susan roberts is in washington with more. good morning, susan. >> reporter: karen, good morning to you. the federal judge gained even more momentum on wednesday, when she picked up two more republican senators who announced their support for her. her confirmation is how considered to be a certainty. the nation's highest court is on track to get its first hispanic justice. >> i'm confident that judge sotomayor will make an outstanding justice of the united states supreme court. >> reporter: the senate will vote this afternoon on judge sonia sotomayor's supreme court nomination. the 55-year-old bronx, new york native is almost certain to win confirmation. she has solid backing from the democratic majority, and a growing number of republicans now say they'll also vote for her. >> i'll support her. i'll be proud for her, the community she represents, and the american dream she shows is possible. >> reporter: despite a handful of gop yes votes, nearly three-quarters of the senate republicans have come out against president obama's

susan roberts joins us again from washington. good morning, susan. >> reporter: hi there, ross.rning again to you. the fate of this program, cash for clunkers, will be decided as the senate meets for a final week before the summer recess. the cash for clunkers program could be headed for the exit ramp. the obama administration says the program is out of money, and it will be suspended unless congress approves another $2 billion this week. the program has already gone through $1 billion, leading to the sale of 250,000 new vehicles. owners of gas guzzlers can receive rebates of up to $4,500 toward the purchase of a new fuel-efficient car. ford says the program helped boost sales for the first time in two years. the house has already approved the new money. now it's up to the senate, but some republicans may try to block it. >> we estimated this would cost $1 billion. now they're saying we need $2 billion more. the role of the federal government is not to run the used car business. >> reporter: democrats believe cash for clunkers is one more way to reverse the recession, and the ob

>> susan roberts in washington. susan, thanks. >>> it's reported this morning the cia hired a secret and possibly illegal squad of private contractors to help find and assassinate al qaeda leaders. "the new york times" reports that five years ago the cia hired operators from blackwater usa, the private security contractor, for the still classified program. one source says it was unsuccessful and that the contracts were cancelled. >>> scotland will announce today its decision on releasing the only man ever convicted in the bombing of pan am flight 103. the jet blew up over lockerbie scotland in 1988, killing 214 people former libyan intelligence officer abdelbaset al megrahi is dying of prostate cancer and is expected to be released on compassionate grounds 37 >>> now back to iraq. in baghdad today a blast killed two people that follows six major bombings yesterday, pushing the total to more than 100 dead and 500 wounded in just 24 hours. it's the worst violence since forces withdrew from iraqi cities. >>> and turning

susan roberts is in washington with details. susan, good morning. >> reporter: michelle, good morning to you. health officials may say it's just a manufacturing issue, and by november they will be fully stocked with the vaccine. the u.s. will only have half of its h1n1 flu vacciccine flu sup by the time the flu season kicks off. >> this gives the virus a little more of an advantage. >> reporter: the government originally ordered 120 million doses to be ready by mid-october with another 80 million to follow. now drug companies say they've run into production problems and will have only 45 million doses ready in time. another 20 million doses would be delivered in the weeks afterward. the government is calling the setback a delay, not a shortage. officials say they still expect to receive the same amount of the vaccine. it just may take a little longer. as for the doses that do roll out in time, those will go to people most at risk for catching the virus. pregnant women, healthcare workers, and children. >> children excrete more vi

susan roberts in washington. susan, thank you. >>> government testing of the h1n1 flu vaccine is under way in eight u.s. cities. the study to test the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine began yesterday. nearly 3,000 volunteers will get the shot. health officials hope to have 160 million doses available by this fall. >>> secretary of state hillary clinton finally had enough. traveling in africa she had been repeatedly questioned about her husband's trip to free two american journalist ins north korea. yesterday mrs. clinton snapped following this question from a student in the congo. >> people hurt by the chinese contracts in this country, the interferences from the world bank against this contract. what does mr. clinton think through the mouth of mrs. clinton, and what does mr. mcdonald think on this situation? thank you very much. >> wait. you want me to tell you what my husband thinks? my husband is not the secretary of state. i am. so you asked my opinion, i will tell you my opinion. i'm not going to be ch

