i'm robin meade. we salute our troops every day. today's is from bethany king to her baby brother who joined in their father's footsteps and joined the army. >> my name is bethany king. i live in athens, georgia, saluting my brother andrew king. i love you so much and there's no prouder sister in the world. you're doing such a great service for this country. we're all proud of you and can't wait for you to come home. i love you. >> if you have somebody in the service and want to salute them go to cnn.com/robin. >>> nine minutes past the hour right now. more details on the alleged brutal gang rape outside a california high school dance. police arrested five people and they're looking for at least five more, but they say as many as ten people watched it all without calling 911. 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. >> ev

i'm robin meade. in the news this morning a sixth person is charged in a horrifying attack on a girl outside a homecoming dance. one suspect told a family member why he watched the attack and did nothing to stop it. >>> democrats say they have their final version of a health care bill and the house could vote on it pretty quickly. wait until you hear the potential price tag. and a church has been transformed into a little slice of hell. it's a controversial move, but it's one the pastor says he hopes will pay off with a powerful message. a church. all right. but first, happening right now, an intense search for nine people missing off the coast of southern california. they disappeared after the collision of a coast guard plane and marine helicopter. it happened a little after 7:00 local time last night. 25 miles east of san clemente island. weather conditions are good but that survivors would still be at risk. >> just off the coast 64, 65 degrees. how long you can survive in that is going to depend on

i'm robin meade. let's jump into the headlines today. we're hearing from survivors of a bomb that targeted people going to work. what they're saying about the deadly suicide attack. >>> a plan for health reform turned a big corner. why the senate plan could cut the deficit by their 80 million bucks. >>> things got chaotic when thousands lined up just to stay in their homes. just a sign of how desperate it is. >>> a bomb went off as people were getting to work this morning. officials say 12 people died in kabul. the taliban claimed responsibility saying a man blew up an suv outside an indian embassy. indian officials say they targeted the embassy. the blast damaged its checkpoint, shattered windows and tomed restaurant walls. >> translator: there was an explosion. we were just sitting inside having tea when the explosion broke our windows. it was in the neighborhood of the interior ministry. thanks to god's grace no one in the store was injured. it was just our windows and goods that broke. thank god no one was hurt in our store. >> trans

we salute the troops every weekday on "morning express" with me, robin meade.o let's do it on the weekends too. today's salute is for a marine that's going to turn 21 this week. corporal shane gruell has been in afghanistan since may, and to celebrate his 21st, his mom standa started a bike ride to raise money for a wounded military member. maybe you have somebody in the service and you want to salute them. go to cnn.com/robin and watch for the salutes every morning on "morning express with robin meade" from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. eastern. >>> check out the video here of the fires in puerto rico that an i-reporter sent us. he was flying into san juan last night and he said the passengers are really reacting here to seeing the flames in person after reading about the fire for the last couple of days. he said that some of them were nervous about the flight being over the fire. look at those flames. keep it right here on hln for the latest on the fire. >>> israeli troops have arrested 12 people in clashes at jerusalem's holiest religious site. the troops used wat

i'm robin meade. >>> get this. two pilots missed a landing by 150 miles. thankfully everyone is okay, but you've got to hear the pilots' unusual explanation for missing their airport. >>> and water fountains look so refreshing, but can they make you sick. what experts say about h1n1 and water fountains. >>> a public school is fining parents. wait till you hear how much parents are going to have to fork over if they are tardy. >>> first, though, federal investigators want to know this morning if a jet overshot the minneapolis airport by 150 miles because the pilots were distracted. the northwest airlines flight missed its destination wednesday night. air traffic controllers finally contacted the pilot after more than an hour, but his answers were so vague that they were worried the plane may have been hijacked. the crew told authorities it was arguing over airline policy and didn't realize what happened. >> there really is no explanation that's acceptable about how they missed the goal. they should have been well into that 120-minute period that they should

i'm robin meade. here's what's going on. after all of the talk about health care, a plan to change the system is finally being put to a key vote. how this could affect how you pay for medical help. >>> hate your driver's license photo? now the fbi wants to see it. why they are looking at millions of faces. >>> this crash didn't just start a huge fire. someone actually got pinned underneath the wreckage. he's okay but it's an amazing rescue. >>> today is finally the day. we could see president obama's plan to overhaul your health care take its biggest step. the senate finance committee votes on a reform bill. it's expected to pass sending it to the full senate where more sparks are going to fly. a couple reasons why this is a big deal. the bill does not include a hotly debated public insurance option. instead, it calls for a private cooperative that would offer insurance plans and it's the only bill out there that was created with some help from republicans. does it have a chance? >> we're going to find out. we're going to ha

