a developing story for us that we're following and elaine quijano at the white house. i understand, the president just spoke and did he say anything about this go it alone strategy? >> the off-camera gaggle in his office just moments ago, don. all this stems from a "new york times" story this morning and this morning in his office just now, robert gibbs pushed back against the idea that somehow the white house has made up its mind to go it alone without the help of republicans and pushing forward health care reform. robert gibbs saying that asked whether or not that was necessarily the case and he said absolutely not. he said that the president has said all along and continues to believe that, in fact, anybody and everybody who wants to work on health care, that's who the white house is going to work with on this. he noted the finance committee is still trying to hash out details on this and that the administration remains hopeful that they can get bipartisan support. he also talked about the timing. why on earth on august 19th when a vote is still weeks away. we're ta

elaine quijano is on the story with us at the white house and jill doherty joining us, as well. 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

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

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

president obama's first choice easily sailing through the senate vote this week and cnn's elaine quijano joins us live from the white house. 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 b

our elaine quijano at the white house. elaine, interesting here, it's like you got about a month-long mini campaign we're going to see for health care reform. >> reporter: right. we should tell you that the president off the bat this morning actually expressed obviously that he's pleased by what happened with the house energy and commerce committee last night. he issued a written statement saying association and he also said that it would strengthen consumer protections and choice while low aring costs and improving care. that said, as you mentioned, this is going to be an opportunity for the president to once again try to make his case on health care reform. the president in his weekly radio and internet address actually previewed an upcoming trip he'll be taking to elk harte, indiana, a community really hit hard by the recession. take a listen. >> for communities like elkhart, we need to recapture the spirit of innovation that has always moved america forward nap means once again having the best educated, highest skilled

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 friend of our show here on saturday and sunday morning, paul in washington for us. hello to you, paul, again. all right. what is helping or hurting the president, i guess? and helping him to move control of this debate? does it have to do with some of these town halls? >> yes. he's had a lot of people calling in, because there's been so much coverage in the media of protests at the town halls lawmakers are holding on health care reform. home districts, home states and a lot of shouting you know, against the president's plans on health care. look at this. a question everybody's asking. are these town halls making a difference for the vast majority of americans who weren't going to them? see here. an nbc poll out a couple days ago. six in t

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 be

elaine quijano live at the white house. explain what the president is saying today? >> you know, the president obviously wants to make sure, don, that congress stays on track to get health care reform done this year. you mentioned that the house committee passing its own version of health care legislation is a victory for the white house. so in a written statement, the president said, quote, this historic step by the white house energy and commerce committee move us closer to health insurance reform than we have ever been before. the bill passed will strengthen protection protections and choice while lowering cost and improving care, but the white house know it is in for a tough fight. take a listen to the republicans' argument of why they say washington needs to slow down on this issue. >> in this difficult recession, americans and our government are already overextended. the democrats who control congress have been spending money and racking up debt a at an unprecedented pace and their plan for government-run health care would only make things worse. uns implemente

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, 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

. >>> 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

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

>> 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

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

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

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

more, republicans arguing that america cannot afford an expensive overhaul of the system. >> elaine quijano in washington. thank you very much, elaine. >>> the health care bill not deterring the family taking a vacation on martha's vineyard tomorrow while bill is churning a couple hundred miles offshore. cnn's dan lothian is on martha's vineyard, which is an alittle known history regarding african-americans. >>. >> reporter: it's easy to see why martha's vineyard is such a big draw, the beach, the boats, the vintage carousel. but before you attach the label enclave of the rich and fame ou, long-time summer residents and harvard professor charles ogletree says take a look around. >> it really is one of these rare place where is you see people who unemployed and ceos. you see people who are wealthy and poor and there's no pretension here. people are very comfortable. >> reporter: even if sitting presidents keep dropping in. first it was ulysses s. grant, then the clintons, now president obama and his family are preparing to stretch out on this 28 1/2 blue heron farm. >> it's very flattering a

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 stree

>> 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 mov

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

elaine quijano at the white house for us this morning. , is the president tweaking his message now just a little bit with all of the activity we've seen at these town hall meetings across the country? >> reporter: you know, the president really is tweaking his message, tailoring that sales pitch, trying to aim it more directly, heidi, at people who have health insurance right now. people who are covered, heading to new hampshire. and even though he's held other town halls on health care reform, aides say today he's really going to drive home, try to drive home that message that even if a person is covered, that, in fact, the system itself is still broken. in new hampshire, we expect the president to talk about how there's a need to change the system to make sure for instance that health insurance companies aren't able to deny a person coverage because they've got a pre-existing condition. meantime, given all of the fireworks that have taken place at other town hall meetings in the nation, i asked this morning robert gibbs whether the white

