here's martha raddatz. >> reporter: for the next three weeshgs the white house national security team, commanders from afghanistan, general david petraeus, will hold a series of meets. >> we're going to have to have additional resources to turn the momentum around. >> reporter: some of them will involve president obama. president obama has many questions about the strategy in afghanistan. >> the president himself has said, we're there to prevent al qaeda from re-establishing bases. we probably can do that from offshore. drones, air strikes, special forces, cruise missiles. >> he will not be given the troop numbers that general stanley mcchrystal wants in afghanistan. that will come after these series of meets. martha raddatz, abc news, washington. >>> whatever the president decides about afghanistan, there will soon be fewer troops in iraq. the top u.s. commander there, general ray odierno, plans to say that 40,000 troops will come home by november. >>> now, to health care. the influencial senate finance committee could finish its health care reform bill this week. but it will not inc

martha raddatz reports from washington. >> reporter: it was a spectacular display of military power. iran, test-firing long-range missile, capable of hitting israel, and u.s. forces in the persian gulf. >> i would lump any of these into the provocative nature with which iran has acted on the world stage for a number of years. >> reporter: the tests are especially provocative, coming days after the world learned that the secret underground nuclear facility, in qom. and days before face-to-base diplomatic meetings with the iranians in y iranians in ja nooef va. the iranians say they're part of a test exercise, and they're not going to cancel them. the u.s. and its allies are make demands for the thursday meetings quite clear. immediate and unfettered access to the qom facility, including personnel and documents. and if iran refuses, the administration says there's a rich list of options, including sanctions on energy equipment, technology and banking that could be pursued. but russia could balk on military technology. and china, on cutoffs to the oil and gas industry. and there's been

martha raddatz reports. >> reporter: it begins when an apache attack helicopter crew sees several men planting, what they believe to be an explosive device on a dirt road. >> they are digging around on the ground. >> it looks like he appears to be covering something up in the road. >> he's on the east side of the road. >> roger. >> reporter: the helicopter crew tracks the men for several minutes, preparing to fire. when, suddenly, a child appears. >> is that a kid? damn it. >> the kid appears to be carrying something over to their vicinity. he's handing them something. and they're digging in that ad. >> okay. go away, kid. go away, kid. >> reporter: the helicopter crew waits for the child to leave, keeping the suspected insurgents in the crosshairs. they wait for confirmation to fire. >> i believe that a hostile act. >> roger, good copy. >> reporter: but then -- >> whoa. never mind. >> bak. break. it just detonated by itself. >> they just blew themselves up. >> affirm. they just blew themselves up. >> reporter: avoiding the child was key here, making the timing for releasing this vide

our senior foreign affairs correspondent martha raddatz joins us from washington. martha. >> reporter: charlie, if u.s. officials were hoping that iran would turn down the heat, they were wrong. iran has done quite the opposite. it was a spectacular display of military power, iran test-firing long-range missiles capable of hitting israel and u.s. forces in the persian gulf. >> i would lump any of these into the provocative nature with which iran has acted on the world stage for a number of years. >> reporter: the tests are especially provocative, coming days after the world learned of the secret underground nuclear facility in qom, and days before face-to-face diplomatic meetings in geneva. the iranians say the tests were part of a preplanned military exercise, and they had no intention of canceling them. >> that's essentially an indication that they are not particularly in a compromising mood. >> reporter: the u.s. and its allies are making the demands for the thursday meeting quite clear -- immediate and unfettered access to the qom facility, including personnel a

for more on this, let's go to martha raddatz, who joins us now from washington, as well. martha, we heard rachel talk there about the possibility that the israelis could take some sort of military action. what could actually be done militarily against the heavily fortified sites, though? >> reporter: well, there are several options. none of them are good, dan. and this is not an option the u.s. wants to use, and the u.s. does not want israel to use this option, either. but they are working on this bomb, which is called a massive ordnance penetrator. it is not like a regular bomb, that hits the surface, and explodes. what it does is actually penetrates down below. this is a regular bomb you're blows out on the surface. this massive ordnance penetrator, 15 tons would go deeper into the earth and try to find hidden sites. but that bomb is not ready yet. >> we saw in rachel's piece, secretary gates pointedly refused to answer questions about whether the government thinks there are more hidden sites in iran. what are your sources in the government telling you? >> reporter: i ta