i'm robin meade. good morning, sunshine. >>> police might be ready to make an arrest in the stabbing death of an nfl player. the detalsz we're learning about the night he was killed. >>> something could land in the laps of the balloon boy's parents real soon, and it's not a reality tv deal. >>> if you've got young ones, what brand of baby food might be contaminated with botulism. >>> police have told him his client might be taken into custody. the lawyer says his client did not kill jasper howard, but he was in on the fight with uconn football players when he was stabbed. that's his mother, heartbroken, at a vigil last night. one man was arrested at the scene on sunday, but his lawyer says he was just at the wrong place at the wrong time. the man has not been charged with the killing. the killing is dominating conversation on campus. >> you get to see this athlete play and that night something happens like this and it's almost too close to home. it is too close to home because it's here. >> they need

i'm robin meade. welcome. here is what's going on now. a sixth person is charged in a horrifying attack on a girl outside a homecoming dance. one suspect told a family member why he just stood there and did nothing to stop it. >>> it was only a matter of time, yet someone has created an iphone costume that actually works. those of you standing there with foil trying to fashion something out of it right now are like, ooh, that puts my little foil costume to shame. >>> first, happening right now, an intense search for nine people missing off the coast of southern california, they disappeared after the collision of a coast guard plane and marine helicopter. it happened a little after 7:00 local time, 25 meals east of san clemente island. weather conditions are good but survivors will still be at risk. >> the water temp right now off the coast is about 64, 65 degrees. how long you can survive in that is going to depend on your body type, what you're wearing. so i don't know all the individuals involved in

i'm robin meade. morning, sunshine. the wait is over, michael jackson's new song "this is it" is officially out today. you'll get to hear some of it in a few seconds here. >> plus -- >> i will end don't ask, don't tell. that's my commitment to you. >> president obama assures gays that he will keep a campaign promise to them, but not everyone seems to be convinced. >> and watch this. a woman took police on a wild high-speed chase with a child in the backseat and crashed, but not even that stopped the woman. incredible tape there. >>> first at least 29 people died when a bomb exploded near a busy market today. authorities in pakistan say dozens more were injured in what appeared to be an attack on a military vehicle near the swat valley. >>> a brand new michael jackson song is out. this is a listen to "this is it." ♪ this is it zblrchlts here i stand i'm the light of the world zblrchli feel grand ♪ >> his brothers are singing the background vocals. "this is it" will be featured in the upcoming film abou

robin meade is on assignment today. you have to see this rescue video. look at this. now they have been hit yet again. plus, police are looking for a newborn baby they say was snatched after a violent struggle. what the faint's mom is now saying about the abduction. also -- >> i wasn't afraid. >> you have to hear how this 5-year-old nabbed an 800-pound alligator. oh, yeah. top of the hour now. the theory is thousands of people may be buried in the rubble from yesterday's earthquake in indonesia. a second quake hit overnight about 150 miles from the worst devastation. now, we haven't heard of any injuries from that one. but yesterday's quake is blamed for more than 400 deaths. people were sleeping outside unprotected because their homes were destroyed. here's one coordinator explaining how the 2004 tsunami that ravaged the country is helping the government deal with this disaster. >> we were working indian hand and know each other well. we coordinate carefully like -- the government loaned us two planes this morning to fly in relief supplies. the government is coping w

i'm natasha curry in for robin meade. she'll be back on monday. stay tuned for that. a few hours from now we could find out if the president's pitch for the u.s. to host the summer olympics was enough. his promise, if the committee chooses chicago. late night host david letterman reveals he was the victim of a $2 million blackmail plot, what he says a man threat ended to do with information about letterman's affairs. >>> a man who is deaf and mute couldn't hear the cries for help and couldn't shout when his apartment caught fire. hear how he was able to get his mother, fiancee and baby girl out alive. >>> president obama hopes he has convinced olympic leaders to have the world's biggest sporting event in chicago. while you were sleeping, he wrapped up his pitch to the international olympic committee in denmark. he and the first lady told personal stories about chicago. the president said if the city is picked to host the 2016 games, his hometown and america will make the world proud. >> to host athletes and visitors from

i'm robin meade. let's jump right into that. news in the fast lane. >>> we have evidence at this point to indicate that it was a publicity stunt. >> the balloon boy saga take ace new twist. why authorities now say the whole thing was a hoax. >> university of connecticut football star was awarded saturday's game ball, then a few hours later he was stabbed to death. >>> first, we're going to start with this story. the whole balloon boy incident, colorado authorities say, was a hoax. last thursday you may have been among the millions all over the world who watched what they thought was a run away balloon with a little boy inside. investigators say they believe 6-year-old falcon heene's parents orchestrated it so they could get a reality tv show. the sheriff says the couple is used to being on stage. >> after the fact, we have since learned, as many of you have, that these people are actors. not only have they appeared in several reality television shows and on uh-uhtubes, we have since determined, in fact, they met together, the wa

