that was a very important speech senator mitch mcconnell made. it went largely unnoticed, but is significant. sometimes center mcconnell and anchors or upsets -- senator mitch mcconnell upsets a movement-type conservative who believes in purging anyone who does not toe a very rigid doctrinal line. senator mitch mcconnell looking at reality does not believe the republican party can succeed that way. he looks back ron reagan and sees a broader coalition. he has campaigned for liberal to moderate republicans in pennsylvania, rhode island, and sometimes takes some heat for it. he is there every day trying to get enough votes and win enough seats to accomplish a generally conservative agenda. this is the way he sees it best to maximize his options. host: some background on a trip guess, a graduate of harvard law school, also a graduate of center college, the location of one of the previous vice- presidential debate. guest: that is right dick cheney and joe lieberman who debated there. it is a liberal arts college of about 1200 students. it had only a b

that was a very important speech senator mitch mcconnell made. went largely unnoticed, but is significant. sometimes center mcconnell and anchors or upsets -- senator mitch mcconnell upsets a movement-type conservative who believes in purging anyone who does not toe a very rigid doctrinal line. senator mitch mcconnell looking at reality does not believe the republican party can succeed that way. he looks back ron reagan and sees a broader coalition. he has campaigned for liberal to moderate republicans in pennsylvania, rhode island, and sometimes takes some heat for it. he is there every day trying to get enough votes and win enough seats to accomplish a generally conservative agenda. this is the way he sees it best to maximize his options. host: some background on a trip guess, a graduate of harvard law school, also a graduate of center college, the location of one of the previous vice- presidential debate. guest: that is right dick cheney and joe lieberman who debated there. it is a liberal arts college of about 1200 students. it had only a bel

host: "republican leader: a political biography of senator mitch mcconnell" -- mitch mcconnell won in 2008 ñññññ y needs to stick with mitch. host: his margin of victory last year? guest: about 6% of bruce lunsford. lunsford was largely self-funded as he is a millionaire. the race tightened for a while as the economy when south, but lunsford like some and the others tried to run against mitch mcconnell in ways that did not make sense. no one has ever successfully made issues like campaign finance reform the turning point in one of these senate races. supporting president bush, even though bush's popularity had declined, supporting president bush was not that much of a liability. senator mitch mcconnell had been extremely effective in bringing home federal project pork ky. citizens of kentucky thought he was doing a lot of good for the state. they wondered why to turn him not it now that he had achieved of an official status. it looked tight, but senator mitch mcconnell one more comfortably than the naysayers thought. host: the author is a lawyer. he is the author of this new book on m

gwen: in fact you talked to mitch mcconnell, the senate minority leader who says he's happy the angst is all on the other side. >> he was absolutely delighted. mitch mcconnell is not the most demotive person but for him was incredibly happy and happy to show his delight that the infighting among the democrats was certainly a gift to the republicans, at least at that point. gwen: dan balz, you with your colleague hanej johnson i'm sure a best-selling author of the new chronicle of the campaign, called "the battle for america 2008." and as you watched this unfold, you talked just a moment ago how quickly everything repolarized and you go back to when you were talking to barack obama, joining his campaign before he was president, did he see this coming, is this what he was vying into or could you have seen it coming? >> i don't think anybody could have seen it coming this way. this was an extraordinary campaign and the country was galvanized and, you know, george w. bush was, you know, the force against which people were reacting. and i think that the president, and a lot of the people a

s top man in washington, senate leader mitch mcconnell. also, town hall turmoil. >> get out of here! >> chris: we'll ask our sunday panel if this is an organized mob or just citizens exercising their freedom of speech and our power player of the week. on 100 years of helping our nation's wounded warriors. all, right now, on fox news sunday. and hello again, from fox news in washington. with a number of global hot spots to discuss, let's get right to it with our first guest, president obama's national security advisor, general jim jones, and general, welcome to "fox news sunday." >> good to be here. >> chris: is baitullah mehsud, this leader of the taliban inside pakistan dead. >> we thinks so the pakistani government believes he answer all evidence that we have suggests that, but, there are reports from the -- mehsud organization that he is not, but we think it looks like he is. >> chris: and let me ask you to clear up another matter. there were reports yesterday of a gun fight between two leading contenders to replace baitullah mehsud and

we'll ask the gop's top man in washington senate leader mitch mcconnell. also, -- we'll ask our sunday panel if this is an organized mob or just exercising their freedom of speech. and our power player of the week. 100 years of helping our nation's warriors. all right now on fox news sunday. and hello again from fox news in washington. with a number of global hot spots to discuss, let's get right to it with our first guest guest, president obama's national security adviser, general jim jones. and, general, welcome to fox news sunday. >> good to be here. >> is the leader of the taliban inside pakistan dead? >> well, we think so. the pakistan government believes that he is. and all evidence that we have suggests that. but there are reports from the massoud organization that he's not. but we think that it looks like he is. >> let me ask you to clear up another matter. there were reports yesterday of a gun fight between two leading contenders to replace him. and one where both of them had been killed in a gun fight. but this morning one of those two people who