>> susan roberts in washington. susan, thank you. >> a suspect has been arrested in that pipe attack that sent milwaukee mayor tom barrett to the hospital. barrett was hit in the head and torso with a metal pipe when he went to help a grandmother during an apparent domestic dispute near the wisconsin state fair saturday. he suffered a fractured right hand when he punched the suspect. he's expected to remain hospitalized through today. >>> in iraq at least eight people died when two bombs exploded in eastern baghdad. the blast yesterday hit a popular restaurant in a predominantly shiite neighborhood. it's the latest in a string of bombings since u.s. forces withdrew from iraqi cities in june. they've been mostly blamed on sunni militant groups. >>> in afghanistan, u.s. marines fired mortars at targets in helmand province. they're trying to secure the province to make it safer for people to vote in thursday's election. president obama will try to shore up public support for the stepped up operation in afghanistan when

susan roberts is in washington with the latest. good morning. >> reporter: good morning to you. the taliban is vowing to disrupt the vote. the scare tactics and violence, they're hoping to use this. the militant groups out in full force thoepg key the voters away from the polls tomorrow. a group of armed gunmen raided a building in the heart of afghanistan this morning. the taliban says it was part of an election eve attack. police are calling it a robbery gone bad. despite beefed up security in and around afghanistan's capital, the taliban has unleashed a wave of violence to try to disrupt tomorrow's election. a suicide bomber targeted a nato convoy tuesday, killing eight and injuring 55. two u.s. service members died in a separate attack. a senior nato officer insists the violence won't shut down 6,500 polling places. >> these will not have the capacity to intimidate and prevent 50 million afghan voters for these elections. >> reporter: there are more than two dozen candidates in the election but the obama administration is not taking any sides. the u.s. expects to see exchang

susan roberts in washington has more. good morning, susan. >> reporter: karen, good morning to you. regardless of what we find out today, the job openings out there remain scarce, and most economists expect the unemployment rate to keep rising to 10% or higher by the end of the year. christoff miller never imagined he'd be out of work this long. >> i thought i'd go and find another job in a month at the longest. >> reporter: instead, it's been almost a year, so he's heading to houston to work for his family's roofing business. it's a field he has no experience in in a state he's never visited. >> i have to make money and pay my bills. >> reporter: analysts think the unemployment report today will be good news and bad news. the unemployment rate is expected to reach 9.6%, up from 9.5% in june and the highest in 26 years. but while employers are still slashing jobs, the pink slips are likely slowing down. experts predict the july numbers will show the slowest pace of job losses since august of last year. president obama has urged people to be patient while his $787 billion stimulus pl

susan roberts in washington. susan, thanks. >>> former homeland security secretary tom ridge says other bush administration cabinet officials pushed him to raise the nation's terror alert level just before the 2004 presidential election. in a new book ridge says he objected despite pressure from former defense secretary donald rumsfeld and former attorney general john ashcroft. the alert level was not raised in response to a release of a video from osama bin laden. ridge isn't talking yet, but his publisher says pressure to raise the security level persuaded ridge to leave the administration. >>> intelligence officials say a missile apparently fired from a u.s. drone this morning destroyed a suspected taliban hideout and killed at least a dozen people. it was in the north waziristan region on the afghan bore ter. since last year, the u.s. has launched more than 40 missile attacks on al qaeda and taliban targets in the area. >>> they're counting ballots from afghanistan's presidential election, but preliminary resu

susan roberts is in washington with more. good morning, susan. >> reporter: karen, good morning to you. that's right. they're waiting on response from u.s. commanders on a list of demands. what those demands are, we just don't know. >> i have a very, very good family. >> reporter: the fate of private first class bowe bergdahl rests in the fate of the taliban. they say the council of leaders will decide what to do with them based on how the u.s. responds to a list of demands. it's the first anyone has heard of bergdahl since his captors releaseded this video more than three weeks ago. >> scared i won't be able to go home, and it's very unnerving to be a prisoner. >> reporter: the 23-year-old disappeared june 30th, just five months after he arrived in afghanistan. there's no word yet on exactly what the taliban is demanding for his safe return, but in the past, they've called on the u.s. to stop its air strikes in parts of afghanistan. it was the u.s. air strike that supposedly killed pakistan taliban head last week. there have