robin meade is on assignment. 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 robin meade. here's what's going on, sunshine. >> i'm really sorry i yelled at him. scared the heck out of us. >> that is a dad who thought for hours that his little boy vanished into thin air on a balloon. meanwhile the world was glued to the tv. how would the balloon and the boy get down? had he fallen out? it turns out reality was much more down to earth. >>> plus, these men didn't just fight city hall, they fought at city hall. what started the smackdown? >>> it was started as a fever turned into a struggle just to walk again. a girl's inspiring victory over a swine flu horror story. >>> i hope that you are doing well today. let's go to news in the fast lane, that's what we're good at. >>> our top story. there are new details on a heart-stopping story that maybe had you glued to the tv. a missing boy and a runaway balloon. for two hours, no one knew if six-year-old falcon heene was on board this balloon or if he had fallen out of it when it took off. it turned out he was higtd in the attic the

i'm robin meade. morning, sunshine. >>> president obama faces huge decisions about whether to risk more american lives in afghanistan. many republicans are pushing him to send more troops quickly. others say that more troops will not solve the problem. correspondent richard lui has more now on the debate about whether to send more american troops to afghanistan. good morning. >> yeah, good morning, robin. the debate right now may center on counterterrorism versus counterinsurgency. of course, there's been a lot of focus on published reports saying that the top u.s. commander in afghanistan, general stanley mcchrystal, who made a speech last thursday that much focus was put upon, is calling to almost double the number of u.s. troop there is in the country. now, he wants up to 40,000 more troop there is. and add that to 62,000 troops already serving there, many republicans are slamming obama for not acting faster. but a top house democrat reportedly warned the president yesterday that escalating the afg

i'm robin meade. there could be an arrest soon in the killing of a university of connecticut football player. what we're learning about a possible suspect. also ahead, a man will be in court accused of trying to sell u.s. secrets to the israeli government. and is blagojevich going to be fired before the new "celebrity apprentice" even airs? what they're worried he's going to say on tv. come on. not blago. >>> all right, our top story. there will be an arrest soon in the stabbing death of a university of connecticut football player. a defense lawyer says police have told him that his client will be taken into custody. his lawyer says his client did not kill jasper howard, but he was in on the fight with uconn football players when howard was stabbed. one other man was arrested at the scene sunday, but he has not been charged in the killing. last night students held two vigils to remember howard. the violence is dominating conversations on campus. >> you get to see this student/athlete play and that nig

i'm robin meade. good morning, sunshine. we have so many stories happening today. so let's just jump right into those. news in the fast lane. >> we have evidence at this point to indicate that it was a publicity stunt. >> uh-huh! the balloon boy saga take as new twist. why authorities now say the whole thing was a hoax. >>> a university of connecticut football players awarded saturday's game ball, but a few hours later was stabbed to death. >>> start way story a lot of you are talking about on our facebook page still today. that is now, colorado authorities say the whole balloon boy incident was a hoax. last thursday you sma been among the millions all over the world who watched what they thought was a runaway balloon way little boy inside. investigators believe 6-year-old falcon heene's parents orchestrated it to get a reality tv show. the sheriff says the couple is used to being onstage. >> after the fact we have since learned, as many of you have, that these people are actors. not only have they ap

i'm natasha curry in for robin meade today. she'll be back on monday. just a few hours from now we could find out if the president's pitch for the u.s. to host the summer olympics was enough. his promise if the committee chooses chicago. >>> late night host david letterman reveals he was the victim of a $2 million blackmail plot. what he says the man threatened to do with information about letterman's affairs. >>> and a man who is deaf and mute couldn't hear the cries for help and couldn't shout when an apartment caught fire. find out how he was able to get his mother, fiance, and baby girl out alive. >>> president obama hopes he convinced olympic leaders to have the world's biggest sporting event in chicago. now while you were sleeping he wrapped up his pitch to the international olympic committee in denmark. both he and the first lady told personal stories about chicago and the president said if the city is picked to host the 2016 games, his hometown and america will make the world proud. >> the host, athletes and visitors fr

i'm robin meade. >>> you moe the northwest pilots whose planes overshot the destination by more than 100 miles say they were working on their laptops but experts disagree over whether their passengers' lives were in danger. >>> the world's largest rocket is about an hour away from taking space exploration to the next level. live picture. wow, wow! and it will only take a couple of minutes and fly through 100 million bucks. and then get this, a convicted killer is taking a man on that he once held hostage to court. why he's suing his former victim for $18,000. >>> first, though, we now know what the northwest pilots say that they were doing when they overshot the minneapolis airport. they say they lost the laptops and lost track of time. they were focused on a new computer program. they say they did not monitor the airplane during their talk. >> these pilots were simply not paying attention for a period of time. and is that a serious offense? it is, but it's not one that i think put the lives of those

