we have chief political correspondent carl cameron on the phone with us. carl, what do we know at this point? >> carl, can you hear me? >> hello, bret. bret: hello. yes, go ahead. hey, molly, go ahead. molly hennenberg. apparently we're having some phone issues here. when you get carl or molly on the phone, let me know. right now, we're setting up for a briefing. the capitol hill police are getting ready for a live briefing on the situation. here is what we know. apparently from two witnesses, a white mercedes appeared to be fleeing the scene of an apparent robbery at union station, as you look at police officers cordoning off the scene. union station is just a couple of blocks away from the capitol. the car was chased by two police cars. it tried to make a left on new jersey avenue, which is just a block from the d.c. bureau where i'm sitting right now. police barricades blocked the access to the capitol, and by the time the car actually made the left, according to the witnesses, other police vehicles had gathered to trap it. either the barricades or the p

shepard: carl cameron in washington, thank you.n who was considered a 2012 contender might have gotten a break today. that is what the analysts are saying about mark sanford. the party voted to sensor him for his affair -- censure him for his affair. they don't see him as one who should be leading but they don't tell him to step down. remember, he disappeared for a few days after going to be with his lover in argentina. an update now on the man suspected of going on a violent killing spree. police are speaking to the last two people who saw him alive. his name is patrick burris and police say that he murdered five people at random in a matter of days. the shootings all happened within this 10 mile radius. police caught up with a suspect last night when they were responding to a burglary call. when officers got there, burris pulled a gun and then police shot and killed him. the bullets found in his gun matched the bullets found in the killings. the people at the house or two siblings who did not have any idea that this -- wawere two

bret: carl cameron, live in san diego. we can finally show you images of the air force i flyover of ground zero that caused a panic in manhattan last april and cost the head of the white house military office his job. national security correspondent jennifer griffin shows us what all the fuss was about. >> three months, 40 freedom of information requests and countless legal hours and this is what the white house and the air force apparently didn't want the public to see, pictures of the president's plane on a purported training mission, to update file photos of air force i, circli

carl cameron comedy quiet the critics?nd of a rocky start -- carl cameron, did he quiet the critics? this is a big moment. six months into the obama administration, and it was as if michael steele was mad as hell and we're not taking it anymore. here is he complaining of a big, saying it to stop the demoralizing pessimism. -- complaining a little bit. >> think about where we have been, about all of the crap we have taken from the press and some of our own, and think about where we are going. >> they passed resolutions criticizing democrats and the çobama administration on the climate-change legislation, on the march towards socialism and health care, dubbing it obama- ism, as well as more criticisms. the meeting is over, he seems to at least have silenced his internal gop critics. çtrace: the fiscally conservate blue dogs? >> you're talking about the health-care debate, in which 52 blue dog democrats have been holding up progress, and some have succumbed to democratic arm-twisting and pressure from the white house to get

fox news chief correspondent carl cameron is on capitol hill with what we can expect this week. >> hi, carl. >> hi, judge sotomayor will be center stage all week, her every symbol scrutinized and mondays are set aside for introductions and opening statements and there are 19 members of the senate judiciary committee. it will be a very full day of little more than speech laboring making. here is a look along party lines. there are 12 democrats in the majority led by vermont chairman patrick leahy and tuesday is when the question and answer session begins, 30 minutes per senator and they look at this as something of a celebrity moment. lots of speeches and key power players to look at on each side and of course, the chairman, pat leahy he's been on the committee for some time and first time chairing had a court hearing. and dick der ben, number two leader, the whip and chuck schumer, a pit bull part and al franken's debut on a committee. he only made it to senator week and he will be on the committee as well and jeff sessions of alabama leading the opposition and chuck grassley of aye o

fox news chief correspondent carl cameron is on capitol hill with what we can expect this week. >> hi, carl. >> hi, judge sotomayor will be center stage all week, her every symbol scrutinized and mondays are set aside for introductions and opening statements and there are 19 members of the senate judiciary committee. it will be a very full day of little more than speech laboring making. here is a look along party lines. there are 12 democrats in the majority led by vermont chairman patrick leahy and tuesday is when the question and answer session begins, 30 minutes per senator and they look at this as something of a celebrity moment. lots of speeches and key power players to look at on each side and of course, the chairman, pat leahy he's been on the committee for some time and first time chairing had a court hearing. and dick der ben, number two leader, the whip and chuck schumer, a pit bull part and al franken's debut on a committee. he only made it to senator week and he will be on the committee as well and jeff sessions of alabama leading the opposition and chuck grassley of aye o

