the irs may have to think about how it approaches all of this. e may have a whole bunch more people responsible for reporting their own income. that's a whole different structure than the corporate or employer income reporting that we've had. >> a very good point. speaking of health care, you want more affordable health care? you can try a retail health clinic, popping up in stores like walmart and cvs. they offer similar quality care than emergency rooms or the family doctor. the average visit at a retail clinic was about $110. urgent care centers and family doctors, about $50 more than that. the cost for popping into a crowded emergency room, $570. is it time to start shopping for health care like we would any other service. this is the first real study of whether these little health clinics in the cvs were as good as going to your doctor's office and found they are and cheaper. >> i'm not surprised. the people are going in for relatively simple things, throat infection, screened for diabetes, high blood pressure. those are prevention measures.

the irs severed ties with acorn. how did the relationship begin with the irs and acorn? it's kind of ridiculous? >> the whole situation is ridiculous, greg. because what is happening to people like andrew breitbart is not an isolated incident. we have seen people in the tea parties be smeared and have seen that any return veteran, a report that they are a threat to the united states. what you are seeing is that this is a whistle blower operation. t is as per verse suing andrew breitbart as it is having a corrupted city mayor suing upton sinclair. >> greg: it is. who is upton sinclair? >> in chicago. i heard mountain movie there will be blood. >> greg: anthony, you seem like a right wing fanatic. what do you think of this? does acorn have a case? >> i don't know if they have a case or not. i think the most embarrassing thing is the hooker was much too pretty to be a hooker and the pimp was sent by hugy bear from starsky and hutch and the worst thing is if you are too scummy to work for the irs, wow, that is a problem. >> greg: i might add that i'm a huge fan of the irs. i

gentlemen, the irs is looking to combat tax evasion by sifting through mortgage interest data to catchpeople underreporting their income. the government report says the irs is potentially losing out on $1.4 billion in missing the discrepancies. contractors, roofers, small business owners with big mortgage payments but small income. this might not be good for you. this is the irs using mortgage interest data to find tax cheats. a good idea? >> not necessarily. look, i think obviously our tax system is based upon a voluntary level of reporting and there needs to be some enforcement to keep people honest but these are strange economic times and many people are borrowing money, they're going into their savings to pay their mortgage payments. it wouldn't be unusual for someone to have no income and be making a mortgage payment and still be allowed to deduct it. we don't want the irs in everybody's kitchen looking over our bills and looking over our shoulder. >> especially in the very high tax areas, bill tucker, where you live. i mean, you can make a case there would be a reason why you wou

they brought girls into the country, cheating the irs and hiding illegal income. correspondent richard lui joins us now. richard, acorn admits that behavior was unacceptable, so why are they suing? >> here's the details for you, natasha. acorn is saying workers set up their employees and they violated wire tapping laws n. maryland where the tapes were made, it is illegal to tape a conversation unless everyone involved there knows they are on tape. the two baltimore employees who were fired over those tapes are co-plaintiffs on this lawsuit as well. it also seeks an injunction to stop any further distribution, natasha, of these videos. >> so, richard, it names angela ripehart, the two who first announced the tapes.

how about this thing with the irs?the irs telling acron that they are dropping them -- telling acorn that they are dropping them, and bend them saying they were doing it -- and then them saying that they were doing it. did you not hear the conversation with steve moore? the same people who do this are the same people who want bills online so that you can see them. >> i hate to join the chorus of those people attacking the media, but -- fox is covering it. a well-known anchor the other day was asked about the story, and he said, "that is a cable story," as if he could not deign to lower himself to that level. greta: i am so glad you are here, tucker. up next, the best of the rest. former alaskan governor sarah palin. plus, are oprah and the first lady about to take a trip together? and why? and joe francis, tucker's favorite. you were right. these healthy choice fresh mixer thingys, they taste fresh... say it again! they taste fresh. wait. what are you doing? got it. you're secretly taping me? greta: well, you have seen

especially the irs. the irs is like ward and june cleaver, and we're all wally and the beaver.tant is eddie haskel, showing you neat tricks to get away with stuff. that's fine unless you get audited. then you don't want some wise guy going, "you have a very lovely office here, sir." because jail is the government's way of sending you to your room. when you meet whitey and lumpy in the joint, there's really going to be something wrong with the beaver. i'm just a skeptic so i don't necessarily believe

