that's michele bachmann.nd by the way also he went even further than bachmann when he voted for a law that would allow hospitals to refuse to administer an emergency abortion even if the women's life was in danger the so-called let women die bill. on education, paul ryan would slash pell grants. he also would allow interest rates on pell grants to double. of course michele bachmann agrees. on gay rights he opposed the repeal of don't ask, don't tell. he also opposes adoption rights for same-sex couples, just like michele bachmann. more on guns. he is against the 72-hour background check. his pro gun policies earned him an a grade from the nra just like michele bachmann. on immigration he voted against the dream act, just like michele bachmann. on the safety net he would privatize medicare, and he has introduced a bill to proi voo tiez social security as well and bachmann backs his plans on both of those measures. in fact vote view ranked ryan and bachmann almost dead even in their conservative voting records.

but michele bachmann is attacking people in our society. doctors and lawyers and teachers and having witch hunts. and as an african-american woman, i take quite offense to that. and it is a form of witch hunt. she's doing it for dollars, then it's the wrong dollar bill. >> what about that? the fact is many muslim people, people who follow islam have been loyal citizens to this country. have served in every echelon of this society and they're being witch hunted by michele bachmann. i know you're not a fan of hers. why doesn't the republican party stand up to that? >> i think half of them do and half don't. you're not wrong with about what you say. it's not equivalent. what i meant was it's the same stupid tactic. if you have a concern, bring it up. you don't have to use this hysteria to make your point. think about what harry reid is saying. an investor in bain told him that romney paid no taxes? >> you keep coming back to this. this is not about harry reid. this is about michele bachmann. >> we're talking about a woman getting death threats

what do the traders think with that, michelle?> well, pete is always talking about that. >> smart. all u first of all, the bluechips make a lot of sense. they've done an absolutely great job of prepareance. when you bring up the yp morgans and look at ibms and different names. look at the pharmaceutical names and protection. when you have volatility. do it before the storm, like in new orleans, you wouldn't want to buy your housing insurance now, two weeks ago, when the storm is not there, buy the protective puts. >> dr. j. >> and get alpha after that because you want exposure to the upside, go one put away to the s&p 500 and do 1x2 spreads. buying a put to secure that downside, like pete is saying, when you can and not have to and when the vol is cheap, you will be a happy camper. >> that 1x2 spread. >>> coming up, taking the pulse of energy drinks. what? what! as new jersey issues subpoenas against major players. [ male announcer ] while many automakers are just beginning to dabble with the idea of hybrid technology, it's alread

and to talk about progress 81 i was looking for michelle obama and sisters. who was the first person to vote? i was in the library in chicago i a stumbled across the bow from north carolina. node jumpers. i thought my father is from north carolina. migrate great great grandfather, 1867, 40 years old, two years free registered to vote. approved. i don't know if he did or not. research and the know what happened later. that moment of people seizing hold of democracy. but your story reminds us whenever we think with the terms of moving past the racial divide everyone does not agreed to be clear. with being black but one of the most powerful lessons is if you believe there is progress it this show us how fragile the challenges of racial violence with the power and precious patient at in this moment we should be diligent. >> it inspired me and they are striving. but ped be diligent. >> it inspired me and they are striving. but people took the space and did the best. that is meaningful. you mentioned your relative. mary, born 1835 looking at the distant cousins con

because it's not simply about michele bachmann, is it?t's also about what the republican party's values are. isn't it, marcia? >> i think absolutely what their values are. you call terrorism about people u think are incubating interest the middle east when you don't think about the terrorism from everyday lives from people who won't get health care and things of that nature. >> have to end that conversation there. thank you so much, mark and marcia. thank you so kindly. >>> coming up, she's an olympic champion and only 16. but that's not what people are talking. i'mce cracking open the dyson-a. ? try manly [ screams ] [ male announcer ] eew, ok, just do your thing. hey! hey! [ male announcer ] definitely a little bit epic. stride. a great clean doesn't have to take longer. i'm done... i'm going to read one of these. i'm going to read one of these! [ female announcer ] unlike sprays and dust rags, swiffer 360 dusters extender gets into hard to reach places so you can get unbelievable dust pick up in less time. i love that book! can you bel

