michael wolf, i want to know something from michael wolf. michael, you said you don't have to pay for health re foryour ployees. who is goi to pay for it, michael? you're definitely in that top 1% or 2% of earners. >> individually, i'm willing to pay for it. i would like you to contribute to it also, dennis. i would like to take this burden off of businesses. >> off of businesses. guys, we've got to wrap on that one. remember all that green talk during the campaign. green, green, save the earth, the earth is going to melt like a candle. well it turns out things aren't so green and great in obama land. we react to that next. the greenees say the president is not going fast enough. >>> and on the right today, they had a criticism or two during judge sotomayor's confirmation hearings. the president for the left and right. it will be my turn to weigh in when we come back. but first, this is a live picture from the federal pen in butler, north carolina. bernie madoff headed that way. we're not sure if it's his final destination. we are sure we'll

joining us today is a senior analyst and michael wolf, cnbc contributor. thanks for joining us. our idea is we love hulu and it has a great player and it's fantastic. is there a way for newspapers to embrace this model and go online and make money and fix their business model? >> nope. it's not going to happen. not that they haven't tried. so far there is no example. there is no model to take newspapers in a profitable way or in a way -- let me be more precise, that replaces their off line business with an online business. >> do you accept the idea of incorporating the internet or is there another way to do it? >> i agree, but they haven't done it at the past and i think the key thing is who any internet is the aggregator. if you can become that, you can win. there is potentially an aggregator there for the newspapers. >> let me point out that i am an aggregator and i have a horse in this race. what we almost have never seen is one business which is you should undermined by a new technology and becoming the people who adapt to that technology. the guys who run the trains. >> is

julia borschtin, michael wolf, and john fein from business week and a cnbc guy. john fein, what do you think? should the state be picking up a tab for in? >> realistically, what is the option? is the state going to let people run amuck and no police there? really, dennis. i hate to be disagreeing with you on your birthday. what but what is the other option? have the big thing and have a bunch of people spend money in the state of california which will stimulate the economy. am i wrong? >> john, i totally disagree. we had a huge lakers parade and some very wealthy individuals and business people in the l.a. community pitched in to cover some of the costs. you look at the list of celebrities will be there. mariah carey, kobe bryant, magic johnson. are all listed as participant. magic johnson might be able to pitch in a million dollars to cover costs. i don't think california taxpayers need to be paying for that. >> can i say something. a small point. these people, these million, possibly million people, 17,000 people, whatever number of people, these are taxpayers,

michael wolf, you're a crcran sort, maybe you'll b bac me up >> not i the leleas i ththk k th is the of the year, ififot of ourtime. i actually t thi one of thehe inteteststinthings happening right noww ismimichl jackson i morphing into thissolitical figure, intohihi figigur o of racial politics. i think that t thi is gng to go on intnto lot off i iredibly intere interesting and dramatic pepeutation. jejerr i i affiliatete le there wewereome s sel serving pepeorormaes up there dada >> therere were. people have looked at els and john lennon andwhat's happened after theirr deaths,ndnd jumped on t the bandwagon. >>eoeoe like who?o? call themm out? peopople ke whwh jey?y? >> i'm lking about the recordiningndndtry and everyone els el. . >> yeah. ah. okay. you're kind of --yoyou' stopping short o of n nining na, like foror t ther tooakake frfronroroandenente withh press conference dayay aerer day tet hison'seath whehe the son really resented the father for ba treatment as he w was growin , , i felt hee should havee reined silent. nica, what is y you reaeactn n o thisis memororiaservicice.