. >>> states are severing ties with the community group acorn and so is the irs. this all comes after a hidden camera scandal that started in baltimore the videos show acorn workers advising a couple posing as a prostitute and pimp how to lie to get government help. the irs says it will no longer include acorn in its volunteer tax assistance program. acorn now has filed a lawsuit against the makers of that hidden camera video. the group says the audio portion of the video was obtained illegally because maryland requires two-party consent. >>> millions of dollars for our ports, fire stations and transit security headed to maryland. the homeland security secretary janet napolitano was in baltimore today to explain how the money will be used. abc2 news kelly swoope joins us now with details. >> reporter: maryland received more than $380 million in grants from the stimulus package. the largest sum, $150 million, will go towards port security. secretary napolitano was joined by governor martin o'malley and congressman dutch ruppersberger. the port will receive money for

they're not going to get it back. >> now the irs and census bureau have severed ties. n is fighting to prove them wrong. the actors named in the lawsuit are connected with conservative institutions. acorn's lawsuit also names a conservative columnist who posted the video on his website. >>> a wisconsin man has been charged with driving under the influence after the police called -- after his wife called police to report him. >> the woman told the dispatcher that her husband was an alcoholic and "does this all the time." the police say he drank a point of vodka before getting in e car. he eventually pulled over and was arrested. the police say his blood alcohol level was three times the legal limit. >>> a little girl walked away without a scratch after this unbelievable scene and seattle. she is walking behind her parents' leaving a store when a car out of the blue appears to crusher. take a look at this video. and metal parking pole is credited with saving the girl, prompting the car up and leaving enough space to spare her. she walked away without a scratch. the u beli

follows similar moves by the census bureau and the irs. they've both said they'll stop working with a.c.o.r.n. as well. and of course it follows a move by the u.s. congress to cut off any source of federal funding for a.c.o.r.n. following a dramatically escalated campaign against the group by republicans and conservative activists and conservative media outlets. we have previously reported on this show how corporate interests opposed to a.c.o.r.n.'s successful efforts to raise the minimum wage targeted the group using republican-allied pr firms that proudly specialized in demonizing their opposition. but a.c.o.r.n. has not just been targeted by corporations who worry that a.c.o.r.n.'s advocacy for living wage ordinances and an increased minimum wage will hurt their bottom line. a.c.o.r.n. has also been the subject for years of a purely political smear campaign, a campaign engineered by republicans who are threatened by a.c.o.r.n.'s work to register young and poor and minority voters. the american voter is typically older and more wealthy th

good morning to you. >>> the irs and the u.s.ensus bureau are the latest groups to distance themselves from a.c.o.r.n. the irs saying it will no longer include it in the tax assistance program. although a.c.o.r.n. says it had suspended its tax program. the census bureau has cut ties with the group and growing pressure for president obama as well to deny all federal funding to a.c.o.r.n. >> okay. so, richard, what does a. krc t a.c.o.r.n. say about all of this? >> they're concerned about it. the head of a.c.o.r.n. saying she is just as appalled but despite the funding cuts the organization will still continue to operate. meantime, a.c.o.r.n. is announcing a hiring freeze and new training programs for employees. they hired the attorney general to conduct an internal investigation into what happened. >>> police are enlisting trash collectors to fight crime. the sheriff's office in orlando is training them to look out for suspicious people and signs of break-ins and giving them specific information about investigations to help them k

this lawsuit comes after the irs recently ended its relationship with acorn. the census bureau also cut ties with the group and the house and senate cut off federal funds. acorn faced criticism after videos from hidden cameras caught staff members giving advice about tax evasion, human smuggling and child prostitution to james o'keefe and hanna giles. the pair were wearing disguises as pimps and prostitutes. acorn said it would sue o'keefe and others in maryland district court. again, o'keefe and g it's les say they are not -- giles say they are not discouraged and there are more videos come out. >>> city hall rocked by layoffs and furloughs. 27 city employees will be out of a job and others will have to take at least five furlough days. mayor sheila dixon says as many as 400 employees could have been fired if not for the furlough plan. >> i would rather do that than see somebody get laid off. if that's what it takes during these tough times everybody's got to do their part. >> this gap that we have to face and decisions we have to make really impacts all of us

the irs announced it is severing ties with the group.pearing on fox news sunday, but the ceo of acorn delta to provide proper stewardship -- vowed to provide proper stewardship. >> we continue to ensure that all of our employees understand that they're not reaching professional standards, we terminate them and we make sure that what we do internally is serving our constituents in this country. >> acorn has terminated some of its employees. acorn is also suing the documentary filmmaker who made the video and website that showed it. martha: it took those videos to because the changes in the investigations. james rosen, thank you. trace: there's a showdown in pittsburgh just hours before the due-20 summit kicks off with president obama hosting world leaders. demonstrators are now gathering in the streets. thousands of law enforcement and security personnel are on high alert to. rick leventhal is in pittsburgh. it looks quiet behind you right now. >> there are not many demonstrators now. we can show you some police and national guard keeping

