. >>> hi there, i'm robin meade. we salute the troops every weekday. let's do it on the weekend too. it's private first class aaron william oxeford from his mom. she missed his birthday and he's missed at home. >> my salute is going out to private first class aaron oxeford. he'll pick on me for this. i am going to cry. we're proud of you, we want you to be safe. please know that we love you and we can't wait for you to come home. i might not understand why you joined the army fully but i'm very proud of what you're doing. >> rob in, thank you for the message. if you have somebody in this service, go to cnn.com/robin. watch for the salutes every morning on "morning express with robin meade." >>> salute the troops brought to you by -- >>> nasa scientists say they have discovered water on the moon. the find -- the result of last month's experiment when they crashed a satellite near the moon's south pole. a rocket took samples of debris clouds and found evidence that water was there. this will plan for future human missions on the moon. they can help scien

clark and our own robin meade teamed up robin meade teamed up to help soldiers and you save more, spend and avoid getting ripped off. >> marie brooks might be your favorite person here. what's the best way to be debt-free before retirement. when are you going to be retiring? >> two years from the army reserve and two to five years from civil service. >> okay. so the question is what kind of debts do you have that you're trying to get your arms around. >> i want to get around to paying off the house and having just house and utilities by the time i retire. >> all right. well, paying off your home mortgage is not always a priority. the big priority is paying off any unsecured debt, personal loans, credit cards. then next would be car loans. but home mortgage debt is not a high priority with me. it's more important that you beef up your savings than it is to be mortgage debt-free. it is psychological for people to want to be mortgage debt-free on day they retire. i'm not that much into that. because your house isn't going to feed you money. you're going to feed yourself from the money you

but i am joined by "new york times" bestselling author, robin meade.t feels pretty good to be on the "new york times" bestselling list. >> ever since that happened, i've been telling everybody i'm on the "new york times" bestselling list. >> i remember i was a habitat for humanity build. and i got a phone call that "the new york times" bestseller list had come out and i was on it. and it was amazing, let me tell you, i didn't do very well in english in high school and to be on the "new york times" bestseller list was quite a shock. >> i wonder, i was going to ask clark we just saw a group of soldiers march by and i wondered what was going on. >> we've just had a graduation ceremony for a new group of recruits and i was at the ceremony earlier today. and i want you to know, there's a massive grandstand that was 100% full with family and friends. and they were standees, a couple of hundred standees because there was no more room for them. they were there to express their pride. and in a young soldier, a young family member who has chosen to put on the un

i'm natasha curry in for robin meade.ne flu for the next couple days, we really have our eye set on the storm. it's hurricane ida. looks like it's beginning to make landfall right around that nicaragua coast. it's not moving very fast at all. it's only drifting to the northwest at about seven miles per hour. it's a weak hurricane. 75-mile-per-hour sustained winds but enough to generate big swells across the coast. also, tremendous amounts of rainfall. watch the path of this thing as it basically hugs the coast of nicaragua in towards honduras. hopefully it rains itself out, but if it does emerge into the caribbean, it may begin to pick up steam over the weekend. then if it hits the yucatan peninsula and goes on through, it may end up in the gulf of mexico sometime next week. so the gulf coast, texas, all the way through louisiana, keep your eyes peeled on the storm over the next seven days. obviously, we have a lot of time to watch it. but 25 inches of rain, that's what we'll get across the coast of nicaragua. that is jus

i'm natasha curry in for robin meade this morning. we are two days away from a house vote on health care reform and the democrats could get a big boost today from one of the most powerful lobbying groups in the country. >>> police find a missing infant alive, but you've got to hear where she was the entire time. and now the mom and babysitter are facing charges. >>> plus, a sex tape may be the reason former miss california carrie prejean is over. >>> first our top story. police now have recovered 11 bodies from a registered sex offender's home and learned the identity of one of the victims. authorities identified her as tonia carmichael, a woman who went missing for a year. police say she was buried in the backyard with marks indicating she was strangled. the grim discovery did not surprise her family. >> this is what i've been saying since monday when we were called to the coroner's office and since this story broke we automatically knew this was going to be her. all of these women have not yet been identified. >> right. >> unfortuna

robin meade's off today.ere are the stories making headlines on "morning express." >>> right now voters are deciding key elections. there is reason to pay close attention to the outcome no matter where you live. >>> plus, we have reaction to this woman's death. police say her father ran her down. some are calling it an honor killing. >>> important state elections across the country today may be an early sign of whether republicans are gaining strength. and just how the president's doing. the president worked hard to help democrats in new jersey and virginia. in new jersey democratic governor john corzine is in a close race with republican chris christie. in virginia the democratic candidate is trailing. here's what some analysts are saying. >> i think what it shows is that the magic wand doesn't work as well as we thought a year ago or was as protective so that when president obama came in and brought in this landslide of democrats with him, that's not working anymore. >> if republicans decide that the news t