. >> michael wolfe, wrap it for us. >> if you're the general and you lose the war, you get blamed for it. simpl simple. >> he didn't lose this war, we're winning this war and this recession is over and this collapse is finally behind us. >> i don't think so. >> thanks very much, guys, you're fantastic, still a lot more ahead tonight, folks on "cnbc reports." >>> cheers on wall street as the rally rolls on. earnings behind the charge, jpmorgan, today's big winner, we're all over it coming up. ge, bank of america, citigroup, all report tomorrow morning. the big question tonight, will they lead us to another big day? we're covering wall street from four different places. what the run means to the rest of america from sea to shining sea. straight ahead. having the right tools is crucial to being able to manage your diabetes properly. it's very important for me to uh check my blood sugar before i go on stage. being on when i'm feeling low can be like a rollercoaster. it does at times feel like my body is telling me to do one thing... and, my mind, my heart is telling me to do something els

michael jackson madness. bitter words about the pop star on the eve of his massive memorial service. i'm wolf blitzer in cnn's command center for breaking news, politics, extraordinary reports present around the world. you are in "the situation room." you can say president obama is on a high-level reconnaissance mission in russia right now. he is using his first summit to get to the bottom of a very sensitive question, who is running the show at the kremlin? along the way he scored a new nuclear arms agreement and renewed equipment to leave old rivalries in the past. ed henry is traveling with the president and joins us now live from moscow. an important day in u.s.-russian relations with lots of ramifications, ed. >> big time, wolf. we have to stretch this is not a ratified treaty yet. white house officials hope this sets the stage for a historic successor to start, which expires in december. from russia with love. president obama and medvedev expressing warm feelings as they inked a preliminary deal to cut each country's nuclear stock pile. war heads reduced to about 1,500 on each side from

michael jackson. the eternal moonwalk. how thousands of people are taking part. i'm wolf blitzer.m the launch of the shuttle "endeavour." you're looking at these live pictures from the launch site. cnn's john zarrella is keeping one eye on the shuttle, another eye on the weather. how much time is there before they have to make a decision to either go or no go, john? >> reporter: well, they'll come out of this built-in hold in about 15, 16 minutes and by then, they'll have to make a decision on whether they're going to continue with the countdown or go ahead and scrub for the day. you know, everybody's probably asking it looks great out there behind me, the weather looks pretty good, the shuttle "endeavour" behind me there. but if the cameraman can pan off to my right, you can see that's a big active thunderstorm at the corner of the vehicle assembly building you see there and it is an active storm with lightning and thunder and it is well within the range that is no go so at this point, they are red for violating the launch commit criteria and they're saying that that storm is mov

wolf? >> thanks very much, abbi, for that. let's bring in michaelublican national committee. he's joining us here in "the situation room." what do you think about that? >> i don't have much to say. i'm not involved this-in that level of electing the chairman of the young republicans. i think it's a stupid mistake that was made to, you know, appear to agree with a racist comment on a blog or some other posting. the membership has worked it out. they've elected her. she's put a statement out clarifying that she thought it was a dumb thing to do and she should have known better and she wouldn't do it again. what they need to do now is come together, recognize that she's been elected and move forward and use it as a lesson learned. you know, the one thing about the times we live in is that we are now much more politically and otherwise aware of how comments and phrases and agreements to those things can have an impact. i think in this case the young republicans should be in a position now to move forward, understanding that the whole institution is impa

you make of that what you will, wolf. >> the shadow war is obviously continuing. michaelware in baghdad. thanks very much. >>> from national security to economic security, many of you want and need more jobs and prosperity right now. could one idea create jobs more quickly or simply become a huge waste of money? let's go to kate bolduan. she has more on this story. kate, what's going on? >> reporter: hey, there, wolf, there is no dispute how painful the massive job losses have been. there is plenty of disagreement over whether there is a need for another stimulus. it is a tough car. risky politically. some say it is risky not to consider or plan for if the economy doesn't recover. >> the administration seems to think it is too soon to tell. >> our great vice president, joe biden. >> reporter: the man president obama called the sheriff, pounding the pavement from new york to high who ohio crisscros country defending the stimulus package. >> remember, we are only 140 days into this. it is supposed to take 18 months. >> reporter: some democrats and republicans are talking ab

