joining me now is elaine garzarelli. welcome back to the show. i don't know if we can get the retail sales chart back up. the retail sales numbers came in pretty disappointing and actually core retail sales feeds into gdp have fallen basically really the last four or five months. elaine, a, does that puncture a hole in the economic recovery story? >> not at all. as a matter of fact, that's one of my favorite sectors at this point. you know, consumer net wealth is up 6% since the stock market bottom. and consumers are getting a lot more interested in purchasing. the major thing that i see is the household formation data, through 2015 is going to be very strong because of demographics. the 20 to 29-year-old age group is really growing substantially. and that -- the same thing happened in 1983 when consumption appeared to be growing very slowly. >> we had a lot of job creation from 1983, 1984. even i'm optimistic about 2% to 3% growth in the next two or three-quarters. i acknowledge to you that jobs are the achilles heel to the income story. i worry

>>> elaine quijano for more on that.8:10, we'll talk about the contributor and homeland security advisor to president bush, frances townsend and peter broox brooks on the most news in the morning. >>> top stories this morning. experts are predicting an alarming number of americans could get sick from the swine flu. new figures from the president's advisory panel that sahhaf of all americans could catch the h1n1 virus and 90,000 americans could die. again, that's worst case scenario. >>> cash for clunkers -- the program is over. after a website for dealers to submit so much paperwork with so much activity it crashed, the deadline is extended. car dealers have until noon today to file their paperwork. >>> a sweet tooth could lead to a heart attack. the american heart association warning that if you consume more than 22 teaspoons of sugar each day, that's dangerous. new guidelines called for women to have no more than six teaspoonfuls a day. men should have no more than nine. that's just one teaspoon than a single can of so

elaine, what are people expecting to see during the swearing-in ceremony? this is the first time we'll be able to have media cameras in the room. >> reporter: yeah, it's going to be fasten aitding to watch all this but quick. we're expecting a very brief ceremony, first of all, when this takes place in about an hour or sorry, as you mentioned. first up, 40 45 minutes or so, a private swearing-in ceremony. this is going to be the swearing-in ceremony that uses the constitutional oath, something required under the u.s. constitution. then the judge will take a second oath at about 11:00 a.m., the one required under federal law. it's just a few lines long, and during that, the judge will pledge to administer justice impartially, looking on will be judge sonia sotomayor's mother, selena, as well as her brother juan and we're told that they will actually hold the sotomayor family bible during that public swearing-in ceremony. we are expecting it will go by very fast. not more than a few minutes long as best. >> so the president won't be there this morning for thi

>> yeah, elaine. we know the president's making his kashgs but seems like the other side of the debate, you could almost argue, other democrats in a lot of ways. where do the republicans fit in and what do they have to say? just seems like this debate is going back and forth between democrats an democrats. >> reporter: you're absolutely right. a lot of this, deep divisions with the democratic party over this. conservative blue dog we heard about before, as well as progressive. for the republicans, they continue to say what they've said all along nap is, look, let us not rush this. look, let's do something, but let's make sure we get it done right. and, in fact, the republican address today by republican senator john thune also brought us to the point of cost. how much is this going to cost. let's take a listen. >> in this difficult recession americans and our government are already overextended. the democrat whose control congress have been spending money and racking up debt at an unprecedented pace,

elaine, is the president's health care plan in trouble? what she doing to get become on message? i imagine what he did right there is one thing? >> exactly. whether health care reform passes is very much an open question right now but president obama is doing what he can as you saw there to push back against critics. in his weekly address, he went on to tackle what some of the administration says are myths, illegal immigrants would not be covered under a reform bill. he said said taxpayer dollars would not go to fund abortions and he once again insisted his administration is not planning a government takeover of the health care system. don, as you know, there's a one perception that's really fueling the anger at some of the more confrontational town hall meetings. >> early on, he said he wanted to make this a bipartisan effort. so that hasn't really happened here. how are republicans reacting to his efforts? >> republicans in their weekly address said the president wasn't being straight forward about his proposal. gop congressman tom rice of georgia accused of playing fast and lo

elaine quijano joins us at the white house. >> reporter: good morning, don. top democrats close to the white house tell ed henry that in fact officials are "actively considering" this option. it is basically an obscure budget move called reconciliation. what it would mean is that in the senate instead of needing 60 votes to get the legislation through, they'd only need a simple majority or 51 votes. no final decision has been made on this, and in fact this is an option that has been on the table all along. but what's different now of course is the context. it is august, just weeks away from when congress gets back from the recess. the white house is facing skepticism from conservative democrats as well. >> what about the white house message? there's been criticism that not everyone in the white house is carrying the same message, therefore the message may be confusing the american people. part of this thing that may be their own fault, part of the reason that americans are confused and some are outraged. >> right. one thing that happened over the weekend, con