>> yeah, i think so, michelle.you look at what's going on in the market right now, there's really no volume out there, most of the people aside from the crew here, most people are away in the hamptons or away somewhere, you have very light volume exasperating the moves up and down. >> i'm sorry, mike, finish. >> look at the levels and see if you can probably speak to this. the market's been holding true to its levels for a very long time. i'm in the camp that we break above the 1422, 1425 level and go higher. but let's watch, 1397, 1392, that's very key as well, so i think the market staying in this range right now and i wouldn't expect much more for the rest of the day. grasso? >> 1397 as mike just said was yesterday's low. 1398 was last friday's low. you want to keep an eye on those two levels. we dropped about a percentage point from there if we break through. the risk to the upside is 13 -- i'm sorry is 1442. so, if you're a bull in this market, you're really playing it for 3% upside and you have a dramatic dif

for weeks, we reported on michele bachmann and others making unfounded allegations about infiltrating of the government. the standard shouldn't be different for democrats, independents, libertarians or anyone. extraordinary allegations require proof. michele bachmann and company don't have ordinary proof, neither so far does senator harry reid. this began earlier when he told the huffington post what he says a bain capital investor told him. he said he didn't pay taxes for ten years. he went on. do i know that's true? well, i'm not certain. that was harry reid saying i am not certain. you would think not being certain about the truth of an explosive allegation, you would kind of keep it to yourself, right? instead, harry reid went further with local reporters saying he had a quote number of people tell me

view of michele bachmann changed over the years by constituents?are you hearing? >> ed, no question about it. she is out of touch. the people in the district are fed up with her antics. she's wearing thin. and we're hearing it up and down the streets of the district. people want a change. they want a business person. they want somebody who can actually represent them in congress and being there for the people. she's not. she's out and about on her own agenda and people are sick of it. >> she says that -- she called obama care socialized medicine. she says that will kill the country. will you run on the health care bill? would you go to constituents, people you want to have their support and say this is a good bill and we need to make it better? >> well, you know, ed, it's a good bill in many ways and we can make it better and it's a good start. and by gosh, heretofore, we knew it wasn't working. we have to move forward, bend the health care costs, but by gosh, we're moving forward and doing something. she doesn't want to do anything. she wants to g

michele bachmann and company don't have any proof, and neither does harry reid. this began earlier in the week when mr. reid told the "huffington post," he didn't pay any taxes for ten years. he went on, do i know that is ue? well, i'm not certain. that is harry reid saying i'm not certain. so you would think that not being certain about the truth of an explosive allegation you would keep it to yourself? well, instead, harry reid went further with local reporters say saying he had a quote number of people tell me that, unquote. so it went from one person telling him to now a number of

michelle obama is the first lady. ann romney wants to be the first lady. i remember. >> wait a minute. wait a minute. no, we got into the whole 99% over $900 shirt and now it's

valley jarrett, michelle obama. that's the source of the campaign. it's not bringing people together to improve the economy. this campaign is to lash out at business, to lash out at successful entrepreneurs, to tax the rich. is that where it's coming from? those two gals? >> they have enormous influence. one thing that makes obama unusual as a president is the degree in which he relies on strong, progressive-minded women. hillary clinton, nancy pelosi and of course his -- >> nancy pelosi who basically wrote obama care. >> right, and forced it through. >> and ra 34 emanuel was opposed to it. >> obama was opposed to the mandate during the election. >> now you've got a third woman, a third player. how important was nancy pelosi? >> the legislative record in the fist two years is largely a result of nancy pelosi to set a radical agenda and drive it forward. >> why would this change if he's re-elected? valley jarrett will still be there. nancy pelosi is still there. michelle obama will be. why would any of this change? w

michelle and the-fast money "halftime report."" >> thank you, carl. four hours to go until the close. here's where we stand and torchlt we're not flat. back above 13,000 though. we have fallen below that. s&p right on the quarter. lowered by 10 points. the nasdaq is lower by 29 points. 3,051. that is almost 0.9% lower. 24 hours before he makes his big speech in jackson hole finally. are consumers finally regaining strength? we're trading with them. first our lead story. the s&p 500 trading lower after a violent move down in the euro. you can see it there. by 10:30, 11:00, this after spain said it's not going to ask for a full bailout until it knows if the ecb would step in and buy their bonds in return. it's game of chicken. joe terranova, how do you play that game? >> i think it's not so much the trade you make off of this morning's headlines. it's the trade you don't make. i don't think you want to go with sigs can't energy to energy, builders. you're going to continue to see a u.s. dollar that is the safe haven, and to use a quick analo analogy, mi

