richard lui joins us now.will that help him get the 60 votes he would need if he wants to pass it? >> even senator reid admits he's not sure about this. he had to persuade at least three democratic moderates to back his plan. ben neal son is one of arkansas, blanch mrin convict and harry landrieu on the right-hand side. if reid cannot get their votes he may lose support from others who want to make sure health care reform is passed this year. >> i am for any version that gets us to 60. my goal is to get on the floor and to pass it off the floor. that's my goal. public option may or may not be part of that. >> senators baucus and lincoln have both voted against a public option in the past. >> for argument's sake, let's say this is the version that becomes law. would it mean -- what would it mean for our average viewers' health care coverage? >> if you already have health insurance through your job, absolutely nothing. people with employer-based coverage are actually blocked from sbich switching to the public op

correspondent richard lui joins us now. who is the family? it's not the first time that we've seen them on national television. do divulge. >> richard heene is a meteorologist and former tv weather guy. they're known for storm chasing and conducting extreme science experiments together, though he says his family is never put in harm's way. now, the family has even been on reality tv. this is video of them appearing on the 100th episode abc's "wife swap" in march. the woman who swapped with the heene family talked about the balloon ordeal. >> i think that he was scared because he's -- the flying thing went up. i think he might have been scared of how his father would react, you know, to it. so he may have been responsible for the flying balloon to go up. >> the heenes have even submitted i-reports to cnn including this one where they are chasing hurricane gustav. >> it's fascinating. so many people watched yesterday because it was something that once you saw it you could not turn away. listen as the story unfolded. what are our viewers saying a

correspondent richard lui joins us now. so, you know, it's called a national emergency now. >> right. >> there's a hold-up on the vaccine and that makes people nervous. what is the hold up? >> it has to do with an egg here, robin. scientists make the vaccine by growing a weakened virus in eggs. it's not been growing as fast as experts had wanted. >> we're nowhere near where we thought we would be by now. we're not near where the vaccine manufacturers predicted we would be. >> over the summer, the government estimated about 100 million doses would be ready by now, but only about 11 million, robin, have been shipped to doctors and hospitals so far. the new estimate is to have 50 million doses by mid november and then 150 million in december. >> well, the government says that millions of people, though, have already come down with this type of flu. >> uh-huh. >> they just okayed a new drug to treat t this won't prevent you from getting it. what will this do for you? >> it's called bramavir. it's an iv drug only for people hosp

correspondent richard lui has more. now it's not like we're going to go to the pharmacy and there's going to be someone standing there with the stuff. not everybody can get it right now. >> that's right, robin. and that's because you and i are healthy and between the ages of 25 and 54, so we are not considered necessarily high risk in this particular situation, the h1n1 virus, but here are other groups who will be vaccinated first. first of all, health care workers, pregnant women, people ages 6 months to 24 years old, and people with health risks. here's a map showing the spread of the h1n1 flu. as we were showing this to our viewers about a month or two ago, again, when you take a look at the south, that is where you have widespread concerns about the h1n1 cases, as you go further north, less of a concern there, robin. >>> richard, many pregnant women are worried about whether they should be getting the vaccine. why are they more vulnerable to getting the virus? what do they need to know? >> it has to do with their im

correspondent richard lui, let's talk about this thing, this balloon. it's a homemade aircraft the man was working on, looks like a flying saucer. >> or a giant cupcake. doesn't look like a typical balloon. it was 20 feet in diameter, five feet tall. while it was airborne authorities say it reached as high as 7,000 feet. dad referred to the balloon as a 3d low altitude vehicle. he said he wanteded to build a balloon someone could operate from inside hovering as much as 100 feet above the ground and now it is possible to build a balloon and fly it legally but a spokesperson tells "usa today," hey, it's not likely heene's balloon met federal standards. >> so many people watched and listened as the story unfoldeded. think about it. maybe you're at work, people looked up at the monitor and your heart stops. this thing is flying and the graphics say boy inside, thought to be inside. let's talk about our viewers, what they're feeling. >> that's how they were reacting. wes from virginia writes spes ofcally, concerning the weather balloon. a balloon would not b

correspondent richard lui now.s to mexico just made the list as well. >> that's right. from those openings that just came open. joe saenz. he's trafficking drugs across the border now. but he first got on their raid nar 1998 when he allegedly killed two rivals of his quat row flats gang. saenz was out of sight for a decade but police spotted him on surveillance video last year at a murder scene. >> if you look at the video you know, he's rubbing his hands before he goes in the house. he's smiling. it looks like he really enjoys what he does. he enjoys killing people. >> an idea there of who he might be. >> in addition to the gang related murders, saenz, kidnapped, raped and murdered the mother of his child because, robin, he thought she might turn him in. >> so frightening. you know, the fbi says that this guy has been involved in gangs for at least 15 years. that's a long time. why has it been so hard to catch him? >> j. edgar hoover started the most wanted list in 1950. 491 people have been on it since then and 4