so elaine, how are republicans actually responding this morning? what is their argument? >> reporter: republicans in their weekly address said the president wa was not being straight-foreabout his proposals. from georgia, said the president is playing "fast and loose" with the facts. >> we don't know that when the government is setting the rules and it's backed by tax dollars, itly destroy not compete with the private sector. the reality is, whether or not you get to keep your plan or your doctor is very much in question und irthe president's proposal. >> reporter: congressman price, a physician himself, said based on his experience trying to navigate federal health care programs he believes washington is incapable of processing the personal and unique circumstances that patients and doctors have every day. >> elaine quijano, live this morning. thank you, elaine. >>> as we've been saying, august, make or break month for health care reform. the president seals a deal with the american people. instead, some feel he's lost control of this whole thing. political director and

elaine quijano at the white house today, and talk about this timetable.xplain to me, where does health care reform stand right now? >> reporter: as you noted, brooke, over on the house side, you've got members who have adjourned now. before they did that, members of the house, energy and commerce committee passed their own version of a health care bill. that, though, still has to be reconciled and merged with two other versions on the house side. that's looking like it will be september before the full house actually takes a look at health care legislation. now, over on the senate side, the finance committee actually put off its own much-anticipated vote. this was on a bipartisan compromise plan for health care legislation. that vote is looking like it will happen after the august recess. so why is all of that significant? as you know, brooke, august is the month when these lawmakers are going back to their home districts. it will be a chance for constituents to weigh in. obviously, as we know, such a huge and complicated issue, health care reform, we'll

>> all right, elaine, thank you. there's also whether or not the democrats are willing to go it alone, especially some of the blue dogs who are hearing so much from their own constituents criticism about this health care plan. thank you, elaine, dana, thank you very much. >>> the politics of going alone, we'll talk about if it's even possible. dana will rejoin us with that discussion along with cnn's political director mark preston about the politics and the potential pitfalls politically if they do go it alone. >>> so, how would the "go it alone" strategy work exactly? levs at the magic wall to walk us through this, josh? >> it's one of the complicated procedures that they reported from washington. it's one of those times, the schoolhouse rock here at the magic wall. we want people to understand why it is possible and why it would work in the first place. so, we have some fun pictures. check this out. thanks to the graphics department upstairs, this is what we have to represent a filibuster. the way it works in the

elaine joins us from the white house. having a saturday morning meeting? >> it is day two of the obama administration's six month retreat. it's a chance for officials to assess how they have done so far. all 22 cabinet ranking members have been invited and they are attending. it's going to be an opportunity for them to discuss their goals moving forward. today's session is happening here at the white house. yesterday's took place across the street at the presidential guest house. joe biden for today is going to be kicking off the session and health care and the economy are expected to be items of discussion at today's session. >> health care is on the mind's of everybody. our 9:00 hour, we'll dedicate our half hour to it. >> there has been some movement by congress on health care, but there is still a long way to go before a bill come to a vote. >> big step late yesterday, key house committee passed their version and it included major concessions. that will be combined with two others to produce the final version of the house bill, which won't be voted on

elaine, i want to start with you here. we've been hearing a lot coming out of there and a lot of this information, we can't confirm since our reporters aren't necessarily traveling and a lot of people didn't know about this trip. president clinton was carrying a message from the current president obama. what are you hearing from the white house on that? not the case. >> yeah, t.j., the white house flatly denies that. last hour at the press gaggle, basically, and secretary robert gibbs office he was asked about this. was there a message that former president clinton, because of this report, was there was a message that he was delivering to kim jong-il on behalf of president obama, what about that report. he said "that's not true." we should tell you that secretary gibbs wouldn't confirm or deny that president clinton was, in fact, even sitting down with kim jong-il he basically said, look, it is a very sensitive situation now. he wouldn't go beyond his statement from this morning. this is a solely private mission and the st

what's going on, elaine?ccording to top democrats, officials are now quote/unquote actively considering this option. it's a budget maneuver known as reconciliation. what it would mean that instead of the 60 votes need in the senate to pass health care legislation, they would need a simple majority or 51 votes. we should note again there are no final decisions that have been made on this option. it's just a possibility, one that we should also note has been on the table all along here. what's different now is the context. of course, we're weeks away from when congress gets back in to town off of their august recess. at the same time, this is a white house that is facing not only reluctant republicans but also skepticism from some conservative democrats on health care reform. so, again, no final decision made. but word now that officials are quote/unquote actively considering this option. kiran? >> elaine, if the white house doesn't pull the trigger soon, when might we see this happen? >> it will be a critical