. >>> plus, with michelle obama and over 50 pint-size chefs and one healthy menu and the president crashing. inside the first ever kids' state dinner. >>> good evening. i'm terry moran. and tonight, the west is burning. giant wildfires, thousands of acres wide are sweeping across idaho, california and other western states, adding more heat to what is already poised to be a record-breaking summer of fires. and it's not just flames ravaging the u.s., there's also been soaring temperatures, extreme drought and freak storms across the country. abc's neal karlinsky comes to us now from sutterville, idaho. >> reporter: we're driving into the fire zone. >> the area. >> reporter: thank you. getting into idaho isn't easy. a huge wildfire is burning. the roads are choked with heavy smoke and long lines of firefighters. in the front lines we met teams from michigan, electrical alaska and oregon. tom colin is has been fighting fires 50 years. he's working construction in the off-season. >> you become a junkie and like this stuff. it's not for everybody. some get out sheer and panic. i've been doing it

michael, how is michelle obama seen by the american people? >> well, i think she's clearly the president's single best surrogate. shs a mix of grace and toughness of a kind that americans really like and respect. i'd say the same, by the way, of anne romney, who who has a tremendous advantage. it says something that i think both of these women are probably better natural politicians than their husbands. and of but the warning here, of course, is that, just like your vice presidents, the first lady is not determinative in the outcome of the election. otherwise, george h.w. bush would have been re-elected as president because barbara bush was a beloved figure in america. she is a tremendous advantage to the president. >> warner: how do you see, ruth, the role of michelle obama and anne romney? >> i think as michael said they're not going to be tipping the balance, but they are the first sarcombat. they are, first of all, validators of their spouses in the cases we've had mostly, the-- their husbands' person as. they help humanize them, and these

michelle worked her way through school. [applause] michele and i would not be here without the help of grants and student loans. we're only here because chance of the chance education gave us. i want everyone to have that chance. parents have to parent, young people have to stay disciplined and focused, but if you are willing to work hard, a college education in the 21st century should be available to everybody, not just the wealthy few. [applause] that's what i believe. whether it is a four-year education, a two-year program, higher education is not a luxury. it is a necessity. every american family should be able to afford it. that is what is at stake in this election. that is a reason i'm running for president. i want you to understand -- i am not just talking the talk, making promises. since i took office, we have helped over 3 million more students afford a college education with grants that do not make it difficult. [applause] unfortunately, the economic plan of governor romney cut education by about 20%. the grants t

and he keeps making it worse. >> i think that's the point, michelle.on't begrudge him being wealthy. some were wealthy and made president and did well. roosevelt, the kennedys to name a few. i think the fact that this kind of caricature and his policies and his awkwardness, i mean, is this a dangerous for him politically? >> absolutely. and as you point out, there have been wealthy presidents. part of mitt romney's problem is he seems uncomfortable with how wealthy he is. he knows it is a risk. and he also knows that he has not found a way to kind of address this and convince people that despite the advantages that he has, he feels their pain, so to speak. so it's not just that he's extremely wealthy and has cars in his garages and fancy horses is he actively seems awkward about his status. >> and it goes beyond that, if i may. because he won't explain all this. he won't explain his personal finances. he won't explain his deals at bain. he won't explain his campaign funding as to who his bundlers are. and he won't explain his policies like the tax poli

. >> the loyal audience has allowed michelle to take more chances with the monthly lineup.stablished authors bring in an older audience. younker authors bring in their friends from the community who might be bringing in an older author. >> raider has provided a stage for more than 400 writers. it ranges from fiction to academics stories to academic stories this service the underground of queer fell, history, or culture. >> and there are so many different literary circles in san francisco. i have been programming this reading series for nine years. and i still have a huge list on my computer of people i need to carry into this. >> the supportive audience has allowed michele to try new experiment this year, the radar book club. a deep explorationer of a single work. after the talk, she bounces on stage to jump-start the q&a. less charlie rose and more carson daly. >> san francisco is consistently ranked as one of the most literate cities in the united states. multiple reading events are happening every night of the year, competing against a big names like city arts and lectur