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

our elaine quijano joining us live in washington with more on this. ine, 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 th

>> elaine quijano, breaking news. k 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 crowley, democratic strategist donna brazile and republican strategist tony blankley. i want to first start off with this case of william jefferson, obviously. i want to start with you, donna, because we know this congressman representing much of new orleans there. what do you make of the verdict? >> well, first of all, it's a very sad chapter in the history of louisiana politics. as you know, he was defeated last year and he's no longer serving in congress, but, again, this is part of that history that we like to always put in our past. it's unfortunate. bill jefferson served his constituents so well during his time on capitol hill, and i'm very sad about this verdict and even sadder that his entire family, some of his family members have been implicated in this bribery charge. >> candy? >> i think it'll probably come as no surprise to a

correspondent dana bash who has been all over the story joining us from washington and we also have elaine quijano live from the white house but, dana, what is this all about? what is happening? >> this is very interesting and the context of this should be that this idea, this idea of pushing health care through without republican support. it has been privately discussed for some time that this is that possibility, even a probability when we get to the fall when it's do or die time for this bill. we should emphasize that both at the white house and on capitol hill our sources are telling us that nothing has been decided and they're going to continue to work through the process with republicans. however, what is going on here is that more and more from the white house and from capitol hill, what democrats are saying is that when they hear statements from republicans over the past 48 hours or so, like chuck grassley, a top republican who has said that he doesn't necessarily think that this can be done with just four republicans votes or something that he said at a town hall last week suggesting that

elaine quijano, cnn, the white house. >>> let's take a look at where health care reform stands rightow in congress. three house committees have passed separate versions of the legislation, which now have to be merged into one bill. the full house can vote on. on the senate side, two plans have to be merged, assuming a bipartisan measure ever gets out of committee, and if bills pass the house and senate, negotiators work out differences, well then both houses vote again. if the final bill passes it goes to president obama for signature so there's still a long road ahead. >>> far from the halls of the capital, health care issues hit home for many of families. little jessica is just one of them. we will have her story straight ahead this hour. >>> also, we're watching a situation right now in hollywood, florida. live pictures we will take you to here. looks like a baby whale. baby whale looking for his mom, we are told is beached. live pictures coming from our miami affiliate, wsvn. we're following that for you right now. these days, when you have to spend, shopping online can help save

. >> 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

elaine quijano, cnn, washington. >> thank you. >>> banks, investment firms and car makers all receivedilouts but what about the country's largest employers, small businesses? turns out pickings are slim for them. it's your money. it's your main street. plus, tonight at 10:00 p.m. eastern we'll take you inside the deadly streets of chicago and some of the most dangerous neighborhoods there and talk to people who say they're gang bangers and they sell drugs and also people who are turning their lives around and the family members, as well, who have lost loved ones in the violence. i've helped somebody. you know, it makes me feel pretty good. we're offering a solution for a customer that maybe has to choose between paying their credit card or putting food on the table. our main objective is to reach out to the customers that are falling behind on their payments. a lot of customers are proud and happy that bank of america actually has a solution to help them out. i listen. that's the first thing i do is i listen. you know what, what happened? what put you in this situation? we always want

. >> cnn elaine quijano, where are you eeshgs lane? can't even see? in the bureau. >> reporter: i am. usually you're at the white house. we're going to talk about what the president had to say today about holding hands and marching forward. really, he's having trouble getting the democrats to hold each others hands and march ford on this issue? >> reporter: yeah, at the same time, trying to go and fight back against some of the claims made about the proposals, against what his administration says are myths about health care reform. in his weekly address the president also ran through some of them. for instance, saying illegal immigrants would not be cover under a health care bill, taxpayer dollars not funding abortions and addressed and echoed at the town hall meetings across the country saying his administration, drew, is not planning a government takeover of the health care system. drew? >> yeah, but at the same time, we have speaker pelosi saying she's not going forward without a public option, which many people believe is a government plan? >> rep

cnn's elaine quijano's got the story for us. >> reporter: these ads are only up at one train statione white house sit up and take notice. in washington's union station, the ads never show their pictures, or mention first daughters sasha and malia by name, but next to an image of a smiling 8-year-old the question -- president obama's daughters get healthy school lunches. why don't i? >> we wanted them to see this ad, not once, not twice, but over an over again so they think about children, especially disadvantaged children all over the u.s. >> dr. kneel barnard heads up the group behind the ads. they're aimed at congressional staffers who pass through to prod congress into getting more vegetarian and vegan lunch options in public schools. barnard says the ads grab the white house' attention, too. >> they called and says basically would we take the ads down. i'm quite sure the president would be quite delighted with the ads. >> reporter: the ads are still up. >> famous quote of a president is "my children are nobody's damn business." >> reporter: former white house press secretary joe