carl cameron live on the hill. thanks. there is more intrigue in washington tonight about an alleged c.i.a. assassination initiative to target al qaeda, and whether congress should have been briefed on it, and if anyone broke the law. major garrett looks at questions with few answers so far. >> another slew of post 9/11 intelligence accusations, this one murkier than0thers. did former vice president cheney order the c.i.a. to keep from congress a program to target top al qaeda operatives, and if so, does this disclosure take the heat off of nancy pelosi's inflammatory accusations that the c.i.a. misled congress? there is no credible explanation of what the c.i.a. program was designed to do or more importantly, if it was ever fully operational. what appears clear is that c.i.a. director leon panetta cancelled the program, whatever it was, on june 23 and subsequently briefed house and senate democrats about its demise. house democrats complained they had been kept in the dark. the senate intelligence committee's top democrat

the chief political correspondent carl cameron is live for us on capitol hill. the president goes on television tonight. today members of congress are kind of jockeying for position. did we lose carl? we did just lose carl's mike. we'll get back to carl cameron in moments as soon as we get that audio problem fixed up. martha: we're lucky we have a lot of good folks waiting to talk to us. president obama is getting ready for a big prime-time news conference tonight. a lot is at stake for his health care reform plan. he wants to take it right to the america people, which he's done in different way overs the course of this week. it has become quite an uphill battle. mr. obama faces stiff opposition, even from members of his own party. moderate democrats have raised major concerns about the trillion dollar pricetag. special report anchor bret baier joins us with more. he's got to sell this to the american people. some say he needs to be very specific about what his own desires are for this plan. >> yeah, martha. you're exactly right. this will be the 10th health care

trace: carl cameron, thank you.martha: on the road once again, the president in ohio hoping to sell his health insurance reform plan. that is a relatively new phrase. he used it five times last night. >> i have also pledged that health insurance reform will not add to our deficit. i mean it. the past eight years, we saw the enactment of two tax cuts, primarily for the wealthiest americans, and a medicare prescription program, none of which were paid for. that is partly why i inherited a $1.30 trillion deficit. martha: joining me to talk about this, and that new phrase, charlie hurt, peter, and chris wilson. gentlemen, welcome. charlie, you first. what do you make of the fact that we're hearing a lot about health insurance reform as opposed to health care reform. in these kinds of situations, words can mean a lot. >> i think it is crucial. i think what the white house is undergoing is a realization that the notion that they are going to build a whole new massive federal entitlement program -- they realize that americ

long-time white house correspondent carl cannon, not cameron, cannon, says the media didn't hold joeide ton the same standard as sarah palin. cannon was a white house correspondent for washington journal for more than a decade and now whites for "politics daily." he says the attention surrounding palin was created by what he calls a busted journalism model and confesses the media, quote, took sides straight and simple when it came to the vice presidential raise. now it turns out south carolina governor mark sanford used state employees an u.s. embassy officials to set up a trade mission to argentina in june of 2008 that made it clear he wanted to maintain a low-key schedule on the trip. e-mails released by the south carolina commerce department showed sanford, who recently admitted to an affair with an argentine mistress, asked his staff to arrange for him to leave a scheduled hunting trip early and keep his evenings free in buenos aries. sanford now admits having a romance with a woman on that trip. israeli soldiers fired tear gas into a crowd of protestors today in the village of b

jon: carl cameron joins us from the russell balcony with a preview. what are these hearings about? >> i talked to pat leahy, reading with stoudamire, -- sotomayor, and he said the format will be different. on monday, they will do the general introductions. they will make speeches and the judge will take up the baltimore remarks -- ultimate remarks. it is a significant expansion of the time. normally it is 10 minutes, but they are trying to expand it to a full half hour. these are going to be long discussions. tuesday would be nine interviews as they go around the confirmation table. wednesday, a closed session to talk about her fbi background check. and then 20-minute question spree the length of these questions will be the kind of thing that could affect the dynamic. republicans will have to grow her fourth 30 minutes at a clip. jon: is that the down side to such long questioning times? >> it remains to be seen. no one with adequate and pull its had time to discuss issues, but there is the possibility senators will spend some much time bloviating that they will now give her a chan

jon: thank you, carl cameron. an intense situation at the border of honduras as the exiled leader makes a triumphant return. manuel zelaya crossed the border hours ago. he is defying warnings that he would be arrested if he enters his own country. zelaya has been in exile for nearly a month and his actions have drawn fire from our secretary of state. we will hear from hillary clinton and get a live report coming up in a few minutes. first, a huge boost for our lowest paid workers. an increase in the federal minimum wage. as wages go up, so do worries about the future of small businesses. go tackle nature. just be ready for it to tackle back. save on the gear to get it done at bass pro shops. like redhead canvas utility shorts for only $12.94. and thermacell mosquito repellant for just $14.94 for me to keep my bones strong but even with calcium, vitamin d, and exercise, i still got osteoporosis. i never thought i could do more than stop my bone loss. then my doctor told me i could, with once-monthly boniva. boniva