wolf blitzer. you're in "the situation room." you might think a massive memorial for michael jackson put an end to the hoopla around the death. yet, many people are still asking serious questions, among them, where will michael jackson be buried? no word on that yet. there are also persistent questions of jackson, his two oldest children and jackson's long-time dermatologist now breaking his silence. let's turn to cnn's cara finnstrom in los angeles working this story for us. what happened today? >> reporter: larry, it appears that dr. arnold klein making media rouds. he will be on "larry king live." earlier he was on "good morning america." and he's been tweeting since, urging people to check out the interview during which he made one couched denial. dr. arnold klein is speaking out almost one week after the magazine "u.s. weekly" reported he fared michael jackson's two oldest children. >> all i can tell you is to the best of my knowledge i'm not the father of these children but if push comes to shove, i can't say anythingn't it. >> reporter: klein not ruling anything out. d

wolf. i mean, this not only effects michael j. fox, but also jason bateman. in big trouble. >> i'm sure jason bateman would love you to remind everyone of his tour de force performance in "teen wolf." we all know that there are man-animals walking amongst us.

>> hello, again, wolf. michaelwoman who claims to have recently received e-mails from debbie rowe that she doesn't want custody of the late singer's children but was interested in money. she says she sent no such e-mails and is asking for unspecified damages from the woman for an interview that aired on the tv show "extra" this week. a custody hearing was scheduled for monday. now, even that is up in the air. >>> when the space shuttle "endeavour" docked at the international space station a short time ago, it brought together 13 astronauts, the biggest crowd ever in space. before docking, they photographed the shuttle to look for any evidence of damage from weps's launch. this programming noting we will be following the 40th anniversary with an hour-long special monday at 4:00 p.m. eastern. two major surprises in golf today after the first two rounds of the british opens, 59-year-old american, tom watson, is tied for the lead at 5 under in his career that he missed the cut in a major championship. scuba divers are

wolf bits blitzer is standing by. have you ever seen anything like this? >> this was an amazing sendoff to michael jackson, there is no doubt about it and we are going to continue our coverage now here in the situation room over the next three hours. we are not going to go away. a lot of people have some thoughts they want to share with our viewers here in the united states and around the world. among them, donna brazile is here, she was crying, she was very emotional as this memorial service was winding down. donna, why was this so poignant in the tears were really coming down your cheeks? >> i guess when paris spoke it reminded me i lost my mother. i thought about, here is a girl who is not going to grow up with her father. you know, it was part of my childhood that michael and the jackson 5 made so special and i just thought about my entire childhood, my sisters and my brothers. it was a moving celebration of his life, his music and the poem that maya angelou composed, "we have him" a tribute to a wonderful human being. >> there was that moment winn the daughter, paris, came out and i believe t

wolf. i mean, this not only effects michael j. fox, but also jason bateman. they're in big trouble. >> i'm sure jason bateman would love everyone to remind you of his performance in teen

wolf. i mean, this not only effects michael j. fox, but also jason bateman.

michael bloomberg, right after these hearings he's testifying on behalf of sonia sotomayor. he'll be joining us, as well. so, lots of stuff, as always, coming up here in "the situation room." >> thanks so much, wolf. we appreciate it. we'll look forward to it. by the way, was michael jackson's fire accident the reason for his prescription drug addiction? we've got the video. i don't know if you've seen it yet, but it's dramatic, painful to watch at times. you're going to see it. good choice. only meineke lets you choose the brake service that's right for you. and save 50% on pads and shoes. meineke. >>> here's the video everyone's talking about, michael jackson's hair catching fire. is this what caused his problems? here's ted rowlands. >> reporter: the video obtained by us weekly shows michael jackson's hair on fire, but as you can see, jackson doesn't seem to notice until people surround him. the first one there was jackson's longtime friend, mikko brando, son of actor marlon brando. >> i went up to him and shook his head, threw him down to the ground and tried to do the best i could. >> reporter: you can see as jackson gets up his head is significantly burned, down to the scalp. >> he initiall