joining us is elaine. elaine, how long have you been a member? >> 14 years, greta.greta: so do you plan on quitting, or have you quit? >> i have not quite yet because i have a hospitalization policy that i have to determine at two separate, where i am quitting or having my membership, for nonrenewal. -- or i am quitting or having my membership, up for non renewal. greta: why? >> those of us at the upper end of the spectrum are going to need more health care than those at the bottom end of the spectrum. now, the aarp understands this, and that is where their core membership is. for them to come out and restore -- support this bill is very irresponsible, in my view. greta: i do not know if there are formally saying it, but they say they will not endorse anything. is that true or not true? >> well, that is what they are saying. i am not going to test whether or not it is true. let's stay with m&a as calling them early on, they did it does about the fact that they had endorsed or supported it, and yet, we are getting literature from them, and on their website, they are

cnn's elaine quijano joins us from washington this morning. elaine, good morning to you. so what is he talking about, phony claims? >> good morning, t.j. the president is pushing back, trying again to debunk what the administration says are myths about health care reform. in his weekly radio and internet address, the president stressed illegal immigrants would not be covered under a health care bill. also, taxpayer dollars would not go to fund abortions. and the president addressed a fear echoed at heated town hall meetings across the country saying his administration is not planning a government takeover of the health care system. >> this is an issue of vital concern to every american and i'm glad that so many are engaged, but it also should be an honest debate, not one dominated by willful misreputations and outright distortions spread by the very folks who would benefit the most by keeping things exactly as they are. >> reporter: now the president also pushed back against the notion of so-called death panels, an idea that former alaska governor sarah palin mentioned on

the administration is just passing the six month mark, elaine. what are white house officials doing? are they busy accessing the terms so far, how well they've done, what they should be taking care of? >> exactly. in fact today was day two of this white house retreat, if you l 22 cabinet ranking members gathering on the white house campus. yesterday at blair house, today at the white house campus. basically doing just that sitting down now that it's been a little more than six months and assessing how they think they've done so far. also a chance to come together and make sure they're all on the same page in terms of moving forward on the president's agenda. >> elaine quijano at the white house, thank you very much. so what's the best way for millions of uninsured americans to get health care? it's just getting started tonight. coming up in our 10:00 p.m. eastern hour we're posing tough questions to dr. peter thomas who advocates for uninsured black men. wasn't you to weigh in on this. send us your question, comments an concerns. >>> the presiden

elaine is at the white house. elaine, at the top of this list, a whole lot of subjects that they want to try and tackle. what's at the top? >> reporter: that's right. a number of pressing issues. first of all, it's a very quick trip. the president is actually due back here in washington tomorrow night. excuse the ringing phone here in the booth, fredricka. this is, obviously, a chance for the leaders of these three countries to sit down and talk about pressing issues. at the top of the agenda is the h1n1 virus. all three countries looking ahead at prepping for what could be an outbreak come this full. this is an opportunity for the countries to talk about how they are all preparing for that and to coordinate their efforts on that front. also, the economic recovery. because they're so closely tied economically through trade, this is a chance for the leaders of mexico and canada to get an update from president obama on what the financial picture in the united states looks like right now and also what it looks like g

elaine quijano live from washington. thanks, elaine. >> sure. >>> americans around the country have been glued to the health care debates whether watching on television, watching online or showing up at the town halls. our deputy political reporter paul stein houser is now checking out some of the latest polls. >> reporter: melissa, we have seen a lot of coverage in the media at the protests at town halls across the country the lawmakers are holding. the question, are americans paying attention? look at these numbers from gallup conducted days ago. next question that comes to mind, is the president having any impact on the vast majority of americans out there? more numbers from the same survey, you can see, 34% of those questioned said the protests, the views of these professo professors, a lot of these demonstrators are mostly against the president and the health care proposal, 34% say more sympathetic to those views now, 21%, only one in five say they are less sympathetic to the views of the protesters. see at the bott

elaine quijano is at the white house. elaine, the president staying on message today, and likely at least for another 30 days? >> reporter: yeah, that's right. we should tell you that president obama, as you might guess, certainly expressing his pleasure at the fact that the house energy and commerce committee actually did go ahead and pass his version of the health care legislation. he said in a written statement that said, this bill be strengthen consumer protections and choice and lowering costs and care. in his internet and radio address, he previewed a trip he'll be taking next week to elkhart, indiana. that's a community that's been hit especially hard by the recession. take a listen. >> for communities like elkhart to thrive, we need to recapture the spirit of innovation that has always moved america forward. that means once again having the best educated, highest skilled work force in the world. that means a health care system that makes it possible for entrepreneurs to innovate and businesses to compete without b