correspondent richard lui joining us. richard, what's the president doing?you know, this could be partly personal if you think about it. president obama has a home two blocks from where the games would be held. political analysts saying he needs a win right now. tough battle on health care we were talking about. afghan war that's also been a difficult process for him. this could be a shot of good news in bringing the olympics home to chicago. the republican party chair suggesting the president may have too much actually on his plate already. the white house press secretary responded to that. >> who is he rooting for? is he hoping to hop plane to brazil and catch the olympics in rio? i don't know. maybe it is madrid. >> the competent, we have brazil, japan, spain. they are all sending their heads of state as well. >> richard, there are a lot of bigwigs supporting the chicago games. there is a grassroots effort to keep the olympics out of the city. what's that about? >> we have bigwigs and little-wigs. a website, chicago is for rio that bashes the olympic bid

richard lui, the president did not talk specifics on how he would end that ban. need congress approval? >> he does not. he could do it by executive order. "time" magazine reports president obama could simply tell the pentagon that investigating service members' sexuality is not in the best interest of the armed forces. harry truman used an executive order to end segregation in the military in the 1940s. >> one group is more likely to be kicked out of the military under the don't ask, don't tell policy. let's talk about that. >> women, robin, much more likely than men to be kicked out of the military under the don't ask, don't tell. more than a third of people discharged last year because of their sexual orientation were female. women only account for 15% of all active duty and reserve military members. a researcher saying a partial explanation may be homosexuality is more common among women in the service than males. it could also be from rumors. >>> a bus carrying a high school band steered off a highway. a band instructor died saturday and 44 students were inju

correspondent richard lui, what is wrong with people? someone who worked with this guy is apparently collaborating that claim. i need to point out, that is the claim of authorities that the family has not admitted to this, as far as we know. >> right. you're talking about robert thomas, a student at colorado state university. he had a paid interview with gocker.com and worked for richard heene two months earlier this year. he ended up taking down the heene's reality proposal and one of them sounded like what happened last week. >> re-enacting the roswell u.f.o. phenomenon, launch this weather balloon and make people believe it was a ufo and exploit that controversy as a way to promote this television show. >> one difference here, robin, perhaps thomas said the proposal they discussed did not involve the kids. >> his own kids. well, investigators reportedly called thomas to hear that story firsthand. it looks like they're going to go forward with criminal charges against the heenes. >> yes. >> previously last week they said oh, it could b

now, correspondent richard lui, i guess i should point out here that the heenes are not admitting anything. you know, this is just what authorities are saying. >> right. >> someone that used to work with richard is cooperating with that claim, it seems like. >> that's right. he has been speaking out. robert thomas is his name. he's a student at colorado state university. in that paid interview i was telling you about, he said he worked for richard heene for about two months earlier this year. thomas told the website he ended uptaking down heene's reality show proposals, writing them down for him. one of them sounded a lot like what happened last week. >> the idea that they had proposed was sort of re-enacting the roswell ufo phenomenon. that they would launch this weather balloon and i guess make people believe that it was a ufo and exploit that controversy as a way to promote this television show. >> kind of close there. thomas also saying, robin, the proposal they discussed at that time did not involve the kids, though. >> you know, investigators reportedly called thomas in to hear his s

correspondent richard lui joins us now. the war started to destroy al qaeda safe haven in afghanistan. let's talk about the progression on that front. >> perhaps some positive news here, robin. al qaeda's role in afghanistan has faded drastically. u.s. national security adviser james jones saying fewer than 100 core al qaeda fighters remain in afghanistan and they do not have bases there or the ability to launch attacks on the west. now, some experts argue here president obama's camp may be underestimating al qaeda's numbers in afghanistan, because the group prefers to work in the background. still, though, many believe the real battle against al qaeda is now in pakistan. okay, now the negative side, perhaps, in terms of what's happening there in the country. the taliban is making a comeback in afghanistan. defense secretary robert gates saying very recently, taliban fighters have the momentum right now and he blames a shortage of u.s. and coalition troops over the past seven years for the taliban's comeback. "time" magazin