you have jim jones and mitch mcconnell, "fox news sunday." check your local listings, and we will see you. coming up, is believed the most wanted man in of pakistan is dead. from a united states air strike. what it means. call imperial structured settlements. the experts at imperial can convert your long-term payout into a lump sum of cash today. i felt amazingly boxed in. (announcer) joe uses the contour meter from bayer. (joe) my meter absolutely adapts to me and my lifestyle. i'm joe james, and being outside of the box is my simple win. (announcer) now available in five vibrant colors. shepard: mounting evidence today that a missile strike by the cia has killed the most wanted man in pakistan. let's give you the latest. officials are working to confirm the death of this man, baitullah mehsud, maine leader in pakistan, believed to be responsible for committing suicide attacks and assassinations. he died tuesday, say his people, when a missile attack struck his rural home. this is one of the most volatile regions and pakistan, and it is not

also, mitch mcconnell. see you then and keep watching fox news, where more news is always on the way. [captioning made possible by fox news channel] captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org-- shepard new evidence in that one of the most wanted terrorists in the world will never kill again. i am shepard smith. the news starts now. >> we have information. >> a taliban leader -- shepard: the taliban leaders targeted in an american air strike. new details about this top terrorist. what his death could mean for peace. who is in line to take over his taliban army? first, the evidence of the leader's debt. the foreign minister of pakistan says his people are pretty certain that the taliban boss is dead after an air strike. he is baitullah mehsud. it is confirmed to the associated press that he is dead. the white house says it is true. the people of pakistan are safer tonight. >> this is an individual whose title as a murderous thug was well-deserved. shepard: baitullah mehsud was deeply fear

. >> it is a powerful argument that republicans, including mitch mcconnell, the republican leader and others are making when they say the democrats want to cut $500 billion of your medicare over the next ten years. it gets people and you've seen that in the town hall, people saying, they are going to pull the plug on grandma. i mean, getting that kind to sarah palin and she's clearly trying to play for a larger stage here. i mean, but i think in large part she really is contemplating for a small stage. and, you know, she has the support, you know, not only for evangelicals but flipping among a lot of folks. >> knowing the congress as you do, if the house version has the end of life counseling version in it, the senate version does not, when they get together and try to forth some sort of compromise, who wins? >> well, it depends on who needs the votes. in the end -- >> clearly this is a much tighter option in the senate than in the house. >> they need at this point, the senate has a big hurdle unless they use a procedural mechanism to just need the 51 votes. but it seems to me at this

that is mitch mcconnell purity is the second to last person to speak. -- this is mitch mcconnell.d then we will have the vote for the supreme court justice nominee sonia sotomayor. when it happens, we will bring it to you. we have a brand new information on three big stories. mike emanuel is at the white house. the white house is commenting about bill clinton's trip to north korea. >> the white house says debriefing is under way. a member of the national security council spoke with him on the phone last night. press secretary robert gibbs says president obama would also like to meet with mr. clinton, but the timing of such a meeting is not clear. marthatrace: a potential new vi. >> some drug companies are fast track in the process of getting vaccines out as kids had back- to-school, fearing the wrath of spreading of swine flu. u.s. manufacturers are soon to follow drug makers in europe. cdc officials say this test that is used for seasonal flu may not be as affected by testing for swine flu. trace: william la jeunesse made me eat goat. >> it is the new miracle meat. it is lower in

the top repub the senate's top republican, mitch mcconnell, says he'll work with reid on the logistics of a vote. the house has already okayed it. the obama administration wants $2 billion to keep the rebate program going, extending "cash for clunkers" until labor day. more than 150,000 gas guzzlers have been traded in for fuel efficient vehicles. the price tag: $664-million. >> paul: wall street started the day with a modest sell off but didn't end that way. the dow was down 18 points in the first hour of trading with the nasdaq off 19 points. but an upbeat long term outlook from caterpillar and a better than expected 3.6% rise in june pending home sales turned stocks higher during the mid-session with the dow up over 33 points. the selling resumed in the afternoon but stocks made a late rebound to close on the plus side. >> susie: oil prices fell slightly today but are still up eight dollars in the past three sessions. light sweet crude settled at $71.42 cents a barrel close to the high for the year. prices are being pushed up by hopes a global economic rebound will boost demand for

mitch mcconnell said his life was truly momentous. john mccain said he was irreplaceable. back to you. >> i hear is not just current lawmakers reacting to his passing but we are also hearing from several former presidents. >> we are. former president george h. w. bush called him a seminal figure in the senate. president carter said he was an unwavering advocate for millions of less fortunate. and nancy reagan says she considers kennedy an ally and dear friend. >>> we will be hearing from senator mikulski shortly, but the junior u.s. senator also released a statement saying i served for two years on the judiciary committee and i consider him one of the most remarkable leaders of our generation. i have lost someone who does been a mentor and one of my heroes. sheila dixon led a moment of silence before today's board meeting. she later spoke about his impact on the people of baltimore. >> his contribution in making sure that the country is open to justice and equality, he was a voice in some cases alone to provide opportunities for many people. we benefited as a result of tha