. >> reporter: there is craig, dominique, olarmi, laurie, terry, brian, jacqueline, sean and elaine.> 15 -- >> reporter: in all an unprecedented 14 surgeries over four days with ambulances rushing kidneys between georgetown university hospital and washington hospital center. dr. keith bolanson is director of kidney transplants at georgetown. dney disease in this country of especially in the big urban centers. >> reporter: diabetes and high blood pressure are to blame. nationwide, 80,000 people are waiting for a kidney. 32% are black. and there aren't enough donors. here in washington, d.c. the need is especially acute. 6,000 people are on dialysis. vast majority african-american. yet doctors only perform 250 transplants each year. one big problem minorities often build up antibodies that cause organ rejection. so the doctor helped pioneer a process to filter the antibodies from blood plasma making a transplant a reality. >> wthink that with this procedure that we could perform thousands more transplants in this country. approximately 2,000 to 3,000 more transplants every year. >> rep

elaine quijano, thank you for that. as you well know from watching video, emotions are running high at many town hall meetings nationwide. today we are live with health care reform uninterrupted. talking abouted town hall meetings. you'll hear from people on all sides of the face in their own words. 9 questions and answers on town hall wall at 2:00 p.m. eastern today only on cnn. >>> a live lation today about harsh interrogation techniques during the bush administration. threatening one pair of suspects with a gun and a power drill. the man who's accused in the bombing of the "uss cole" was also allege think waterboarded. the information was contained in a federal report. the federal judge ordered it released next week. >>> and being praised as fair and mostly free. a terrible side to the story. the taliban finding violent ways to get back at some voters. in kabul with the story, and even though it doesn't seem to be widespread, some of the details are just horrific. >> reporter: it is horrific, t.j. hoar rick, the week

we heard that from our white house correspondent elaine quijano.ormation we have on that. meanwhile, those americans have been held since march. they are accused of illegally going into north korea for some sort of smear campaign. you see president clinton there across the table from kim jong-il and walking right down the same hallway right next to each other. all these pictures brand-new to us. just giving you a minute to look at them as we continue to report on this former news of the president being in north korea and speaking personally, face-to-face, with kim jong-il. jill, pretty amazing pictures we're looking at now. >> these are fascinating. pictures of kim jong-il are poured over by analysts in the united states. they look at every wrinkle in any photograph that comes out. trying to figure out what his health is like. he was very ill, he had a stroke, how is he looking? is he skinny? is he heavy, what is happening? now to see the former president of the united states right next to him, it's quite extraordinary to see that and it will be ve

dick cheney said harsh interrogations helped keep the country safe after 9/11 and elaine quijano has the details from a newly declassified report. >>> interrogators threatened to kill the children of accused 9/11 mastermind khalid shaikh mohammed. the cia inspector general report said according to this interrogator the blank interrogator said to khalid shaikh mohammed that if anything else happens in the united states, we're going to kill your children. the report also unveil aztec neek thought previously disclosed that an interrogator reportedly used a pressure point technique with both his hands on the detainee's neck manipulated his fingers to restrict the detainee's carotid artery until he passed out. new information about a gun and power drill accused of plotting the deadly bombing on the "u.s.s. cole." he entered the cell where al nashiri sat shackled and racked the handgun once or twice close to al nashiri's head. the briefer entered the detainee's cell and revved the drill while the detainee stood naked and hooded. the release comes after a lawsuit by the american national ci

>> elaine quijano from the white house. thanks, elaine. >>> health care isn't a religious issue, or at least it doesn't have to be, but faith can play a role, and not only preaching for against reform. the health insurance co-ops that you have heard about take many different forums and help many different groups. cnn's kate bolduan met with true believers. >> reporter: as the health care debate rages on in washington, we decided to get outside the beltway. we're heading to philadelphia to take a look at one alternative people are turning to. it's called bill sharing. in this case, a large group of christians pool their money to cover each others' medical costs. it's not conventional insurance, and it's not regulated. christian activist shane clayborn is a member of one. ohio-based christian health care ministry. >> one of the things i like about it is it's relational and i can see exactly where my money's going. >> reporter: last time we saw clayborn he was touring the country promoting his book "jesus for president." he mo

