first, let's take a little time out to get the latest, today's current news update from lisa fergusonoining us from los angeles. hi, lisa. early good morning to you. >> hey, bill, good morning, everyone. we are seeing more political fallout this morning after statements from mitt romney took aim at president obama during the attacks in libya and cairo. tuesday night, romney blamed president obama for sympathizing with the attackers and then he double downed on those claims again wednesday morning. take a look. >> the administration was wrong to stand by a statement sympathizing with those who had breached our embassy in egypt instead of condemning their actions. >> romney is basing that off of a statement from the u.s. embassy in cairo saying it does not support the criticism of muslims' religious beliefs. not only was that statement never approved by washington, it was also issued four hours before the attacks in an effort to calm the situation down. president obama, in fact, did condemn the attacks and said he is shocked romney would play politics during a time the united states is

lisa ferguson is proudly stepping into the fray in the current tv center? los angeles. obama and bill clinton speechers have garnered plenty of positive attention. the president's appearance tonight is likely to do the same, and he is up in some of the polls. [ inaudible ] right now has him with a six-point lead over romney in new jersey. apparently republicans did not get that message or perhaps more likely they are trying to distract from it. the rnr is without a new ad this morning. >> listen, this just isn't working. it has been four years. you have changed. your spending is out of control, and you are always out with hollywood celebrities. >> looks like they are trying to paint him as a big spender who takes a lot of vacations and hangs without the rich. i'm sure you can see the irony there. team romney has plenty of ad money at his disposal right now reporting a $100 million haul in august, not to mention the $165 million he now has access to now that he is the official nominee. luckily for the democrats, though, they are bringing in some money too. priorities usa

first let's start out by saying good morning to lisa ferguson. lisa good morning. >> hi, bill good morning, everyone. in mitt romney's latest flap flop he managed to reverse his stance on healthcare reform in a matter of just a few hours. he said he likes and would keep two big aspects of obamacare. one keeping people with preexisting conditions, and letting people under 26 stay on their parent's health care plan. hours after his interview sunday morning, he quietly changed his mind again. romney now does not agree with those parts of healthcare reform, and there would be no change in his stance on keeping the health care market competitive and letting the best plan win. today he is campaigning in illinois and ohio where he faces some rough news in the polls. that's because president obama is seeing an up tick in ohio he now leads romney 50 to 45%. that survey is by the public policy polling which if you are familiar with them, their numbers lean to the left. but if that is true it is bad news for romney because no candidate has ever taken the hou

lisa ferguson in los angeles. hi lisa. >> hey bill, good morning everyone.te long television ad. he is speaking directly to the camera and he tells americans if he could sit down at their kitchen table here's what he would say. >> obama: what's my plan. first we create a million new manufacturing jobs and help businesses double their exports. give tax breaks to companies that invest in america. not the to ship jobs overseas. >> other parts of the president's plan include cutting oil imports in half, training new teachers and workers bringing down student loans and reducing the deficit. that ad is airing in seven key states. over the next month and a half, we can expect both campaigns to target unlikely voters. that is because early voting is already underway and early voters tend to be educated, informed motivated. basically, they already know who they're voting for. what's left are the undecided and unlikely voters and we can expect both campaigns to work hard to get those people to the polls. meanwhile, florida is trying to keep people away. the state's of

say good morning to lisa ferguson with today's current news update. g. >> hey bill, good morning everyone. we're expecting president obama to answer some foreign policy criticism this morning when he addresses the united nations general assembly. mitt romney is attacking the president claiming he's downplaying the protests in the middle east. here's what he had to say yesterday during a campaign event in colorado. >> he said the developments in the middle east are bumps in the road. [ laughter ] yeah, that was my reaction. butches in the road? we had an ambassador assassinated. >> romney really taking any chance he can to politicize these attacks. the white house's jay carney responded to romney's remark yesterday calling it a desperate attempt to find the political advantage and in this case, it is profoundly offensive. today at the u.n. assembly, president obama plans on addressing a wide range of foreign policy issues denouncing both the violence in the middle east and the anti-islam film that sparked some of the protests. he'll also give a renewed