i'm robin meade. morning, sunshine, and here's what's going on today. >>> some concerns have been raised as the first batches of the swine flu vaccine have been given. find out why health experts say you should still get your vaccine. >>> last night david letterman apologized to his wife for having sexual relationships with some of his staffers. that happened on air. that supposedly happened before they got married but find out how it still directly affects her. >>> a balloon came down fast and it hit the ground really hard and a pilot actually did this on purpose. it's an incredible piece of tape so we'll share that with you. >>> you and the h1n1 vaccinations. well, the h1n1 vaccinations have kicked off already, but some health care workers started getting the nasal mist version in three states yesterday and officials want high-risk groups to start lining up soon as well. 28 pregnant women and 60 children have died from the flu since h1n1 was discovered in the spring. you should be able to get in the

i'm robin meade. morning, sunshine. here's what's going on. let's jump into news in the fast lane. the h1n1 flu is hitting some groups much harder than others, and it's not who you might expect. >>> a teenager is accused of planning a columbine-style attack. how the authorities found out. and then take a closer look at your food label. why one -- why on earth are some products like sugar cereals marked as healthy? it is tough in the grocery store to know what it is you should be choosing. more on be that story. >>> first, the latest information on swine flu shows it's really hitting kids and young adults the hardest. the cdc says that in the past seven weeks more than half of all hospitalizations were for people 24 and younger and deaths were the swine flu seem to be concentrated among the young. >> this is dramatically different from what we see with seasonal flu. with seasonal flu, 90% of fatalities occur in people 65 and older. it's almost completely reversed here. nearly 90% of our fatalities are

i'm robin meade. good morning, sunshine. remember this moment that changed the lives of so many u.s. troops. >>> on my orders, the united states military has begun strikes against al qaeda terrorist training camps and military installations of the taliban regime in afghanistan. we will not waiver. we will not tire. we will not falter and we will not fail. >> nearly 800 american troops have been killed since the war in afghanistan started eight years ago today. 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, ro

i'm robin meade. morning, sunshine. all right.ome of the other stories we're following this morning, let's get to those. a girl who ran away from home after she converted from islam to christianity, will have to return to her home state of ohio. a judge in florida said the teen will be put with child welfare officials while a judge in ohio takes over the case. the girl says that her father threatened to kill her for changing religions. he denies the accusations. >>> happening right now in florida the space shuttle "atlantis" is being rolled out from a hangar. it's not moving fast. the 3 1/2-mile trek is expected to last about six hours. "atlantis" is expected to head to the international space station next month. starting friday people on twitter can sign up to go to kennedy center to see the launch in person. >>> some air force members will walk 800 miles for their fallen comrades. they're walking from texas to florida to raise awareness for fallen troops. here they are in louisiana. they have support vehicles going with them so

i'm robin meade. some concerns are being raised as the first batch of swine flu vaccine are being given. find out why you should still get the swine flu vaccine. last night david letterman apologized to his wife for having sexual relationships with some of his staffers. that supposedly happened before they got married, but find out how it still directly affects her. and then this happened at the show, so you'll see that. >>> plus, a balloon came down fast and hit the ground really hard. the pilot actually did it on purpose. >>> that's an incredible piece of tape. first, though, our top story. you and the h1n1 vaccines. well, they've kicked often the v vaccinations have. they get the first vaccines because they're on the frontline, so to speak. in a couple of weeks you should be able to get the vaccine and dr. oz tells our sister network he strongly recommends that you get it. >> there is no question it would be dishonest to say we know for sure the vaccine is safe for everybody. there are going to be

i'm richard lou gli for robin meade. new video of the three u.s. hikers who have been in custody in iran for almost three months. their friends shot it two days before they were detained, showing them goofing around while visiting. one hiker's mom says this should prove to iran they're just innocent kids. iran charged them with illegally crossing the border from iraq. their families say they did it by mistake. >>> and now live pictures as we look at ares. tell me if you feel like we've been here before. nasa is getting ready to try again to launch its brand-new ares rocket, the world's largest rocket. yesterday's attempt was wiped out because of the weather. if all goes well liftoff could be in about 90 minutes. there's more rain in the forecast so it's wait and see at kennedy space center. we'll be watching the live pictures and tapping into bob van dillen to find out how the weather situation is in that part of the country. >>> tennis legend andre agassi made a stunning confession that he once did crystal meth during the heyday of his career. raf

i'm robin meade. morning, sunshine. new york city's mayor is urging congress to stop illegal sales at gun shows. he spent more than a million dollars on an undercover investigation to highlight how rampant the problem apparently is. and correspondent richard lui is joining us now with more on what they found in this investigation. >> good morning to you, robin. yeah, at gun shows private dealers do not have to do background checks but it's illegal to sell to people they think may not pass one. now the undercover investigation in this case found that nearly two-thirds ignored those rules but not everyone. >> do you do background checks? >> no. >> well, that's good because i probably wouldn't be able to pass one. >> why wouldn't you be able to pass one? >> oh, i just wouldn't. >> if you're basically tell me you wouldn't pass a background check, then i wouldn't be about to. >> i don't want to jam you up or anything. >> yeah, well, i think that's what the rules are. >> all right. our investigators also tested licensed deale