that's on morning express with robin meade from 6 to 10 in the morning. >>> i'm larry smith.anny packial is a living legend in the philippines which is why they stopped, watch and parted sunday afternoon despite the recent weight of terrorism rebellions and flooding there, they watched their guy made history. the fight was finally stopped in the 12th round in vegas last time our time, giving packial, welterweight title belt, his seventh title in seven different weight divisions. that is a new boxing record. wow. >>> brandon jennings, just a year removeded from high school, making his seventh nba start. he went and played overseas in europe for one season instead of going to college. what a game last night. he was held scoreless in the first quarter but then went off for 55 points, a new bucks team record set once more than 30 years ago by a guy named kareem abdul jabbar. what a career he has ahead of him. >>> a shot heard around college football. blount dropping that guy to his knees and earning a suspension and have mixed martial arts people saying, when does this guy get ou

i'm natasha curry in for robin meade today. more bodies have been found in the home of convicted ohio rapist. the story just keeps getting grim errands grimmer. now investigator respects don't know what else they might find. >>> has the republican losing streak come to an end? what we're looking at some yesterday's local locatielectio what they mean. >>> plus, a florida linebacker appeared to be trying to gouch another player's eye and now we're hearing from the victim and his reaction may surprise you. >>> a convicted rapist is now accused of keeping at least ten bodies in his basement, pack ya backyard and living rool. police found four more corpses and a skull at anthony sowell's home yesterday .firefighters will search the walls and floors of the home. police spoke with nancy grace about the investigation. >> well, we're working right now with the cuyahoga county coroner's office to identify the victims. we've asked people in the community to come forward with any information on missing persons. >> sowell is expected to be

i'm natasha curry in for robin meade today. more bodies have been found in the home of a convicted ohio rapist. the story keeps getting grimmer. authorities don't know what else they might find. >>> has the republican losing streak come to an end? after giving up the congress and the white house, their party made a big comeback in local elections. >>> plus, a florida gators linebacker appeared to be trying to gouge another player's eye. now the victim is saying that he shouldn't be suspended. >>> a convicted rapist is now accused of keeping at least ten bodies in his basement, his backyard and living room. police in cleveland, ohio, found four more corpses and a skull at his home yesterday. the bodies were found there last week. firefighters today will search the walls and floors of the home. police spoke with nancy grace about the investigation. >> well, we're working right now with the coroner's office to identify the victim. >> stacho is sowell didn't havee right to go into his house but would stop by to make sure he was up

i'm natasha curry in for robin meade. i hope you're doing well today. a woman who police say was run over by her father has died. reaction to what some are calling an honor killing. >>> now that trip to grandma's is going to cost some extra money. how most airlines are specifically targeting holiday travelers and -- >> are you still driving right now? >> yes. >> do you want to stop driving before you get in an accident? >> yes, i will stop. >> now you just heard a woman turn in a drunk driver and she says it's her. >>> a 20-year-old woman has died nearly two weeks after arizona police say that her father ran her over with his jeep. noor's father thought she had become too westernized. the father is expected to face new charges now in what some are calling an honor killing. >> this behavior is not islamic, he was not acting like the muslim like every muslim i've met act. they feel they're legitimized to end the life of that poor girl. >> they say the almaleki family moved to arizona in the mid-'90s. faleh fled. he was sent

congratulations. >>> novelist stephen king stopped by hln to talk to our own robin meade. turns out he's a big fan and offered a sneak peek of his new book "under the dome." >> "under the dome" it's called, set in maine, a tiny town and this bubble comes down and boom, people are locked inside. this becomes a problem how so? >> it becomes a problem, because nobody can get in, nobody did get out, so the food supplying that are there, there's no electricity, because when the dome cuts down it cuts all the lines. the government cuts the phones. they do have some internet and tv. one of the things i had fun with is there's a lot of newspeople in this, because an event like that would pull everybody off their beats. so i had a chance to put in all my cnn people. >> you can see more of robin's interview with stephen king, including the question about whether he is thinking about retiring? don't misacquisition morning express" from 6:00 to 10:00 in the morning. >>> the roar of a 900-horsepower engine may not see the most eco friendly, but race fans are finding out that speed can

i'm robin meade. hope you're doing well today. a city-sized army post came to a halt for a solemn ceremony yesterday. 15,000 people came to pay their respects to 12 soldiers and one retired soldier shot to death at ft. hood last thursday. president obama promised justice for the victims' families. he and the first lady placed presidential coins in front of the battlefield crosses. the post commander also spoke. >>> you will never be accustomed to losing one of our own but we can more easily accept it when it happens on foreign soil against a known enemy. ft. hood has lost 545 from its formations in iraq and afghanistan. but never did we expect to pay such a high price at home. a place where soldiers feel secure. even so, soldiers do what soldiers do best. they take care of each other in time of need. >> there are also new developments in the investigation into the shootings. correspondent richard lui joins us with more on that. >> they showed up at the texas mosque where the leader worshipped. this is

i'm robin meade. appreciate your time today. on monday, here's what's going on. first, there is a major development in the case of a missing 5-year-old girl. investigators now believe that her mother has something to do with her disappearance. >>> a college football player is speaking for the first time since his neck was crushed. why the words that he said have a special significance. >> you don't go to a funeral and go, oops, there's no body. you don't do that. >>> you heard right, a veteran's ashes disappeared right before his funeral. how it happened and what the family is doing about it. >>> first, the search is resuming this morning for a missing 5-year-old north carolina girl after police got a tip yesterday. her mother is charged with human trafficking and child abuse involving prostitution. now, we're not showing the little girl's picture because she may be the victim of a sex crime. >>> the man who police say was carrying her into a hotel turned himself in. now, authorities say he admits tak