first we go out to los angeles and say good morning to lisa ferguson. isa, good morning. >> hi, bill. it is almost friday. good morning everybody. team romney is out with a new strategy in light of the newly leaked video that shows him shunning half of americans who he says are dependent on the government. so what's the new plan to see more of him a lot more of him in campaign appearances ads and speeches around the country. the main goal is to steer the campaign away from talks of policies and focus instead on money like creating jobs and ways to cut government spending. he's targeting two major groups with this new move, women who have a strong preference for president obama in the polls and the everyday american. many of whom are likely suspicious of him right now especially considering his 47% remark and his thoughts that middle class income is about $250,000. this whole campaign switch is a sign romney knows he's in trouble and he can't depend on the debates to turn his poll numbers around. while he's not backtracking on his 47% remark, he does seem

but right now, it's time for another current news update with the brilliant lisa ferguson.yone. infighting at team romney could be partly to blame not only for his poor performance at the convention, but also from a recent downturn in the polls. top romney strategist stewart stevens hired peter waner to write romney's speech for the convention. he worked for the last three republican white houses and did write romney's speech, but just eight days before the convention stevens threw it out. so they threw together a grand new speech from scratch, and in the process they overlooked a few things. he made no salute to the troops did not mention al-qaeda or afghanistan. without a full speech clint eastwood's empty chair speech became the highlight. several romney insiders said they are not comfortable with stevens. of course stephens is not all to blame, romney is ultimately the one who has take to take responsibility for his political gaffes and campaign decisions. now the gop is left with little excitement or faith with their candidate, and it is starting to show in the polls.

now out to lisa ferguson in los angeles. >> good morning, earn.latest bus tour tomorrow in ohio. >> mitt romney attacked 47% of americans who pay no income tax including veterans the elder and disabled. doesn't the president have to worry about everyone? >> the ad goes on to hit romney on his latest tax return saying the paid 14.1% in 2011 and we don't have a complete return from 2010 for romney and no information prior to that. that spot mr. bracket romney and ryan's appearances in ohio this weak. president obama is proposing tax increased on middle class families according to mitt romney. that's for people making more than $250,000 a year or more. but that fits romney's definition of middle class. obama supporters have banded together with a shadow tour following romney from town to town. ted strickland is leading the charge. more bill press is coming up after the break. and we're live in chat, current.com/billpress. trickle down does not work. in romney's world, cars get the elevator and the workers get the shaft. that is a whole bunch of bunk.

standing by in los angeles lisa ferguson. hi lisa. good morning. >> hey bill.h his offensive comment of the week. he is taking a jab at his democratic opponent, senator claire mccaskill saying she was much more lady-like in 2006 when she ran against senator jim talent. that's what akin told reporters yesterday during a stop on his common sense bus tour. but it sounds like he might just be a little upset about his debate performance. akin said during the debate last friday mccaskill came out swinging and he thinks that is because she feels threatened. after akin's legitimate rape remark, he spent time campaigning with phyllis shaffley. an anti-feminist icon and outspokenly against birth control access, equal pay for women, paid maternity leave and lgbt rights. some democrats out of riverside california, say they were tricked into registering republican. 133 voters are claiming that the golden state voter participation project, a republican voter outreach group targeted them outside welfare centers and stores. the scheme, asking them to sign petitions like legali

but first the current tv update from lisa ferguson. >> hi bill. good morning, everyone.ny continues tonight with a knew round of speakers. elizabeth warren will stand united with president obama in protecting the middle class and take this opportunity to sell herself to voters in massachusetts. of course warren up for the senate seat there against scott brown. and we'll hear from bill clinton, nancy pelosi sandra flock, and planned parenthood presidency seal richards. meanwhile this ad starts out looking like an obamaed a, but it is from the super pac. president obama says he will move us forward but where has he taken us so far? 23 million of us without full-time work. >> cross roads is spending $6.6 million onned a right now, attacking the forward slogan and asking if we are better off now than we were four years ago. of course, democrats saying yes, we are. pointing to new jobs although not as many as we would like and pointing to the bumper sticker, bin laden is dead and the auto industry is alive. most buzz worthy tweets, posts and pontifications, from the entire so