. >>> hi there, i'm robin meade.he troops every weekday on "morning express with robin meade." let's do it today too. the husband and father of three is coming home from afghanistan for r&r and his mother wants him to know how proud she is of him. >> good morning, robin. this is joan soley. i would like to send out a salute to my son sergeant christopher foley. i want to tell him how much i love him and miss him. i want to say how proud i am of him. >> joan. i know you are. i can hear it in your voice. if you have somebody in the service, you want to salute them, go to cnn.com/robin. go to "morning express with robin meade" from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. eastern. >>> a raging fire in puerto rico that's been burning for 24 hours shows no signs of slowing down. a powerful explosion shook a fuel storage complex yesterday with the force of a 2.8 earthquake. look at this video, though. rain is expected today. that could mix with the smoke and cause acid rain. officials are urging people to stay home right now. and one perso

i'm robin meade.orning, sunshine. here's what's going on. firefighters battle a massive wildfire that's forced people to grab their stuff and run for safety. we now know the weather may give the fire crews the break they need. >>> u.s. forces suffer a severe blow in afghanistan after a bloody 12-hour battle. >>> a man rushing his pregnant wife to the hospital ran out of time, ended up at a restaurant. and it's a delivery that just could not wait. >>> you know what? my favorite part about that is what his other children said about what daddy could do. wait for that. >>> high humidity and cooler weather are helping firefighters battling a dangerous wildfire. this is going on outside l.a. the fire is 20% contained, is all. and thousands of people have been ordered to evacuate throughout san bernardino, california, county. crews went door to door rounding up people yesterday. evacuees stuffed their cars with whatever they could and got out of dodge, basically. >> everything we could think of. clothes, com

i'm robin meade. more than half of the people going to the hospital for the swine flu are under the age of 24. and now another school is shut down because so many kids have called out sick. >>> parents may want to think twice about the health claims of some supermarket foods. the fda could start cracking down on the claims of some of those breakfast cereals. and singer rihanna's new album is titled "rated r." and she -- let's just say the album cover displays that. >>> the latest information on swine flu shows it's really hitting kids and young adults the hardest. the cdc says in the past seven weeks, more than half of all hospitalizations were for people 24 and younger. and deaths from the swine flu seem to be concentrated among the young. >> this is dramatically different from what we see with seasonal flu. with seasonal flu, 90% of fatalities occur in people 65 and over. it's almost completely reversd here. nearly 90% of our fatalities are occurring in people under 65. >> now they don't have the sw

i'm robin meade. good morning, sunshine.h official says you're better off with the swine flu vaccine than without it. a doctor from the cdc warns that risks from not getting the vaccine are higher than any potential risk linked to it. >> a lot of people are saying it's new but it's important to know that the seasonal flu vaccine is made exactly the same way as this h1n1 vaccine. 100 million people including a lot of children get the seasonal flu vaccine every year and it has a really good safety record. so i think parents are wondering is it new, has it been fully tested? everything we know that right now suggests a very good safety profile for the vaccines. >> it's okay to get swine flu and the regular flu shot on the same day. the vaccines. >>> for the first time, a woman has won what was considered the nobel prize for economics. she's a professor at indiana university. she's sharing it with professor oliver williamson from the university of california berkeley. they won for their analysis of economic transactions outside

we salute the troops every weekday on "morning express" with robin meade.rivate first class gets a spotlight today. he's the father of a 2-year-old daughter and a 2-week-old son. he was home for the birth of the baby and left for afghanistan two days later. his wife salutes him and his brother rafael who was also serving in afghanistan. you got somebody you love in the military? go to cnn.com/robin. watch for those salutes every morning on morning express with me, robin meade from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. eastern. >>> nine banks all part of the same major holding company have shut their doors. that brings the total to 115 banks closed by the fed so far this year. an average of ten banks have failed every month in 2009. but that is still nowhere close to the 1989 record high of 534 bank closures, which took place during the savings and loan crisis. >>> a tanker here has stopped leaking oil into san francisco bay. the leak started yesterday morning when a fuel line ruptured on a panamanian flig s morning during a fuel transfer. san francisco's mayor says hundr