>> reporter: and throughout the gulf coast, michelle. as you can tell, the conditions are starting to deteriorate even though the storm is still hundreds of miles away. we'll take a look at this. and you would think that oil prices would be going through the roof with a storm that wasn't supposed to hit the production areas. but doing something else. we'll talk about it after the break. >>> want to beat the street? you better tweet the street. twitter.com/cn twitter.com/cnbc/money. when you tweet us back, we put you on tv. follow the fast money. twitter.com/cnbcfastmoney. how do you know which ones to follow? the equity summary score consolidates the ratings of up to 10 independent research providers into a single score that's weighted based on how accurate they've been in the past. i'm howard spielberg of fidelity investments. the equity summary score is one more innovative reason serious investors are choosing fidelity. get 200 free trades today and explore your next investing idea. >>> tropical storm isaac heading into the key oil pro

>> michelle obama d. i read that article.obama argued is that the ancient tradition of critical thinking and debate to illuminate ideas set by socrates was unfair to minorities and women -- [overlapping dialogue] >> she was encouraging-- >>> one at a time -- jennifer. >> disrespectful to women and minorities, that we are not smart enough to debate by the methods laid out by socrates. what jie she is saying is that women and minors can't make it and we have to change it because of their gender and skin color. that's exactly what she sadism she was advoighticating to open up the mind and say there are more qualified canned dhaits maybe you have ignored because you have traditionally only promoted those who are white -- >> no-- >>> one at a time. >> read the article, penny. she argues against the method laid out by socrates that is traditional in law school, that they debate to illuolinate ideas and critical thinking. she suggested that debating, and putting the best deitaters is racist and sexist. that is appall, degrading and

. >> president obama has his own star power in first lady michelle obama. she was in new hampshire where she delivered this message to voters. >> when people ask you what this president has done for our country, here's what you tell them. tell them how many jobs he's created. tell them how much money haas's put back in the pockets of american people. remind folks how he ended the war in iraq, passed historic health reform and stood up for our most fundamental rights again and again and again. that's what i want you to tell them! >> president obama is not campaigning this weekend. it happens to be his 51st birthday today, so he's spending the weekend at camp david. a big celebration is planned for next weekend in his hometown of chicago. >>> turning now to the 2012 olympics. one history-making week down with many amazing moments still to come, and team usa is right there in the middle of it all. swimmer michael phelps leading the way, cruising to victory in the 100-meter butterfly and winning the 17th gold medal of his career in the process. and with phelps

good to see you. >> thanks, michelle.s a hard one to follow, chris christie. >> i know, right? he has a lot of energy. the house thinking in terms of just how likely the fiscal cliff is, is it going to happen, is it not going to happen. what is your betting? >> two weeks ago we published a report, a very lengthy department wide report looking another the fiscal cliff, called the risk of fiscal cliff and it tackled two specific issues. number one, the fiscal cliff and what the economic impact could be if we did get a full fiscal cliff. but also, looked at the impact of various industries and specific companies. and the second thing we tackled was looking at the business outlook, the outlook, what corporates are saying now about the current outlook and how it compares to 2008. with regard to your question, if it hits in full effect and we don't think it will, we think there is a 15% likelihood that fiscal cliff will hit, and i can go to that in some detail -- >> that's fine, 15%. what would the impact be on gdp? >> for firs

employment and the economy. >> bill: look, michelle. these guys have a right to play to their constituency, all right? image, lee, they are liberal guys. minino -- they play to that. this is all posture. gamesmanship. we know why they are doing what they do. and they have a right to do that, by the way. these three mayors have a right to say -- >> -- they don't have a right. >> bill: i'm not going to buy their chicken because i don't like the way they stand. look, if george soros opens a business, whatever he is selling i'm not going to buy because i don't like his point of view and i don't want to line his pockets. so i'm completely, completely okay with any american saying i'm not going to buy this chick-fil-a stuff. >> if a politician is saying that they are not going to grant a permit to that business. >> bill: that's fascism. >> chick-fil-a employs thousands and thousands of people. you are not hurting the ceo. you are hurting the little people. >> bill: here is what i want now. i want the mayors of boston san francisco and chicago