susan roberts is in washington and has details. susan, good morning. >> reporter: pri ya, good morning to you. the faa says the actual employee's actions did not appear to contribute to the accident itself. still their attention to the job at hand is what is at stake. two air traffic employees have been suspended in connection with last week's deadly crash over new york's hudson river. >> i saw the last of it, and i saw something explode and then something fall after that. so i would hurry. >> reporter: nine people died saturday when a small plane collided with a tour helicopter. the faa now says the air traffic controller handling the plane was having "inappropriate conversations on the phone" at the time of the accident. he has been placed on administrative leave with pay. also suspend, a supervisor who was required to be in the building but had left np 'a statement, the faa said, "while we have no reason to believe at this time that these actions contributed to the accident, this kind of conduct is unacceptable." the faa has alre

susan roberts, cbs news. washington. >>> iraq's prime minister is speaking out about the receipt uptick of violence in his country. he says the government needs to reevaluate its security measures. this is the first time iraqi government has acknowledged a security failure since u.s. troops started to withdraw from that region. >>> today, the president will be pushing for health care reform. he plans to conduct a conference call and give online address to talk to supporters about reform. the committee believes a bipartisan agreement can be reached, others are not as optimistic. >> researchers conducting trials on conducting trials on the h1n1 vaccine. >> headache? >> no. >> nausea. >> no. >> body aches. >> reporter: this 11-year-old opens the door for testing on children. 120 children, anded six months to 17 will undergo tests and two injections in the university of maryland study the virus, first called swine flu, which erupted in mexico and h1n1 virus has been sweeping the world ever since. >> i guess i'll

susan roberts, cbs news, washington. >>> a new poll from the "washington post" shows a narrowing in theetween virginia's candidates for governor. the survey of just over 1,000 registered voters shows bob mcdonnell with a 47-40% lead over deeds and among those who say they will definitely vote the gap doubles with 54% saying they support mcdonnell and 39% backing deeds. >>> if your commute takes you on the . beltway through tysons corner a new closure to tell you about. it ischeduled to st5 4 days. armando trull is live at the construction site with more. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, and ya. we have been telling you about construction here at chain bridge road and 495 area of tysons and things are going to get worse for you. here's one exit closure you need to know about right now. if you travel southbound on 495, you will no longer be able to exit northbound at chain bridge road. that's exit 46-b and it is closed. you will instead be detoured to exit 45-b. that is route 267. you will be on 467 and that's how you will access chain bridge road by either taking the 19-a or 19-b

susan roberts reports. >> reporter: the cash for clunkers program could be heading to the exit ramp. the obama administration says the program is out of money and will be suspended unless congress approves $2 billion this week. the program has already gone through a billion dollars leading to the sale of $250,000 vehicles. owners of gas -- guzzlers can receive rebates to the purchase of a new fuel efficient car. they say it the program helped to boost sales the first time in two years. the house has approved the new money and now it is up to the senate but some republicans may try to block it. >> we estimated it would cost 1 billion and now they are saying $2 billion more. >> the role of the federal government is not to run the auto business. >> the administration's top money men think the economy maybe headed to a turn around. >> if you look at economic impact over the next six months it is likely to start to increase. >> reporter: former federal reserve chairman alan greenspan thinks the worst is behind us. >> i'm pretty sure we have already seen the bottom. >> reporter: he says jo

has listen to the rescue of the cash for clunkers programlet senate saddle up and do the same, susan roberts reports after a week the new car program is already running on empty. >> reporter: the cash for clunkers program could be headed to the exit ramp. the obama administration says the program is out of money and it will be suspended unless congress approves another $2 billion this week. the program has already gone through a billion dollars leading to the sale of 250,000 new vehicles. owners of gas guzzlers can receive up to $4500 toward the purchase of a new fuel efficient car. ford says the program helped boost sales he forth first time in two years. the house has approved the money, now it's up to the senate, but some republicans may try to block it. >> they estimated 1 billion, now they want 2 billion more. the roll of the government is not to run the used car business. >> reporter: democrats believe cash for clunkers is one more way to reverse the recession. the obama administration's top money men think the economy may be headed for a turnaround. >> if you look at economic output o