i'm robin meade. we have to start with a story that's just horrible this morning that soldiers at ft. hood are searching for answers after a shooting rampage allegedly of one of their own. we've got exclusive insight on the suspect as news breaks arise on the death toll. more information is still coming in this morning. we have learned that a 13th person has died in that horrific shooting at ft. hood. 30 are hurt. military officials now say the alleged shooter, a u.s. soldier, is alive and in stable condition. earlier reports had said that major nadal hasan was dead. last night they lifted the lockdown so family at ft. hood could finally reunite. and this family does not take for granted that their daughter survived. >> i feel for the families that lost loved ones, and i'm praying for them, and i know that, you know, my daughter is okay, but there are a lot of families that don't have their child tonight, their spouse or, you know, and my heart goes out to them. >> i'm sure the parents that won't ever

i'm robin meade. the lines for the h1n1 vaccine may ease soon as the drug companies step up production. today, there's new plan to ensure the vaccine is safe for you. >>> a billion dollar ship built with steel from the world trade center, live pictures right now, is sailing toward new york city. look how many boats are alongside it. how first responders and families of the 9/11 victims are paying tribute. i just want to hang on that picture there. you can see the people on board. so we'll be covering that story as they get closer to new york city. >>> plus, you've heard kids cry planes before, sure. but a mom and her screaming toddler got booted off of their flight. we have your reaction. >>> first, though, starting today, an independent health group will be watching how safe the h1n1 flu vaccine is. they're not expecting problems but they want to reassure people. there's been some worry because vaccines seem to be made so quickly and because there are reports of some people being paralyzed by differe

i'm robin meade. we submit the troops every day on "morning express" with me, robin meade.re doing it on the weekend as well. this is for an army specialist. his mom says cory has a lot of love in his heart, they miss him and everyone is looking forward to his wedding next september. >> hi, robin. this is angela out of texas. specialist cory's mom. i'm proud of my son for representing his country. i want to tell my son to be strong and stay safe and let him know that i love him very much. >> angela, thank you. if you have someone in the service, go to cnn.com/robin and then watch the salutes every morning on "morning express" with me, robin meade, from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. eastern. @@@ >>> the mother of a missing girl charged with human trafficking and it's not the only crime she's accused of. but still no sign of 5-year-old shaniya davis. >>> they've been held at guantanamo bay in cuba. now some of these suspected terrorists could be headed to a much colder climate here in the u.s. plus -- >> the care and love coming from home to remind us please come home. let's go p

i'm robin meade. right now people on the gulf coast are getting slammed by the strong winds and heavy rain. who is in the path of tropical storm ida right now and what you can expect. >>> don't put your children in a mcclarn umbrella stroller right now. some kids were seriously hurt in them, a certain kind of them, and there's an urgent recall to tell you about we've got that in about two minutes. there's a fix for it. >>> a family started losing hope of being found alive after they got stuck in a snowstorm. but a phone call led to an amazing rescue. >>> weather first here. tropical storm ida is expected to make landfall near the missly/alabama state line soon, in fact. the storm could still cause some flooding, even though it's getting weaker as it closes in on the gulf coast. we just got this tape in. the region is bracing for as much as 8 inches of rain. i'm not just talking about the gulf coast area. florida and louisiana are taking precauti precautions. both of those states have joined mississipp

i'm robin meade. here's what's going on today. >> he's sad to see her go but good to see her do something better. >> i don't believe it. it would be such a great loss. >> oprah is just hours away from making it official. she is giving up her show. and fans and skeptics are asking the same question, why? >>> plus, some new allegations that could blow the lid off the ft. hood shooting investigation. why a security expert says she is convinced the alleged gunman could have been stopped and that the victims did not have to die. >>> and you might have already gotten a shot that will help protect you from the swine flu. even if you haven't had the new hard-to-find vaccine. interesting. >>> all right. oprah winfrey is going to make her biggest announcement ever -- it is big e than book club, bigger than her car giveaway. she is ending her daily talk show. the show's partners were told the show will end september 9, 2011. people say oprah was a trail blazer and is. >> i don't think anyone can fill oprah's sho

i'm robin meade. morning, sunshine. a hurricane that already made a mess in central america is closing in on the united states this morning. you're going to hear what kind of trouble hurricane ida could bring with it. >>> is there a connection between the ft. hood shooting suspect and 9/11 hijackers? there's no evidence yet. the fbi thinks there is enough reason to look into it. >>> plus a big question today for the supreme court. what punishment is too harsh for kids who commit crimes? >>> first, the u.s. is about to get hit with the season's first atlantic hurricane. ida is a category 1 storm with 90-mile-an-hour winds. it already made a mess in nicaragua, due to make landfall along the u.s. gulf coast in the morning. louisiana has already declared a state of emergency. all right, so they're not messing around. let's find out where the storm is right now. here's meteorologist bob van dillen. >> morning, robin. satellite video, it's about 375 miles due south of pensacola. watch it ride into the northern part of mexico.