that brown and the day by beef i think it is called says that obama is keeping her in a burke carl cameron. vetting her appointees for the u.s. agency for international development et cetera. was she complaining or only complaining because she was flanked out by teen into burns. >> my theory is but by all means defer to the democrats on this is that she wasn'ts to separate herself from obama during his term. she couldn't do it at first because his population was so high. she does think his foreign policy is going to fail. >> she wants to separate herself out and now you are starting to see it leaking and the big division this week was she wanted to hire sidney blumenthal. she wanted that to be shot down. >> geraldo: was it? >> but is your theory she is separating herself to run against obama? >> perhaps if the rating -- if his ratings take a nose dive at six months in you are only we ginning to see the beginnings of the rumblings of it right now. >> i think it is probably a little overblown what is going on. it is not like they were ever actually bff. >> best friends forever. >> i think sh

carl cameron live on capitol hill with more on this. >> we're told by aides that there were no agreements, no breakthroughs, no commitments. in that sense, it was a bit of a carpet call in the oval office for these two democrats. democratic majority leader harry reid has had to acknowledge that he is unable to deliver on the president's desire for a healthcare bill before the august recess. it is just not going to happen in the senate. in some measure, it is because of the senate finance committee, chaired by max bacchus, who is cooperating with a gang, and because the republicans are involved, if they come up with a deal, it could be considered a bipartisan piece of legislation. it is just that it is very difficult finding a piece of legislation with three republicans and three democrats, and it will take longer than anyone expected. gregg: new developments in to the investigation of the murder of nfl quarterback steve mcnair. one lawyer says there is evidence it may not have been a murder-suicides. a former member of the local police now disputes the police findings. only two aleve can

carl cameron is on capitol hill. it sounds like they're really will not be any work done on this until after the august break. >> they will work behind closed doors and try to get agreement. anything in terms of finality will be a long way off. the president feels there is an urgency and he defended his rush, his deadline of the august recess. in response today, for brief time, house leaders were saying they might blow off the august recess and work. the senate majority leader harry reid, his response to the big push was to say, no. >> the decision was made to give them more time. i do not think it is unreasonable. this is a complex, difficult issue. >> the finance committee is the committee that has three republicans working on it. chuck grassley is the ranking republican. only three republicans in all of the senate and congress participating in the talks. they are not making a lot of progress. shepard: the democrats and the house of representatives seemed to be at odds today. >> big time. the democrats have been fr

rick: carl cameron in washington. thank you. stick with us for continuing coverage of the story sunday at 8:00 p.m. we bring you fox news reporting, sonia sotomayor. we will take a look look at her experience on the bench. monday beginning at 9:00 a.m. eastern, full coverage and analysis as sotomayor faces a one of her confirmation hearings. all of that is on fox news. he was appointed to the senate. now, it is all over for roland burris. just ahead, why he says he is not going to run. the accusations of prejudice at the pool. (announcer) it is the most advanced automobile we have ever created. a car that can help awaken its driver if he begins to doze... keep him in his lane if he starts to wander... even stop itself if he becomes distracted. if you want to see the future of the automobile, just look at the new e-class... today. this is the 9th generation e-class. this is mercedes-benz. rick: >senator roland burris, appointed to fill president obama's senate seat, saying he will not run for a full term. first, the back story st

rick: carl cameron in washington. thank you. stick with us for continuing coverage of the story sunday at 8:00 p.m. we bring you fox news reporting, sonia sotomayor. we will take a look look at her experience on the bench. monday beginning at 9:00 a.m. eastern, full coverage and analysis as sotomayor faces a one of her confirmation hearings. all of that is on fox news. he was appointed to the senate. now, it is all over for roland burris. just ahead, why he says he is not going to run. the accusations of prejudice at the pool. ♪ you can let go now, daddy. ♪ your little girl is ready to do this on my own ♪ ♪ it's gonna be a little bit scary ♪ ♪ but i want you to know ♪ i'll be okay now daddy ♪ you can let go rick: >senator roland burris, appointed to fill president obama's senate seat, saying he will not run for a full term. first, the back story starting with rod blagojevich. the feds arrested him when he was still the governor of illinois. he was accused of trying to sell the vacated senate seat to the highest bidder. blago app