i'm robin meade. here's what's going on today. for the first time in a year, the dow hit 10,000. whoo! but investors are saying don't get too excited about it. >>> the st. louis rams says they're moving on along without rush limbaugh. >>> the american dad arrested in japan for trying to take his kids back from his ex-wife has been released from jail there. japanese police say all charges against christopher seboy have been dropped. we have no idea what will happen with his kids. his wife violated a u.s. custody agreement by taking them to japan. >>> you might call the dow industrial average the comeback kid, right? the dow hit a huge psychological milestone yesterday, crossing that 10000 mark. do you know we haven't seen it that high in over a year? some people take it as a sign the economy is recovering but people who watch the markets say you shouldn't reedad too much into it right now. >> we want to break above this 10,000 level, we want to sustain it. there is still a major problem with the job ma

robin meade is on assignment today. you know, got to see this rescue video from indonesia's earthquake. now they have been hit yet again. plus, police are looking for a newborn baby they say was snatched after a violent struggle. what the infant's mom is saying about the kidnapping. al also -- >> i wasn't afraid. >> you've got to hear how this 5-year-old nabbed an 800-pound alligator. >>> the fear is that thousands of people may be buried in the rubble from yesterday's earthquake in indonesia. a second quake hit overnight about 150 miles from the worst devastation. no word about any injuries from that one but yesterday's quake is blamed for more than 400 deaths. people were sleeping outside unprotected because their homes were destroyed. look at this mess here. now, here's one relief coordinator explaining how the government is using what it learned after the 2004 tsunami. >> we're working hand in hand. we know each other well and we coordinate very carefully, like the government loaned us two planes this morning to fly

i'm robin meade. glad to join you while you're having your coffee. >>> some thought you wouldn't have to worry about the h1n1 flu. your healthy and strong and young. there's new info that may change your mind today. and this, we're hearing for the first time from a woman who had been missing for 18 years and another first. you will soon get to see what jaycee dugard looks like now. >>> lindsay lohan may be celebrating this morning. california just dropped the hammer on the paparazzi. >>> the h1n1 flu is seriously affecting more healthy people than first thought. new research from the cdc suggests that nearly half of the people hospitalized with virus had no underlying conditions. the agency also says that for patients who did have pre-existing condition asthma is the most common. the government bought 250 million doses of h1n1 vaccine and thinks there will be enough for anyone who wants it. >>> jaycee dugard is breaking her silence and this hour we're expecting to get our first look at her as an adult

. >>> i'm robin meade. we salute the troops every week day on "morning express". andrew mills' girlfriend says he deployed to afghanistan a little over a month ago and he's missed an loved. >> good morning robin, i'm linda and i would like to salute my boyfriend and my best friend army sergeant andrew mills. i want him to know that while he may be absent in our lives this next year, he is ever present in our hearts. >> i would like to dedicate a poem to drew by emily dickinson. to wait an hour is long, it's love be just beyond. to wait eternity is short, if love reward begins. i love you and i miss you. >> linda, thank you so much. what a heartfelt message. if you have somebody in the service and you want to salute them go to cnn.com/robin. watch for the salutes every morning on "morning express with robin meade." >>> they say you're never too old to start a business. well, for a texas girl, it seems you're never too young. check out how this 9-year-old entrepreneur is racking up profits. >>> this man reportedly tried to extort money from david letterman. he says h

you can get great advice each weekday on "morning express with robin meade" from 6:00 to 10:00 a.m. eastern. >>> there is precious jewelry out there that no one wants to claim. diamond rings and platinum watches. what happens to it if no one says, hey, that's mine? >>> this is a little hard to believe. there are diamonds and jewelry that nobody wants to claim as their own. they're among some 40,000 items the florida state government auctioned off yesterday. the stuff had been left behind in unclaimed safe deposit boxes and was turned over to the state. some people got themselves a bargain. >> these are early notes. some are fractional notes from the civil war. there are several confederate bills. i save these items for my grandsons when they get older, want to go to college. maybe this will be a good investment in their college education. i was expecting to pay more. i figured this would go for over $2,000. i got it for $1,200. >> thinking about the grandkids. these items also included a 13 carat diamond ring, platinum watch and other jewelry. >>> 32-year-old los angeles woman outpu

bush parachuted parachuted with robin meade. that, the golden knights came paratrooping in. three young women, one of them, though, was not robin meade. houston would win it, 24-21. and nfl jets' mark sanchez was literally hot dogging it. sanchez played pretty well in the jets 38-0 win over oakland, but he was caught on the sidelines eating a hot dog. now, technically it's against the rules and he later apologized, said he was nauseous because he hadn't eaten. it's not a big deal. who cares? the hot dog did come from the stands. >> it's against the rules to eat a hog dog? >> apparently. he should have had a power. 80,000 plus watched the new england patriots take on the tampa bay bucs. this game sold out in minutes, 80,000. some american stadiums don't even pull in that many people. the patriots dominated the game and there's a lot of speculation that the league could expand to include a team from london in the future. it would be a long flight for the team, though. nfl refs could start wearing helmets. a hit to show you here in