investigators search the las vegas home of michael jackson's personal doctor. i'm wolf blitzer. you're "the situation room." >>> is talk like that actually breaking republicans? senators talked about the health care battle, possibly becoming the president's waterloo is explaining his party's hopes for health reform and defending against one republican saying that southerners are hijacking the republican party. joining us now from capitol hill, senator jim demint, republican of south carolina. he is the author of a brand new book entitled "saving freedom, we can stop america's slide into socialism." we will talk about that in a few moment he is. senator deminute, thanks very much for joining us. >> thank you, wolf. it's good to be with you. >> why are you so afraid of a public option, a government-run health insurance company, if you will that would compete with the private health insurance companies like blue cross and blue shield or kaiser permanente, whatever? >> well, a couple of reasons, wolf. first of all, i have yet to see a federal program that works effectively or anywhe

give us details of the settlement between the grandmother and the mother. >> reporter: wolf, as you know, in michaelackson's will, he named katherine jackson, his mother, as the guardian of his three children. there was some discussion that possibly his ex-wife, debbie rowe, would try and seek custody of her two children that she had with michael jackson, the two oldest children, paris and michael jr. well, now we are told that there is a custody agreement in place, that katherine jackson, the grandmother of the children, will retain custody of all three children. debbie rowe did not seek custody, but she will have visitation rights. timing and the frequency of that visitation is still being worked out. both sides will be meeting with a child psychologist. they will be splitting the expense for that and figure out what's best for the children. and speaking of money and expenses, it's important to note here with all the talk about debbie rowe, quote, unquote, selling her children, possibly, and being paid off in this case, i'm being told that there was no money exchange, that debbie rowe has her divo

wolf. >> see you tomorrow. thank you, a lock of michaelmichael jackson's hair and turning it into a diamond. >> a lock of michael's hair turned into a keepsake. meet jack. recently turned 65. glad he's now got medicare on his side. but jack knows that medicare part b cpders only... 80% of medical expenses. so, he got himself an aarp... medicare supplement insurance plan -- insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company. a medicare supplement plan... lets you to keep your own doctor, helps you budget medical costs, and it picks up some of that 20%, potentially saving you thousands of dollars... out of your own pocket. if you're turning 65, or are 65 already, call now for this free information kit... and medicare guide. learn more about aarp medicare supplement insurance, and its wide range of coverage options, competitive pricing, and, plans that travel with you nationwide. so call now, just like jack and millions of others have done. because when it comes to medicare, we should all be on a roll. call now for your free information kit... and

wolf blitzer. you're in "the situation room." >>> a stunning new twist in the michael jackson case today.nvestigators made a surprise raid on an office belonging to the doctor who was with the pop star when he died. and that doctor's attorney offers an equally stunning explanation for the search. straight to cnn's ted rowlands. he's watching this story. ted, what are we learning? >> reporter: well, wolf, we're learning a lot more about this investigation, and specifically the investigation into dr. conrad murray clearly manslaughter on the table. los angeles police and agents from the dea executed a search warrant at dr. conrad murray's houston clinic tuesday morning. then murray's lawyers released a bombshell, a statement confirming that a potential case of manslaughter is being built against the doctor who was with michael jackson when he died. the statement reads in part -- >> this is the first confirmation we've had, and it's from the doctor's own attorney, that there's a manslaughter investigation. we're not just talking about prescription medication and some negligence there. an act

watch "showbiz tonight's" terrible resport, "the life of michael jackson" here at 6:00 eastern. >>> i'm reynold's wolfh a look at your forecast. we're going to see storms across midwest in kansas city. we're going to deal with high temperatures into the 100s again for texas. dallas, 101. austin, san antonio in the triple digits. atlanta in the 80s and 90s. in the late afternoon, you may deal with these showers. a thunderstorm or two. new york and boston, high temperatures. if you're going there for a hot dog eating contest, temperatures in the upper 70s. 80 in kansas city. could be showers in denver later on today. 86 in seattle. portland going up into the 90s. 69 san francisco. 80 degrees in los angeles. take a look at what else you are going to be seeing. it's very comfortable. for the eastern sea board, until you get to the outer sea board. 60s and 70s, especially 60s toward the new jersey shore. that's a look at your forecast. i'm reynolds wolf for hln. >>> carolyn manning lost a family member on 9/11. she rebuilt her life and used her experience to show others how to do the same. she's today's c