i'm robin meade. great to have you here.unerals were held across the country on saturday for some of the victims of the ft. hood shootings. one was held in san diego for john gaffaney. a former co-worker remembered him for being very personal. >> i think john's gift was that particularly when we were seeing veterans, he could talk the talk with them. and had a way of working with those people, in particular, that really needed services. >> major nidal hasan is charged with 13 counts of premeditated murder in the ft. hood shootings. >>> different views on abortion are rattling the health care reform debate. a white house aide suggests that president obama may not support a provision in the house bill that would change the restricks for federal funding for abortions. >> well, president has said repeatedly and he said in his speech to congress that he doesn't believe that this bill should change the status quo as it relates to the issue of abortion. this shouldn't be a debate about abortion and he's going to work with the senat

i'm richard lui in for robin meade. she'll be back tomorrow. >>> some hurricane katrina victims have won a huge victory in court and it could cost billions of your tax dollars. >>> new evidence has surfaced that key people were troubled by the ft. hood suspect before the attack happened. plus -- >> it's a little bumpy, but gets us around. >> your iphone can help you get directions around town, but what if it could drive your car for you? >>> the stage may be set for the federal government to face billions of dollars on hurricane katrina claims. yesterday a federal judge ruled that the army corps of engineers' negligence led to the devastating flooding in 2005. he said the corps did not properly maintain the shipping channel linking new orleans to the gulf of mexico. people in new orleans recognize the importance of this ruling. >> it's a major, major win, a vind indication for st. bernard parrish and our residents, and people for the last 40 years have really fought to make this known, that the mrgo was continuing to be

i'm robin meade. the accused master mind of the 9/11 attacks may be sent to new york for a trial. in a civilian court rather than a military commission. multiple news sources -- the pat of japan this morning for what's being touted at his first asian tour since he took office. japan's role in the rebuilding of afghanistan is also expected to be high on the agenda. on the way there the president stopped at a u.s. air force base in alaska and told the troops he would carefully weigh sending more forces to afghanistan. >> i will never hesitate to use force to protect the american people. i also make you this promise. i will not risk your lives unless it is necessary to america's vital interest. >>> president obama will visit singapore, china and south krear during the week-long trip. >>> an ohio mom is accused of taking her kids shoplifting. surveillance tape shows the woman and her children stealing clothing. when a security guard confronts them a fight breaks out. two more got out of a vehicle to join.

i'm robin meade and here's what's going on today, sunshine. you believe that oprah is giving up her show? not to worry. why it won't be the last you'll see of her. plus, new allegations that could blow the lid of the ft. hood investigation. why an expert is sure the gunman could have been stopped. and you may have already gotten a shot to help protect you from the swine flu even if you haven't had the vaccine. >>> first though, oprah winfrey is going to make her biggest announcement ever. bigger than a book club or car gave away. she will announce she's ending her show. other hosts say she changed everything in the biz. >> i don't think i could be here without her. i think she has blazed a trail that is -- she's an amazing, amazing woman. she will always be the queen of daytime television and also said she's leaving me all of her money, which i really -- i was like, thanks, oprah. >> oprah isn't exactly retiring. she's launching a cable network that will make its premier in january, 2011. >>> there is a new set of new testi ining guidelines fo

i'm robin meade. wheer's what's going on. >>> police confirmed the family's worst fears. the body found by a road is identified that as missing 5-year-old girl shaniya davis. disturbing new details and a 911 call in what's being called a homicide investigation. >>> the "marriersk alabama" cam under attack again by pirates. this time the outcome is very different. >>> new details and new 911 call shedding light on the death of 5-year-old shaniya davis. her body found off the side of a road in north carolina has been positively i.d.'d. her mother is accused of troft tooting the girl, and we know antoinette davis', we have her 911 call. >> you said none of the doors were open? >> no, ma'am. but she knows how to unlock the front door. >> was it closed? this morning? >> yes, ma'am. >> you said it was around 5:30. >> yes. >> have you checked the neighborhood? >> i checked everywhere. i haven't checked the back end of the neighborhood yet, but i checked the front end. >> authorities now say since shaniya's b

it is 7:00 in the morning tuesday, i'm robin meade. welcome, here's what's going on. >> i don't think there's an age limit on something as valuable as a life. >> to get a mammogram or not to get a mammogram. today that is the question. a teacher is accused of threatening a student with death but his attorney says it was a joke. >>> and a plan to close hundreds of medical marijuana centers could go up in smoke. marijuana advocates are getting lots of support in l.a. >>> okay, so new and conflicting info. women in their 40s don't need routine mammograms, at least that's what a government panel of doctors and scientists says. it totally goes against what you and i have been told for years by the american cancer society to get screenings started at the age of 40. but the u.s. preventative services task force warns that frequent screenings can cause false alarms. some women worry that these new guidelines could influence how insurance covers mammograms. >> for the time being, probably nothing is going to change, but they do concede two poin