stuart: carl cameron, thank you. >> the task of a judge is not to make law.hat my record reflects my rigorous commitment to interpreting the constitution according to its terms. stuart: judge sotomayor says the government will call the shots from banks to automakers, and some are concerned about the constitutionality of government intervention in that way. how would the judge panel that if some of these cases hit in the supreme court? we talk to our fox analyst judge napolitano. the big spending and the nationalization of banks and automotive companies, it makes it to the supreme court, how does it go? >> the little guy or gal went against the establishment. criminal rights and commercial rights. she has not shown a great deal of affection or respect for the building blocks of commerce, which are protected in the constitution, like the right to own and dispose of your property as you see fit, the right to enter into a binding contract and accepted that it will be complied with whether the government likes it or not, -- and accept that it will be complied with

let me bring in carl cameron again. we heard him say a lot about the number 60, the number needed for a filibuster-proof majority. let us face it, one of the first turtles' is him -- hurdles will be for him to be accepted by others. >> he comes with an even higher standard than others. when he was a radio talk-show host on air america, he made some remarks that he had to apologize for. in the politics of personal destruction, writing books, like the ones that he has, is setting a new standard. al franken will definitely bring in different tone here. whether or not he can compete on a policy level is also yet to be answered. now that the wave of barack obama has passed, he will have to drum up his own popularity. martha: i am sure president obama would be happy to hear that he is expected to be in lockstep. thank you. trace: sarah palin firing back on a barrage of character attacks, announcing her resignation. we are in anchorage, alaska now. the governor is firing back, but not through conventional means. >> that is rig

let's get more from carl cameron live on the hill. good evening, carl. let's first talk about this democratic in-fighting. how serious is this? >> it's very serious and it's prevalent. there are examples of it all over the capitol for weeks now. the latest comes from the democratic national committee. they have launched a new ad in select states around the country where there are democrats who have expressed some misgivings or a lack of willingness to get behind the government run insurance program and the costs. the d.n.c. is now run rk an ad urging passage in their states. listen to this. >> my insurance company wouldn't fully cover me when i got sick. >> it's time for healthcare reform. the democratic national committee is responsible for the content of this advertising. >> that is the first issue ad of the democratic national committee during the obama presidency, and for the most part, it is targeting democrats who seem to be flying in the face of his healthcare initiative. bret. bret: carl, to be clear, it is not just the senate. there are house de

carl cameron with the news on capitol hill. he said he would not do that, carl, but it's not just democrats -- not just democrats against republicans here. the democrats are fighting amongst themselves, too. >> they are, and part of that proposal to tax health care benefits in order to pay for health insurance for all is part of the problem. and last night, the majority leader harry reid told a key committee chairman that he thought taxing health benefits ought to be eliminated. we're talking about max baucus of montana. the tax on health care benefits, to pay for health insurance was his idea. he says he haitian been told he can't do it, but all the senators working with him say it has been pulled out of the proposal. shep? shepard: the administration has made a point of getting hospitals, drug makers, doctors, all to agree to cost cutting. how much does that really help here? >> well, it's a good question as to whether or not it helps at all, in the sense that right now there is about a $320 billion gap. lawmakers are trying t

carl cameron has been reporting that they do not have the votes.ou go, steny hoyer and nancy pelosi. there are two parts of the democratic party, the ones who want to push it through, and the blue-dog democrats, the more corporate-american-oriented democrats. anyway, that budget is not for this either, so there you go. we do not have any more information, though we hoped we would -- that a bunchç -- that bunch is not for this either. we have another email for you regarding michael vick. "any nfl team that hires them ought to know how angry people are -- hires himç." "there are far worse people walking around today than michael vick." "mr. roger goodell was making a good call to kick him out, and this race is everything. vick does not deserve this." "i think the commish got this right.

carl cameron begins our coverage. >> the president's primetime plea to members of his own party to pass healthcare reforms,and the top snalts and house republicans join forces to keep the white house and congressal majorities on defense. >> this is about getting the policy right. we don't wish anyone ill. we want to get the policy right. >> republicans, including south carolina senator jim demint, believe that derailing healthcare with democratic help could derail the president's diplomacy. the majority leader accused opponents of obstructionism today. >> it is not legislative. >> the most opponents are opposed to radically retooling 1/6 of the united states economy. the democratic head of the house says he is going to rebut a lot of comments. >> he is rebutting comments that some in the republican party are saying against healthcare reform. that's what he wants to do. meantime, he has blue dog concerns. >> liberals worry that the president conceded too much to the blue dog democrats to help pay for the trillion dollar reforms. john kerry has proposed a new tax on insurance companies, f

let's get to carl cameron. he is there.t with the attitude toward health care and what they are seeing on the hill. >> the republican national committee is having its meeting in san diego. the republican leaders from around the country have convened. at the top of the agenda is how to come up with a health care reform that they can support because they firmly believe that the one president obama would be a disaster. tim pawlenty is mentioned as a likely white house hopeful in 2012. he makes it clear that obama care has to be stopped. here is a bit of an interview from a moment ago. >> we have a president in a democrat-controlled congress that is spending out of control. the only to rising faster is chris matthews' man crush on barack obama. we have e to be the party of fiscal discipline. we have to also engage constructively on fixing this health care system. it is broken. we have an education system that is broken. republicans can be the party of solutions, not just complaining. >> one of the things that tim pawlenty that