martha raddatz joins us. >> charlie, this is an enormous dilemma for president obama. he's now publicly pitted against his own handpicked military commanders. and it leaves him two choices. disregard the advice of his commanders or change the mission in afghanistan. in the confidential assessment, general mcchrystal warns the president the situation in afghanistan is deteriorating, saying "time matters -- we must act now. failure to gain the initiative in the near term, the next 12 months, risks an outcome where defeating the insurgency is no longer possible." mcchrystal prepared a separate troop request with numbers ranging from 10,000 to 45,000. but the white house has not even asked to see that yet. president obama made clear this weekend that his is not convinced mcchrystal's overall military strategy is the right one. >> still i'm satisfied that we've got the right strategy, i'm not going to be sending some young men or women over there beyond what we already have. >> reporter: general mcchrystal recommends a counterinsurgency strategy to defeat al qaeda is sporte

so, here's our national security correspondent martha raddatz. >> reporter: today, there are 62,000 americans battling the taliban in afghanistan, with some military officials now arguing for an increase of up to 100,000. but if president obama supports that request, he will likely face an intense battle on capitol hill, from leaders of his own party. today, the powerful chairman of the senate armed services committee said that until afghan security forces are substantially increased, he opposes sending more u.s. combat troops. >> the larger our own military footprint there, the more our enemies can seek to drive a wedge between us and the afghan population, spreading the falsehood that we seek to dominate a muslim nation. >> reporter: and the speaker of the house? >> i don't think there's a great deal of support for sending more troops to afghanistan. in the country, or in the congress. >> reporter: with the death toll rising and the afghan elections tainted by corruption, the most recent abc news poll shows only 24% of americans favor an increase in troops. today, the commander of forces in

martha raddatz has the story. >> reporter: in a confidential assessment, general mcchrystal warns the president that the situation in afghanistan is deteriorating. saying, final matters. we must act now. failure to gain the initiative in the near-term, the next 12 months. risks and outcome where defeating the insurgency is no longer probable. mcchrystal has prepared a separate troop request. with numbers ranging from 10,000 to 45,000. but the white house maz not asked to see that yet. president obama made clear this weekend, he is not convinced mcchrystal's overall military strategy is the right one. >> until i'm satisfied we have the right strategy, i'm not going to be sending some young man or woman over there beyond what we already have. >> reporter: general mcchrystal's counterinsurgency strategy to defeat al qaeda, is supported by the highly touted head of central command. now, the mcchrystal can only wait, to see if the president accepts his conditions. the facts that 51% of americans do not believe the war is worth fighting, it appears that president obama is moving towards red

, but the military will not likely back down in requesting thousands of additional troops. >> martha raddatz in washington, thanks to you. >>> and president obama got a top level briefing taetd on preparations for a new swine flu outbreak. he said progress is being made on a vaccine and the government will strongly recommend people get it, but it won't be mandatory. >>> and helping thflu fight? elmo and gordon from sesame street, featured in a new campaign, stressing the basics. >> wash your hands with elmo. >> that is the psa about swine flu. >>> still ahead on "world news," bill cosby turns truant officer, going door to door to support a troubled city's crumbling schools. >>> a football coach on trial, for a high school player's death. do punishing practice sessions amount to a crime? >>> and bernie madoff's luxury beach house goes up for sale. and we get the tour, from a u.s. marsh marshal. wellbeing. we're all striving for it. purina cat chow helps you nuture it in your cat... with a full family of excellent nutrition.../ and helpful resources. ♪ purina cat chow. share a better life. you

martha raddatz joins us tonight from washington. >> reporter: charlie, there were at least three high level meetings at the white house today, and there will be many more in the coming weeks. the lines in this debate become clearer every day. >> the best way to regain the initiative is to send as many troops as we can. >> we cannot define success. and we particularly can't define success in a way that depends on more troops. >> reporter: but that is exactly what general mcchrystal is asking for, as many as 40,000 more troops. >> we're going to have to provide additional resources to turn the taliban's momentum around. >> reporter: and with the taliban's history of public floggings and especially the treatment of women and girls, many argue that the u.s. has a moral obligation to keep them from gaining power. senator john mccain is among those who strongly advocates for more troops. >> every day we delay puts more and more of those thousands of young americans who are already there in more danger. we owe them more than that. >> reporter: one of the most powerful arguments for sending m

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here's martha raddatz. >> reporter: it begins with a helicopter crew seeps several men planting what they believe to be an explosive device on a dirt road. >> they're digging around on the ground. it looks like he appears to be covering up something in the road. >> he's on the east side of the road. >> roger. >> reporter: the helicopter crew tracks the man for several minutes, preparing to fire when suddenly, a child appears. >> is that a kid, damn it! >> the kid appears to be carrying something over into their vicinity. he's handing them something, and they're digging in that road. >> ok, go away kid, go away kid, go away kid. >> reporter: the helicopter crew waits for the child to leave and keeping the suspected insurgents in the cross-hairs. they way for confirmation to fire. >> i believe that a hostile act. >> roger, good copy. >> reporter: but then -- >> whoa! never mind. >> break, break. it just detonated by itself. >> they just blew themselves up. >> affirm. they just blew themselves up. >> reporter: avoiding the child was key here, making the timing for releasing this video n