i'm richard lui in for robin meade. she is off today. first off for you what we're watching is some hurricane katrina victims have won a case. and then if you are getting by on unemployment benefits, brace yourself. you are among a million people who could lose this and time is running out to stop that. plus, a father lost his child in a dwi wreck and turned his grief into some action. now drunk drivers in one state face some very stiff penalties. first off for you this hour, the federal government could face billions of dollars in lawsuits regarding hurricane katrina after a judge ruled the army corps of engineers' negligence led to the problem. they did not properly maintain the shipping channel linking new orleans to the gulf of mexico. people in new orleans recognized the importance of this ruling. >> it's a major, major win, a vindication for st. bernard parish and our residents and so many people who for the last years have fought to make this known that the mrgo was continuing to be a threat and was going to eventually result in t

i'm robin meade. some of the families of those injured at ft.ood are talking about it this morning. one soldier's uncle says his nephew was shot in the calf and hip and he had served two tours of duty in iraq and was getting ready to 0 leave for afghanistan. he told his uncle he was getting his shots when this happened. >> the next thing he knows there was a lot of shooting going on and he hollered to the other people in the room with him to follow him and they escaped out a back door. >> as many as 25,000 people can be at ft. hood on any given day. it's a huge outpost here. now one soldier says that she feels lucky because she was actually planning to be in that area where the shooting happened but ended up not being there. >> definitely was a close call. i started thinking the what ifs. what if i would have gone there, what would have happened if i was there? how would i have reacted or maybe i would have been the unfortunate one. >> just to recap what we do know so far about this horrible shooting yesterday at ft. hood, the suspect is a u.s.

i'm robin meade. welcome. during wartime u.s. troops know the risk that they're facing but today in ft. hood a memorial for 13 soldiers killed in the kind of attack no one expected. a shooting rampage on the base and a fellow soldier as the suspect. the president will attend the service and meet with families. some witnesses are still stunned by what they saw. >> people started running and we could see people throwing chairs and stuff at the windows and at first we didn't know what was going on because we couldn't hear the gunshots. doors were closed. as people started running out, you saw people drenched in blood and stuff and people yelling, he's shooting, he's shooting. >> well, the fbi is starting a new internal review to see if it missed any red flags about the suspect. major nidal hasan. sources say he was never put on a watch list even after they found e-mails from him and another linked to two of 9/11 hijackers. they still believe he acted alone and was not part of a terror plot. drivers may see some changes to a stretch

i'm robin meade and i'm so much better now that you're here with us, okay? and here's what's going on today. renewed hope of finding a missing 5-year-old girl after police say she was spotted alive. now they're hoping a suspect in custody can lead them to the little girl. >>> plus, the u.s. wants to seize an entire skyscraper and a mocks. how they might be linked to iran's government. and a facebook alibi. a man got out of jail because he had updated his status. >>> first, though, what a story here. it appears that a missing 5-year-old girl has been spotted on hotel surveillance video but the man charged in her kidnapping isn't the guy on the tape with her. plus, they still don't know where little shania davis is. police won't say how he is connected to the man seen with her on the video. she disappeared from her home in fayetteville on tuesday and her dad made a desperate plea for her safety. >> let her go and bring her home safe. we all miss her and love her very much. if you're listening to daddy, i miss you so much and i'm waiting for you. i'm not going

i'm robin meade. morning, sunshine. here's what's going on. president obama wants to make a move in afghanistan, but he doesn't like any of his options. he's asked his top advisers for help. why even that option isn't getting results. >>> one punch landed boxer mike tyson in the back of a police car. come on. he says the whole thing's a matter of self-defense. >>> and taylor swift gets her moment and then some. her big, big night at the country music awards. and the joke they just couldn't pass up again and again and again. >>> first, though, our top story. the number of americans who have died from the swine flu may be four times higher than we first thought. "the new york times" says the cdc estimates that h1n1 may have killed 4,000 people in the united states since april. the virus isn't getting more dangerous but the cdc is now counting lab confirmed cases and deaths from complications related to h1n1. >>> president obama got four options from advisers about afghanistan, and he turned them all down. a white house official says the presiden

i'm robin meade. the nation is about to honor its service members who put their lives on the line for the country. you're going to hear what celebrations are planned for veterans day today. an airline pilot had one too many before he showed up for work. was he trying to go bottle to throttle? hmm. >>> plus, a court has just decided whether michael jackson's father can have a piece of the singer's estate even after he was left out of the will. >>> all right. first, though, what matters the most is that today is veterans day. it's a day for honoring the members of our military who have risked or sacrificed even their lives fighting for the country. if you have a veteran in your life, here's your chance and your reminder to say thank you. at 11:00 a.m. eastern there will be a yearly tribute to the u.s. war dead at arlington national cemetery. there might also be events in your neighborhood. >>> a u.s. pilot, get a load of this, was pulled off an international flight just before takeoff after a co-worker