it is lisa ferguson standing by in los angeles. lisa, good morning. >> hey bill, good morning everyone. no doubt mitt romney will face another round of criticism this morning after calling nearly half of all voters dependent and entitled in a video leaked to mother jones. here's a look. >> 47% of the people who will vote for the president are what? supportive of tom and have been supportive of tom but obviously i would have loved to have seen a different result. >> the president won wisconsin he goes on to say there is no use in him catering to those voters and that he, instead needs to focus on the independents in the middle who are actually thoughtful and that there is about 10% of voters like that. romney made those remarks at a private fund-raiser in may to a group of wealthy donors. he's, of course taking a lot of heat for that. the obama campaign is saying in a statement it is shocking romney would say these things behind closed doors and it is hard to serve as president when you've distinctly written off about half of the po

standing by in los angeles lisa ferguson. hi lisa. good morning. >> hey, bill.d morning, everyone. now both candidates have had their turns at addressing america during the univision forum this week. president obama sat down for the interview last night using the chance to hit romney over his leaked 47% comment. here is the president's response when asked which version of romney is more sincere. the one who writes off a 47% or the one who believes in 100% of the country. >> when you express an attitude that half the country considers itself victims that somehow they want to be dependent on government, my thinking is maybe you haven't gotten around a lot. >> mr. obama also took to playing defense in appealing to latino voters over immigration reform. this is something he had promised to do during the first year of his presidency and he blamed republicans for the failure. >> obama: there's the thinking that the president is somebody who's all powerful and can get everything done. we have to have cooperation from all the sources in order to get something done. >> t

but we start off as always, let's find out the latest, today's current news update, lisa ferguson outlos angeles. hey, lisa, good morning. >> hi, bill. good morning everyone. bill is still there. most convention goers are packing up and heading home this morning after a rousing and emotional final night at the dnc in charlotte. president obama's speech has a convention hall at full capacity. officials had to turn away hundreds of people. nearly four hours before the president took the podium. it was not exactly the soaring rhetoric we're used to coming from mr. obama but it was effective nonetheless. >> we can give more tax breaks to corporations that ship jobs overseas or we can start rewarding companies that open new plants and train new workers and create new jobs here in the united states of america. >> mr. obama laid out specific goals and proposals for his second term in office. touching on the economy education, medicare, veterans and making a powerful case that we are better off today than we were four years ago. the address beat out every single other convention speech on twi

first, today's current news update from lisa ferguson out in los angeles. hi lisa.bill. good morning everyone. the top priority in congress right now is making sure the government does not shut down. and we could see a vote on that as soon as this thursday. the government is set to shut down at the end of this month. unless congress can agree to a new spending deal. usually temporary funding bills like these will free spending at current levels. but lawmakers unveiled a bill monday that would actually increase spending by .6% for the next six months. that gives a bit more money to initiatives like fighting forest fires and giving the government fiber security software. the bill should pass the house pretty easily on thursday. but congress is really tackling the bare minimum here. they will likely only stay in session through the end of next week which postpones important business like the bush tax cuts and spending increases until after the november election. and don't expect todd akin to drop out of the missouri senate race. even after criticism for his legitimate

we'll get into that and a whole lot of other issues, but first we have our latest from lisa ferguson eles. hey, good morning, lisa. >> hey bill good morning, everyone. we are down to less than 60 days between now and the november election. with the conventions behind us president obama does have the lead in several of the polls, but with a race that is close, the winner will likely be decided in as little as nine very crucial swing states. wisconsin is gaining importance on that list and both parties know it. both parties are shifting the money toward the home of their vice presidential nominee. though obama campaign is also adding wisconsin to its targeted list. obama super pac usa has at least $100,000 worth of air time in milwaukee. paul ryan is hoping his home state can help carry him toward the white house. he is also campaigning for the house of representatives. he is planning on spending $2 million on ads for congress in both madison and milwaukee. those ads should start in late october. meanwhile romney is getting a lot of criticisms from conservatives. he does have a pretty l