correspondent richard lui joins us now. okay. so what's he done before? >>> robin, he was arrested in 1997. the l.a. city's attorney's office says he pled no contest to vandalism. he was charged with vehicle tampering and disturbing the peace as part of the same case, but those charges were dropped. 911 dispatchers also got a call from heene's colorado home earlier this year. the sheriff said it made them suspicious about domestic violence but no charges were filed there. >> we know there are three kids, they're 6, 8, 10 years of age. there is so much concern about them. say their parents are charged, what happened to them? >> robin, they're with their parents for now. the sheriff contacted child protective services to investigate their well-being. they will look into much more than the alleged hoax. >> getting the children to lie to the police and to the media potentially endangering the children by taking them storm chasing, engaging in this crazy behavior is what is being looked at by cps not the hoax. >> and another twist, heene's wife, mayumi, hired

i'm richard lui filling in for her. president obama is expected to talk about the nobel peace prize an hour from now. several former peace prize winners reacted positively. >> my god. i think that's just extraordinary. i think it's wonderful. it's going to be a great inspiration from the world. barack obama, the president of the united states of america, has been a new star in the world and has been such an inspiration and has shown that we can come together and walk together in a cooperative way. >> the president also gets $1.4 millions with this award. we're expecting to hear from the president at 10:30 a.m. eastern in the rose garden. we'll have that event live for you here on hln. stick around for that. we'll move over to the chicago mayor richard daley who is sending dozens move police officers to schools and school bus stops as well to try to stop youth violence. it's a reaction to the recent beating death of a 16 year old that's being blamed on gangs. the city is also giving money to help give students some jobs.

i'm richard lui in for robin meade. breaking news on this day. a surprise announcement less than an hour ago. president barack obama has won the nobel peace prize surprising many. why they chose him. plus, nasa is set to intentionally crash two spacecraft into the moon just as you see here. why on earth are they doing this? and then police went to a licensed daycare center and found explosives plus a load of marijuana. how doctors tipped them off and all of that. breaking news, our first top story on this day. good morning to you again. >>> president obama has won the nobel peace prize. there were audible gasp s in the room when the stuns announcement was made an hour ago. the nominating committee said mr. obama was chosen for his, quote, extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy. they noted his research to the moslem world, his outreach to the moslem world in attempts to curb nuclear proliferation. >> only very rarely has a person to the same extent as obama captured the world's attention and given his people hope for a better

and correspondent richard lui, it's hard to understand how that could happen. >> no matter how many times we hear this, natasha, it's still shocking. the details also very shocking. one psychologist says this is a common phenomenon we've all heard before. >> everybody was looking to the other like, oh, is this -- i guess we're doing this. this is okay. no one's saying anything. and had one person stood up, had one person jumped in or said this isn't okay, it would have shifted the dynamic of this group very quickly. >> other experts say potential bystanders may not have called 911 because they were scared of retaliation. that's part of the reason here police are offering a $20,000 reward for information about the attackers. they're hoping, natasha, that will be enough incentive to get people to come forward with more information on this. >> yeah, hopefully somebody will. and, richard, if the witnesses don't come forward, is there any way they could be charged, say, with a crime? >> well, listen to this. there is a law that makes it illegal not to report a crime against a child but they sa

correspondent richard lui joins us now with more on what they found. what did they find? >>> good morning to you, robin. 37 pages of this report, gun show undercover, what they're trying to do in this report is to expose what they call the gun show loophole. in most states private dealers can legally seal guns without doing background checks. here is some of the undercover video you were talking about. however, if they have any reason to believe the buyer could not pass a background check, they are not supposed to sell them those guns. the p.i.s tested that out. watch. >> private collection, no tax, no paperwork. >> okay. no background check? >> all right, good. i probably couldn't pass one. one of those things, you know. >> i hear you. >> all right. let's do it. >> okay, buddy. >> so, robin, that's the alarming part is how he laughed and still sold it to him. the investigation found 19 of 30 private dealers or sellers sold guns to people who said they could not pass a background check. that's over 60% of the cases. >> even while they were sitting there saying they could

richard lui has more now on this guy halderman. he works for the same network as letterman. >> for how long, robin, he has worked 27 years as producer of the show "48 hours." he was also suspended from his job on friday. here is his possible connection to letterman. halderman's former live-in girlfriend is letterman's former assistant burkett. >> we already talked about $2 million. >> right. >> there's the motive. but do we have any deeper information about a possible motive? >> on that note, we do, robin. process cures described halderman, as a man in debt. he was desperate, as well, and would do anything to get out of that debt. he had to pay $6,800 a month in child support and alimony. his contract as of two years ago was for more than $200,000 a year, robin, family member saying he had been upset about being far way from his kids, his ex-wife moved to colorado after their divorce. the story is more complicated than it appears, and as we get more details, we'll have them for you. robin, you'll hear how other comics are reacting