pick your favorite anchor, let's say robin meade from "morning express."lay right now. >>> facebook has been hijacked. how easily it could happen to you. >>> sad news today. john o'connor, the husband of former supreme court justice sandra day o'connor has died. his wife is the first woman to serve on the high court. she retired in early 2006 saying she needed to spend more time with her husband. >>> new york's governor david paterson called a special legislative session to deal with the multibillion dollar deficit. the issue getting most attention was same-sex marriage. when it became clear the issue wouldn't come up for a vote, same-sex marriage advocates got into a tussle when a conservative minister. what about my family? what about my family? say you don't care. >> i am voting no. >> tell everybody right in that camera. >> i am voting no. the people don't want gay marriage. >> fellow democratic state senator tom dwayne who is openly gay says he remains optimistic it will say an up you are down vote by early next week. >>> a priest was attacked with a

i'm robin meade. we salute the troops every weekday on "morning express."re doing it on the weekends as well. today's salute is from the pale of benjamin frank. he deployed to afghan, and his wife being three sons and daughter are waiting. his wife says the kids are having a hard time staying strong, miss their daddy. do you want us to salute somebody you love in the military? go to cnn.com/robin and watch for those salutes every morning "morning express" from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. eastern. >>> the parents of a 15-year-old california girl who was allegedly gang-raped are urging people in their community to do something positive. yesterday their pastor read their statement during an event at the high school where the alleged attack happened. police say as many as ten people were involved in the rape which supposedly happened during a homecoming dance. the five people were arrested, but authorities say a sixth person won't be charged because there is insufficient evidence. >>> three statesmen who oversaw the fall of the berlin wall nearly 20 years ago were

i'm robin meade. i hope you enjoyed an extra hour of sleep last night. in the week ahead we'll find out tuesday if a presidential endorsement will impact the governor's race in virginia. president obama has personally campaigned for the democratic candidate and some republicans say that the race is a referendum on his first few months in office. >>> also, tuesday the odd couple teams up again. the reverend al sharpton and former house speaker newt gingrich make the second stop on their education reform tour. this time they meet up with the education secretary in new orleans. >>> plus the latest unemployment numbers come out this week. we'll see if things are starting to turn around. all those stories and much more starting tomorrow morning on "morning express" with robin meade every weekday from 6:00 to 10:00 a.m. eastern. >>> the parents of a 15-year-old california girl who was allegedly gang raped are urging people in their community to do something positive. yesterday their pastor read their statement during an event at the high school where the the a

today robin meade from hln's "morning express" has a salute from maryanne yarbrough who -- >> to her son marine corporal. proud of your accomplishments and your service to courcountry. >> caller: hi, robin. this is maryanne. and i'm saluting my son. he's a corporal in the united states marine corps. and greg, we're so proud of you. your whole family. we missed you so much during your deployment and can't wait for you to return home. god bless you, greg. and you're such a role model for your younger brother, sister and all of your cousins. we're so grateful for all of your sacrifices. we miss your practical jokes and your laughing and your bear hugs. be safe and hurry home to us. hooray. >> says greg made corporal only a month ago, so congrats to him. back to you. >> all right, hey election of president obama broke down a racial barrier. one of many walls that are coming down around this country. meet the new head coach at yale university who's breaking down some barriers as well in a special "what matters." >>> today marks the one-year anniversary of the historic election of president

how doctors brought him back to life. >>> i'm robin meade. s salute is for private first class aaron william from his mom. she misses him and he is missed at home. >> hi, robin. i'm robin gregory and my salute is going out to my wonderful son private first class aaron oxonford. i'm sure he'll pick on me by the end of this because i am going to cry but, aaron, we're all very proud of you. we want you to be safe. please know that we love you and we can't wait for you to come home. i might not understand why you have joined the army fully but i'm very proud of what you're doing. >> robin, thank you for the message. if you have somebody in the service why don't you 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. >>> a lawmaker caught hiding $90,000 in his freezer has been sentenced to 13 years behind bars. you may remember louisiana congressman william jefferson. he was convicted of bribery and racketeering. prosecutors said he took about $500,000 in bribes and

i'm robin meade. here's what's going on today. a hurricane that already made a mess in central america is closing in on the united states. you're going to hear what kind of trouble hurricane ida could be bringing. >>> is there a connection between the fort hood shooting suspect and 9/11 hijackers? no evidence yet but the fbi think there's reason enough to look into that. >>> plus a big question today for the supreme court. what punishment is too harsh for kids who commit crimes? >>> first, though, the u.s. gulf coast is about to get hit by the season's first atlantic hurricane, ida. a category one storm with 90-mile-an-hour winds. it made a mess in nicaragua and is due to make landfall near the alabama-mississippi state line tomorrow. louisiana already declared a state of emergency. >>> is it just me or does it seem like it's a surprise that it's november and we're just now getting our first storm from the atlantic? >> it is kind of odd. less than 5% of all tropical storms or hurricanes happen in the

i'm robin meade. president obama wants to make a move in afghanistan but doesn't like any of the options. he asked his top advisers for help and even that option is not getting results. >> i went to the temple bar district of dublin and drank alcohol there like any normal adult would. >> pictures of her drinking may have cost her her job. why she was fired over her facebook page. >> ♪ when you are 15 and somebody told you they love you ♪ ♪ you will believe them ♪ >> she got her moment and then some. the big joke that nobody could pass up. >>> our stop story, the number of americans that died from the swine flu may have been four times higher than first thought. the h1n1 may have killed 4,000 people in the united states since april. the cdc is now counting lab confirmed cases and deaths complicated from h1n1. >>> president obama got four options from advisers about afghanistan, and he turned them all down. a white house official says the president has growing doubts about the afghan government, and he