cnn's elaine quijano is live at the white house.of this? >> reporter: well, kiran, still waiting to hear back from officials on this, but as you noted, no final decisions have been made on this. as ed henry reported last night, top democrats close to the white house are saying that officials are actively considering this option. it's basically an obscure budget move and it is called reconciliation. it would mean that basically, instead of the 60 votes needed in the senate to push through legislation, there would only and simple majority needed -- 51 votes. this is something that has been on the table all along. it's always been an option. what's different now though is the context. we're just weeks away from when congress gets back into town after its august recess. this white house faces not only reluctant republicans when it comes to health care reform but skepticism from conservative democrats as well. >> if the white house does not pull the trigger soon on this, when might it come up? >> reporter: we're looking at when congress

here's cnn's elaine quijano. >> these ads are up only at one train station here in washington, but enough in washington's union station the ads never showed their pictures or mentioned first daughters sasha and malia by name but next to an image of a smiling 8-year-old, the question, president obama's daughters get healthy school lunches, why don't i? >> we wanted them to see that not once, not twice but over and over again so they're thinking about children, especially disadvantaged children all across the u.s. >> reporter: dr. barnard is with the group behind the ads. aimed at congressional staffers that pass through. barnard says the ads grab the white house's attention, too. they called and said, basically, would we take the ads down and i'm quite sure that the president himself would be delighted with the ads but some handlers got nervous. >> reporter: the ads are still up. doug who wrote all the president's children doused president obama would be delighted. >> famous quote joe lockhart a. >> i think president's childrens are off limits. particularly the young ones. >> reporter: che

here's elaine quijano. >> reporter: john and kiran, the white house says it's time to lower the temperaturethe heated emotions are far from cooling off. >> it reads like something that was brought up in the early 1930s in germany. >> reporter: with lawmakers back home, anger is boiling over. democratic senator tom harkin got shot down at this health care meeting in iowa. in georgia, signs the debate is taking a toll. >> those of you are 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 said he wasn't sure how he was going to 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, t

we asked cnn's elaine quijano to take a closer look.ith some answers. what are you finding out? >> reporter: it's interesting. in the meet of the summer battle over health care reform, democrats are deploying another weapon, a former insurance company insider who's speaking out once again. wendell potter used to work as the chief spokesman for cigna insurance, but he's now accusing the industry of playing what he calls dirty tricks to manipulate public opinion. >> words matter, and the insurance industry is a master at linguistics and using the hot words, the buzzwords, the buzz expressions that they know will get people upset. >> reporter: potter first came to washington in june to testify before a senate panel about insurance company practices. >> i know from personal experience that members of congress and the public have good reason to question the honesty and trustworthiness of insurance companies. >> reporter: now he's back at the invitation of democratic representative louise slaughter. potter is questioning insurance companies'

. >>> in the meantime elaine quijano working her sources at the white house this morning.what is the white house saying about this trip? >> no, you're right, two sentences is all we got from the white house press secretary robert gibbs, but telling in some ways. take a look. this is what he released earlier this morning. while this solely private mission to secure the release of two americans on the ground, we will have no comment. we do not want to jeopardize the success of former president clinton's mission. what's significant there is robert gibbs is making clear by using the words solely private mission, and saying that the former president clinton's mission trying to maintain some separation. obviously saying this is such a highly sensitive issue behind the scenes a lot of negotiations leading to this point. is the white house talking about those details right now. they are obviously not perhaps a sign of just how critical a juncture the u.s. is at right now when it comes to the release of these two journalists, but definitely from this statement, the white house tryi

. >> elaine quijano at the white house, thanks so much. >> also new this morning former homeland securitynation's terror alert. speaking for the first time since suggesting in his new book that he was pressured to raise the alerts because president bush's approval ratings went up, ridge said he did not mean to suggest bush administration officials were playing politics with the nation's security before the 2004 election. his book, by the way, comes out tomorrow. >>> and a major problem is reportedly facing the u.s. intelligence community. the "washington times" reporting there was a lack of translators who specialized in regional afghan languages critical to fighting terrorism eight years after the september 11th attacks. they said an intelligence committee found the nation's ability to understand these languages is, quote, essentially nonexist ent. the cia says it is making progress but that more needs to be done. >>> it was a blood bath at the box office this weekend. "final destination" the first pick for movie goers. the horror flick took in more than $28 million. to number two, quent

>>> 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 quijano on how a little used guns and a drill