they were caught on tape offering advice on how to set up a prostitution ring and cheat the irs. lui, they also claim they have like underaged women working for them. >> it doesn't seem real. here are more details about the situation. the video shows the couple asking for advice on how to set up a prostitution ring with underaged girls. despite that, james o'keefe asking as a pump and hannah jils allegedly got surprising advice. on the tape, one employee apparently tells jils to call herself a performing artist and she can claim some of the girls as depend dants to claim child tax care credits. >> we should point out, the tape is edited and goes to black in some areas. they claim the tape is false. who are the people behind the video then? >> they are conservative activists and film makers. they say the employees did not know they were being taped. yesterday, another representative said the fired employees were not authorized to act on a.c.o.r.n.'s behalf. >> the president gave a speech on health reform. that tape was done sometime in july. and just released today. >> now, law en

>> generally, the irs would take you to court. hey would undertake normal collection procedures. >> they could have their wages garnished. the reason i am going down this line of questioning is, we have heard from a lot of people -- most of our offices have heard about this. senator hatch mentioned this. a lot of people do not believe that this is constitutional. that this is not in the enumerated powers of the u.s. government to mandate purchase of health insurance or penalize somebody. we have allowed exceptions for religious and other reasons. some people hold the constitution pretty high in their lives. if they believe that this thing is unconstitutional and they say, i choose not to have health insurance, i am not going to buy it, we could be subjecting those very people who conscientiously because they believe in the u.s. constitution -- we could subjecting them to fines or the interpretation of a judge potentially all the way up to imprisonment. that seems to me to be a problem. i understand the idea of shared responsibility

also news for you coming from ubs and the irs. sources say the irs will announce an extension of the debt line of the voluntary disclosure program till october 15th while the original deadline was this coming wednesday and the irs has said that so far more than 3,000 u.s. clients of swiss or other foreign bank accounts use this program and disclose their accounts. that's it from switzerland, and now adam in singapore. >> thank you very much, carline. >>> overall, a fresh trading week, and many markets were closed. let's talk about the ones that were open to north asia. the south korean kospi coming off the six month highs after a strong week last week, huge foreign purchases of equities. and while foreign buyers continue to be buying for the 12th consecutive session, the pace has slowed down dramatically. this market has converted from advanced to emerging markets. and perhaps the other reason, we saw some strength in the korean one, this is a negative for the exporter stocks, particularly the blue chips such as the samsung and el

congress voted to cut off the funding and the irs are no longer doing business with the organization. >>> two attorneys representing acorn in the lawsuit, one from baltimore, the other from new york. >>> as neighbors continue to clean up the mess left at the water main break, officials warning them to be on the lookout for people passing themselves off as contractors. >> if they hire an unlicensed contractor they will not be protected and put their home at huge risk. >> crews trying to repair the pipe that dumped water into the neighborhood. many neighbors without power this morning. >> approved today, the slots parlor is closer to permission. they grant it to ocean down near ocean city. it's the first of five to be awarded. >> it's official, the board of estimates votes to make city budget cut, that means layoffs and furloughs. there's still more uncertainty ahead. >> the city workers lose a minimum five days pay. >> we have not looked at any other options like legal options but want you to know it's on the table. >> the furlough plan saves 13 and a half million dollars or that means

fourth, the irs and the treasury department are creating a plain english, easy to follow guide as well as a website to help folks navigate what are often very complicated waters, especially for workers changing jobs, who often are unsure how best to continue saving or retirement. because the rules ought to be written to encourage people to save, instead of discouraging them. we will also build on the steps by working with congress. as part of my budget, i have proposed that every american has access to a retirement savings account for his or her job. this plan will make it possible for workers to automatically enrolled in an ira's your payroll contributions. the budget simplifies and expand the tax credit for millions of families, matching half of the family savings up to $1,000 per year and a parting the tax credit directly into a retirement account. this is a difficult time for country, but i am confident we can meet the challenges we face and leave behind something better. we are ready to take responsibility for future once again, as individuals, and as a nation. i hope that all of

