jeanne meserve, cnn, washington. >> you probably have a dress code at work. well, believe it or not, they have one at the rodeo too. it applies to everyone. >> we all want to be a cowboy at some point. and this is a great opportunity for me to dress like a cowboy and act like a cowboy, even though i don't look like a cowboy. >> why only jeans and boots will do if you want to be ring side at the rodeo. ♪ cnn, headlines news, or msnbc are locked on your favorites? if they are i've got the gift for you. i'm gonna richardson and my next guest is ken pullson. a pleasure to have you here. >> good to be with you >> what is the museum. most people know. >> sometimes there you an a museum in articling ton, virginia called the museum. it was an effort to remind americans of the value of news gathering in america and a nod to the first amendment. we did so well there so we decided to take it where the action is. we have a brand new museum called a the museum on pennsylvania avenue. it's a -- it's a 45 word sign out front with the words of the first amendment 'em blazed

i'm very proud of my children. >> jeanne meserve joins us now live from raleigh, north carolina. it is clear from the incident the government's been tracking these people for a while. any idea why they were actually busted this week? >> well, a law enforcement source tells me that there were indications that some members of this group may have been about to change locations. the source will not say where authorities believe they may have been headed or what they might have been up to. one possible indicator that he's talking about, some of the neighbors in this -- that lived around the boyd family stay tha last weekend they had a garage sale. sometimes that is an indication people are trying to get rid of possessions before they move. >> all right, well, jeanne meserve, our homeland security correspondent, thank you. >>> one step closer to the supreme court bench for sonia sotomayor. the vote is expected to happen next week. yesterday the senate judiciary committee endorsed her bid, this after holding four days of hearings to examine her. >>> are we really seeing the end of the m

jeanne meserve in raleigh, north carolina. thanks so much for that. >>> health care on the agenda and the president is taking his message to a supermarket in virginia today. but the people who need convincing are members of his own party. democratic leaders sent six hours last night negotiating with house blue dogs, fiscally conservative democrats who have the most to defeat any bill that comes from the energy and commerce committee. jim acosta is digging deeper to figure out why the coalition is putting the brakes on the health care plan. good morning, jim. >> you're right. when it comes to health care reform, president obama is having as much trouble with members of his own party as he is republicans. take the conservative house democrats known as blue dogs. without them, the democrats would not have a majority in the house, something they now know all too well. >> we'll see. >> reporter: running from meeting to meeting surrounded by news cameras, the blue dogs mag be the most popular breed of politician on capitol hill thes

. >> that of course is jeanne meserve. coming up on abc 2 news at 6, a warning about your next tweet. it might offer you a lot of money future a little effort, and cost you more cash than you ever imagined. beware of scammers using twitter or the rip you off. >>> and the flu usually disappears during the summer, but the swine flu is breaking all the rules. we'll have the stories and much more coming up on abc 2 news at 6. fios guy! where ya headed? ah, just installed fios in the whole building. now everyone has the fastest upload speeds. and we're giving them a mini netbook. well, i'm sticking with cable. so's ted. (voice) no i'm not! he's just goofing. (voice) no i'm not! (sighing) ted has betrayed me. (announcer) unlike cable, fios brings 100% fiber optics straight to your home and when you switch now, you can get a free compaq mini netbook. just pay shipping, handling and taxes. with fios, you'll get razor-sharp tv, blazing fast internet and crystal-clear phone service all for just... sign up today. call the verizon cen

cnn's jeanne meserve is in raleigh with the latest. >> reporter: kyra, prosecutors say daniel boyd, a u.s. citizen, the son of a marine, conspired to wage jihad overseas. they say he recruited, among others, two of his own sons. now, the mother of those boys, daniel boyd's wife sabrina, is offering explanations for the accusations being made by the government. will low spring, north carolina, seems an unlikely place to find terrorists. but on monday, a s.w.a.t. team swept down on this house to arrest daniel boyd. two of his sons and four other suspects were also picked up. >> they had all sworn to be martyrs. they had all sworn to be -- carry out jihad operations. and they had all sworn their hatred of the united states. >> reporter: in the early 1990s, daniel boyd fought against the soviets in afghanistan. more recently, the government alleges he used his street cred and experience to recruit young men in the raleigh area to wage jihad overseas. according to court documents, they amassed a cache of weapons and trained with them in rural north carolina. >> i would compare this potenti