susan roberts, cbs news, washington. >>> there's a big question. this crime is still the motive. was it just a robbery gone bad? or did the gunman plan to kill the billings? and if so, why? >>> two arizona babies are safe with their parents today, five hours after they were kidnapped by four gunmen. it was much to the relief of their mother that the children were returned. police are checking whether it was licked -- linked to drugs. they were found when a neighbor heard them crying in a front yard. no arrests have been made. >>> surge -- journalism loses one of its most bold. >> he gained the name prince of darkness because of his conservative pessimism on political talk shows. novak died early this morning. he was diagnosed with a brain tumor in july 2008. he is probably best known for his role in the valerie plame cia leak case. he was the first to publish her name. he made his last appearance on cnn, august 2005, when he walked off the set swearing after a debate with james clarkville. >> novak was also an avid university of maryland basketball fan. >>> in tonight's health wa

susan roberts has more on tom ridge's accusation. >> good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. >> reporter: former homeland security secretary tom ridge makes his claim against two other former bush cabinet members, attorney general john ashcroft an defense secretary donald rumsfeld are. in a forth coming book, called the test of our times, ridge reports the pressure came just before the 2004 presidential election. he says that ashcroft and rumsfeld pressed him to increase the terror threat level to orange from elevated. osama bin laden had issued a videotape threatening attacks. but december site there -- despite that there was no support for boosting the terror level and he refused. i wonder is this about security or politics and he said this reinforced his decision to resign from the administration. susan roberts, cbs news, washington. >>> former homeland security adviser says intelligence was the only motive for the change in the alert back in 2004. >>> pope benedict xvi had the cast removed from his wrist today. he broke it five weeks ago after falling on vacation in the alps. doctors

susan roberts is in washington with more. susan, good morning. >> reporter: michelle, good morning to you. the white house is trying to push back against these explosive town hall meetings through its online campaign and the president himself. the administration is trying to quiet the critics of healthcare reform. critics angry over the president's healthcare reform plan are not holding back. >> you listen to us. >> reporter: americans will have another chance to be heard today at town hall meetings across the country. democrats are trying to win over an increasingly skeptical public fed up with the proposed overhaul. >> nobody tells me how to live my life. nobody tells me how long i should live and when i should die. >> reporter: but not everyone is out to crush reform. >> that's not fear. that's not fear. >> reporter: supporters are also speaking out. this woman recently lost her health insurance after getting laid off. >> i have three children that i have to be around for, and i need healthcare. >> reporter: democratic lawm

susan roberts, cbs news, washington. >>> a big meeting tonight could help to shape the future of theeake bay. environmental protection ax officials will meet with activists and other concerned citizens at saint phillips episcopal poll church. they want to establish how clean up can be reached and restrictions enforced. they want a clean up plan by the epa by september 9th. >>> the temperatures won't be as oppressive as yesterday's near triple-digit highs. 9 news now digital correspondent armando trull is live at one of the places you can stay cool, in northwest washington. good morning. >> good morning. andrea, the wilson aquatic center will open its doors in less than 30 minutes as will the tacoma aquatics center. the temperature won't be 100 but in the 90s. >> cleanliness is next to godliness and in her case coolness, too. >> take a bath, shower, stay inside, air conditioning. >> we have more tips from folks trying to beat the heat on the hottest day of the year and will work just as well today when the temperature is in the low to mid-90s. >> drink a lot of water. >> and make sure

susan roberts, cbs news, washington. >>> these daily forums are turning in to shouting matches for both sides of the aisle. there is a new poll that looks also the actions being done in the meetings. when it comes to booing members of congress 44% call it democracy in action and 47% say it is an abuse of democracy. as far as shouting down people with opposing viewpoints, 33% call that democracy in action, but 59% say it is an abuse. so we want to know what you think of this health care debate. are people getting too hite heathed and inappropriate about it or is it just democracy in action. cast your vote when you visit wusa9.com. >>> one critic of health care reform says it is all about government control. another says the legislation being considered will just create more debt. so who's winning in this emotional health care debate? with me now is political commentator and ceo of the independent insurance agent and brokers of america. we also have democratic commentator vick camber with us. thanks for joining us. i'd like to start off on some point of agreement. are we in agreement that