wolf blitzer. you're in "the situation room." >>> those who knew michael jackson all talked about his empathy and deepearning he actually wanted to try to help two american journalists imprisoned in north korea, even inquiring whether kim jong-il was one of his fans. gotham chopra writing in thehuffingtonpost.com. he is the cofounder of "liquid comics" and also the son of deepak chopra. i read your article and it was for me eye-opening. tell our viewers the thrust of that last conversation you had with michael jackson. >> sure. yes, no, thank you for having me. it was eye-opening for me as well. i've been friends with michael, had been friends with michael for almost 20 years. i've been very good friends with laura ling, one of the journalists in question for many years as well and i got a surprise phone call several weeks before michael's passing, as was often the case with him, i got a phone call in the middle of the night. he had heard about lauraling and euna lee's predicament, having been detained in north korea for several months. he was curious if i had talked to her and heard how she was doing

wolfe are here with a weekend update. >> hey, guys. >> nothing burning, but we can tell you, michael phelps prepares for a rematch with the streak in beijing. we'll be talking about that. >> plus, the dog days of summer, great time to go shopping, we're going to tell you about great deals you should snap up before labor day. >> also our series on summer jobs. jenna was a lifeguard. amy was a car hop. and i got a chance to be a new york city tour guide on one of those double decker buses. may not have been physically challenging but i did get a mental workout when a tourist stumped me with a trivia question. see if you know the answer this weekend on "today." >> can you give us the question? >> i can't remember. >> the question or the answer. >> i think it was why they call it the big apple. >> ah. >> there were many questions i didn't know the answer to. but most of them i made up. >> with your height, you've got to be careful. >> it really clears the light posts -- you know what's cool about the double decker bus? you get to look up. and nobody looks up in new york city. >> that's true. >> because there are pigeons overh

wolf blitzer's off. i'm suzanne malveaux and you're in "the situation room." it may be the hottest michael jackson ticket ever. and they are going for free. 11,000 fans will get to the doors of the staples center in los angeles on tuesday for a massive public memorial service. also in the week ahead, a judge will consider whether the executers named by jackson in his will will make or take control of the state. debbie rowe says she hasn't reached a final decision on whether to fight for custody of the two oldest children. right now jackson's mother katherine is the temporary guardian of all three of his children. joining us now, ashley banfield, host of "open court" on trutv and ed mccaffrey. i want to start off, debbie rowe's intentions. we don't know yet what they are. but how will they figure into this? because she could become a major player if she decides she wants custody over these kids. >> well, she certainly has a stake. she's the biological mother and in california, as in many states, it's important. that matters a lot. so she could certainly come forward. but this is not an aver

wolf blitzer. john king will be back next sunday. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com >> larry: tonight a daughter bears her soul, a brother shares his grief. >> michael, when you left us, a part of me went with you. >> larry: a friend reveals her fame. >> michael was one of a kind. >> larry: a star studded and somber salute to the king of pop who brings the world to tears. ♪ >> much as we may feel, and we do, we need michael here with us, god must have needed him far more. ♪ michael >> larry: as legends pledge to keep his memory alive forever. >> the world will never, ever forget michael jackson. >> larry: we have many guests here smiling through their sorrow next on "larry king live." ♪ >> larry: what a morning. we were honored to be invited by the jackson family in the third row and witness an incredible two hours, a little over two hours to put this program together. they did it in a pretty quick fashion. it was brilliantly done. we also want to compliment the los angeles police. 3,000 of them on duty today. what a job. no incidents. incredible day. we got a lot of people to talk to. one of the most incredible moment that's took place in the stapl

michael jackson's death. was the singer a victim of homicide? all of this plus the best political team on television. i'm wolf blitzer. wn reports that investigators are now treating michael jackson's death as a homicide. they are telling cnn that the case is ongoing. let's bring in jim more. i want to get to all of that in a moment. i want to show you and our viewers some video that we have got a clip of from "us weekly." it shows michael jackson's hair catching fire during the filming back in 1984 of that pepsi commercial. let's watch it. jim, you are familiar with it. then, we will talk about it. january 27th, 1984. you saw that bald spot. you could clearly see the fire on his hair. it was a very, very sad moment. i have never seen that video before. give us some context. >> i actually covered that story as a local los angeles tv reporter. michael jackson and his brothers were shooting a pepsi commercial. this, i believe, was on the sixth take of that commercial. there were pyrotechnics. they went off too early when he was still at the top of the stairs. they weren't supposed to go off until he was down below. a spa