carl cameron brings us reaction from capitol hill and correspondent shannon bream has an overview of today's session. good evening, shan shannon. >> hi, bret. today was the first chance for sotomayor to answer her critics and to explain that wise latina comment. when given the opportunity, did she really explain it or as some argued, did she simply shift course? i do not believe that any racial or gender group has an advantage in sound judging. >> that's what judge sotomayor told judge senators today but it seems in conflict with the line she has uttered "i would hope that a wise latina woman with the richness of her experiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male judge." sandra day o'connor was the first supreme woman on the supre court judge and in her speech, sotomayor went on to say "i am not so sure that i agree with that statement," but today she seemed to hedge her prior position. >> i knew that justice o'connor couldn't have meant that if judges eached different conclusions, legal legal conclusions that one of them wasn't wise that. couldn't

shepard: carl cameron and shannon bream from the hill and congress. thank you, both. stay with congress throughout the week for sotomayor confirmation hearings. tomorrow start up time 9:00 a.m. eastern. streaming live@foxnews.com. now, a manhunt in the florida panhandle and beyond. in the panhandle, cops are looking for more suspects in the double murder that left 16 children without their parents. investigators now tell us they are searching for several people, including 2 who were apparently dressed in ninja outfits during an attack. they say the men can be seen on this just-released surveillance video. it's kind of jumpy. it takes an image every three seconds. in it it shows the two crossing the backyard of the home last week, breaking into the rear of the house. and at the same time, several other suspects were breaking in the front. coordinated, precise, and deadly. the home outside pensacola belonged to burt and mellowed billings, the attackers shot and killed them both. they were a wealthy couple and known for sharing that wealth. even adopting 12 children were

chief political correspondent carl cameron reports it ends one long journey and begins another. >> theye still sprucing up this new office as mr. franken made the rounds on capitol hill. >> i'm very excited to get to work. glad to be here. >> he readily admits his career as a comic can and should give some voters pause. the senate democratic majority leader used a joke going around minnesota to welcome the newest u.s. senator. >> when weem find out he is a smart guy who is serious about the issues and a hard worker, they will be pleasantly surprised. >> when franken is officially sworn in tuesday, he will be the democratic majority's 60th vote in a filibuster proof majority including joe lieberman and bernie sanders. it is the first 60-vote advantage for either party since jimmy carter's presidency. >> a lot has been made of this number 60. the number i'm focused on is the number two. >> as in the number of senators minnesota will at last have now that the 8-month recount is finally over. franken has landed some key committee assignments. he will sit on the judiciary i committee that ne

carl cameron is in san diego. i was there last week vacationing.ton? >> this is the grass-roots organization of the republican party nationwide and they're here with the leaders of all 50 states. they are putting together their strategy for blocking what they call obamacare. there will be a vote on a resolution tomorrow. it refers to obamacare and socialism. they plan to attack this for the radio ads and television ads. it will be a nationwide gop blitz arguing that the so-called public option and forcing companies to insure everyone would be a disaster. this resolution essentially argues it is a step toward socialism. gregg: tim pawlenty is the keynote speaker. any idea what he will be talking about? >> yes, he will give remarks in 20 minutes and he will be talking about health care. he said he may be interested in running in 2012. he is going to. he would like to be president. he is doing the things he needs to do to get national attention. speaking to this committee is one of those things. opposing health-care and making sure he is viewed as in

newsroom covers the court for us, and carl cameron covers congress. republicans want to establish a record on this confirmation because they seem to be sure she will be confirmed, right? that's basically it? >> yeah. yesterday they pretty much got her to repudiate the underpinnings of the "wise latina" argument and she said that is not what she really meant, and they have put that into the record and they feel that is at least some semblance of an achievement in the face of a nominee that they think they can't really stop. they are not done, either. there will be another round of question that will start today and take up into tomorrow. shepard: i personally, i don't know, i am looking forward to it. shannon, judge sotomayor was pushed on abortion today. i guess we were looking for what she would say and what she would not say on that matter. >> you can imagine. you saw her answer there on the gun rights and the second amendment. she is very diplomatic as all supreme court nominees are coached to be as they get eddie for these proceedings. she did get