. >> mitch mcconnell, the republican leader, in a meeting with conservative groups, asked the nra if it was going to score this vote. it means it will be a key vote -- >> they already said there were going to do it. that >> is why they are going to do it, because he asked them. now you see states with big hispanic populations, people who were going to vote for her, now not going to vote for her. i in to be a guy this week who was one of the leaders of the -- i interviewed a guy this week was one of the leaders of peace and campaign for george bush and other republican candidates. -- the hispanic campaign for george bush and other republican candidates. when you combine this with the immigration stuff, the republican party is headed for minority status, a permanent minority status for the foreseeable future, if it does not do something to get back a significant portion of this fastest-growing group of voters in the country. >> oh, those awful republicans, scoring negative to flee on sotomayor. -- negatively on sotomayor. barack obama as a senator scored -- voted no on a john roberts,

>> the person we heard this morning, t.j., was mitch mcconnell, the top republican in the senate who got on the senate floor, despite the fact that official debate hasn't begun and this is really what we have been seeing. members of the senate talking about whether they're going to support sonia sotomayor or whether they're not going to support her and here is just a preview of what will come later this afternoon. from mitch mcconnell and also from harry reid, the top democrat on the senate. >> a long ten weeks ago president obama made history when he nominated the nation's first hispanic to be a justs to the united states supreme court. only the third women. this week the senate will make history when we confirm her. judge sonia sotomayor is an american of tremendous qualifications with her academic record and cuveer experience are really second to none. >> judge sotomayor is certainly a fine person with an impressive story and a distinguished background, but a judge must be able to check his or her personal or political agenda at the courtroom door and do justice even handedly as t

>> when i said that the republicans ar whipping this hard, mitch mcconnell, e republicanenate leader, ked to the nra if they would score this vote. >> they alrey said they were going to do that. >> is why they e going to do it, because he asked them. they said, ok, we will do i now yo see state wit big hispanic populations, peoplwho were going toote for her who are nowot going tvote for her. i interviewed a guy this week who had been one of the leaders of t hispanic outreach for george bush a other republican ndidates. he said, "wean onl pray that people forge abo the sotomayovote, but when you combine this with the immigration staff, the republican party is headed f a minority status if it does not do something," it es not do sothing to get bk a signifant portion ofhis fastesgrowing groupf vots in the coury. >> are yshaking your head, charles? >> thosewful publicans, scing a vote on sotayor. baracobama as senator ted agait johnoberts, perhaps thmostexcellent candidate fo the gh court in 50 years. the reason was ideology he believes that ideogy is how you ought to but read it is perfe

term or an eight-year presidency, will the attack be from the fringe or from the people like mitch mcconnell, leaders on capitol mill? >> i only look 3 1/2 years ahead because i don't know after 2012 but kathleen is right. chris: so rush limbaugh will continue to be the big -- >> the g.o.p. is is this th -- their base is what -- the appeal to that base is what this whole thing is about. we've been talking about in terms. race based stuff and birther stuff, it is an increasingly old men and southerners. that is what the republican party is. and that dictates their politics. chris: trish. >> it's a huge problem for them. they need to shift and not have that as their basis. really start to focus more on the economy. because that's going to still be an issue going forward. if they could really harness that. and they could make that their issue. that would resonate throughout the country. chris: let me ask you a question. a year from now if this economy is around double digit unemployment, around 9% or 10%, will this hatred level, that's not a bad word for it against obama persist? >> i think abs

mitch mcconnell s not the ost demotive pers but fo him was incredibly happy and happ to show s delight that the infighting among thedemocrats was certainly gift t the republicans, at least atthat point. gwen: dan bal you with yor colleague hanej johnon i'm sure a best-sellin author of the new chronicle of te campaigncalled "the attle for america 20." and as you watched this unfold, you talked just a moment ag how qukly everything repolarized and you o back to when y were alking to barack obama, joining s campaign befo he waspresident, did he see this coming, is his what he was vng into o could yu have sn it coming? >> i don't thinkanybody could ve seen it coming th way. this was an extrordinary campaignnd the country ws galvanized an you know george w. bush was, you know, the force against whih people were reacting. and think that the psident, and alot of thepeople aroun him thought they wuld come in washington on a mndate for change, but alo because of what had happened the lat mont of the campaign, the collapse of the economy, that there would be a sense in washington of let'sroll up