i think there's a huge difference between michelle obama in 2008 and 2012.lle obama was a novice and she was going up against bill clinton, the most gifted campaigner of all. now she's tried and true. she's extremely disciplined. one thing we see is that she gives the same speech again and again. every campaign appearance is remarkably like the one before it. she is not spontaneous because she's very authentic and connects very well, it can almost be easy to forget that she is on message all the time in saying exactly the thing that will most appeal to the crowds about her husband. >> speaking of connecting, she's got some nice numbers. hearing romney call the president angry brings to mind similar things that were said about mrs. obama during the last campaign. it confirmed she's pretty popular first lady. look at the numbers. 65% consider her favorable. how big of an asset do you think the first lady is in this whole re-election campaign? >> not only is she a big asset but one of the things i discovered is what an intentional strategy that was on the part

but michele davis, she took it. and that's who mitt romney hired to clean up bain. and that's who mitt romney has hired. some of them have ethical constraints on what jobs they would take. but some don't. this firm was also hired by the gap in 2007 to clean things up for them after it was discovered that gap clothing was using being produced, using 10-year-old slaves in india. >> for gap, a retailer that has long promoted itself as promotionally responsible, the pictures could not be more embarrassing. children as young as 10 showing clothing carrying the gap label in a sweat shop in india. the photos got immediate response from gap's president. >> i am grateful that this investigative reporter found this because we can do something about it. >> good answer. when the gap needed some good answers when they wanted to clean up, not necessarily that problem, but the image problem created by their child slave labor problem, they hired this p.r. company called brunswick group. brunswick also got the cal when bp befouled the gulf coast with the spill. brunswick was who bp

thank you erin, thank you michelle.ur time tonight. >> thank you. >>> coming up, why thurgood marshall reminds us today just how serious this election is. that's next. welcome aboard! [ chuckles ] ♪ [ honk! ] ♪ [ honk! ] ♪ [ honk! ] ♪ [ male announcer ] now you'll know when to stop. [ honk! ] the all-new nissan altima with easy fill tire alert. [ honk! ] it's our most innovative altima ever. nissan. innovation that excites. ♪ throughout our lives. one a day women's 50+ is a complete multivitamin designed for women's health concerns as we age. it has more of 7 antioxidants to support cell health. one a day 50+. out! your kind is not welcome here! nor your odd predilections! miracle whip is tangy and sweet, not odd. [ villager 1 ] it's evil! if you'd try it, you'd know. she speaketh the truth! [ villagers gasping ] reverend? ♪ can i have some? ♪ >>> welcome back. there's big news today out of texas on voting rights. a federal court has struck down the state's new voter i.d. law because it would undermine minority voting.

and the white house knew they had to preserve michelle obama's popularity. her mixed up in health care reform or anything politically controversial because they knew that they would need her right now. one of the stories i tell in the book is actually about a meeting in the oval office when political advisors came to the obamas and they described almost the kind of scene we just watched in ohio and said, look, democrats like seeing the president alone, but they love seeing you together. this marriage has a lot of political potency. >> what about drawbacks though, jodi? are there any drawbacks to putting michelle obama out there from the obama campaign perspective? >> well, they need her. this is clutch time. this is sort of what they've been saving her for. politically, you know, there could be drawbacks if she was drawn into this sort of daily back and forth. remember the comment about ann romney and whether she was too much of a stay at home mom. they want to keep michelle obama away from those kinds of fire fights. >> okay. jodi kantor talking to me about

wow, there it is. >>> first lady michelle obama got up close and personal with some u.s.eannie moost. >> reporter: if there were an olympic medal for hugging, first lady michelle obama would take it. even more impressive, the gold medal for lifting. it goes to this american wrestler. >>> what's the weirdest thing you've ever lifted outside the first lady? >> hay bale. >> reporter: it was a first. >> reporter: elena says she just wanted to make the moment a little more special. a teammate tweeted out the photo. the white house showcased its own version as photo of the day. >> i just think that's weird. >> reporter: what's so weird? >> picking up the first lady? >> reporter: in 2010, elena came in second. there's a name for this move. >> reporter: so you front body carried the first lady? some conservative web sites called it undignified. >> i think she's just having fun. >> i think it's awesome that michelle obama is the weight that she can be lifted. >> 5'9".5, i had trouble getting a lift. >> you couldn't pick me up, could you? >> could you? would you? >> i won't, i have