shepard: carl cameron, live on the mountain. karl, good to see you. the relationship between the united states and china will shape the 21st century. so says none other than president obama. his administration starting two days of very high level talks with the communist nation. the president says he hopes for an rather of sufficiency stained cooperation and not confrontation as he put it. but even as he outlined a broad agenda for positive relations between the two nations, he acknowledged the challenges ahead. >> let us be honest, we know that some are weary of the future. some in china think that america will try to contain china's ambitions. some in america think that there is something to fear in a rising china. i take a different view. shepard: his view is that the two countries can work together on the issues of climate change, the global recession, and a nuclear showdowns with iran and north korea. the fact that they need to. wendell goler is at his house now, wendell? >> shep, with nearly a third the world's economy and about a quarter of its

shepard: carl cameron reporting life from san diego.port. the story is breaking right now and it's coming to you next. discover new seafood creations... inspired from around the country at red lobster. from the northeast, try our new maine lobster and crab bake, with garlic-roasted tender maine lobster, jumbo shrimp, scallops, and a full half-pound of snow crab legs. or from the south, try our new orleans... wood-grilled shrimp jambalaya, simmered with creole seasonings. taste these regional dishes for a limited time. at red lobster. shepard: we're getting word in from los angeles that the medical examiner will delay indefinitely the release of the results of michael jackson's autopsy. all of us were expecting the results next week but the coroner's office now reports more investigation is needed. what exactly that means, we just don't know. but it comes after representatives from the coroner's office met with investigators from the police department and the district attorney's office. investigators say they are looking to see what subs

let's bring in carl cameron. what about michael steele's comment there? what is the reaction here in washington? >> hi, bret. n.c. says that essentially what the chairman was saying is discussion of her viability or lack of viability in 2012 ought to be off the table because her decision was based on her local political situation in alaska and it's up to sarah palin to determine her own future. steele went on to say that in as many words, but there is an awful lot of republicans in washington who simply cannot understand how this is in any way, shape or form a launch of an additional political career, that they effectively believe this ends it. bret: a lot of panelists, a lot of analysts in washington say this was the wong move, but is there something about sarah palin tapping into this atmosphere of tea parties an facebook and twitter, and is there something that people inside washington is missing? >> yes. i think inside washington is missing how toxic the environment was for sarah pailen in alaska. we don't see or hear what she goes through every day.

bret: thank you, carl cameron. megyn: we understand that after the break, we are going to hear from among others, the freshly minted senator from minnesota, al franken. also, senator arlen specter, a newly turned democrat. he has been in more of these and any other center of the judicial committee. i'm going to ask about shannon bream about the assertion that these are only one or two lines from speeches. we live in answer for you on how judge sotomayor and i wound up wearing the same outfit today. in six different ways? introducing listerine® total care. everything you need to strengthen teeth, help prevent cavities, and kill germs. introducing 6 in 1 listerine® total care. the most complete mouthwash. and to complete your oral care routine add superior plaque removal in places that are hard to reach last month, this woman wasn't even able to get around inside of her own home. they chose mobility. and they chose the scooter store! if you or a loved one live with limited mobility call the scooter store! no other co

bret: charles, what about carl cameron's reporting that she will be more present on t.v. shows, speaking out about various issues that aisle up conservatives across the country? what about that? >> if she thinks this decision is a way to add sans her political career, she is delusional. she could survive this. it's possible. it may not be a fatal decision, but it's not an advancement. it is acquitting, and i think it is a largely personal decision, a reasonable one. there was a lot of heat. a lot of attacks and she wanted out and that's ok. if there was a political calculation, it would have to be, if it were rational, that after the age of obama, way down the road, there are second acts in american politics. reagan returned. nixon returned. clinton returned. it's possible, but she has to make herself serious. if she imagined she is going to be a reagan in the wilderness in the '70's and lead a movement, she has to be like reagan, who was a serious man with serious ideas who studied, who wrote, who thought, and made himself a major figure. if she doesn't do that, she's to

carl cameron with the news from capitol hill. i was listening to "special report" in the last hour. the power panel there, man, they just eviscerated her. what is she going to do? >> just about every republican establishment consultant thinks this is a bad move and it can't help her. but sarah palin and her insiders in alaska are taking a very different view. they argue that she will be more prevalent, more visible, more outspoken. and that now that she won't be sort of hamstrung bipartisan attack dogs from democrats in the legislature in alaska. she will be able to defend herself and articulate her agenda a little bit more. no question about it even republicans are sort of shaking their heads and perplexed. are criticizing and some are saying it's very, very risky. that's code for it's a bad idea. shepard: i guess there is a possibility she is fed up with it all and ready to go away is there some scandal in the background here that we haven't heard about yet, the iceberg? >> no evidence of that. of the folks closest to sarah palin in alaska as well as those who follow her political