>> all right, elaine quijano for us this morning. thank you, elaine.ive coverage of the president's town hall remarks, you can stay right here with cnn, it'll come your way 1:00 p.m. eastern. >>> in the meantime, let's go ahead and take a moment to get back to the town hall meeting underway right now in lebanon, pennsylvania. you see senator arlen specter there. i want to go ahead and listen in for just a moment as he addresses the crowd. >> because people are uninsured, everybody is paying an additional $1,000. it's a hidden tax, but when people go to the emergency rooms, taxpayers end up paying for it. and we want to solve that issue. these are all very, very important matters. well, i'm up to 6 1/2 minutes, that's about as long as anybody ought to talk. i have allotted an hour and a half for this meeting. and we have distributed cards, first come first serve for 30 people to ask questions. and who has card number one? if you want to stay in the hall, if you want to stay in the hall, we're not going to tolerate any demonstrations or any booing. so it

elaine reyes has more. >> reporter: quiet, isolated and remote. in broad daylight. >> what is disconcerting is she was in the area checking on a relative's home. they were not home at the time so she went to an area where she felt comfortable and she got into a situation where she was attacked. >> reporter: police say the # #- year-old woman went in and out of consciousness during the tax. no weapons were used, only strength and force. investigators believe she had no expectation of danger because they was in an area she knew. but she didn't know her attackers. the victim did not have a cell phone. after the tax, she was able to drive herself to reston hospital and then she called police. investigators aren't release august description of the suspect at this time. they are asking for the public's help in finding these two men. >> we do not see these type of crimes. that is what is disconcerting about. the fact that it is isolated make it even more unusual. >> that was elaine rewhere he reporting. police are hoping to release a sketch sometime in t

. >> let's bring in elaine quijano. the administration had dismissed the critics at town halls. now we're hearing there's an effort by democrats to start to control this message. >> yeah, that's right. last week as you said, officials really did try to dismiss this as astro turf, in other words not genuine grass roots organizing. they said this is manufactured anger. but at the same time, it was interesting to see the white house still took the step of launching a video on youtube featuring linda douglas who is basically the administration's message person when it comes to health care. and so that video was out there, and now we're seeing white house allies coming forward trying to rally supporters to the cause, as well. a group called organizing for america sent an e-mail today telling people to visit their local lawmakers offices trying to counter the message and let lawmakers, counter the protestors' message and let lawmakers know that there are, in fact, people who do support health care reform legislation. >> and i'm sure the administration is aware of this, but they have t

>> very interesting, elaine. good reporting all week, by the way, on this. >> reporter: thank you. >>> moving ahead. health care reform proposals continuing to cause problems. let me hear your concerns. send your questions on facebook. i'm sitting in for fred fredricka. and dune in today at 4:00 eastern, where our panel of guests will separate fact from fiction in this muddled health care debate. we have several hours to send in your questions on that. >>> august has been, hasn't been -- virginia congressman hits the road for another health care town hall. we'll be there with the latest. during the lexus golden opportunity sales event, you can do both. special lease offers now available on the 2009 es 350. have discovered how easy it is to use legalzoom for important legal documents. at legalzoom, we'll help you incorporate your business, file a patent, make a will and more. you can complete our online questions in minutes. then we'll prepare your legal documents and deliver them directly to you. so start your bu

our elaine quijano standing by to talk a little bit more about this. yeah, we did expect to hear something from him. but as we were mentioning before hearing from the president, he needed to be very careful about how he chose his words here. >> that's right. i don't know if you could tell at the very end, a reporter shouted a question to the effect, what does this mean now going forward. a lot of people are asking that question, does this in any way mean there will be better relations between north korea and the u.s., relations which as you know, heidi, have been particularly strained. we heard recently in fact some of the rhetoric really bizarre in some respects, rhetoric between the current secretary of state, hillary clinton, and some of the north korean leadership. but what we heard from president obama there again, obviously a desire to emphasize that this is a humanitarian mission that was carried out successfully, staying away from answering any kind of questions or perhaps sending any clues or signals about what this might in fact mean for the