minority leader mitch mcconnell predicted a vote to extend the program, but with some republican changesand it looks like ford is making up for past since. the ford focus is on top of cnn money.com's list of cash for clunker cars being purchased, and the iconic american automaker says its explorer suvs, the same ones that started the suv craze in the '90s are the most traded in vehicle. ford is also seeing people snag the gas-friendly escape suv. toyota's corolla, prius, and camry made the list, as did the honda civic, hundred day elantra, and chevy cobalt. >>> certified baltimore's most accurate, here is chief meteorologist norm lewis, and maryland's most powerful doppler radar. >> nice evening out there. a little on the humid side. things are looking good, but we do have some clouds and showers in our direction, with cooler air. but that's only going to last a couple of days. >> for a moment. >> heat is going to be coming back for a weekend. let's take a look outside right now. your shot from harbor cam overlooking the downtown area. >> it's dark. >> there you go. the moon is -- was in

nationalization of your health care, with senator mitch mcconnell tomorrow. and you want to tune in for all of fox news sunday. when chris also talk with national security advisor, general jim jones. and that is tomorrow morning, check your local listings or watch chris here on the fox news channel at 6:00 p.m. eastern on sunday and chris will be joining us shortly, as we -- the ceremonies get underway in washington. >> rick: looking forward to that. but first a hurricane brewing off the coast of hawaii is weakening. while the mid west is going to get wet weather and thunderstorms in that part of the country, rick reichmuth is at the fox weather center with the latest. nice to see you, rick. >> rick: good to see you, too, what are talking about, felicia, we have yet to have a named storm in the atlantic and the pacific, more active and felicia was a major hurricane and now winds are 90 miles per hour and you see, hawaii here is potentially in the path of the storm. fortunately, though, it will weaken quite a bit, before it makes landfall and maybe monday nigh

kentucky senator mitch mcconnell on "fox news sunday" moment ago: >> i think it is in serious troublefor good reason. first of all, americans are very skeptical about putting the government in charge of all of american health care. they are also skeptical as to whether it will be paid for, the congressional budget office says it is not paid for. and even if they become convinced that it is pad foid f you have to look at how it is being paid for. >> jamie: joining me now the host of "fox news sunday," chris wallace, good morning. >> chris: good morning, jamie. >> jamie: as you know, more and more people are following the health care debate and more and more people want to get involved and more and more people want what they want and are showing up at the town halls and are being criticized for it. did you ask about the opposition from the democratic party, really criticizing the people in the way they are calling them unamerican? >> chris: yeah, absolutely. and what senator mcconnell said is you know, if you are not winning on the facts of the argument in health care, then you try to c

are still six unknowns on the republicans' side of the aisle and today senate minority leader mitch mcconnellenewed concerns that sotomayor will govern based on feelings rather than law. >> empathy is only good enough if you're lucky enough to be the person or the group that the judge in question has empathy for. in those cases, it is the judge, not the law which determines the outcome. >> and mcconnell went on to warn that when a judge and not the law determines the outcome, our country is headed down a dangerous path, but so far, not a single democrat seems to have been persuaded. bret. bret: shannon bream live on the hill. bill clinton goes to north korea and wins the release of two american journalists. the fox all-stars give us their take on that trip, next. havin' a cuppa tea. gecko vo: takes lots of sweat to become that big. gecko vo: 'course, geckos don't literally sweat... it's just not our thing... gecko vo: ...but i do work hard, mind you. gecko vo: first rule of "hard work equals success." gecko vo: that's why geico is consistently rated excellent or better in terms of financial s

after that, the biography of senator mitch mcconnell and then on "you and dave," a health-care discussionh dr. john ger arret. c-span is health care hub is a key resource on the health-care debate. follow the links. what's the latest events -- watch the latest events. including any town hall meetings. >> the british house of commons is in summer recess until october. prime minister's questions will return on wednesday, october 14. tonight, we will show you a debate from the scottish parliament. the scottish government released the lockerbie bomber on compassionate grounds. he was diagnosed with cancer and was originally convicted of the lockerbie bombing. this is the scottish parliament on the government's decision to release him to libya. this event is about one hour 50 minutes. -- one hour and 15 minutes. >> good afternoon. there is just one item of business today which is a statement by the secretary of justice on the decision. this is of utmost seriousness.

a spokesman for senate minority leader mitch mcconnell said it depends on how it is set up. if it is a government plan under a different name, it is not going to get support. he was referring to the troubled government-sponsored companies that help to guarantee half of the nation's mortgages. you are on the independent line. hello. caller: good morning. my point is this. european countries already have public health insurance. the one country this is closest to in terms of our government is canada. they have had public health insurance for several years i do not hear people running around desperate and raising cain about that. i do not know if it -- why in the greatest country in the world [inaudible] i do not understand it. host: sue on the republican line. hello there. are you there? caller: hello. i am not exactly sure what the public option is about. we voted for them to go up to washington, d.c. and do the best that they can for all of the people here in the united states. not to be a democrat, not to be a republican, not to be an independent, but sponsor the people of