carl cameron is live in san diego for us.us about health care resolution. >> they have put health care on top of their agenda, just as lawmakers have and washington. republican opposition is pretty well understood and it has been mostly a democratic division of late, but the gop is putting themselves on record it that they consider this to be a march toward socialism, and it to republicans, they get a reminder that if they choose to compromise with democrats, they're conservative base may hold them accountable. there's a great opposition to the public program. rick: we just heard with division against democrats, they might have a say. what alternatives are republicans offering? >> tim pawlenty was the key speaker, and he has had success in his home state. he is in. market principles, holding costs down long-term. republicans do not support a government takeover of health insurance and prefer to see a limited expansion paid for by taking a lot of pork and waste out of it and mostly dealing with improving the existing employer-

carl cameron live inside the hearing room. thanks. megyn: we are going to stay even between democrats and republicans. while we may skip a democrat here or there it will probably been less on that front by headcount. we have herb kohl during the question now, a democrat from wisconsin. let's take a listen. >> would you support term limits, 15 years, 20 years, 25 years? this would ensure the justices do not become victims of the cloistered ivory tower existence and you will be able to stay in touch with the problems of ordinary americans? term limits for supreme court justices. >> all questions of policy are within the product of congress for the first, so it would have to be considered by congress first, but considered in light of the constitution and statutes governing these issues. so that first decision would be congress. i can only know that there is a purpose to the structure of our constitution and it was of you by the founding -- it was the founding fathers view that one of justices who would not be subject to political whim or

trace: chief political correspondent carl cameron is following this in washington.. >> republicans on capitol hill say they were bullied by the administration. republicans argue that the health care is not debated and it is not bipartisan. they say they're not given a seat on the table. they say -- the argument is that the hospitals were bullied into this and that the $155 billion that would be saved will essentially be spent elsewhere. it is not a savings. it is a transfer from one health care account to the next. trace: any closer to a deal? >> it is interesting. as the vice president said, they are making progress and closer to effort, that is not the case on capitol hill. there is reason to believe things are slipping further away. democratic majority leader harry reid has ordered max baucus to stop courting republican help, and to stop trying to talk about paying for this by taxing health benefits. in short, the democratic majority leader is telling the one committee left where republicans are allowed to participate, to stop letting republicans participate. loo

carl cameron is live on the hill. good morning, carl.talk about the reaction on capitol hill to the congressional budget office. this is the non-partisan office that takes a look at all the numbers and tries to make sense of them. >> it is a total migraine for everyone involved. republicans referred to it as a big i told you so. you were showing pictures a minute ago of the house energy and commerce committee. that means they are starting on an actual piece of legislation. it really illustrates the problem. that particular committee has 39 democratic members. 10 of them are conservative moderate blue dog democrats. that is enough for them to join with the republicans and block health care legislation on the principle that it is just way too expensive. the cbo said that it will increase the concerned about rising taxes. it could probably be paid for by cost savings, according to the administration. the ways and means committee are working today. their bill would contain about $60 billion worth of tax increases in order to pay for health c

we begin with our chief political correspondent, carl cameron, with a preview of what we can expect from the senate committee. carl? >> we thought we would give you an opportunity to give you a feel for what is going on here for all of us covering it from the room, 216, one of the coldest rooms in washington. in the front you can see the family members of the nominee. mrs. sotomayor's mother has already taken her spot. to give you an idea of how cold it is in here with the air conditioning, some people say to bring blankets. the public are lined up around the building, in the back there is space for just a few. at the top, there is our producer, that is where i usually am. the room is already getting crowded. 30 minutes per senator, they will be filing in at the last second. al franken, arlen specter right there -- we will say hi to him for you, megyn. the nominee can see the scowling, hear the sighing, they are that close. people do not realize. if they are worried about things getting tedious, they have timers and we will show that to you throughout the day. our producer will be watchi

first, carl cameron is on the hill. that wise latina comment, a theme from start to finish. >> and it will not go away, either. it came across again and again. one of the most pointed moments perhaps came when one senator, a mail from south carolina, asked what it would be like if she was wearing a shoe on the other foot. a white senator from south carolina. listen to this. >> if i had said anything like that in my reasoning was i was trying to inspire somebody, they would have had my head. do you understand that? >> i do understand how those words could be taken that way, particularly if read in isolation. >> sheet recreated it. lindsay graham was not satisfied. shepard: there was a lot of attention on the new haven firefighter case where she old held a promotion exam request because not enough minorities did well. the supreme court later overturned that. opposition senators did not seem too happy. >> they were not. and you talk about the stability, but when they leave the hearing room, sometimes they have a tendency t