elaine quijano joins us now from the white house. elaine, what is the president saying about it this morning? >> betty, the president is cautiously optimistic about these latest job numbers. they showed a drop in the unemployment rate from 9.5% to 9.4%. now that is the first time it's dropped since april of last year. nevertheless, white house officials certainly aren't doing any victory laps just yet. the president did talk about these numbers in his radio address, his weekly radio and internet address. take a listen. >> this month's job numbers are a sign that we've begun to put the brakes on this recession and that the worst may be behind us. but we must do more than rescue our economy from this immediate crisis. we must rebuild it stronger than before. we must lay a new foundation for future growth and prosperity and a key pillar of a new foundation is health insurance reform. reform that we are now closer to achieving than ever before. >> reporter: now the president arguing there once again that getting the economy back on track

elaine, what can you tell us?reporter: we know moments ago the jury did reach its verdict on-in this corruption case, counts in all, guilty on 11 counts including money and money laundering, not guilty on fiver including obstruction of justice. former louisiana congressman william jefferson perhaps best known for the image you see right there, stashing $90,000 in cash in his freezer, wrapped if foil and stuffed into boca burger boxes and pillsbury pie crust boxes. prosecutors charge that cash was just the tip of the iceberg. they charged him with receiving more than $400,000 in bribes in exchange to brokering business deals back in 2005. there you have it, the information still coming in from our producers at the courthouse but guilty on 11 counts including bribery and money laundering in this case of william jefferson. suzanne? >> elaine quijano, breaking news. thank you very much, elaine. >>> for more on the implications of bill clinton's high-stakes mission, let's bring in our cnn political correspondent candy

. >> elaine quijano, thank you so much. i know that a lot of his aides are hunkering down this weekend trying to talk about the next step. he is at camp david. but i guess how are they all trying to make sure that they are -- on the same page? >> yeah, exactly right. they are trying to do just that. in fact we saw a bunch of vehicles we should tell you just behind the camera on west executive avenue leaving. day two basically of this white house retreat. where we saw 22 cabinet-ranking members come in, sit down to discuss how they think they have done basically over the past six months. just passed that mark. they are also looking at what their goals and priorities are going to be moving forward. obviously the economy and health care two big issues the administration is dealing with. >> elaine quijano, from the white house. little more on the president's schedule. monday, president obama attends an event celebrating the new gi bill. it gives major new incentives to our active duty troops in iraq and afghanistan. and then on

don. >> elaine quijano in washington.hank you very much. >>> the propponents of the heal care proposal attend the largest health care rally and they summed up their feelings with a single phrase, hands off my health care. i was there for a rally and talked with two organizers. where was the outrage five years ago, 10 years ago, 15 years ago, why all this outrage now? at least the president is trying to reform health care, so where does the outrage come from. >> this is the second town hall i actually saw real americans get up and ask questions. it wasn't a preselected group. >> hold on. real americans, that's another term that sets people off. we're all real americans. >> anybody can get in and n anybody can ask a question. you've seen a completely different tenor in the town hall he held tuesday and today than town halls we've been seeing so far in this debate. that's what i mean by real americans. >> the whole real americans, can we lose real americans. everybody in this country, we're all real americans. that is part o

>> elaine quijano, thanks so much for joining us with that information. now we might be able to get some more information, i guess somewhat consider this right to the source. ray lahood is the secretary of transportation. he is joining us now. you know, this is, i think in most people's eyes, fantastic news, that the former president was able to go in there and negotiate this release, if indeed that's what happened. i imagine at this point, you guys aren't releasing a lot of information because until they are on the plane and on the way back, you are afraid you might blow this, right? >> well this is out of my lane, rick. i will be happy to talk to you about trains, planes and automobiles but i will wait to let the white house talk to but these issues. i'm thrilled for the young ladies and also their families. >> i do know that you have been particularly keen lately, talking about what is going on with the economy. and you have been very much tied to this cash for clunkers program. you know, this is interesting, because this thing has really he essentiall

. >>> cnns elaine quijano at the white house. what is the president saying and doing while he has got most of congress in recess? >> well, you can imagine, fredericka, the president obviously is pleased the key house committee last night went ahead and passed its own version of health care legislation. the president released a written statement this morning saying, quote, this historic step by the house, energy and commerce committee -- the white house knows fredricka it is in for a very tough fight. the month of august is going to be very critical here. lawmakers here back in their home districts could make or break health care reform. certainly in fact the pace of how quickly things get done this year. fredericka. >> how will the president do this. we know he is going to be on the road again similar to how he was earlier in the week. >> that's right he is going to be heading next week to elkhart, indiana. they were hit by the recession, saw thousand of jobs disappear from the community because of the decline of the rv manufactu