martha raddatz, abc news, washington. >> the top u.s.r in iraq plans to tell congress today this he's sending 4,000 more troops home by the end of october. the american combat mission in iraq is set to end next august. >> the senate finance committee shot down two amendments that would have included a public nonprofit insurance plan in its reform of health care. one version would have set prices similar to medicare. the other would have required the plan to negotiate with doctors and hospitals. all the committee's republicans voted no and democrats were divided. >> the new government plan is nothing who are than a trojan horse for a single payer system. >> i can count. nobody has been able to show me thousand they can count up to 60 votes in the public option in the bill. >> but the public option might not be dead after all. a version could be introduced in the full senate where it might find more support and every house version include as public option. >> the first doses of h1n1 swine splu flue vaccine are on the way to the u.s. this m

here's martha raddatz. >> it was a spectacular display of military power.firing long range missiles, capable of hitting israel and u.s. forces in the persian gulf. >>> i would love to bring these into the provocative nature with which iran has worked on the world stage for a number of years. >> reporter: the tests were provocative. and days before face-to-face diplomatic meetings with the iranians in geneva. the iranians say the tests were part part of a preplanned military exercise and they had no intention of cancelling them. >> that's essentially an indication they're not particularly in a compromising mood. >> the u.s. and its allies are making the demands for the thursday meeting quite clear, immediate and unfettered access to the qom facility, including personnel and documents. and if iran refuses, the administration says there can be sanctions on energy equipment, technology and banking that could be pursued. and there have already been three rounds of sanctions against iran and the nuclear program has continued. >> sanctions don't work effectively q

martha raddatz, abc news, washingt. >> now time for your wednesday forecast.tormy in the rockies with scattered showers, heavy rains, gusty winds and isolated flooding from new mexico to utah. scatter thunderstorms in florida, georgia, the carolinas and showers from south dakota to >> a high of 73 in omaha, 78 in chicago, 80 in st. louis. miami hits 91. a scorching 105 in phoenix, 89 in albuquerque. boise gets up to 93, portland 83, seattle 73. >> it takes two to tango but it takes a whole lot of talent and practice to do it like this. >> about a thousand dancers assembled in buenos aires to for the tango world championship. a lol couple took home the prize. in the traditional tango category, the winners were a married couple from japan. >> t this makes them just fafam enough to be on n the next seas of "dancing with the stars." >> we'e'll be right t back withe "world news now." ♪ >> we'll be right back with more "world news now." ♪ diabetics on medicare! rtrtrtant news for i'm a diabetic and i want you to know over 230,000 u.s. their diabetic supplies through

martha raddatz reports. >> reporter: it begins when a helicopter crew sees several men planting whatlieve to be an explosive device on a dirt road. >> it looks like it appears to be covering something on to the road. >> he's on the east side of the road. >> the helicopter crew tracks the man for several minutes preparing to fire when suddenly a child appears. >> is that a kid? damn it. >> the kid appears to be carrying something over into the vicinity. he's handing him something and they're digging in that road. >> okay, go away, kid. >> the helicopter crew waits for the child to leave, keeping the suspected insurgents in the cross hairs. they wait for confirmation to fire. but then -- >> never mind. break, break, it just detonated by itself. >> they just blew themselves up. >> they just blew themselves up. >> reporter: avoiding the child was key here, making the timing for releasing this video notable. the military is under increasing pressure to demonstrate it's careful not to strike innocents and it also comes just over a week after a u.s. air strike on two fuel trucks killed a nu

martha raddatz, abc news, new york. >> commuters may be seeing tougher security on trains and bussesd the country. the fbi and homeland security have warned transit systems to be on the alert in the wake of a terror investigation in new york. officials say that an afghanistan-born man under arrest in denver may have been part of a terror cell planning backpack bomb attacks like those in london back in 2005. we'll have more on that terror plot coming up later this half hour. >> there have been heart wrenching scenes in the southeast as flood waters continue to rise. as a family's mobile home was ripped apart, a 2-year-old boy was swept downstream to his death. his mother and an infant clung to a tree for three hours before being rescued. there is no relief in the forecast. here's steve osunsami. >> reporter: parts of northern georgia, tennessee and alabama have seen 20 inches of rain in the last three days. >> i've never seen destruction quite like this. i know water is a really strong force but i'm in the construction business and, you know, this is phenomenal. >> reporter: new river