in this leaders with heart, our own robin meade tells us about a woman who honors wounded troops every day. >> your letters, yeah. >> peggy baker is the founder of operation first response, a volunteer organization that helps wounded u.s. soldiers and their families. >> some of the serious injuries they have and they are still smiling, working hard to continue. >> the group assists with everything from financial aid, visiting the injured. it started with inspiration from peggy's son. >> my son joined the army after 9/11. i was put in position that my child was going to go and defend our country. it opened eyes. >> after a friend's son was wounded peggy met him at the army hospital to offer support and that's when she found her mission. >> at first i didn't really is a lot of personal support besides my family back at home. to have somebody there that actually cared, that meant a lot. >> more than 5,000 families have been helped by the group since it started in 2004. >> it's an emotional but wonderful experience to be part of their lives. they are incredible heroes. >> a janitor who bar

robin meade has that story in this week's leaders with heart. >> lawrence grew up playing soccer. now he's using that sport to keep homeless men and women off the streets. >> soccer usa is using sports for social change. what you see is people believing in themselves again. it isn't just about playing sports. >> can the firsthand how easily life can change. >> when i was 9 years old my house burned down. thank god we had family to support us. really taught me what community can do. >> what started in 2005 as one team in charlotte has grown to 16 across the country. there is even a homeless world cup. off the field, he coaches the players in life. they set personal goals. >> when you get here, your spirit is broken, your self confidence is broken. being where there is trust and team work that helps. >> chris found a job, moved out of the shelter and is going back to school. >> no one wants to be homeless. my heroes are the people that come through the program. >> police say they found stacks and stacks of stolen luggage at somebody's house. how one officer cracked what looks to be

he's teaming up with our morning express' robin meade.here's the advice he gave a soldier that wanted to invest in something other than the thrift savings plan, the military's version of a 4 o wu01(k). >> i'm way over here with staff sergeant isaac. he heard you talk about tsp, and he wants to know about some other good investments. like what? >> just any other investment that you recommend to just get a little bit more money. >> if you have more money -- >> let's say you already have the it sp. >> do you want to stash more money? >> what other investments you know of. >> i got it. all right. you got $5,000 for me right now? >> yeah. >> okay. good. because you can do -- >> everybody's head swivelled. who? where? let me see. >> who has the 5,000? you can do up to 5,000 each calendar year in an account called a roth. roth is my favorite savings vehicle because you put in this money, this up to five grand, if you're married you can do five and five. you don't have to do five. that's just a ceiling. but you do money into this, and listen to t

today, robin meade has a special veterans day salute from a proud daughter to her dad. >> thanks, jane. today, we salute world war ii veteran wendell alan fetters, an army staff sergeant during the war, and his daughter wants to let us know how proud she is of her dad. >> hi, robin. we want to leave a message for our dad, thanking him for being so brave in world war ii, when he was captured at age 20, and we want to thank him for his contribution to all the freedoms we enjoy in this great country, and we just want to tell him we are so proud of him and that we love him. >> absolutely. wendell also served in the korean war and turned 85 just last month. nininininininininininininininini >>> a teenage boy doused in alcohol and set own fire. now, the three teenagers accused of this attack are being charged as adults, but look like kids. meanwhile, this poor kid is clinging to life with burns on his body. what is wrong with people? >>> and a dramatic courtroom finale in the nasa love trooi angle. she attacked her romantic rival and parked her car are a bb gun, plastic glovers and diapers an

clark and robin meade of hln's "morning express" teamed up to help soldiers and you save more, spend less and avoid getting ripped off. >> clark, what is the best way to invest in gold? >> other than turning in your wife's jewelry and stuff like that. >> first, any of those ads you see on tv from all of these people to buy your jewelry and all that, run away. second, buying gold is tough because when you buy actual gold, you have to pay a commission to buy it. you have to pay a commission to sell it. and then let's say you put real money into gold. let's say you take all of your savings and put it into gold. gold is something people want to steal. so then you have to pay to lock it up. so then anything i like about buying actual gold but there's a trick way to buy it that's easy and cheap if gold is what you want to have. you can buy ownership in gold like you buy a stock and it's called an etf. an exchange traded fund which sounds ompl kate e complicated s not. you pay a company to buy gold for you. they store it for you in a vault. and then when you choose to sell it, you can sell

i'm robin meade. anything he can to stop a health care bill that include ace public option. yesterday he argued that kind of legislation would be worse than not getting a health care bill at all. a public option is expected on the senate floor soon. democrats need lieberman's support to avoid a filibuster. he is an independent. >> it's fascinating and troubling that it has suddenly become a litmus test. if you're not for government health insurance company, you're somehow not a good democrat. if you look at the election last year, the presidential election, the public option was never discussed. this was all about how do we control the increasing costs of health insurance and how do we make health insurance available to people who can't afford it now? those are our goals. >> president obama's senior adviser says the public option would achieve those goals, plus cut costs and expand coverage because it would bring competition to private insurers. >>> new this morning, police have arrested a man accused of gunning down four people in north carolina. investigators say they trac