i am not a victim but instead victorious. >> correspondent richard lui joins us now.ow did dna tests help catch the suspect? and good for her that she is so strong and said she wanted to make this statement yesterday and that someone's been arrested? >> and continued to fight over two decades, robin. what they're attributing this to partial ly in terms of identifying the suspect is advanced dna testing. dennis earl bradford was arrested in arkansas yesterday. jennifer's clothes and a man's underwear were tested in 1990 but the sample was not large enough for conclusive results then but then newer techniques now allowing dna to be isolated from a single human cell so the chairman of forensic science group telling a charleston newspaper for example, in the erm 1990s analysts needed a blood sample the size of a half dollar. dna can be mined from a sample invisible to the naked eye. >> isn't that something? that's huge. jennifer really pushed for years to keep her case alive. we can see that in her reaction but tell us how she did that. >> robin, she decided to go public

correspondent richard lui joins us with more on this list here. dangerous than other murder suspects? >>> well, good morning to you, robin. ravelo is the leader of a gang in el paso, texas, and the fbi says he rose to power last year by brutally killing the guy he replaced. he also has strong ties to drug car sells just across-the-boarder in juarez, mexico. they say ravelo does their dirty work killing enemies in exchange for drugs to sell in mexico and the u.s. >> so the fbi says he's been involved in gangs for at least 15 years. why has he been so hard to catch? that's a long time. >> a decade and a half. they think that ravelo is hiding with his wife and children in a mexican neighborhood controlled by his gangs. the fbi agent tracking him says he keeps a low profile and is well protected. >> he has an entourage. he has bodyguards. he has armored vehicles to protect him from rival gangs and also rival cartels. >> authorities think he also drastically changed his appearance. this is his driver's license photo from 1998. so he could look very dif

richard lui has more. >> good morning. one of them was captain eric jones.he 29-year-old was in a helicopter that crashed in southern afghanistan on monday. his best friends says jones' parents are devastated by the loss of their only child. >> i can't even imagine what it's like for them. they loved him so much and he loved them. he died doing something so much more honorable than most of us will ever get to do. >> captain jones was on his third tour of duty, natasha, and was scheduled to come home in just a few weeks. >> just heartbreaking. and another marine killed in that same crash, what have you been able to learn about him? >> he played quarterback at college in new hampshire and graduated a semester early so he could get started in the marine corp. one of his professors remembers him as a man committed to service. >> every once in a while, someone really does truly stand out in terms of their ability to lead and inspire others and that's what i'll remember most about him. >> he was supposed to come home in the next few days to see the birth of his se

our richard lui joins us now with more on that. this ought to be interesting. >> yeah. but let's talk about richard heene. two people have come forward with more details and pictures. kerry cavalier took these head shots of him. longer hair, a little younger. she told the associated press that richard heene still owes her a $2,000 security deposit. she also says the family left $6,000 in damage to the home after she gave them an eviction notice. >> so he was hoping for a modelling job or something? >> what have you, yeah. another man who met heene, by the way, robin, in the '90s says he was always trying to get people to invest money in his storm chasing ventures, including a plan to ride a motorcycle into a tornado. >> what does that say about you, ride a motorcycle into a tornado. those accounts match-up with a lot we've heard about him. he wanted to be well known. he's well known, all right. >> not for things he wants to be known for at this moment. let's talk about the phenomena behind this story, robin. there are dozens of fan groups on facebook now and you can now

richard lui joipns us with more >> good morning. this is a report they came up with, 37 pages that reads gun show uncovered. 60% is the number, they're saying an investigation found 19 of 30 private, unlicensed sellers sold guns illegally to people. here's why it was illegal. in most states, unlicensed dealers can sell guns without doing background checks. that's okay. but if there's reason to think the buyer could not pass a background check, they're not supposed to make the deal. here's one case where those rules were ignored. smoo >> okay, buddy. they ran a different test, by the way, on robin licensed dealers and even larger percentage failed there. we'll have that for you you later. >> you know, these sting operations were done in ohio, tennessee and nevada. so i think a lot of people are asking, why is the new york mayor involved in what's happening in other states? >> yes. lots of folks asking that question. mayor bloomberg saying criminals who get those guns bring them back to his city. he doesn't want that. yesterday he cal

correspondent richard lui joins us now. will that help get him the 60 vobill? senator reid admits he's not sure about this. he still has to persuade three moderate democrats to back his plan. ben nelson of nebraska mary landrieu of louisiana and if reid cannot get their votes he may lose other support from other democrats who want to make sure health care reform is passed this year. >> i am for any version that gets us to 60. my goal is to get on the floor and pass it off the floor. that's my goal. and public option may not be part of that. >> now baucus had voted against a public option in the past. >> for argument's sake let's say the version becomes law, what would it mean for the average person watching right now their health care coverage? >> what's in it for me? if you have health insurance through your job, nothing, robin. people with employer-based coverage are actually blocked from switching to this public option right now. he says many people pushing for it don't realize this. >> when i've been in my town meetings, people stand up at rallies and say p