susan roberts has more. >> i have a very, very good family. >> reporter: the face -- the fate of bowe bergdahl rests in the hands of the taliban. they say a council of leaders will decide what to do to him based on how the u.s. responds to a list of demands it is the first they have heard from bowe bergdahl since this video three weeks ago. >> scared i won't be able to come home and it is unnerving to be a prisoner. >> reporter: the 23-year-old disappeared five months after he arrived in afghanistan. no word on what the taliban is demanding for his safe return but in the past they have called on the u.s. to stop air strikes in parts of afghanistan. a u.s. air strike that supposedly killed pakistan's taliban head last week. there are conflicting reports over whether he is actually dead but the obama administration says that it is 90% sure. >> all of the evidence that we have suggests that. >> reporter: if he is in fact dead it would be a major boost for pakistan. he is believed to have masterminded a number of deadly attacks including the assassination of former prime minister bhutto.

susan roberts, cbs news, washington. >>> president obama named judge sonia sotomayor replace david suiter, a liberal named by a republican president. the judge is not expected to alter the court's ideological balance. >>> 9 news now also -- also senators have agreed vote on adding $2 billion for the cash r clunkers program which gives buyers $4,500 for trading in the gas guzzlers. they say say it would run out of money tomorrow if congress didn't put more in the pot. the house approved the additional funding already. >>> 9 news now has learned of changes coming to the dc fire department. they come after crews had problems with water pressure fighting last week's fire at the home of former school board president. according to a spokesman, the department is now staffing two of the city's six special water supply companies so they can respond to all reports of building fires in parts of upper northwest and southeast and northeast. a 2007 report after similar problems recommended that all six of the special water supply units have around the clock staffing. the chief said that funding wasn't

susan roberts reports and the faa is bringing disciplinary action against workers. >> reporter: two employeespended. >> i saw the last of it and something explode. i would hurry. >> reporter: nine people died when a small plane collided with a tour helicopter. the air traffic controller was having inappropriate conferses on the phone at the time of the accident. he's been place on leave with pay. also suspended, a supervisor required to be in the building but had left. we have no reason to believe it contribute to the accident, this kind of conduct is unacceptable. the faa has started disciplinary procedures. according to a senior official, just before the crash, a employee happened off control to another airport, he had also told the pie hot about the transfer. but investigators claim that the pilot never contacted newark. >> piecing together the last few moments is critical to determine if any lives could have been saved. >> the national air traffic controllers association issued a statement. >>> michael vick signed a contract to play for the eagles, he's broken his silence about a dog figh

cbs news correspondent susan roberts live with us in washington with the details this morning. good morning, susan. >> reporter: hi there, dave. good morning to you. sources tell our cbs affiliate wral in raleigh that edwards is expected to admit that he is the father of his former mistress' 18-month-old daughter. john edwards has admitted that he had an affair in 2006 with rielle hunter, a videoographer, who worked on his failed 2008 presidential campaign. >> i was wrong, and i am responsible. >> reporter: but the former senator adamantly denies that he had fathered a child with hunter. he said the relationship ended in 2006, long before the child was conceived. hunter's friend pigeon o'brien told "the early show" she doesn't buy that. >> do you think john edwards is the father of her daughter? >> i do. >> i d >> i don't see any other explanation. she would not have a child with someone she didn't love, and she loves him. >> reporter: former edwards aide andrew young initially claimed to be the father of the child although the birth certificate does not list the father's name.