here is jeanne meserve. >> reporter: prosecutors say that daniel boyd, a u.s. citizen, the son of a marine, conspired to wage jihad overseas. they explained he recruited among other things two of his own sons. the mother of those boys, daniel boyd's wife, sabrina, is offering explanations for the accusations being made by the government. daniel boyd fought in afghanistan in the early 1990s but settled in north carolina. he and his two sons were among seven people arrested monday on terrorism charges. his wife tells cnn, they are innocent. >> i know that my husband and my sons are free of guilt and i am hopeful that the truth will come to light. >> reporter: in court documents shall the government says the group stockpiled a cash of high-powered weapons. she says they were responding to news reports that guns and ammunition were becoming scarce. >> we will say we do own guns in our home as our constitutional right allows us. i don't think there is a crime in that. >> reporter: the government says the group trained for jihad in rural north carolina. sabrina boyd

jeanne meserve is live in washington with more on this.itics saying about where they're building this facility. >> i tell you, lit be locate in a town called manhattan, kansas. but a draft government accountability report is fanning the flames of a fierce argument over whether the decision is a dangerous one. >> reporter: a powerful tornado hit manhattan, kansas last year, doing $20 million of damage to kansas state university. but this is where the department of homeland security has decided to put a new agricultural laboratory to research the most dangerous animal pathogens, like highly contagious foot and mouth disease. critics say after it's built, another tornado could damage the facility, resulting in a relief and a catastrophe. >> it's absolutely unsafe. all they need is that tornado to hit and it will cause billions of dollars of damages to the u.s. economy, it will wipe out tens of millions of animals. >> reporter: joe frey represents a group that wants the lab and the economic benefits in san antonio, texas, one of several compet

john and kiran, back to you. >> jeanne meserve for us. thanks so much.so health care, it's all the talk these days and is something going to get done or is it not. it's interesting harry and louise, remember them, they're back again, only this time they're on the other side of the issue. jim acosta has that story coming up next. 55 minutes after the hour. >>> 57 minutes past the hour. welcome back to the most news in the morning. you may remember back in 1994 the health insurance industry helped derail president clinton's plan for health care reform with the help of the "harry and louise" ads. as president obama pushes his plans for reform, harry and louise are back. but as our jim acosta reports the two actors have changed their story. >> reporter: president obama is urging americans to tune out the forces against health care reform. >> i know that there are those in this town who openly declare their intention to block reform. the familiar washington scripts that we've seen many times before. >> the paper says congress is moving ahead. >> reporter: one

let's go to jeanne meserve in rally with details. what do we know about this?of a marine, a convert to islam. he fought in afghanistan against the soviets and now he is accused of conspireing to commit violent jihad by recruiting, among others, two of his own sons. north carolina seems an unlikely place to find terrorists. on monday, a s.w.a.t. team swept down to arrest daniel boyd, two of his sons and four other suspects were picked up. >> this he had all sworn to be martyrers and carry out the jihad operations and sworn their hate tr hatred of the united states. >> reporter: in the early 1990s, he fought against the soviet in afghanistan. he used his street credentials to recruit young men to wage jihad overseas. they amassed a cash of weapons and trained with them in rural north carolina. >> i would compare this potential in this case that they could have conducted another mumbai type attack. they could have traveled to a more populated area in the united states and in using that tremendous arsenal, could have killed hundreds of people before being stopped b