on the orange elaine, trains are a single tract between vienna and west falls church -- on the orange line. these delays will last through sunday night. now, in developing story from overseas to right here at home. abc7 has confirmed that aarine with ties to capitol hill and journalism has been killed in afghanistan. richard reeve is live without his friends are remembering in. >> his friends say he was a staffer, a journalist, and a u.s. marine. like many, 9/11 changed his life. he joined the marine corps, trying to make a difference. >> he impressed all of us. >> the marine sergeant, bill, killed thursday in afghanistan. a single gunshot and ended his life in an area of intense fighting for u.s. forces. >> it is a shock still, but he believed strongly in it. captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org-- he cared about it. >> and longtime friend is done by his death. he reminisced about a life that -- turning point after 9/11. a congressional staffer and journalist, he joined the marines as a reservist in 2003. you don't want to serve two tours in iraq. he ran for

elaine quijano has a look at what's happening across the country as the debate heats up. >> it readsmething that was brought up in the early is 1930s in germany. >> reporter: with lawmakers back home, anger is boiling over. democratic senator tom harkin got shouted down at this health care meeting in iowa. in georgia, signs the debate is taking a toll. >> those of you here who have taken and came and hijacked this event that we're dealing with here. >> reporter: democratic congressman david scott lashed out after a doctor from his district asked -- >> why are you voting for a health care plan that has shown not to work in massachusetts and why are you going to institute that in a nationwide manner? >> reporter: at first scott says he wasn't sure how he would vote, then he let loose. >> don't come and take advantage of what these individuals have done! you want a meeting with me on health care? i'll give it to you. >> reporter: in texas, for republican congressman michael burgess. >> this doesn't look like a mob, it looks like home. >> reporter: the crowd stayed calm, but some of the

. >> reporter: so does duncan's sister elaine who had doubts about his brother's interests in life one streets. >> there were times when i thought oh pie god, you know, why is he doing this. >> reporter: duncan was 65 when he died on june 27th. he left a storage locker full of work. some of which is bound for the library at the ohio state university. >> he was a voice where there was no voice. and this meant a great deal to him. >> everything he did was weird. everything he did was odd. everything he did was totally unique. >> reporter: he made his subjects unique too. john blackstone, cbs news, berkeley, california. >> mitchell: and that is the "cbs evening news." later on cbs "60 minutes." thanks for joining us this sunday evening. i'm russ mitchell, cbs news in new york. katie couric will be here tomorrow night. good night. captioning sponsored by cbs captioned by media access group at wgbh access.wgbh.org

elaine quijano, cnn, the white house. >>> we do have a camera at a town hall in poplar bluff, missouri we're monitoring with senator claire mccaskill trying to reach out to her constituents. is this going to be peaceful or out of control, like some have been in the past? we have a camera there. we will watch it for you. we will not just give you clips. we will let you watch for yourself. >>> back to what some may call a back room deal that you frankly just need to know about as an american citizen. has the president of the united states cut a deal with the pharmaceutical companies that is good for them but maybe not so good for you as a taxpayer? and will congress challenge that deal? what is it? it seems to be the type of deal that this president railed against ironically enough, when he was campaigning. >> medicare prescription drug bill, for example, the congress specifically exempted medicare from being able to negotiate for the cheapest available price. that was a profound mistake. >> so here's what happened now. the white house needs an industry friend to help it pass health care

cnn's elaine quijano is there. and, elaine, i expect health care to be on the table in addition to maybe a little backtalk about what's happening in north korea? >> reporter: perhaps, the economy, health care, perhaps a little of north korea. but also we're told by white house press secretary, robert gibbs, kyra, that the cash for clunkers program is going to be high on the president's list of agenda items. why? well, president obama is going to reiterate, we're told, his support for this program and the fact that he wants to see the senate go ahead and extend it. now, how does the president support doing that? well, by taking already approved funds from the department of energy and energy-efficient programs. the bottom line is they believe the cash for clunkers program has been a success on the economic front and it's a success they believe on the environmental front. they say consumers are saving money with this program. it's accomplishing the mission of taking some of these older, polluting vehicles off the stre

elaine, why would holder want to look into these cases now? reporter: well, as you noted, the attorney general has now asked the federal prosecutor, heidi to review whether interrogations under the bush administration broke the law. and he says his decision was influenced by the newly released cia inspector general report. interrogators threatened to kill the children of accused 9/11 master mind, the 2004 cia inspector general's report though still partially lly red, said if anything else happens in the united states, we're going to kill your children. the report also reveals a technique not previously disclosed, that an interrogator "reportedly used a pressure point technique with both his hands on the detainee's neck, manipulated his fingers to restrict the detainee's carotid artery." and new information about a gun and a power drill used to scare nashiri. "the debriefer entered the cell where he sat shackled and racked the handgun close to his head." and later the briefer entered the detainee's cell. the debriefer did not touch him with the

