowing through odc. it is a campus about the creative process at all times. >> the theater was part of a second phase of capital fund raising

. >> brenda: let me ask you about that, you mentioned the president chastising particularly representative boehner, and the president says effectively, get your butt in here and meet with me, and representative boehner essentially agrees. would you? >> i would, because the president wants to convince representative boehner and others to do it his way. he's not going to get his way this time and i certainly hope that representative boehner and the republicans don't cave. the president wanted his way on health care, neil, against the will of the people. the president wants his way on raising the debt ceiling, against the will of the people. once again, the president is not listening to the people he's only listening to himself and basically play to out and play the media and get his way, and if our credit is downgraded and come up to the august 2nd deadline and treasury secretary geithner decides who is going to get paid and not going to get paid. this is a crisis by this president. >> neil: herman cain, nice to he zoo you again. hope you're doing well. >> i'm going to give you an exclusive,

brenda rutecki's husband died a year ago.he had no income, couldn't get a job, came here while she attended school to become a certified nursing assistant. >> you can't get a job if you don't have a phone. you can't get a job if you don't have a car. you can't get a job if you don't even have an address. so this is like our holding spot. we're all good families. we're all good people, but you've got to have a start, and that's what they give us. >> one of the first things the millers did was create a park next door to god's love just for the homeless. having a homeless shelter and a park near the center of town was not exactly pleasing to local businessmen. but toby dewolf, owner of bert and ernies, says any opposition has faded away. >> i've been here 25 years, and i have never seen a better run shelter. i don't think there's a problem. i don't think that anybody has seen an issue with any kind of violence or crime or anything by any means with having a shelter down here. >> the millers both graduated from catholic universit

coromandel you can to let you know the clothes which are good to see don't need to go and proclaim brenda said the colonel was her job as a retreat. the debt crisis rages on both sides of the atlantic as eight european banks fail stress tests for their vulnerability to financial troubles while america nears its fourteen point three trillion dollar debt ceiling if. rupert murdoch floods the british media with the i'm sorry messages and days before a grilling by and piece over the news of the world phone hacking scandal meanwhile the furor moves across the atlantic with reports nine eleven victims phones were targeted as continuing outrage and disgrace engulfs his once impregnable media empire. emergency crews are preparing to lift the russian cruiser that sank in the volga river in minutes claiming almost one hundred thirty one years. of the operation to raise the sunken boat gary has begun hopefully providing on says the grieving relatives and investigators will bring you all the details from the recovery site in just a moment. and broadcasting live direct from the heart of moscow where i

debt ceiling may cause the biggest consumer to default serbo for light sweet and brenda down more than three quarters of a dollar. gold prices have surged to record highs as investors are seeking safe haven stocks assets amid the jitters on global exchanges therefore we're seeing right now is gold it almost sixteen hundred and twenty dollars per ounce silver just below forty one dollars per ounce to move to the stock markets judicially we start with asian stocks that are falling as investors fear the impasse in the u.s. debt talks will prompt a dramatic so often global changes were made. at the close were down more than one point six percent in tokyo sony was one of the biggest losers toyota was also dropping more than one percent. european markets are flat lots of positive this minutes banking stocks lower on monday as the looming deadline to raise the u.s. that ceiling for the downgrade of greece's rating preventing the market's reaction extending very much for session winning streak to move to russia and still in there. of territory though it has recovered compared to the opening mi

have a look at the markets now oil is extending the losses after a decline in the end of last week brenda bland is trading at one hundred seventeen dollars a barrel while the w.t.r. is a ninety five dollars per barrel. asian shares alone monday with disappointing jobs report on display can chinese inflation weighing on the market and i shoals are trading in the bread in hong kong either way it's interesting to see is down more than one percent in tokyo exporters are losing ground on strong began the trend is talking about electric power it's adding eight percent as investors are waiting for details of the government's plan stress tests of nuclear power facilities. two hours ahead to the opening bell in moscow the r.c.a.'s and with my six close point nine percent in the red and friday i mean. last week's poor days are from the us have such a negative total russian stocks and mark rubenstein from all expects they done with trend to rule the markets and. we just had a very weak us labor market numbers come out significantly below consensus than our. new jobs created the united states during