. >> i am jeanne meserve in atlantic city where they are building bombs to make your flight safer.ation for... dinner bell sfx: ping ping ping fancy feast elegant medleys tuscany entrÉes restaurant inspired dishes with long grain rice and garden greens is it love? or is it fancy feast? dddddddddddddddu naing onon ud r. weotototatatininci on us cars for everybody anont cfidedence ininin o. caususususlendnds s ve a a a t tcks. ququq n . >>> wow, look at that. you might think it is a horrible act of terrorism but, guess what? it is not. actually meant to prevent attackers from bringing bombs on planes. our homeland security correspondent, jeanne meserve is over at a special government lab in atlantic city in new jersey watching this story for us. jeanne, what's going on there? >> reporter: i am in a warehouse full of thousands of thousands of suitcases, because a bomb can be hidden in a piece of luggage, these are valuable tools in the search for better aviation security. airplanes blown to smither reasons all in the name of science and security. it begins at the trans

with this story, here's jeanne meserve. >> reporter: a 47-year-old man died in this flint, michigan fireapril. the first firefighters on scene attempted a rescue but because of recent cutbacks, didn't immediately have a pumper truck to douse the flames. >> if we had the water, potentially we could have made it up the stairs on the first trip. >> reporter: last month in alameda, california, a firefighter was injured, colleagues say, because cutbacks slowed the response. officials in both flint and alameda dispute that budget decisions had a significant impact on these tragic events, but the firefighters union maintains the communities all across the country are playing russian roulette by cutting fire services. >> we're seeing firefighters furloughed, laid off, taken cuts in pay, cuts in benefits, stations are being closed, stations are being browned out. >> reporter: in atlanta, georgia, this fire house is one of five that have been shuttered. the firefighters union says the city has half the fire personnel it should. >> on any given day, we'll only have 140 firefighters on duty in the c

jeanne meserve, cnn, washington. >>> stay here for the senate judiciary committee vote on sonia sotomayor. i'm heidi collins. "cnn newsroom" continues with tony harris. >> good morning, everyone. it is tuesday, july 28th. the michael jackson investigation. sources tell cnn that dr. conrad murray did give the singer anesthesia in the hours before his heart stopped beating. >>> washington's health care overhaul. may gut key elements the president wants to see in a reform bill and here comes the judge. the senate committee gets ready to vote shortly on sonia sotomayor as the next supreme court justice. good morning, everien wity en i. i'm tony harris and you're in the "cnn newsroom." >>> there are striking new developments this morning in the michael jackson death investigation. a source close to it tells cnn jackson's personal doctor allegedly gave jackson a dangerous anesthetic 24 hours before he died. our ted rowlands is chasing the details. >> reporter: according to a source close to the jackson family with knowledge of the ongoing investigation into michael jackson's death, dr. conrad m

our jeanne meserve tells us about the department's concerns over a historic barge attraction in pennsylvaniasummertime >> reporter: it's hard to imagine many things more peaceful than a leisurely barge boat ride on pennsylvania's historic lehigh canal. but the long arm of homeland security has stretched even here. >> it has nothing to do with international or national security. it has to do with some tourism and letting people relive our historic past. certainly no threat to national security. >> reporter: the mayor is upset that four historic reenacters at the humore historic park and handle the boat and the mules that pull it had to go through the bother and expense of getting secure credentials called transportation worker identity cards or twic. >> it's ridiculous when you get right down to it. >> reporter: the cards were mandated for all mariners after 9/11 to make sure port workers aren't terrorists. so, what needs protecting around here? and who exactly are the terrorists? >> our biggest threat is not the threat of man. it's the threat of the weather. the threat of natural forces. and

jeanne meserve explains. >> reporter: a powerful tornado hit manhattan, kansas, last year doing $20 million of damage to kansas state university. but this is where the department of homeland security has decided to put a new agricultural laboratory to research the most dangerous animal pathogens like highly contagious foot-and-mouth disease. after it is built, another tornado could damage the facility, resulting in a release and catastrophe. >> it is absolutely unsafe. all they need is that tornado to hit and it will cause billions of dollars of damages to the u.s. economy and wipe out tens of millions of animals. >> reporter: a group that wants the lab and its economic benefits in san antonio, texas. one of several competing sites. he and others are seizing on a draft government accountability which says the d.a.'s decision to put the lab in kansas, it concludes it could result in regrettable consequences. what is the gao talking about? foot-and-mouth disease was released from a research lab in britain in 2001, leading to eight outbreaks on nearby farms, which were contained by massive ani