richard lui joins us. they work at the same network. how so? >> there's more.alderman's live-in girlfriend is halderman's personal assistant. halderman has also worked for 27 years for cbs. same network that letterman does. most recently as producer for "48 hours." halderman was also suspended from his job on friday. >> halderman's pleaded not guilty, though. any other clues about his -- >> halderman's attorney made a somewhat cryptic comment. this is what he said. take a listen. >> this story is far more complicated than what you heard this afternoon. it's not the open and shut case that you just heard about. >> well, you know, prosecutors say halderman was in debt and desperate and willing to do anything. court documents show he had to pay $6,800 a month in child support and alimony. and two years ago he earned more than $200,000 a year. aside from money, a family member says halderman was upset about being far away from his kids, his ex-wife moved to colorado after their 2004 divorce. you'll hear how other comments, robin, are reacting to the letterman scand

correspondent richard lui, today's bill is expected to pass.al back room brawling might begin. let's talk about that. >> perhaps some progress finally somewhere saying, robin, the fight over the public option, that will continue after it is passed, as expected. but behind closed doors as the finance committee bill is merged with a more liberal bill from another committee called help. here's the nitty-gritty of that merge. a public option is included in the health committee bill but not in the finance committee version you've been talking at. expect lots of wrangling between democrats themselves and then with republicans about that issue. so the issue that provokes so much hostility, robin, in some town hall meetings throughout august, that is not dead yet. >> not dead yet. the public option might be a huge fighting point. what about other differences in the bill that could cost or save our viewers money on health care? >> good point. the bills do not agree on whether employers should be forced to provide health insurance for their employees. no

richard lui, how might the policy be ended?gress which right now, does not exist. the chairman of the committee says getting military support here the crucial. >> i think he will and he can. i think it has to be done in the right way, which is to get a buy-in from the military, which is now possible. other militaries in the west, the british and western armies, have ended this policy. we can do it successfully, but it ought to be done with thoughtfulness and care and with a buy-in from the military. >> some pro-gay rights activists have criticized president obama, accusing him of putting these rights on the back burner. on saturday, the president did not mention a specific timetable. >> what about people who oppose ending the ban? >> some say the military is just fine with the policy and the best thing to do is just leave it alone. take a listen to another member of the senate arms committee. >> we've got a program that's working within the military. it's been very effective, very accommodating for about 15, 16 years now and it

correspondent richard lui has more. now, it's not like we're going to go to the pharmacy and there's going to be someone standing there with the stuff. not everybody can get it right now. >> that's right, robin. that's because you and i are healthy and between the ages of 25 and 54. so we are not considered necessarily high risk in this particular situation of the h1n1 virus. here are other groups who will be vaccinated first. first of all, health care workers, pregnant women, people ages 6 months to 24 years old, and people with health risks. here's a map showing the spread of the h1n1 flu. as we were showing this to our viewers about a month or two ago, again, when you take a look at the south, that is where you have widespread at this point, at least, concerns about the h1n1 cases. as you go farther north, less of a concern there, robin. >> richard, many pregnant women are worried about whether they should be getting the vaccine. why are they more vulnerable to getting the virus? what do they need to know? >> it has

richard lui is following this for us. why is the president getting so slofled?> it could be partly personal. president obama has a home just two blocks from where the games would be held. critics say he cannot afford to take any time off from important issues like health care and the war in afghanistan. here's what his senior advisor valerie jarrett had to say about that. >> he'll be there in the morning for the presentation and then he'll be right back and everybody knows that air force one is equipped with whatever you would need in the form of communication. i think it's important not just for chicago but for our country and yet another step that the president is making to reach out around the world and show the world how welcoming our country is. >> president obama is not going to be the only head of state pitching there. brazil, japan and spain are sending their head chiefs, too. >> so, richard, there are a lot of big wigs supporting all the bids, but the chicago bid in particular. also a grassroots effort to keep the olympics out of the city. >> there's a