first, let's take a brief time-out to get the latest latest from lisa ferguson out in los angeles.d morning. >> good morning, everyone. the democrats have a lot to live up to this week after their convention in 2008. and here are a few things to watch out for as the dnc kicks off today. first off this is the democrat's big chance to make their case to american voters and respond to republican's attacks last week. more than 2/3 of people say they are not happy with the direction of the country meaning president obama will have to acknowledge that the economy is struggling while at the same time adding to his forward campaign proving he has what it takes to get the country back on track. second even though the dnc is taking place in charlotte, do not expect north carolina voters to necessarily swing toward obama. he did win the state by less than half a percent in '508 but this year, polls show romney has a better chance of picking up the vote. according to a university study over the weekend romney is up 47% to 43%. romney also has the advantage of big fund-raising numbers. his camp

we'll talk about that after our current news update from lisa ferguson out in los angeles. lisa, good morning. >> hi, bill good morning, everyone. mitt romney kicks off the final day of his bus tour in ohio today. he is hitting the trail solo since paul ryan will be in colorado, but the two did campaign together yesterday for the first time in almost a month. romney and ryan walked out to the song "the boys are back in town." that's cute. and then they tried to lead a chant, but that didn't go to well, since no one else chimed in. romney is down eight points against obama in ohio in the latest "washington post" poll. in that is bad news because of the fact that no republican candidate has ever taken the white house without care rig the state. but team romney still thinks they are within the margin of error. they are also hoping that ryan can save the ticket. as for president obama, he is dolling out plenty of money in ohio. this is something we see every four years as presidential candidates pay particular at attention to certain swing states. in this case it's president oba

lisa ferguson in los angeles. take it away. >> good morning, everyone.he government will manage to avoid a shutdown next month. the house came to a bipartisan agreement yesterday to approve a six-month stop gap measure that will keep the government in business into next month and march of next year. the senate does need to vote on the bill next week. we're expecting it to pass. president obama has already expressed his support and so has majority leader harry reid. let's take a second to note the symbolism of this vote. republicans and democrats came together to pass the bill in the house with 329 members in favor. just a few months ago paul ryan and house g.o.p.es threatened to ruin last year's debt agreement and cut tens of billions of dollars from government programs. but this bill will restore higher spending and does allow labor, health and education to grow by almost $1 billion. on a similar vain, house majority leader eric kantor is admitting cuts to federal spending kills jobs. the republican argument is usually the opposite that less government

we'll get into that but first lisa ferguson. >> hey, bill. good morning, everyone.t romney is campaigning in florida and georgia said. and he is still dealing with the fallout from his 47% remarks that leaked to "mother jones." his campaign is on damage-control overload. last night on fox news romney fully embraced his secretly reported statement that americans feel entitled to government services saying it solidifies his position that president obama stands for big government, while he himself does not. >> we were talking about a campaign and how he is going to get half of the vote and i'm going to get half the vote and i want 51% or more. >> 46% of people do not pay federal income tax is what he was referring to. but most of those families are retired or families with young children, and they do pay payroll taxes. now conservatives say focusing on that group is a mistake. scott brown released a statement saying that is not the way he views the world and as someone who grew up in tough circumstances, he knows no one wants to have to rely on public assistance. even

here she is standing by with today's current news update, lisa ferguson in los angeles. hi lisa.ing. >> hi, bill. good morning everyone. vice president joe biden has a bit of a history of going off script. but tonight, we can likely expect him to stick to his speech as planned. biden is introducing the president tonight and campaign aides say that much of michelle obama played the role in introducing mr. obama as a family man. biden's role is to validate him as the president. that means highlighting obama's strengths and appealing to groups like labor unions, hispanics and veterans. it is unclear whether biden will seek the presidency again in 2016 but if he does decide to run, tonight's speech could serve as a bit of a kickoff. biden has a tough act to follow after former president bill clinton's speech last night. as we mentioned earlier during the show, hillary clinton was not at the convention. she is in east timor right now on an 11-day swing through asia and the pacific. but that does not mean she was about to miss her husband's speech. take a look at this. here is a great