as jeanne meserve reports that could leave people in danger. >> reporter: firefighters are feeling the pinch of the tough economic times but are cutting fire services putting people at risk. a man died in this fire in april. the first firefighters on scene attempted a rescue. but because of recent cutbacks didn't immediately have a pumper truck to douse the flame. >> if we had the water, potentially we could have made it upstairs. >> reporter: last month in alameda, california, a firefighter was injured, his colleague say, because cutbacks slowed the response. officials in both flint and alameda dispute that budget decisions had a significant impact on tragic events. but the firefighters union maintains communities all across the country are playing russian roulette by cutting fire services. >> we're seeing firefighters furloughed laid off, taking cuts in pay, cuts in benefits. stations are being closed. stations are being browned out. >> reporter: in atlanta, georgia, this firehouse is one of five that have been shuttered. the firefighter's union said the city had half the personnel.

let's go to our homeland security correspondent jeanne meserve. >> reporter: the eighth suspect in thisase is jude mohammed, who is believed to be in pakistan. some people who know him and others charged are skeptical they had anything to do with terrorism. >> reporter: his family believes he went to pakistan to solve a religious crisis, not to wage jihad. the religious crisis, she said, led to the friendship with daniel boyd, the man the government says was at the center of this alleged terror ring. >> daniel would talk to some of the youth that had troubles that had nowhere to go. in all fairness, i would like to say that they would come to him for help and guidance. >> reporter: sources say all of the accused went to the same mosque, but they cut different profiles. two of them were described by one member of the muslim community as thugs. in a photo reportedly from yaghi's facebook page, he displays a knife. in december of 2008 yaghi and hassan allegedly beat up a young man who owed them money and drove him to an atm. they were charged with kidnapping and robbery with a dangerous we

cnn's jeanne meserve reports on five years of progress and failure. . and it's not a steroid. better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airways. to help me breathe better all day long. and it's not a steroid. announceit keeps my airw

let's go to cnn's jeanne meserve. >> reporter: the department of homeland security has decided to locate a new agricultural research facility in manhattan, kansas, but a government accountability report is fanning the flames of a fierce argument over whether the decision is a dangerous one. a powerful tornado hit manhattan, kansas last year, doing $20 million of damage to kansas state university. but this is where the department of homeland security has decided to put a new agricultural laboratory to research the most dangerous animal pathogens like highly contagious foot-and-mouth disease. after it's built, critics claim another tornado could damage the facility, resulting in a release and catastrophe. >> it absolutely is unsafe. all they need is that tornado to hit and it will cause billions of dollars of damages to the u.s. economy. it will wipe out tens of millions of animals. >> reporter: he represents a group that wants the lab and its economic benefits in san antonio, texas, one of several competing sites. he and others are seizing on a draft government accountability office repor

jeanne meserve took this great look inside a laboratory that really runs these pieces of luggage throughay machine to try and close these security gaps, because they're really playing a game of catch and mouse with terrorists. they're trying to get better and better technology. all of these tsa screening machines first have to be approved by this laboratory. so they are doing work that is basically helping you and i when we go to the airports, richelle. they are looking at things like dvds right there, things that are disguised as -- i don't even know what that is. a radio. toast -- is that a toaster? but all of these things can be bombs. so they put them through these screening devices and they blow them up just like that. they're now focused on liquids specifically. they have seen things like shoes. that's why you and i have to take off our shoes at the airport. now they're focusing on liquids, so maybe we won't have to bring those little plastic baggies. >> that would be nice. >> that would be nice because i can't put all my stuff and i have a lot of stuff in a little baggy. >> i know