hi, brenda. >> hi, shannon. it will be interesting because this will be the very first time that wall street and the asian markets, on which many u.s. stocks are sold, will have a chance to respond to what happened because, basically, it was after 4:00, you know, the closing bell rang, and after 4:00, everything fell apart. then they tried to work it out together. so so much has happened this weekend. the real question is what will happen when the asian markets open. i would expect a lot of volatility, depending on if there is a deal done or if only one side comes out. it really depends on kind of the devil is in the details. but, so far. the markets have responded kind of shrugging their shoulders at this whole thing. they expected. they are used to this kind of politics. but now the issue is will u.s. debt be downgraded? it's now a.a.a. we have a a.a.a. credit rating. this f. that goes down. just like if your credit rating goes down, you have to pay more to get credit. that would be the same case in the united

and brenda moore took this one for us of billowing smoke there. is a view of it from a street in fairfield. this one taken from backyard of andrena carlson. and steve sisero took this photo on the way to sacramento. and soldier photographer took this of the fire when it was raging. karen snapped this picture from the edge of her neighborhood across the way from the fire. finally this is a look taken by gary priest from air base parkway and interstate 80. just remarkable. we invite to you continue uploading pictures and videos to you report at abc 7 news.com. or you can e mail them to us. and we have all photos on our web site for you to see. just go to our web site. >> thank you for sending them. >> this has been the scene in sunnyvale. around 2:00 p.m. a dump truck hit the center divide, burst into flames, killing the driver. traffic stopped for hours, and crews cleaned up this scene. the chp expects all lanes opened within the next half hour or so. they told us about 6:30 tonight. >> and san francisco's garbage could be headed to a new dumping g

. >> through the decades brenda and jerry mulberry marked major life milestones with the launches of the launch of sts one together from the titan complex when i was 21 years old. >> reporter: match made in space heaven. >> yeah. >> reporter: from one of their first dates, to brenda opening up her own t-shirt shop, space shirts, two miles down the road from kenity space center, and right now her business is booming. but with the launch of the 135th and final space shuttle mission, jerry is marking a different kind of memory. >> i started in april of '81. >> reporter: '81, so you worked from '81 until -- >> april of this year. with the program shutting down, you know, everybody got cut back, and our department got cut back a little earlier than some of the others, so it was time to move on. >> reporter: 30 years to the month jerry was laid off. he's one of 7,000 workers at kennedy space center alone who are already jobless or soon will be. it's eerily familiar to the last time this space coast saw manned space flight at a standstill. that was after the last apollo mission in 1975. six

indiana, brenda, a republican. on the air. go ahead, please. caller: yes. i was calling -- i don't understand, why isn't anybody bringing up about the the $9 trillion that was the federal reserve loss in september of 2009? and the money that the u.n -- that we gave the up unthat lost. and then they just lost more money that they sent overseas. and and they always want to go after the poor and the sick and the elderly, and it's just like majority of people do not even know about you cannot plan for your death for five years, and that the federal and state takes your money if you're in the hospital 100 days a year and you're on social security. it automatically goes over into medicaid, and whether you're married or not -- host: sorry, brenda, we're out of time here. thank you for your call. one last voice here, james on >> since this warren's although there is some senate news. we're waiting to hear from president obama, who in about five minutes, is expected to make a brief statement. 10:20 a.m. eastern is a schedule time. we're opening up our phone lines an

and then brenda from infield says, "my 77-year-old husband retired last year. i'm planning on retiring at the end of this year. collecting social security at full retirement age of 65. we've been good citizens, running our own small business for 40-plus years and we've been diligent in taking responsibility for our own retirement savings. as you know, over the past two years due to economic pressures, we faced substantial reductions of our retirement portfolio and again now face irreparable damage just as we retire. my husband and i urge you to do whatever it takes to build a cooperative bridge in congress to protect the economy from further trauma." cynthia from exedor says, "i'm receiving social security due to a disability, but i would gladly give up $5 a month." this is cynthia, who's on social security. "if everyone shared in the idea of balancing our nation's budget issues and committe deficit. i would like to see revenue raised. at the same time, i would be willing to sacrifice some of my social security." and finally, sue from campton says, "my husband

brenda, great to have your insight.hank you. >> shannon: well, new developments relating to the suspect in the tucson shooting rampage that left six dead and seriously injured congresswoman gabrielle giffords. details on a new hearing and how jared loughner's lawyers are trying to keep him from going to trial. fierce debate over single-sex storm at catholic university. find out why a lawyer says he plans to sue the president of the college for discrimination. looking good! you lost some weight. you noticed! these clothes are too big, so i'm donating them. how'd you do it? eating right, whole grain. [ female announcer ] people who choose more whole grain tend to weigh less than those who don't. multigrain cheerios... five whole grains, 110 calories. >> shannon: the stalemate in libya may show signs of breaking. rebels reportedly making advances after months of nato-led fighting including a strike on military facility. it comes hours after a defiant gaddafi said he will never surrender. leland vittert is live in misrata w