ceci connolly of "the washington post", john harwood of cnbc and the "new york times," martha raddatz of abc news, andyy. andyy -- greg ip of the economist. >> celebrating 40 years of journalistic excellence, live from our nation's capital, this is "washington week" with gwen ifill, produced in association with "national journal." corporate funding for "washington week" is provided by -- >> we know why we're here. to redefine air travel for a new generation. >> to ensure our forces are safer and stronger. >> to take the world we share to tomorrow and beyond. >> around the globe, et people of boeing are working together to make a difference. >> that's why we're here. >> major funding is also provided by the annenberg, the corporation for public broadcasting, and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. once again, live from washington, moderator gwen ifill. gwen: good evening. after weeks of closed-door negotiations and carefully floated trial balloons, we finally got to see the senate finance committee's health care plan this week. minus the public option

we asked martha raddatz. >> reporter: u.s.ficials tell abc news there are three reasons they concluded the secret site was built to manufacture fuel for nuclear bombs. number one, through satellite imagery, it was clear a facility was being constructed underground and heavily disguised. two, satellites show it was built on a military base, and protected by armed guards 24/7. and three, intelligence that may include spies on the ground shows the facility is designed to hold only about 3,000 centrifuges to enreach uranium, which is not enough to fuel a civilian power plant. that would take more than 50,000 centrifuges. >> it is very strong circumstantial evidence that iran's intentions are to build a weapon. >> reporter: and there is additional evidence the u.s. has been gathering, including the comings and goings of equipment and suspect personnel. >> so, martha, the danger on this facility for us, how much closer did this site, in particular, bring us to an iranian nuclear weapon? >> reporter: well, i don't think anyone knows

and abc news senior correspondent, martha raddatz, is there. martha? >> reporter: good morning, diane. this will be president obama's first 9/11 commemoration since becoming president. and his first since the war in afghanistan became his war. ♪ america >> reporter: 20,000 people came to the dedication of this pentagon memorial last year, where 184 benches, with the names of each victim, marked the spot where american airlines flight 77 slammed into the building. in rural pennsylvania, the temporary memorial will soon be replaced by a permanent structure at the site where one of the hijacked planes crashed. in new york, construction is still under way for a memorial at the site where the twin towers once stood. and where then-president bush promised revenge. >> and the people who knocked these buildings down will hear all of us soon. >> reporter: barack obama was a state legislator at the time. little did he know that eight years later, osama bin laden would still be on the run. the mastermind of the attacks, khalid shaikh mohammed, seen in these recen

abc senior foreign affairs correspondent martha raddatz following this hourly. martha?> reporter: even after being caught red-handed iran is clearly not backing down under world pressure. in fact, they are turning up the heat. iran is continuing its dangerous provocation. testing both short and long-range missiles sunday and today, yom kippur, the holiest of jewish holidays. israel is outraged calling iran "the most serious threat today to the peace of the world and its security." all this as a once hidden and highly suspicious iranian facility has come to light. >> the islamic republic of iran has been building a covert enrichment facility near qom for several years. >> reporter: on cnn's "larry king." president ahmadinejad denied the project had anything to do with nuclear weapons. >> translator: how can he possibly accuse us of secretly engaging in an activity that did not take place? >> reporter: representatives from the united states, russia, china, britain, france and germany are to meet in geneva with iranian officials on october 1st and will demand immediate acc

senior foreign affairs correspondent, martha raddatz, is in washington for us. mcchrystal sent his view to the pentagon. what do we know about his findings? >> reporter: first of all, what he wants to do is revise the plan. he wants to focus on the population of afghanistan. he says things are getting very serious there. specifically, he said, the situation in afghanistan is serious but success is achievable. and demands are revised. implement strategy, commitment, and resolve. and increased unity of effort. this is very much like the approach in iraq, robin. >> and this comes, of course, martha, at a time where the number of u.s. troops being killed in battle is rising. >> reporter: it certainly is. august was the deadliest month in afghanistan for u.s. troops since the war began. they there were at least 49 u.s. deaths. other nato troops, 26. a total of 75, just for august. and all of 2009, there have been u.s. deaths, 180. other nato troops, 127. that's a total of 307. things are definitely getting worse in afghanistan. >> yes. and there's been a spike in the

martha raddatz says this is probably not the on site. >> i talked to an intelligence official and theial says i guarantee there are other sites in iran. now the u.s. may not know where they are, but they may know where they are. what the iranians did a long time ago is decentralize their program. they put different sites, different areas so there was what's called no single point of failure. in other words, if the israelis bombed one site, there would be many more left. >> secretary of defense gates and secretary of state clinton say economic and diplomatic pressure, not military action, have a better chance of getting iran to change its ways. >> but israel has threatened to retaliate against iran with military force if necessary. >> so what kind of response might we expect to see from the israeli? we're joined by simon mcgregor wood in our jerusalem bureau. simon, what are you hearing there? >> reporter: good morning. as you'veed expect from the israelis, nothing specific about the military planning but significantly they're make nothing secret this they are planning the military opt