. >> and your guest will be mitch mcconnell of kentucky. the senate is going to have that take charge and take the ball on this when recess is over. >> absolutely. and the question is the gang of six, the three republicans and three democrats trying to work out a deal. some are saying they don't want a deal, and they would rather have the health re reform deal go down inlames. and we were asking them about the economy because there were good -- was good news about the employment numbers and i'll be looking forward to asking him whether the president gets any recognition for that. >> that will be good. thank you, chris. >>> well things might be looking better for the economy but still over 14 million americans were unemployed last month, putting the national jobless rate at 9.4%. but the president afeeling much more optimistic, by taking that the airwaves reassuring americans that the worst may be behind us. the jobless rate was lower than june but still made it clear there is a long way to go. >> we must do more than rescue our economy from

mitch mcconnell, the republican leader was on the floor of the senate during this past hour, talking about all the things that he opposed about her. very representative of the majority of the republican conference in the senate. he talked about the wise latina comment, of course. he talked about the so-called empathy standard. that is a principle sent forth by the president time and time again, much of the infuruation of republicans. he was looking for someone who could supply empathy on the cases in which they sat and sat in judgment. >> mike, we're going to ask you and kelly to stand by. why don't we go ahead and tap in here to the senate floor. a process that kelly and mike have covered so often. we can see all of a senators there, all 99. senator ted kennedy, the only one that is not there. >> i -- >> mr. graham. mr. graham. >> i. >> mr. grassley. no. mr. gregg. i. mrs. hagan. >> i. >> mr. harkin. mr. hatch. no. mrs. hutchinson. mr. inhoff. mr. knowway. i. mr. isaacson. no. mr. johan. no. mr. johnson. >> i. >> mr. johnson. i. mr. kaufman. mr. kaufman. i. mr. kennedy. mr. kerry. m

some enjoying their opponents getting screamed at but mitch mcconnell has an issue with democrats that conservative groups. the people showing up at these things, are worried about medicare. >> and congress lashed out at a constituent that asked him about health care reform. >> you are talking about david 2009. he was at a meeting about a highway project. at the end of the meeting they said okay you can ask questions. congressman scott said the people in the audience were trying to hijack the event. here he is. >> not a single one of you had the decency to call my office and set up for a meetings. okay? then do that, do that, but don't come and take advantage of what these individuals have done. you want a meeting with me on health care, i'll give it to you. >> the question was from a doctor that lived in his district. >> julie: thank you very much. >> gregg: president obama on his way to mexico with the first summit with our neighborhoods from the north and south p then on canada, trade disputes are expected to top the agenda. major garrett is live in mexico where air force one is goi

and that mitch mcconnell and his wife michelle.e smor senator who worked alongside ted kennedy from massachusetts it's almost hard to believe is now the senior senator from massachusetts, john kerry. that is a sentiment we've heard well. suppression expressions of the resilience and strength kennedy showed battling a very difficult disease and undergoing aggressive treatment which certainly took a toll on him in recent weeks. senator chris dodd, democrat of connecticut is perhaps one of the most close friends to the late senator on a personal level. these two guys would go out and have dinner and do social things at a time when both of them were bachelors, if you will. senator chris dodd writes --. very close relationship. as you know, ed, senator kennedy handed to senator dodd responsibility for the health committee as it's known in the senate which has been responsible for a big part of the health care legislation that is still working its way through here. you get a sense of the sentiments and they are coming from lom all of the

. >> reporter: senate republican leader mitch mcconnell says many are the elderly who are word wrid aboutattacking citizens in our country for expressing their opinions about an issue of this magnitude may indicate some weakness in their position on the merits. >> reporter: some members of congress have turned their in been person town hall into his virtual meetings done over the phone because of potential safety concerns. that was the case for washington state congressman brian baird who says he got a death threat faxed to his office on friday. >>> we want to talk to tony about the hot weather. >> it is a fairly muggy start to the day b uayenttbut enjoy thenestee atmpurer esin the ha on today. the counties you see here in brown are under the heat advisory. it will feel like it is at or over 100 degrees today. so take all the necessary precautions. at warning in mention, this is effect. it is not in our area but it is off to the north and east. it does include the philadelphia area. record highs for today, let's check them out because we are going to be flirting with or breaking these rec

minority leader mitch mcconnell said he doubts sotomayor would put aside personal and political beliefs and be impartial. >> the primary reason i will not important this nomination, as i have already said, is because i cannot support the so-called empathy standard upon which sotomayor was selected, and to which she herself has subscribed in her writings and rulings. >> ifill: democrats countered sotomayor has a 17-year record as a moderate, mainstream judge. and majority leader harry reid criticized republicans for their opposition. >> i'm disappointed not more of my colleagues are likely to vote for this outstanding nominee. in light of her record and qualifications. but maybe in the future things will get better. i am, however, grateful for the respect my colleagues have shown her throughout this process, even those who have said they are not going to vote for her. >> ifill: the confirmation vote is expected to take place on thursday. in economic news, there were two encouraging reports from june. the national association of realtors reported pending home sales were up for a fifth str