i'm robin meade. here's what's going on today. >> i don't think there's an age limit on something as valuable as a life. >> a controversial shift in what some experts are saying about mammograms. we're going to lay out the pros and the cons. a teacher is accused of threatening a student with death. his attorney says it was all a joke. >>> and with the president in china cnn correspondent got in trouble over an obama t-shirt. what chinese security guards did after the cameras stopped rolling. >>> first, though, for years we've heard that women should start getting annual mammograms at the age of 40, but now a government panel of doctors and si scientists says most women don't need them until they're 50. well, the u.s. preventive services task force warns that frequent screenings can cause false alarms about breast cancer but dr. sanjay gupta says levels of risk play a big role. >> if you take all the women out there with breast cancer right now, about 15% of them were caught on routine mammography and,

i'm robin meade. here's what's going on. victims of the shooting spree at ft. hood have been honored at memorial services, but now there is a move in washington to remember them in another way. plus, this granddad says it's a blessing you'd never forget, how long ago military training kicked in to help him save his granddaughter's life. >>> and the gift that keeps on giving or in this case taking from you. extra airline fees are not going to stop when the tinsel and holly come down. remember they said, oh, it's just for the holidays. well, it's an awful long holiday. >>> first, new details in a 911 call are shedding light on the death of 5-year-old shaniya davis. her body found off a road in north carolina has been positively id'd. authorities in fayetteville are still determining how she died. her mother is accused of prostituting the girl and we now have antoinette davis' 911 call to police. >> well, authorities now say that since shaniya's body has been id'd more charges are on the way. we're expecting to hear from police later on this morning. another suspe

my colleague robin meade is a host, too. so check out cnnchallenge.com and show us how smart you are. >>> the ban that keeps u.s. citizens from traveling to cuba has been in place for nearly 50 years. at least one member of congress says it's time to end that. the house foreign affairs committee held a hearing on lifting that travel ban today at the beginning of today's proceedings. howard berman says the u.s. has no right to restrict u.s. citizens from going to cuba. berman also said, quote, by any objective measure, the ban simply hasn't worked. >>> take a look at this car right there in flames. huge plumes of smoke, quite distracting to driver, i'm sure. this is on the side of the freeway in hampton, virginia. we don't know if anyone is inside. but clearly the car is destroyed. we certainly hope the people got out. trying to get you more information. certainly a distraction to the drivers. again, we hope everything works out there. >>> the senate is gearing up for a final showdown over health care reform bill proposed by

i'm robin meade. hope you enjoyed an extra hour of sleep, many of you, last night. here's what we're working on for the week ahead. we're going to find out tuesday if a presidential endorsement will impact the governor's race in virginia. president obama has personally campaigned for the democratic candidate and some republicans say that the race is a referendum on his first few months in office. >>> also, tuesday, the odd couple teams up again. the reverend al sharpton and former house speaker newt gingrich make the second stop on their education reform tour. this time they meet up with the education secretary in new orleans. >>> plus, the latest unemployment numbers come out this week. we're going to see if things are starting to turn around. all those stories and much more starting tomorrow morning. "morning express with robin meade." why don't you catch it every weekday from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. eastern. >>> the parents of a 15-year-old california girl who was allegedly gang-raped are urging people in their community to do something positive. yesterday, their

get more money advice from jennifer westhoven on "morning express with robin meade." you think, can you get in trouble for throwing paper during a ticker tape parade? some people did k just that during the yankees parade here in new york, but they may have picked the wrong paper to throw. uh-oh. ♪ o christmas tree >>> the capitol hill christmas tree has begun its journey to washington. the 3 is an 85-foot blue sfrus harvested from the mountains of northeast arizona. the 7,000-pound tree is now on a statewide tour of arizona and will arrive in washington on november 30th. the tradition of having states provide a capitol christmas tree started nearly 40 years ago. this is the first time the tree has come from arizona. >>> someone paid about $54,000 for the hat worn by the man who shot lee harvey oswald. jack ruby's fedora was on the auction block in arizona. the auction came weeks before the 46th anniversary of the event. >>> for most of his career images like this at the 2006 masters have been hard to come by for phil mickelson. usually it's tiger woods getting the bes

you can pick your favorite anchor, like robin meade of "hln's" "morning express" to lead you through this. play now. pretty fun. >>> new details on alleged ft. hood shooter major hasan and his relationship to an american cleric. what the cleric told the "washington post." >>> brand new alleged ft. hootd shooter. the "washington post" was told he did not order or pressure the u.s. army major hasan to hurt americans. he saw his discomfort with the u.s. military in e-mails exchanged. the cleric told the "post" reporter his killing spree is allowed under islam because it is a form of it jihad and because the united states started the battle in muslim countries. hasan is accused of shooting and killing 13 people at ft. hood and he is still in the hospital. >>> defense secretary robert gates has blocked the release of any new photos that appear to show prerns abusing foreign detainees. the obama administration told the supreme court gates is using his new howers provided by a law signed last month. the aclu sued to vep release and lower courts supported that. this would put u.s. service me