. >> this is brenda with the fed- ex customer advocate team.ow are you doing. >> reporter: fed-ex encourages that attitude. at its memphis call center you can see this woman's desk full of awards. >> i see customers as an opportunity, opportunity to turn the situation around and have a satisfied customer. >> i'm a perfectionist. at least i try to be. >> reporter: and speaking of attitude, even comcast has undertaken some radical readjustment. >> we're only as good as our word. >> reporter: now a food... footnote. moma shaw, hammer woman, received a free trip to california to tell her story on dr. phil. >> i had to do something to get a manager. >> reporter: and the hammer? she gave it to her church which auctioned it off for $180. providing mona shaw with an exquisite feeling of customer satisfaction. >> osgood: next bon voyage. it's a cloud of depression. and although you've been on an antidepressant for at least six weeks, you're frustrated that your depressive symptoms are still with you. seroquel xr, when added to an antidepressant, is appr

brenda, good to see you. >> heather: capital worked by a new round of nato airstrikes as moammar khadafy found to never surrender. we'll talk to mark kirk from illinois, standing by live as the clock ticks down on the great debate. >> heather: bottom of the hour, time for the top of news. casey anthony trying to stay in obscurity after her freeze jail. people shouted baby killer as he was whisked away to freedom by armed guards. >> gregg: california's carmegeddon. one of the busiest freeways reopening with no time to spare. >> heather: nasa astronauts getting ready for their big return. they are almost done for the long ride home. they are scheduled to undock from the station to tuesday. -- on tuesday. >> gregg: negotiators going over various proposals in the search for a deal over the debt ceiling. president obama offering to cut $4 trillion in a deficit reduction plan but republicans say a smaller deal would have a better chance of passing on capitol hill. gop plan calls for $2 trillion in cuts and smaller debt ceiling. here now republican senator mark kirk. thank you very much for bei

indiana, brenda, a republican. on the air. go ahead, please. caller: yes. i was calling -- i don't understand, why isn't anybody bringing up about the the $9 trillion that was the federal reserve loss in september of 2009? and the money that the u.n -- that we gave the up unthat lost. and then they just lost more money that they sent overseas. and and they always want to go after the poor and the sick and the elderly, and it's just like majority of people do not even know about you cannot plan for your death for five years, and that the federal and state takes your money if you're in the hospital 100 days a year and you're on social security. it automatically goes over into medicaid, and whether you're married or not -- host: sorry, brenda, we're out of time here. thank you for your call. one last voice here, james on twitter writes, he's reacting to the democratic caller we just had, the tea party ran on cutting on spending, the caller is lying when she says they were saying jobs, jobs, jobs. congressman joe walsh of illinois will be here. half an hour lat

from one of their first date to brenda opening hshop. right now her business is booming.unch of the 135th and final space shuttle mission jerry is marking a different kind of memory. >> i started in april of '81. >> reporter: so you worked from '81 until -- >> april of this year. with the program shutting down, everybody got cut back. our department got cut back earlier than some of the others, so tiffs time to move on. >> reporter: 30 years to the month jerry was laid off. he was one of 7,000 workers at kennedy space center alone who are already jobless or soon will be. it's easily family to the last time to the space coast. that was after the last apollo mission in 1975 six years before the launch of the first space shuttle. this time around jerry says the job outlook is better. >> there's a barrier, which is going to build a business jet right at melbourne airport. they'll do their final assembly there, so it's a little different now. >> reporter: while this area is steeped in space, officials say space tourism makes up just 5% of the tourism now. beaches, cruise ships

brenda buttner is here to help us out. what do we do?urns on what will be rissicer investments, u.s. treasury. that means your borrowing costs are going up. credit cards, mortgages, auto loans. anything like that. you are going to see the higher borrowing costs. a lot of people may think about getting out of the stock market. we remember the meltdown in 2008. some forecasters expect the market will get jittery. if it does, you can invest in that jitteriness essentially by investing on the so-called vix, the fear gauge. that is a risky investment itself. if you think the market is going up and down, that is one way to do it. you can say i think market will go down. you can invest in etf to bet against the market, they bet for the bears. a lot of people are going in to cash. but consider this, if you put the cash in the backyard, in your mattress, inflation will go up. the worth of the money will go down. it's difficult to find any so-called safe investment. the hope is we get to the brink and we won't default. in the past, we have seen th