mitch mcconnell will talk about the cash for clunkers bill, which he thinks the pass by the end of the week. from the capitol, this is less than 10 minutes. >> august is an important month for all of us to go home and have an opportunity to discuss the way forward on healthcare. i think there is a bipartisan agreement that we need to improve the american healthcare system, but very broad differences of opinion about exactly how to go about that. all indications are at this point the american people would like for us to slow down and try to get this right because of the magnitude of it. i think they are not interested and clearly expressed themselves already in another russian span like we saw on the stimulus package. august would be a good opportunity for all of us on how to deal with this issue, to go home and interact with our constituents and come back here in september with a stronger understanding of exactly where the american people might be on this most important issue. >> when i go back to tennessee, i expect to hear that we are heading in the wrong direction on healthcare and

republican senator mitch mcconnell of kentucky says he thinks neither side should try to engage in disrupting the town halls. he's defending the rights of citizens to speak out against the president's plan. >> we ought to focus on the issue and to demonize citizens who are energetic about this strikes me as demonstrating a kind of weakness in your position. in other words, you want to change the subject. >> nbc's mike viqueira is live at the white house for us. good sunday morning to you, mike. you heard senator mcconnell's comments there. are they reflective of what other republicans are saying? >> as this continues at these town halls, it is important to point out the democrats, yes, are saying they're a right wing fringe elements of from outside of these districts that are organizing these vitriolic protests we've seen time and time again on youtube, the internet, "nightly news" and msnbc. the fact remains there are some of these outlandish claims about what's in the bill. chief foremost among them of course is that people will have to be euthanized under this bill. that's not in the bill.

mitch mcconnell, the republican leader, told the story to jim carroll that when john barasso came intothe senate there was a reception for him in 2007. senator from wyoming. nobody probably knew him, couldn't pick him out of a police line-up. one democrat showed up, ted kennedy and he spent all the time talking to barasso's family, and his children. it's that gift. that ability to reach across that line that you were never a permanent add certificate saree. there were no enemys in ted kennedy. and ted kennedy could understand what somebody was. and he could have an opening. if he saw an opening, though were big consensuss, those were lot bigger points where they agree the silliness about the death tribuneals, the old age, these are really big policies. and that's where, that was his gift. and once he made his commitment, he could then sell it to the democrats because -- because ted kennedy was the -- of modern liberalism. nobody could question o, did he sell out when he collaborated with nancy cassenbaum on portability. with orrin hatch on schp, children's health coverage. that is a sp

guys like john boehner, the golfer, and mitch mcconnell who reminds me of george will expo nen shallyt ryan and talk about de menthe and these ideas they propose, the leadership of the republican party doesn't do anything on health care. year after year after year, they've had the ball with reagan, with george w. bush, with george bush, sr. they had the ball and you guys never do anything. then when barack obama tries to do something with the ball, all of a sudden you guys come alive, you disrupt meetings, you're brilliant at it, you are so good at playing defense, but you don't have an offense. >> two points to that. one, i think there are a wave of republican leaders coming who are genuinely coming up with good ideas and good solutions. they like to call tom coburn senator no. he's got some great -- >> my kids love coburn. when i watch these hearings, we'll show these meetings, i don't see civil discussion like you and i are having. i see people screaming, trying to shut down meetings so there is no discussion. but tim phillips i hope i let you talk. >> can i have just one more poin

. >> chuck, i want to move on to a different topic, something that mitch mcconnell had to say on foxews this sunday. take a listen and then i want to hear your reaction to it. >> okay. >> i don't think either side ought to be trying to engage in disrupting meetings, either the democratic side or the republican side. we ought to focus on the issue and to demonize citizens who are energetic about this strikes me as demonstrating a kind of weakness in your position. >> chuck, where do things stand from the white house's perspective on these town hall meetings and where they go to from here? >> well, look. they have a new two-prong approach this week. number one, using whitehouse.gov to beat back the fact issues they've been dealing with sort of fact-check the critiques coming from the right having to do with euthanasia and abortion and all of these things that really don't have anything to do with the centerpiece of health care reform. so that's number one. they are trying to fight back there. number two, they are using through the arm of the dnc trying to fire up the obama base a littl

> part of this goes to the vacuum now being left in the senate and the fact is harry reid and mitch mcconnelluniversal acknowledgement when teddy was at his active best, he could command that leadership in the senate. is there any way that vacuum gets filled short term or is it going to take awhile before the senate self-selects the next teddy. >> i think a couple points about that. a younger generation of reporters are covering washington and covering it at such a polarized time. you talk to brokaw or tim russert when he was alive, you recall an era where bipartisanship of the type ta we saw with ted kennedy was possible. it attracted that kind of person and ted kennedy was able to thrive there. now you've got president obama facing such a polarized institution in the senate and certainly that in the house. it makes it a lot more difficult. so the question of who picks up the mantle and whether patrick kennedy does that a question. >> hillary clinton and joe biden a year ago, i think those were the first two names people would have said, the guys would have taken the mantle. neither are in t