carl cameron caught up with their attorney. take a listen. >> i think if anything the new haven firefighters show that what senators from both sides of the aisle is true which is a nomination to the highest court can have an impact on the lives of every american and the reason why i think the senate invited these gentlemen is because they more than anybody else show just how true that is. >> we're going to hear more from that attorney and carl coming up in our next hour. jon: a giant earthquake knocked out new zealand. the underwater tremor did generate some waves less than eight inches high, though and posed no real threats. buildings they're the epicenter showed minor cracks. the great quake was felt all across the south island. jane: storms hitting the gulf coast today may affect the shuttle launch. janice is here to tell us. ooh, are those live pictures? >> looks like live pictures and if the shuttle was launching now, i think they would have great weather. jane: let's do it! come on. j.d. says let's hit the button. >> but

we want to check in with carl cameron. you said that chuck grassley was going to be fun.e were skeptics. then this moment did happen. >> stopped the clock there so it did not take from your time. >> oh, thank you. people always say i have the ability to turn people on. brit: and the laughing continued there for quite some time, carl. that was fun. >> look, all these senators know each other. they have met the nominee a number of times in some cases. there is a level of sort of familiarity that is betrayed by the formality of these hearings. there is an undercurrent, too, of great satisfaction by democrats. a certain level of frustration by republicans. they recognize that they are discussing the nominee up. they recognize that justice sotomayor appears to many to have contradicted herself this morning. but they don't see that there is any great meltdown as lindsey graham called the only thing that would necessarily derail her nomination. in talking to some of the conservative critics of her just a little while ago, bret, here's what they are saying. a vote for judge sotom

carl cameron joins us live from capitol hill. carl, they are huddling. any breakthroughs? >> yeah, they are ludelling instead of banging heads. the problems is among democrats. behind that wall there, the fiscally conservative so-called blue dog democrats and the more liberal conference is meeting to move forward and get a deal. in the senate, the senate finance committee is behind closed doors an they, too, are stuck to figure out a way to pay for it all. >> republicans railed against rushing, and now cite democratic division and delay to highlight problems an objections to various proposals. monday macked g.o.p. mish mcconnell's a 27th healthcare speech this month alone. >> simply put, these bills are moving in the wrong direction and would make the problems in our healthcare system even worse than they are today, so it's clear that we need to hit the restart button. >> over the weekend, another criticism from the non-partisan congressional budget office, which reported that the president's plan for an independent medicare advisory committee to identify future medicare s

carl cameron is in the senate office building, where the confirmation hearings are wrapping up. your thoughts? >> as we watch the nominee she hands with arlen specter, it is fair to say that the panel is divided along predictable party lines. republicans might -- republicans raising the questions of concern, democrats supporting her. these questions of empathy being a factor in judging and judges, she also said that her personal and professional experiences " helped me listen and understand with the law always commanding the result in every case. always to serve the impartial justice, i have applied the law to the facts at hand." all clearly meant to blunt the criticism of conservative republicans who think that she is a liberal activist, intending to taper -- take her experience and impose it. bret: carl, one point about how this all unfolded with the introduction, senator schumer and senator gillibrand each had five minute introductions. senator gillibrand was actually gaveled by the senator to wrap it up. >> there seemed to be an interruption in a series of suits trains runni

carl cameron takes a look at the potential impact on the economy and the job market. >> reporter: in the midst of rising unemployment and a shaky economy, good news for people making minimum wage. friday they begin to earn $7.25 an hour. many say it's an inexpensive way t eject money into the economy. >> there is no better stimulus program than this, putting money into the pockets of hard- working, modest income people. this is not lavish and thes people need it and it will help us all. >> >> reporter: but some worry the increase will come from somewhere and businesses will find the extra cash from cutting jobs. >> consumers wasn't take rising costs. they don't have the profits. they can only cut hours or play people off. >> reporter: congress approved the raise last year. but many have slashed hourly employees. >> by destroying jobs now you're cutting off the bottom wrung of business ladders. >> we always hear that kind of suggestion every time this happens. it's never remotely as bad as the people warn. >> each with this increase, people will be making less adjusted for inflation t

carl cameron is listening to that debate, he is at the senate building now. what is their reaction? >> there are -- there is a whole bunch of apprehension, really. republicans have argued that they were essentially bulldozed into it, that they had very little choice. is it really a savings to taxpayers? it will just the money taken out of one account and spent in another. kind of a big deal reaction of here. it looks as though things are being more difficult, getting further and further away on the house side. they were supposed to come up with a bill this week or next. henry waxman, a big player, said that he does not think that they should put a tax plan on it. over on the senate side, things are getting tougher. there is only one committee where they are cooperating, and the democratic chairman has been told by harry reid, forget about republicans, there will not be a bipartisan deal. we are just going to have to sort it out and figure out how to pay for it. shepard: i was going to say that they do not need the republicans, that all they have to do is stay united. can they not ju