susan robert, cbs news. >> what a mess. >> could you imagine?>> no other way to say it -- what a mess. >>> coming up in our hero central report, how two women are helping a family while their parents are behind bars. >>> vaccinations for the h1n1 are underway and they happening region. we'lbe b rhtigk.acht r42rpp fab@ [ female announcer ] black is always flattering. myth. head & shoulders is just for dandruff. myth. the fact is, head & shoulders does more than ordinary shampoos and conditioners. it gives you... seven scalp and hair benefits including relieving dryness, itch and irritation. fact. black may not always be flattering, but beautiful, 100% flake-free hair always is. head & shoulders. respect the scalp. love the hair. >>> we want to update our breaking news in leesburg, virginia. that's where police are investigating the death of a 20- year-old man inside his home. the first reports from the scene indicate that that victim may have been mauled by pit bulls. digital correspondent lindsey mastis joins us live by phone with the latest and

susan roberts reports for wjz, the 47 passengers all endured being stuck on the tarmac. >>> friday night, cont nental flight -- continental flight 13. a routine takeoff with a three- hour flight to minneapolis. but around midnight, the pilot makes an announcement. >> the pilot says there are storms and that they couldn't land. >> reporter: that's when the nightmare began. they sat there all night. 47 passengers, stramed -- stranded on the rochester runway, for over nine hours. they say they were served no food. just one can of soda. and then the toilets broke down. >> you're almost numb because you're so exhausted. so you kind of doze off, but you can't really sleep because babies are crying and the smells are getting worse. >> as frustrating as for continental said the passengers could not get off because the security screener his gone home for the night. saturday morning, 9:00 a.m., the continental flight finally deplanes. >> everybody just went up to the continental counter. and they were emotional and they were screaming and yelling. >> reporter: but their ordeal was not over. the pa

as susan roberts reports, production problems are to blame. >>> less than half of the the vaccine supply by the time flu season kicks off. >> we are in a race between the vaccine and the virus. and this gives the virus a little more of an glang the government originally ordered 120 million doses to be ready for mid october be another 80 million to follow. drug companies have run into production problems and will have only 45 million doses ready in time. another 20 million doses would be delivereded in the weeks afterwards. >> they're calling it a delay not a shortage. officials still expect to resteef same amount of ac convene, it just may take a little longer. >> for the dose that is do roll out in time, those will go to the people most at risk for catching the virus. pregnant women, health care worker and children. >> children excrete more virus, they're less hygienic and very enthusiastic about kissing mom, dad, grandma and aunt susie. >> the timetable change means even high risk individuals will have to wait an traiks extra month but the good news is production of the seasonal flu va

series susan roberts with the latest. >> cristoff miller never imagined he'd be out of work this long. >> i thought a month at the longest. >> reporter: it's been almost a year. he's moving to houston to work for his family's roofing business. >> i have to make money, and pay my bills. >> reporter: analysts believe today's labor department report will be a case of good news and bad news. the unemployment rate is expected to reach 9.6%, up from 9.5% in june and the highest in 26 years. employers are still slashing jobs, but pink slips are reportedly slowing down. president obama has urged americans to be patient while his $787 billion stimulus plan takes hold. he says there are signs it's working. >> we're losing jobs at half the rate we were at the beginning of this year. >> reporter: at a rally in virginia thursday night. the president insisted the economy is showing the beginnings of a recovery. >> the market is up. housing prices are up for the first time in nearly three years. it's >> reporter: it's that kind of optimism people want to hear. >> when i'm in houston selling roofs, i

susan roberts, cbs news, washington. >>> back to a notorious hacker who's been busted. plotting to pull off the biggest ever theft of credit and debit card information ever, including stealing an astounding 130 million credit and debit card numbers. and he's reportedly a former government informant. albert gonzalez called his credit and debit card theft ring operation get rich or die trying. on monday, the get rich part of that scheme died as federal agents indicted the super hacker in what's being called the largest identity theft case in u.s. history. the 28-year-old gonzalez allegedly broke his own record for identity theft when he and two unnamed conspirators were charged with stealing more than 130 million credit and debit card numbers from three corporate giants. ironically, gonzalez had helped the government hunt hackers for a time, until it was found he was working with and tipping off the criminals he was supposed to expose. already in jail under a 2008 indictment for corporate hacking, gonzalez now faces up to 35 years in prison and $1 million in fines if conv