whether dissed con delay, denny hastert, jon boehner, roy blunt, mitch mcconnell you name it, they have made a conscious decision they do not like these people. they feel republicans have, ari incompetent, think ire brac, thinketh trina and they think they are crook. do you think jack abramoff comment do, him, mark foley, there is a long list there. until the republican party is open under new management and it is clear, nothing is going to change. that is the bad news. the good news is that leadership change is going to come from us, those of us here the grassroots level. nothing is going to change until people at the grassroots level assumed the role of leadership does not start with the governor, or a senator of an organization. it starts with each and every one of us. >> i am going to have to the bar after hearing that one. >> i am getting to the good stuff. >> tom. >> thank you. can you hear me? i would like to endorse would richard said. in fact, for three years of my life i endorsed everything there richard said because i was working for him, and richard with that wonderful boss

he did not write the bill, and mitch mcconnell made it clear that they were on board to cut costs anda partisan battle. >> it shows you the illusion of post partisanship. nothing could have been dogged that further than obama telling his critics to shut up and get out of the way. steve: thank you very much. plwase by her book. by the way, she just mentioned that man who was beaten up in st. louis, the african-american member of the tea party movement. he will be joining us. gretchen: these pictures painted a horrifying picture. çthe airplane and helicopter tt collided. we will be speaking to someone who was supposed to be on that helicopter, and how her son saved her life. brian: and a pig credited for helping an autistic child, but now is being banned. 9? wow, is this... fiber one honey clusters? yes. but it can't have... can't have about half a day's worth of fiber? i assure you it does. i can only taste... only taste the crunchy clusters, honey, and brown sugar. no madam, i don't have esp. (announcer) fiber one. cardboard no. delicious yes. teamwork... time together... real conver

senator mitch mcconnell, the minority leader from kentucky, was on fox news yesterday talking about the need for some calm here. he doesn't want to see these kind of scenes but at the same time he says let's not belittle these people who are out standing up for what they believe in. here is mitch mcconnell. >> i don't think either side ought to be trying to engage in disrupting meetings, either the democratic side or the republican side. we ought to focus on the issue. and to demonize citizens who are energetic about this strikes me as demonstrating a weakness in your position. >> joe, health care has become chaos, death panels, everything but the issues. >> you read the blogs, the blogs on the right will say this is patriotism on the left. they'll say this is the worst thing that's ever happened. it's unpatriotic. and, you know what, average americans are just watching this and being turned off. my god, things have gotten even worse. they're not sitting there trying to lay the blame on one side or another especially when you have both sides bringing up nazi images. and you have speaker

jane: we are getting reaction from capitol hill, from mitch mcconnell. for more than half a century, bob novak explain the policies and personality in washington through a mix of tireless reporting and keen insight that can only be gained through years of dedication to a craft. he was a washington institution that could turn an idea into the most-discussed story around. that pretty much echoes what you were saying. i do not want you to violate your competence with him, but obviously went through the scooter libby issue with him. can you tell us anything, any inside information, his reaction to that, becoming the center of the story? >> he had become the center of the store before on a number of occasions. he was ruffled on having to get a lawyer, but it turned out he was the first one to hear from anybody in the bush administration about valerie plame is part of it and helping their -- helping her husband get this trip to africa, and what president bush had said about saddam hussein seeking iranian in africa was wrong. they are still discussing it. it tu

mitch mcconnell actually took the floor this morning to warn fellow senators about this idea that soniaotomayor main judge, and and that the standard. he said the only way that could be a good thing in the courtroom is if you are a party that the judge has empathy for. we will be hearing from the senators later today. trace: now to miami, where environmental groups are buying up real estate. orlando salinas? >> it is a land buyers market here in florida, but the problem is a lot of folks do not have the cash. investors can not pay their bills right now, so they want to unload that land. developers do not have the cash either, but conservatory groups are looking to make those guys. so far this major group says there are working on 60 deals so far. trace: thank you. now breaking news at the weather center. tropical storms in the pacific. >> they are not going to affect anyone, but interesting that we have two tropical storms. the first one is the lead shot. -- foley shep. henry k. -- the first one is felicia and the second one is named enrique. martha: this is a fox news alert. we are awa

the catch coming from mitch mcconnell was that we need to sit down and talk about this, start over againmartha: who was in the crowd? some are asking my the public was not invited. >> all three senators pointed out that they had already done public hearings in the month of august. they say they have seen unprecedented levels of the anchor that have been vented at some of these town hall meetings, and they want to look for solutions in the hopes that they can sit down with their democratic majority counterpart to hammer out a deal. of course, we are in recess right now, so it is not like we are going anywhere anyway. it was all very subtle and intimate so far. only about 75 people inside, excluding the media. it was very non confrontational. there were some questions from one pediatrician who said, what about the poor? what are we going to do about cost? the deficit is going up every year. we did hear some points of view that we have heard before, only with a lot less heat. trace: police have released a frantic 911 call from that drill door for murder. apparently the victims of a vicious