wolf blitzer's off. i'm suzanne malveaux, and you're in "the situation room." >>> well, you would never guess from seeing michael jackson rehearse in this just-released video that two days later he suffered cardiac arrest and died. cnn was the first tv network to air this clip of jackson singing and dancing at the staples center in los angeles on june 23rd. watch and listen for yourself to jackson performing "they don't care about us," a song from his history album. ♪ ♪ as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation ♪ ♪ some things in life they just don't wanna see but if martin luther was livin' ♪ ♪ he wouldn't let this be ♪ all i wanna say is that they don't really care about us all i wanna say is that ♪ they don't really care about us ♪ [ horn honking ] >> hold for applause. hold for applause. slow umbrella, fade out. >> amazing video. our cnn contributor kelly rosen is standing by to talk about this. former head of the recording industry association of america. we want to bring in our cnn ted rowlands at the neverland ranch with the breaking news on a jackson memorial service and the

ddddddddddd >>> i'm wolf blitzer and this is our "state of the union" for this sunday, july 12th. john king is off. stories of michael jackson are sure to dominate the news for weeks to come. legal battles over his estate and last week were all the negative stories washed away in a wave of positive media? howard kurtz says the coverage was out of control and, straight ahead in our "reliable sources" hour, he'll argue that one with a panel of veteran journalists. >>> a retelling of his battle with former president richard nixon 32 years ago now a hit movie, but this legendary journalist isn't resting. howie sits down with sir david frost to talk about his past a

so michael jackson was really having a hard time sleeping but i want to update you on one big thing today, wolffrom the investigation. we've reported there is this list of doctors that our source told us investigators have been working their way through and learning what they can about the doctors and when they possibly prescribed michael jackson trying to figure out which of these medications, if any, may have contributed to his death. our source told us last week that along with jackson's personal physician, his long-time dermatologist is on the list of doctors being looked at. today, late in the day, it turns out that a swarm of media d descended on dr. klein's office. the coroner was there to pick up more records related to his treatment of jackson. we know that jackson was at his office a few days before. klein said when he was there, he danced for other patients and looked healthy. ed winter, the assistant coroner spoke after he left dr. klein's office. this is what he said. >> we're still conducting our investigation. there is a security hold on the case. i can't comment either way. >> a

michael and his life. >> today's final tribute to the king of pop was something of an international spectacle, wasn't it. >> it sure was, wolf. >> to give us a sense of what this all means for us in india, it's our top story. >> in the dark of australia's winter night with balloons in moscow and makeshift shrines in london. >> early viewer estimates have been estimated at above a billion people. >>> online activity also through the roof. global web traffic surging nearly 33%. and the ceremony itself, well the true jackson-worthy production, a showbiz spectacle that will felt surprisingly intimate. ♪ . i feel the king of pop is not big enough for him. i think he is simply the greatest entertainer that ever lived. ♪ hold me like the river of jordan ♪ >> maybe now, michael, they will leave you alone. >> i want his three children to know, wasn't nothing strange about your daddy. it was strange what your daddy had to deal with. but he dealt with it! >> of course, for all the star power in that room, for all the glowing tributes and the stirring harmonnys, this was the moment that really hit home. >> ever since i was born, daddy h