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elaine has been with aarp for 14 years. >> i'm extremely disappointed in the aarp. >> reporter: retiredears. >> i don't want to be connected with aarp. >> many are switch together american senior's association, a group that calls itself the conservative alternative. >> thousand new members today so, far. that's good. >> lath week alone they added more than 5,000 new members. our camera was there friday when the mail came. >> it's nice to see that someone still thinks we senior citizens are not idiots. >> reporter: letters were filled with cut up aarp cards. >> i think that probably the seniors are most up set about the cutings in medicare. >> the american senior's association is flat-out against president obama's plan which cost $313 billion in medicare cuts over 10 years. the aarp is widely viewed as supporting the president. >> we have the aarp on board because they know this a good deal for our seniors. rted the aarp called the president's statements inaccurate saying it hasn't endorsed any plan or bill. some were left with the feeling that aarp was waffling. >> i feel that they are

professor deloris elaine good of wesley university is a fourth generation islander. >> 1899 my greater was a chamber maid in the wesley hotel. >> reporter: many blacks who came here as servants later bought property in one of the few places they legally could. now many of those colorful, ornate cottages line oak bluffs' streets. >> why we come is because of the camaraderie and the feeling of closeness to people. >> reporter: given its history and popularity now with middle class african-american families, people who spend a lot of time here will tell you there's no place quite like oak bluffs anywhere else in the country. every monday after a brisk workout, there's a pot luck breakfast on the beach. today rumors spread the obamas just might join in. >> this year i turned 80, and the president's coming to the vineyard. that's great. that's really, really great. >> reporter: the president did not come by the beach, but they still see his time on the island as part of a long, proud tradition. ron allen, nbc news, oak bluffs. >>> and that's our broadcast for this monday evening. good to

we start at the white house with elaine.tics today. what are those tactics? >>> that's right, john. the white house is looking at aim the message on health care to people who have coverage. the president is heading to new hampshire, a state where a lot of people, 90% of the people have health care. we're going to hear president obama hit on familiar themes, includingi changing the system o make sure they cannot deny someone because of pre-existing conditions. the white house is pushing back on another front. if the pwebpage calling it the reality jacket. it underlines the fact that some of the arguments out there are getting some trash in. another tool that the white house is using to push back against what it sees as misinformation. john? >> we haven't heard a lot about the fireworks. are we getting any insight to what the president thinks about them? >> oh we heard from president obama himself yesterday. he said, look, these are vigorous debates, they're healthy, necessary, because he believes that health care reform is so

elaine quijano, cnn, washington. >>> bill is not a hurricane anymore but it's left a tragic legacy. remnants of bill now moving away from the canadian coast in the atlantic after churning up gigantic waves. waves like this swept a group of surf watchers into the sea off the main coast yesterday, killing a 7-year-old girl. bill is also blamed in the death of a 54-year-old florida swimmer. chad myers, where is that storm now and how strong is it? >> well, it's still a fairly large storm, and the satellite picture here, i will take you to that first because it is really moving. now, 45 miles per hour, it is just hauling itself away now, caught in what we call the westerlies, the west winds just blowing it out into the atlantic ocean. but it will take it very close to scotland and the uk and wales so as this low comes through, it still may be a 40 mile per hour wind maker for the areas here to the north of london, which would be down there. london could see 20, 30 mile per hour gusts as well and a lot of rain as it goes by because even though it's not really in the tropics anymore, it's

that's why we go to elaine. the first hispanic american. give me an idea what meeting will take place between she and the president? >> that's right. of course this is a huge victory for president obama, his first high court appointee getting sworn in today. an emotional moment, first of all, as sonia sotomayor was sworn in by chief justice roberts and her mother and brother looking on there. for his part, president obama did not attend. why is that? the president himself wanted this to take place at the supreme court itself, not the white house. it has been done in the past, because he wanted to send a message about the court and the symbol of the court's independence, according to court and legal sources. instead, there will be a reception for now justice sonia sotomayor. it will take place wednesday here at the white house. we are told both president obama and vice president joe biden are expected to be in attendance. >> thanks so much. appreciate that from the white house. much more from you later on in the day. so justice sotomayor is