susan roberts, cbs news, washington. >>> investigators have yet to come up with a motive in the case. they not sure if it's a robbery gone awry or whether the murders were premeditated. >>> political columnist robert novak passed away in his home. he was a long-time fixture in the washington political scene. novak died early this morning at the age of 78. >>> six more cases of botched cancer treatment emerge after a veterans affairs hospital. the six patients were given incorrect doses while being treated for prostate cancer. that brings a total higher. >>> in tonight's healthwatch, you may not believe it until you see it, but worn doctor is treat -- one doctor is treating injured soldiers the same as she would her younger patients. >> reporter: this doctor found a technique that works for kids can work for adults, too. >> look at elmo. find him. >> reporter: seeing if a little boy can find elmo. >> ready? sponge bob. >> reporter: or sponge bob with his eyes is just one of the many tricks dr. suzanne wickham uses to check a toddler's sight. she uses those same tricks with soldiers who

cbs' susan roberts is in washington with the details. good morning, susan. >> reporter: harry, good morning to you. there are tarmac delays, and then there's what happened to the passengers on this continental flight. friday night, 9:30, continental flight ,2816 a plane similar to this one, departs houston on time. a routine takeoff for the three-hour flight to minneapolis. around midnight, the pilot makes an announcement. >> the pilot said there were storms and he couldn't land and that they had to go to rochester, minnesota, to refuel. >> reporter: that's when the nightmare began. they sat there all night. 47 passengers stranded on the rochester runway for over nine hours. they say they were served no food, just one can of soda, and then the toilets broke down. >> you're almost numb because you're so exhausted. so you kind of doze off, but you can't really sleep because babies are crying and the smells are getting worse. >> reporter: express jet operating for continental says the passengers could not get off because the security screene

susan roberts has more. >> reporter: the u.s. will only have less than half of the h1n1 vaccine supply by the time flu season kicks off. >> we're in a race between the vaccine and the virus. and gives the virus more of an advantage. >> the government ordered 120 million doses to be ready by mid october with 0 million to follow. now drug companies say they have run in to production problems and will have only 45 million doses ready in time. another 20 million doses will be delivered in the weeks afterwards. the government is calling the setback a delay, not a shortage. officials say they still expect to receive the same amount of the vaccine, just may take a little longer. as for the doses that do roll out in time, those will go to the people most at risk for catching the virus. pregnant women, health care workers and children. >> children excrete more virus. they are less hygienic and 10 news yaysic about kissing mom, dad, grandma and aunt susie. they are the great distributors. >> reporter: that means some high risk individuals

susan roberts has the latest. >> reporter: afghan president happened karzai is one of the first to cast his ballot this morning. >> this is for peace, progress and the well being of the afghan people. >> reporter: karzai, who's seeking a second term, called on afghans to defy taliban threats and participate in the election. security was tight at thousands of polling locations as residents showed up to vote. for days they have tried to intimidate voters with a string of attacks fearing the violence may keep people from the polls. on the eve of the election, the military announced six more american deaths. that puts august on track to be the deadliest month for u.s. troops since the war began. afghanistan will need a strong government leadership to confront the taliban's insurgency. karzai is the favorite to win but needs 51% of the vote or face roughoff election with possibly abdullah abdullah. >> the pockets are still being grown. can karzai stop what he was unable to stop before? we don't know. >> reporter: afghanistan will have to name the next president. results are expected by the e

robert wood johnson foundation. he's vice president of research at the foundation. his bio is in the packet and he has a few words of greetings for us. david? >> thank you, susan. on behalf of the robert wood johnson foundation, i want to thank you and everyone at health affairs for hosting us today and especially for putting together this event. it comes at a crucial time because as we've all seen over the last couple of weeks, over the last month, the facts of health reform are too often getting lost in piles of myth and gigabytes of fear or maybe i should say terabytes of fear or if i could, i think, make up a worth zetabytes of fear. as some of you know, i spent nine years at the physician payment review commission and then at medpac. and i was there during the last health reform debate. i'm proud of my years in washington. unfortunately, i had a front row seat to watch the last debate on health reform be derailed by panic and the politics. as a researcher and a fan of dragnet, it pained me to see cold hard facts and painstaking research drowned out by the likes of harry and louise. so with joe friday ringing in my ears, just the facts, ma'am, i want to do m