wolf blitzer in "the situation room." >>> up next, "lou dobbs tonight." lou? >> thank you. >>> tonight, a judge has taken control of michael jackson's estate, taken it away from jackson's mother. jackson's attorney and his longtime friend will control those assets at least for now. and 17,000 tickets have been handed out to fans as los angeles prepared for tomorrow's memorial spectacle. also, governor sarah palin gives a hint of her political ambitions after her stunning resignation last week. she also has a warning for the liberal media establishment. >>> and violence worsening in honduras. the ousted president trying to return to power, but his plane is blocked from landing. >>> and tonight, venezuela's hugo chavez blaming the united states for his ouster. >>> tonight, los angeles is preparing for michael jackson's memorial and the family planning a private ceremony just hours before the public event. more than 17,000 tickets for tomorrow's memorial have been distributed to fans, another 9,000 to the jackson family. and jackson's mother, losing control of her son's estate. a judge has turned the estate over to jackson's

wolf. >>> from neverland to wonderland, you're going to see the house we're told that michael jackson wantedchelle obama, you're about to hear her talk, as well. what she loves about the arts. >>> let's bring in senior political analyst, gloria borger. you've just come from the white house where you and other journalists just had a briefing. >> yes. we met with rahm emanuel probably just at the same time the president was giving his statement on the gates situation. >> the white house chief of staff. >> that's right. and, you know, he really wanted to put to rest some of the criticism that this president hasn't been involved enough and hasn't put out a bill. and let me just read to you what he said. he said, "we made a choice to offer broad outlines and let the legislative process work." and he makes point that the president abhas been on the hill, he's been on the hill working, negotiating, and he works with hillary clinton, if you put a bill out there, every change in the bill becomes a defeat. he also told us that the secretary of state, hillary clinton, spoke with president today and she

wolf? >> dan, thanks very much. dan lothian, our white house correspondent. let's continue the conversation with georgetown university professor michaeleric dyson and mansfield frazier, contributor tothe dailybeef.com. i read your piece this morning, the headline being skip, the nickname of professor gates, you mouthed off. before we get to all of that, do you think the president was right in saying the police officer acted stupidly? >> well, if you want to talk about stupidity, in a situation like that, there's usually enough stupidity to go around. i think it was a poor choice of words. i think there were other words that could have been better. i think he might have acted unfairly. but i don't think it was stupid on his part at all. i think it might have been calculated on his part when he did arrest professor gates. but stupid, no, it wasn't. >> but should the president have used that word? that's the question that i'm asking, mansfield. >> no, i don't think he should have used it. it's a pejorative term. it was an incendiary situation. i think he probably regrets using it, and, no, i don't think it was a stupid act on the policem

wolf. then at 6:50, eastern, a potential deal to end the attacks on u.s. troops in afghanistan. pakistan's in the mix here. but there is a catch. we'll have more with michaelare. >>> also at the top of the hour, senate confirmation hearings start today for president obama's supreme court nominee sonia sotomayor. we'll look back at her childhood in new york's housing projects and how it helped prepare her for the big day. >>> meantime, president obama is back moem in washington this morning. before he left ghana over the weekend, he sat down for an exclusive interview with anderson cooper. >> he talked about the tour of the cape coast castle where african-americans were held before being sold into slavery. >> reporter: the president and his family arrived in ghana on friday. on saturday they came here to cape coast castle, ace place where enslaved africans were once held before being shipped off to the new world and shipped off to america. i had a chance to tour the castle with the president. first, we sat down and talked about the news of the day. vice president biden said you misread the economy. you said, no, no, no, we had incomplete information. nevert

richard wolfe wrote about the candidacy of barack obama based on interviews conducted during the 2008 campaign in renegade. magnificent desolation, buzz aldrin's story of the lunar landing. michael and elizabeth norman write a history of the world war ii death march called tears in the darkness. and the economic crisis in and then the roof caved in. .. >> to see more summer reading lists and other program information, visit our website at the tv.org. >> and now more of the tvs coverage from the 2009 chicago tribune printers row lit fest. the second event of the day features elliot gorn the author of "dillinger's wild ride," the year that made america's public enemy number one. and john hallwas, the author of "dime novel desperadoes," the notorious maxwell brothers. [applause] >> one of the reasons i love books is that i and inept with things like this. i don't even know how to turn off my phone. i've got it. i'm sure that will be great with books. this is an interesting one. the way many of these panels, together randomly likely throw a couple others name up and they fall down on the table and they say rick, go and interview these people. i don't think it was planned because wha