. >>> i'm richard lui. a woman waited 19 years for the arrest of a man she said assaulted her when she was just 8 years old. her throat was slashed but that didn't silence her. she was sexually assaulted in a field 19 years ago. after police arrested a suspect yesterday she, thanked her boyfriend and police investigators who helped keep her case alive for all those years. >> throughout this journey i've had two main goals and they were to find the man who kidnapped, sexually assaulted and attempted to murder me 19 years ago so that he could not hurt anyone else. and to use my voice in telling my story to as many people as i possibly could over the years in hopes that i may encourage other victims of silent crime to stand up and speak out against criminals. >> she says a man went through her bedroom window in 1990. she remembers waking up as a stranger carried her across a parking lot. the stranger told her he was an undercover cop and knew her family. she passed out after that attack. laid there for hours a

i'm richard lui in for robin meade this hour for you. >>> attackers in suicide vests killed a group of u.n. workers at a guest house in afghanistan. what this could mean for tens of thousands of men and women in the u.s. military. and then get ready for airline tickets as low as $25. who has the outrageous travel deals and how you can get them. jen westhoven fills us in. and then to andre agassi. he admits to using illegal drugs. why the tennis champion says he did that. >>> our top story right thousand. we're seeing waves of violent attacks in afghanistan many against u.s. troops and it begs the question would you be willing to send your son or daughter there right now? president obama is sending 40,000 more gis. it's a brutal situation in the country. taliban militants stormed the guest house being used by the u.n. at least six staffers were killed in that. the associated press reporting one is a u.s. citizen. >> i have to see when we know the full situation what this means for our work here in afghanistan. at the moment we continue as normal. we obviously have to adjust our security

correspondent richard lui why now is it so controversial? the guy is gone. >> yeah he's gone but there's still a lot of moving parts to the the story. let's get into the nuts and bolts. willingham was executed in twoi 4 for murdering his three daughters. now some forensic scientists say the fire may not have been arson. that would undercut the whole case as a result. but governor perry says it's propaganda from death penalty opponents and he replaced several members of of the commission looking into the case as well recently. willingham's stepmother talked to cnn's anderson cooper about this. >> he was a loving father. he and his wife did have a stormy relationship, but he didn't try to beat her into an abortion. >> did he physically abuse his wife? >> yes he did, but she physically abused him. it was fair play i guess. >> willingham consistently said that he was innocent, robin, up until the time he was executed. his convictions were upheld several times as well. >> interesting. the. >>> let's talk more about this guy. i mean, who was willi

correspondent richard lui, the war started to destroy safe havens in afghanistan. how has it progressed on that front at least? >>> good morning, robin. perhaps well. al qaeda's role in afghanistan has faded drastically. james jones saying fewer than 100 core al qaeda fighters remain in afghanistan and they don't have bases there or the ability to launch attacks on the west. now some experts argue here president obama's camp may be underestimating al qaeda's numbers in afghanistan because the group prefers to work in the background. still, though, many believe here, robin, the real battle against al qaeda is now if pakistan next door. >> so al qaeda may be diminishing in afghanistan but the taliban seems to be growing stronger there. some of us may forget there's al qaeda and there's taliban so why is the taliban growing? >> that may be the down side. defense secretary robert gates saying taliban fighters have momentum right now. he blames the shortage much of u.s. and coalition troops over the past seven years for the taliban's comeback. "time" magazine saying the

over to correspondent richard lui now.ay's bill is expected to pass and then some real back room brawling might begin. let's talk about why, what's next. >> yeah they work out the details. the bill would be merged with a more liberal bill on health education, labor and pensions. it's complicated so we'll try to look at some of the key differences to give us a broad view. in the senate health committee bill there's no public option in the senate finance committee version. now senate majority leader harry reid and other key democrats will go behind closed doors to decide does the public option which provoked so much who ishostility in some town hall meetings as we watched over the break during the summer make it into the version. >> the public option may be the huge fighting point. what about other differences in the bills, differences that could cost or save our viewers money on health care? >> the bills do not agree on whether employers should be forced to provide health insurance for their employees. this could affect so

. >> correspondent richard lui is joining us now. let's talk about why the execution itself is so controversial. there are questions of was this an innocent man. he said he was right before they -- right before he was put to death. >> that's correct. and then what happened thereafter makes this case somewhat complicated. let's get to the nuts and bolts. willingham was executed in 2004 for murdering his three daughters. well, now some forensic scientists say the fire may not have been arson that would undercut the whole case but governor perry says it's propaganda from death penalty opponents and he replaced several members of a commission looking into the case recently. willingham's stepmother talked to anderson cooper. take a listen. >> he was a loving father. he and his wife did have a storm y relationship. but he didn't try to beat her into an abortion. >> did he physically abuse his wife? >> yes, he did. but she physically abused him. it was fair play i guess. >> and as you were saying interest robin, willingham consistently said

richard lui likes the fast food. the winner is chick-fil-a. mcdonalds, you might have thought. they got slumped in the last for making people wait too long because you had to wait an extra 15 seconds there. it wasn't just about the speed. they also measured did you get your order right and could your hear the person over the speakers clearly. >> at chick-fil-a, my favorite is in and out in southwest. they have a little clock. >> i like measuring it. >> i was laughing at you at the top because i noticed you were trying to eat a bagel. can she finish it in time. >>> a cast member of atlanta's real housewives is dealing with a real tragedy. her former fiance was killed in a strip club fight. >>> the mother of a chicago teen seeing beaten to death cannot bear to watch the tape, but wants it shown. he was laid to rest on saturday. his funeral drew city officials and leaders. she sat down with don lemon and talked about the vicious beating. >> i can't watch it, but i want them to see it. i want them to know what they're doing. i want them to see what they did to my son because they n