. >> estreno de la telenovela la que no podÍa amar, juliÁn gil, ana brenda, susana gonzÁlez protagonistasijeron que algunos de ellos que resultaron con cÁncer debido a la inhalaciÓn del polvo tÓxico les produjo cÁncer y no tienen dinero para costear su tratamiento. >> se habla mucho del sueÑo americano y de los inmigrantes que llegan a los estados unidos y logran el Éxito. esta es la historia de una mujer indocumentada que despuÉs de mucho sacrificio fio vio a uno de sus hijos ganar una medalla de oro en los juegos olÍmpicos 2008. >> llegÓ hace 35 aÑos indocumentada. >> lleguÉ de méxico, llegamos a tijuana y nos pasaron por el cerro y llegamos a los Ángeles, california. y cuando llegÓ el tiempo de la amnistÍa en el 86 fue cuando yo arreglÉ mis papeles por el tiempo. >> hoy es una mujer feliz pero criar 7 hijos y hacerlos hombres y mujeres de bien no fue una tarea fÁcil. quÍ nos cuenta cÓmo lo hizo. >> dÁndoles amor pero mano dura tambiÉn. de vez en cuando su estate quieto porque no puedes dejar que los hijos sean mÁs que tÚ, ni que hablen mÁs que tÚ, ni se quieran pasar mÁs. la autoridad

joining us is brenda buttner.lo. >> the fourth is traditionally all about independence for americans. get- away weekend for travelers to get away from home many by car. but did higher gas prices put the brakes on the plans? nationwide, triple-a projects that auto travel will decline by nearly 3% this holiday period. still, five out of six travelers will drive to their destinations. some 33 million people. but that is about a million fewer than those who drove last year. pain at the pump gets the blame again. even though the gas prices have been declining in the past month, they are about 80 cents per gallon more costly than a year ago in most of the country. but not all travelers are grounded. the number of those taking to the skies expect to increase by more than 9%. slightly more than 3 million travelers will fly this weekend, as theair travel continues to take off since the slowest years for flying in the past ten. 2008 and 2009. now all of this is more expensive. triple-a says most holiday travelers will face

the ocean in awhile, and i miss it, but in this particular case, i actually had my friend and i, brenda peterson, did a book for national geographic on gray whales and also some people in a whaling community preparing to whale, some of the elders asked us to come and interview them because they were against what their tribal counsel was doing, and so i followed the gray whales, we followed them, and went to different tribal communities up and down the coast, and i fell in love with doll fins and whales and sea mammals, and so the book is fiction, but it's based on events that did take place, and it's not exactly what everyone thinks it is, but, you know, it's like -- i was just at a conference where someone was talking about my work, and one woman said linda hogan is for and against whaling, and i thought, well, that's a really interesting way of looking at it, but in the book, the main character goes home because he believes that there is going to be a return to tradition, and he's disappointed when he finds out that his people are involved in a business proposition instead, but i writ

queens, new york, brenda, you are on the "washington journal."ller: i think the republicans are a bunch of hypocrites. when they were in power, under president bush, they were spending like drunken sailors. they added medicare part d, an entitlement that was never paid for. they got us into two wars. and the way they are treating president obama is just unfair. when they took over the house, the first thing they did was they help people's unemployment checks hostage just to keep the tax breaks for the wealthy. they act like they are so fiscally responsible, but it is a joke. it is a real joke. host: we want to remind our viewers and listeners that the president and vice president will be meeting with congressional leadership later on today around 4:00 p.m. in the cabinet room. we will have coverage of that later on in the day. you'll be able to get the details on that on our website. details on that on our website. our last call comes from north carolina. that is william. caller: good morning. i look at the situation and i agree with the republic