on senator mitch mcconnell. first, here are comments as president obama traveled to mexico for the summit meeting. he was asked questions about the canadian health-care system. here is part of what the president said earlier this month. >> i have said that the canadian model works for canada. it would not work for the united states. simply because we have evolved differently, in part. we have an employer-based system and a private-based health-care system that stand side-by-side with medicare and medicaid and our veterans administration health care. so, we have to develop a uniquely american approach. this, by the way, is a problem all countries will have to deal with at some level because if medical inflation continues at this pace, everyone's budgets will be put under strain. we are trying to make sure we have a sensible plan that provides coverage for everyone, that continues the role of the private marketplace, but provides people without health insurance who are falling through cracks a realistic and many g

megyn: a senate republican leader mitch mcconnell says that efforts by democrats to demonize these protesterss of their plan. bill: right about nine minutes past the hour. bracing for the possible resurgence of the h1n1 virus. while public health officials race to have a vaccine ready for the fiscal year, emory university is at the cutting edge of this effort, conducting the first clinical trials of a new vaccine. good morning, jonathan. how do the trials work? >> good morning, bill. this nondescript building behind me is the hope clinic. in about an hour or so, they are going to begin vaccinating the first volunteers, approximately 25 today. they will repeat the process every day for the rest of the business week. they are not only trying to determine whether this vaccine is safe, but also the proper dosage. they want to know whether an individual shot will develop enough antibodies to give full immunity or whether you will have to come back for potentially a second shot. bill: when do they hope to have it available for the general public? >> public health officials are really fast tracking

>> mitch mcconnell says his party won't block a vote and the matter will be completed. >>> happening today, president obama is headed to indiana where he'll announce a manufacturing grant to talk about his efforts to get the economy back on track. elkhart's unemployment rose to the highest level in the nation. this will be mr. obama's third visit to the area. >>> president obama celebrated his 40th birthday yesterday. he celebrated with this impressive cake there including the presidential seal, but he also had a trick up his sleeve. he surprised helen thomas who turned 89 and shares a birthday with him. she was serenaded with happy birthday. >> it is hard to believe she is 89. >> she's been around for a long time and still doing a good job. >> she is doing all the things she was doing 50 years ago. >> the first president she covered has been j.f.k. >> happy birthday to both of them. in sports there are injury concerns at redskins training camp. >> and the nationals win again. here's lindsay czarniak. >>> hello, there. good morning. your sports minute begins at red skins training cam

minority leader senator, mitch mcconnell, summed it up this way, the matter will be completed.pinion of the cash for clunkers offer from the obama administration. send your question to mail to the chief at cnn.com or twitter us at twitter.com/kyra cnn. >>> some other stories with you are pushing forward. do it yourself funerals, for more and more folks, a financial necessity. digging loved one's graves to building their coffins to burying them at home. >>> this mangled star spangled banner has some neighbors seeing red. >>> it has been 40 years since the maen son family murders shocked the nation. will their appeals for paroles be granted? >>> we're looking back 40 years now to a crime spree that shocked the nation because of it's brutality, carried out by charles manson and his followers, known as the family. cnn's ted rowlands has more on the manson family and their efforts to get paroled. >> reporter: they shocked the world, young, good-looking american kids in their 20s laughing about butchering their innocent victims. the manson killers are now in their 60s, tex watson, le

here is mitch mcconnell talking to chris wallace on "fox news sunday." >> i suspect that a lot of these people, chris, who have come to the meetings are elderly people who are concerned about half a trillion cut in medicare to pay, not to make medicare sustainable but start a new program for other citizens. >> some members of congress turned the town halls to virtual meetings done over the phone. washington state member said he got a death threat on friday. others say there were uniformed officers posted around the room. >> trying to keep a law in order. it has been a challenging month for democrats. senator watson will hold the healthcare town mall meetings that week and is doing it by phone. thank you for your time today. >> my pleasure. >> we're trying to make contact with her. can you hear us? >> i can hear you. >> shannon: thank you for your time. tell us about your town hall meeting this week and why you're doing it via phone? >> we can then get in possibly 40,000 households in the 33rd consial district. that's los angeles, hollywood and culver city. we can control better using th

of a new book on senator mitch mcconnell. first, here are comments as president obama traveled to mexico for the summit meeting. he was asked questions about the canadian health-care system. here is part of what the president said earlier this month. >> i have said that the canadian model works for canada. it would not work for the united states. simply because we have evolved differently, in part. we have an employer-based system and a private-based health-care system that stand side-by-side with medicare and medicaid and our veterans administration health care. so, we have to develop a uniquely american approach. this, by the way, is a problem all countries will have to deal with at some level because if medical inflation continues at this pace, everyone's budgets will be put under strain. we are trying to make sure we have a sensible plan that provides coverage for everyone, that continues the role of the private marketplace, but provides people without health insurance who are falling through cracks a realistic and many g