i'm richard lui. today our top story. it is a key day. we could see president obama's plans to overhaul your health care and take a small but significant step forward. live pictures right now from the senate finance committee as they gather for an important vote. it is supposed to start right now. you can see the energy as orrin hatch, senator from utah, sits down right now. it is expected to pass and that will send it to the full senate where more sparks are certainly going to fly. now, a couple reasons this version is a big deal today, the bill does not include the hotly debated public insurance option. it's the only bill democrats and republicans worked on together. so, does it have a chance? >> we're going to find out. we'll have a big debate in the senate and go on for many, many weeks and the american people will have an opportunity to weigh in. i do think the majority made a mistake in trying to jam it through before anybody had a real chance of reading it. i do think they slowed the process down. people will have an opportunity to

richard lui is here to talked about it. authorities say they, for now, believe this wasn't a hoax.here is chatter that something does seem off. there's two things going on here. >> this story is intoxicating. let's go to the video. you were showing it earlier. there could be a possible contradiction here. this home video was taken yesterday, the moment the balloon broke free. you can see dad is there at the launch. there doesn't appear to be a basket nor a boy in with this balloon as had been reported. this video is at odds with what the sheriff said earlier. >> did the father know falcon was in the basket when it took off? >> no, because he was in the house. the son is the one that came in and told him that his brother had climbed in the basket when it took off and watched it go up. >> so that doesn't fit together, right? the video could be of another launch, certainly. but what we have been told is it is from yesterday's untethering that we've been telling you about. another possible contradiction, what little falcon heene told our sister network, cnn, last night. here's this. >>

i'm richard lui. >>> first off, the u.s. dad arrested in japan of trying to take his kids back from his ex-wife have been released from a japan jail. he says his wife violated a custody arrangement by taking the kids to japan. they are not optimistic about this case. >> i don't know how a father or a mother can find any closures in these types of situations knowing that your child was taken from an unhappy situation and, basically, now they have to be face would the a reality that their father is essentially dead to them. no child wants their father to die. >> we have no word yet on what will happen with the kids and his japanese ex-wife is not commenting on this case. >>> right now, we want to check the number on wall street because yesterday we hit 10,000 after months of what felt like years what we were below market expectations and now above 10,000 still and dipped below earlier on this morning and we'll watch that for you and what it means for your 401(k). by the way, a lot of people are taking the dow's 10,000 mark as

i'm richard lui, all those stories for you on this tuesday. >>> first off our top story the h1n1 vaccine is out but you probably can't get it yet. for the most part health care workers go first. some of them received the first doses yesterday. officials want the high-risk groups to line-up soon. 28 pregnant women and 60 children have died from the flu since h1n1 was discovered in the spring. the nasal mist version is the only one out right now and officials also say you should be able to get the vaccine in the next couple weeks. dr. oz told our sister network cnn there are some risks to taking it but it is the best thing for you and for your community. >> we have to get 45% to 50% of the popules inoculated to have any slow down. part of the reason you want people to get the vaccine, but it could slow down transmission to others. >> meanwhile, some doctors are describing chaos and confusion about the vaccine. that story is less than 15 minutes away. >>> will president obama send more troops to harm's way in afghanistan. he meets with national leaders to talk about a major debate. top mili

i'm richard lui. top tory the ring of fire for a reason, new major earthquakes near the samoan islands as you can see here as well as they're dealing with a deadly tsunami and indonesia, 500 people have di died. they have had at least a dozen major quakes of 5.0 or larger. indonesia for you new york word on deaths from latest quake. overnight major quake that we're talking about. thousands of people might be buried alive and awaiting rescue. survives are sleeping outside, unprotected from falling debris and aftershocked, also concerned about own structures fallingen them if they were to be sleeping inside. a cnn producer managed to speak with a man trapped under a hotel for more than one day. listen closely here, you hear their conversation. >> now, i know it's hard for you to -- do you know how badly you're hurt or can you move? [ inaudible ] >> when you -- but you can move your hands? all of the or parts are okay. okay, john. let me see what i can do to get you out. >> all right. right now, soldiers