their arraignment is scheduled for december 11. >>> i'm robin meade, we salute the troops every weekday on "morning express." the father of a 2-year-old daughter and a 2-week-old son. his wife salutes him and his brother rafael who is also serving in afghanistan. >>> you got somebody that you love in the military and you want to salute them go to cnn.com/robin. watch for those salutes every morning on "morning express" with me, ron bin meade. >>> police are looking for someone who allegedly ran an illegal dental practice. they found dental instruments, syringes and completely unsanitary conditions. get this, she worked on patients while they were sitting in a beach chair. >> this appears to be a facility that possibly lower income or persons that didn't have access to the normal health care facilities that you or i would use, trying to get some dental work done. >> now police say they found some documents suggesting that the woman had dental training but it's unclear whether those documents are legitimate. >>> three american hikers detained in iran have received their second visit since

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

i'm robin meade. let's jump right into the stories now. >>> thousands of people had to pack up and run when this wildfire closed in. look at that video. the question is, can the firefighters save their homes, especially under those conditions? >>> here is one thing you don't see often. the manly men of the nfl wearing pink. they're doing it to save lives. >>> plus, we know a lot more about the man accused of trying to blackmail david letterman and his alleged money problems. interesting. >>> you know what, let's start first here. cooler weather so far this morning is giving firefighters a break in their battle with a dangerous wildfire outside l.a. thousands of people have been ordered to evacuate throughout san bernardino county. the fire is only 20% contained right now. yesterday crews had to go door to door, rounding up people. evacuees gathered whatever they could and stuffed them in their cars. >> got everything we could think of. clothes, computers, picture, family albums. >> mostly just clothes

i'm robin meade. here is what's going on today in the news. the top story, one that you just cannot take your eyes off of, so many people followed this as it unfolded. if you missed it, here's the deal. a little boy believed to be on this runaway balloon later, hours later, was found safe at home. 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,

i'm robin meade. welcome. >>> our top story today, a federal emergency has been declared to deal with the h1n1 outbreak. federal emergency, richard lui, that is frightening sounding. >> yeah. >> what does it really mean? >> makes you listen. the idea here, robin, is to let doctors bypass the red tape in case they get a surge of h1n1 patients. if there was a large outbreak near you, your local hospital could set up emergency clinics in schools or tents to treat flu patients and normal that requires a lot of paperwork. and this declaration would also make it easier, robin, to transfer patients from one hospital to another. >> so less red tape? >> right. >> why now? is there something that prompted an emergency declaration that we should all know about? >> well, when we really take a look at it, no. the president says this is a preventive measure, robin. he did acknowledge the number of h1n1 patients is rising rapidly. cdc says there's widespread flu activity in every state except connecticut, new jersey

and hln's own robin meade has the story of one breakthrough woman who's literally providing others a moving experience. >> reporter: their joy, their love. their accomplishments. >> well, you did a great job. i'm very proud of you. >> that's what drives mickey casella to get up early on saturday mornings and dance. ♪ you're doing the hokey pokey and turning yourself around. >> reporter: casella is director of physical therapy at children's hospital, boston. she's been there for more than 40 years. >> when you work with children that have special needs, there's not a whole lot out there for them as far as extracurricular activity. i thought if we could find some kind of activity they could participate in together, we all like to be with our peers. >> reporter: she's also with the boston ballet. she performed a dance program for children with down syndrome seven years ago. professional dancers teach kids and moves while casella lends a helping hand. 68-year-old casella decided to be a physical therapist while in high school. she was inspired bay child who learned to walk despite having

i'm robin meade. morning, sunshine. here's what's going on today. for the first time in a year the dow hit 10,000. but traders are telling people not to get too excited about it. rush limbaugh was shown the door. the main investor trying to buy the st. louis rams says they're moving on without him. plus -- >> i don't know what they were trying to prove with this suspension. >> they find uniform implementation of the policy to be their best approach. >> a zero tolerance policy and this knife may have put an eagle scout's west point application in jeopardy. >>> first though our top story this morning. you might call the dow industrials the comeback kids. the dow hit a huge psychological milestone yesterday crossing that 10,000 mark. and we haven't seen it that high in a year. it's been that long. some people are taking it as a sign there economy must be recovering. >> the trend has been up the whole year as far as the market moving higher. again, the economy, i don't believe, is doing as well as the sto