i'm richard lui. hope you're having a good thursday. first off, the boxing match over your health care is entering a new round. this hour we expect house democrats to stop punching each other and finally unveil their health care reform bill. it has a government-run insurance plan called the public option. you have heard of that before. you might remember the senate version would allow states to opt out of the public option. the house bill would not do that. so they obviously have to come together on that. the house bill would allow doctors to negotiate reimbursement rates with the government. the bill's total price tag, more than $1 trillion over the next 10 years. we'll be watching those developments this morning. plus we're hearing from a friend of that 15-year-old california girl who was gang raped. she's angry, and she says there is plenty of blame to go around here. >> at the dance their four officers, none of them patrolling the area. i looked outside of the gym, and i saw 12 to 15 guys sitting there with no i.d.s. the officers no

i'm natasha curry in for richard lui. the crew of a northwest airlines jet told authorities it was arguing over airline policy and did not realize it overshot the minneapolis airport by 150 miles wednesday night. here's what happened. everything was fine when the flight left san diego at 5:41 eastern time, but about two hours later, the faa said there was no radio communication. air traffic control finally made contact more than an hour later. the plane landed safely without passengers knowing anything happened. >> i think they're facing a real serious disciplinary situation. you cannot have these kinds of events on your record and keep flying at the same level that you were. >> northwest is part of delta air lines. it issued a statement saying that it's -- the pilots have been relieved from active flying pending the completion of these investigations. >>> right now we are getting an update from clay county, florida, about the case of somer thompson. let's listen in. >> 10:00 meeting over at the jaxx memory gardens. it's

. >>> i'm natasha curry in for richard lui this morning. >>> this morning we are learning a british couple has been moved to another hijacked ship. that's what a source tells cnn. we told you yesterday about rachel and paul chandler. they were snatched from that you are yacht in the indian ocean last week. earlier this morning the u.s. captain who was rescued from pirates in april told our sister network cnn what the condition the chan her are facing. >> they are going after anybody they see out there, ships, naval ships, yachts boats, fishermen, tugs, no one is outside their target area. it's a crime of opportunity and they're taking the opportunity. with the monsoonal change, with the winds and sea conditions, it will increase. it's more advantageous for the pirates, so they will take advantage it. they are evolving and you will see an increase in incidences and situations on ships and yachts and boats in the indians ocean. phillips also says when he was captured just six months ago, he was 300 miles out in the indians ocean, but pirates are going 00 miles out these days. wow. >>> new wo

i'm richard lui. >>> this story just in to hln.ice say they now have five people in custody in the gang rape of a california teen girl. this is a horrific case. police say as many as ten people beat and raped the girl for hours and at least ten others watched and did nothing. they did not call 911. it happened during a homecoming dance in richmond, california, on saturday which is just outside of san francisco. the girl is recovering in a hospital right now. there is a $20,000 reward for information leading to more arrests. again, that just in to us. there have been five people identified in this case. >>> we have new video of the three u.s. hikers meanwhile, would have been in custody in iran for almost three months. their friend shot it two days before they were detained. it shows them goofing around visiting in kurdistan. one mom said this video should prove to iran they are just kids hanging around dancing. iran charged them with illegally crossing the border from iraq. their families say they did it by mistake. >>> president o

correspondent richard lui joins us now.o, now they're saying it's a national emergency. that sounds very serious. what does it actually mean? >> it might actually come down to an egg here robin. the idea is to let government researchers bypass the government's red tape with a surge of patients. if there's a large outbreak, your local hospital has set up emergency clinics or schools or tents to treat flu patients. normally, that requires a lot of paperwork. the declaration also makes it easier to transfer patients from one hospital to another. >> you know what we're also taking our viewers' comments and your questions about this h1n1 virus and the emergency declaration. on our facebook page sunnyj wrote -- "who should be worried and who should get vaccinated?" very simple question there. do we have a good area? richard lui worked on that. >> robin the cdc is recommending the h1n1 vaccine for health care workers, pregnant women people who care for infants and people 6 months to 24 years of age, but they also say people of any

now richard lui is joining us now, what does that mean? >> this is something the u.s.ed in iraq actually. what they're doing here is actually works. essentially the u.s. paying the taliban fighters to quit the taliban altogether. one of the stories we're talking about in the next hour. plus ratting out somebody you might know. think your competitors might be cheating on their taxes? you may be able to make some cash in chicago by telling on them. be a tattletale in that city? and jon gosselin's girlfriend said she loves for him except for the way he treats her and the lying. it has to do with emotional abuse. >> you've got a juicy show ahead, some interesting ways to make cash all right richard thanks. >> have you lost some of your most treasured possessions while trying to sell your home. hln money expert clark howard tells how to protect yourself from open house robberies. >>> okay, what's old is new again, and this is one that was an oldie but baddie. the "washington post" is reporting that as people are putting their homes for sale many times without an agent now t