i'm robin meade. the northwest pilots whose plane overshot its destination say they were working on their laptops, what they say they were looking at. it's looking like the public option might be included now in the big health care reform plan but even if it is passed most of you would not have a chance to switch your coverage. and an actor at a haunted house decides to spook some of his customers even more and then a cop pulls a gun. so in other words somebody turned the tables on the actor. >>> we now know what the pilots say they were doing when they overshot the airport by 150 miles. the pilots said they were using their personal laptops and lost track of time. now the pilots told the ntsb that they were focused on a new computer program that arranges schedules, crew schedules. they did not monitor the airplane during their talk. >> these pilots were simply not paying attention for a period of time, and is that a serious offense? it is. but it's not one that i think put the lives of those people i

i'm robin meade. morning. a u.s. district court judge threw out a lawsuit targeting the adult services section on krags li. a sheriff in illinois sued the website saying it is a hub for prostitution, but the judge said that craigslist isn't responsible for people who misuse the site. he also said that removing the adult section would eliminate some legal services, too, like erotic dancing. >> they changed the name. they removed some of the more egregious, really explicit photographs, and we are left with the same thing. since they made their minor changes, we're still making the same arrests and i know this is going to shock you but when we go out to these different locations when they answer our calls, we've not had one legitimate masseuse. every time it's prostitution. >>> well the sheriff says he hasn't decided if he will appeal. remember the incredible video of a robber praying with his victim? well, now oprah wants to chat with the robber. wthr in indianapolis reports anyway that gregory smith is set to talk wit

. >>> i'm robin meade. we salute the troops every weekday. andrew mills -- his girlfriend said he deployed to afghanistan a little over a month ago. he's missed and very much loved. >> good morning, robin. my name is linda mazarello. i would like to salute my boyfriend and my best friend, army sergeant andrew mills. i want him to know that while he may be absent in our lives the next year, he's ever present in our hearts. >> i'd like to dedicate a poem to drew by emily dickinson. to wait an hour is long it's lovely just beyond to wait eternity is short if love is reward in the end. i love you and miss you. >> linda, thank you so much. what a heart-felt message. if you have somebody in the service and you want to salute them, go to cnn.com/robin. watch for the salutes every morning on "morning express" with robin meade from 6:00 to 10:00. >>> a 160-pound senior citizen who is nearly blind should see the world more clearly. yesterday, josephine, the aging gorilla at the miami zoo had cataract surgery on both her eyes. a unique procedure for gori

get more great money advice from jennifer westhoven each week dai on morning express with robin meade from 6:00 to 10:00 a.m. eastern. >>> wildfire life officials in florida are taking bold action against owners of exotic pets but some say that's unfair. >> i don't feel like the state has any business getting into my affairs. >> how a little girl's death, though, caused officials to crack down and urge people to turn their pets in. >>> some frustrated pet owners say that florida wildlife authorities' latest push for safety is a bit extreme. officials are asking people with exotic animals to turn them in even if they have permits. dave demarco from news 13 explains why. >> reporter: if mike looks upset carrying this gym bag, it's because max and zora are inside. he told his children this morning he was giving away the burmese pythons. >> i'm going to cry. i know it's snakes, but they're a family pet. >> reporter: after a 2-year-old summ sumter county girl was killed by her python, fish and wildlife officials started cracking down. state law requires owners to have permits and larger sn

and you can get more great money advice each weekday on "morning express" with robin meade from 6:00 to 10:00 a.m. eastern. >>> some firefighters got themselves in a dicey situation when they tried to educate the public. and just look at this. and to make matters worse, one of them didn't even seem to notice that he was burning. >>> so things went horribly wrong when some firefighters tried to do a sprinkler demonstration. look at this. two firefighters' suits caught fire after some melted plastic dripped on them. but the firefighter in the middle didn't seem to realize he was burning. he was helping the guy on the left until the one on the right helped him. one firefighter was hospitalized with burns on his hand and cheek. >>> a two-month investigation ended with police making a bust of almost 930 gallons of moon shine. they discovered the large quantity of illegal liquor under a man's shed in the mountains of north carolina. the 63-year-old suspect was arrested and charged with possession of non-tax paid liquor for the purpose of selling. >>> students from 20 universities are at th

robin meade has this story in "leaders with heart." >> al: aaron dworkin remembers playing the violin before he could read. it's what got him through the tough times. >> i have no doubt whatsoever that the violin saved my life. i was adopted when i was two weeks old. i was a young black kid with white parents who played the violin with a big afro. it was my outlet. >> reporter: he saw a need to make classical music more accessible to minority students. >> my whole life i didn't know there were any minority composers. what can i do? >> reporter: what started as a competition with 12 students inspired a movement that touched 85,000 american students. through programs and scholarships, professional opportunities and free violins and lessons for at-risk youth -- >> no one can attest the impact of minorities and classical music. this is what i have to do. it's my life's work. >> how about that. >>> singer rihanna's new cd is titled "rated r." judging by the cover, she has the pictures to prove it. >>> if you are a good-looking guy you might have your pick of ladies. in el paso, texas, ther