the work zone. and then silver spring looking good. no accidents or incidents. back to you. >> thank you, steve. >>> new today, a rude awaking in ir rockville. it's in the 10,000 block of grove inner place. we are told it started on the second floor. no word on what caused the fire. >> the redskins stall out in motor city, falling to the detroit lions, a team that had not won a game in 21 months. kimberly suitors has been talking to fans that wish they could put this season in reverse. >> joe, it's a morning where the players are looking their wounds and the fans are throwing salt in them. we dropped in on the jun keys this morning. the moment i haubled in on my crutches, they said man even you move faster than clinton portis, and the insults continue from there. >> the first call came the moment the junkies went on air. >> caller: i saw nothing last year that made me think he would be productive this year. and him dropping the ball before he could pass the ball -- >> jason campbell did that lose that game for them yesterday. >> reporter: the intern said they think they will feel better feeling bitter. from fairfax, virginia, to r

the employee was happy to have him hide the girls from the irs. they get taxpayer dollars. take a look. >> [inaudible] they are not really going to be employees. they are under 16. the others, you can claim them as a dependent. they live in your house. >> ok. >> you are taking care of them. >> what they are making money? >> if they are making money and they are underage, you do not have to let anybody know, anyway. sean: acorn fired the official on those videos. will this all the problem? joining me now to discuss the -- discussed this incredible story, by two guests. we know so much about acorn. they get taxpayer dollars. i discussed this with you awhile back. why don't you explain how you got involved in this, how they decided to do this, how this happened, and what was said so our audience understands? >> congratulations to "60 minutes" and cbs for having the guts to take on a corner. just kidding. it was two intrepid -- a 25- year-old and the woman wants to be a journalist. james was already on his way to being one of the great journalists. what did he know about acorn t

their ages, actions and records drawing the ire of the mayor. >> two 16-year-olds with a gun, legal gun and these are consequences they have to face and it's becoming extremely frustrating. >> reporter: both will be charged as adults with gun charges, robbery and attempted murder, arrests in a crime the commissioner says underscores the work his force has done, yet, still needs to do. >> we're making progress, but this tells us in a very personal way we still have a lot of work to do. >> reporter: harris is a 16- year veteran of the force and is expected to make a full recovery. >>> this is now the second off duty officer shot at his own home in almost as many weeks. the commissioner said neither of his officers were targeted, but random attempts. >>> the baltimore county police department is mourning the loss of one of their own. detective jason simons died after a crash on black rock road. simons was driving to work when he lost control on the wet road. the veteran's vehicle flipped over trapping him inside. officer simons is the stepson of a county lt. who died last year in the line

they brought girls into the country, cheating the irs and hiding illegal income. correspondent richard lui joins us now. richard, acorn admits that behavior was unacceptable, so why are they suing? >> here's the details for you, natasha. acorn is saying workers set up their employees and they violated wire tapping laws n. maryland where the tapes were made, it is illegal to tape a conversation unless everyone involved there knows they are on tape. the two baltimore employees who were fired over those tapes are co-plaintiffs on this lawsuit as well. it also seeks an injunction to stop any further distribution, natasha, of these videos. >> so, richard, it names angela ripehart, the two who first announced the tapes. >> the people who made the tapes are just 20 and 25 years old. hanna giles got the idea after jogging past an acorn office. he offered to donate money only if it was used for black women to get abortions. okeefe says they made these latest tapes with just $1300. >>> keeping your mortgage lats could be expanded. jennifer westhoven is here. good news. >> th

the irs says 1.4 million people have claimed the homebuyer tax credit... meanwhile.. the federal reserve is in the process of buying more than one trillion dollars worth of mortgage backed securities - to help create demand for the securitization of home loans. mortgage experts say once all the government intervention comes to an end... potential buyers may dry up and it could cause home prices to fall.. the other headwind... will come from the glut of foreclosures that continue to come onto the market. 1.2 million home loans are at least 90 days delinquent... on top of that, 1.5 million homes are now in the foreclosure process... those numbers according to the wall street journal. and experts say the huge number of foreclosures will pressure the housing market when the government stimulus dries up. we need inventory to go down.. and supply and demand factors turn around.. more buyers than sellers would start to see prices go up.. but until we get the underpriced assets off the market.. like foreclosures.. we won't see prices go up and i dont' think that's going to ha

. >> a government agency is cutting ties with acorn, this time the irs. decision comes after employees were caught on tape giving tax advice to a couple posing as a prostitute and a pimp. the irs said it will no longer include acorn in its volunteer tax assistance program. in previous years, acorn officess nationwide helped about 25,000 low income families with their tax returns. >> and acorn has filed meanwhile a multi-million dollar lawsuit against the filmmakers that captured the video in baltimore, and similar videos at four other acorn offices around the country a corner said the filmmakers got the video illegally because maryland requires two party consent to record audio. >> montgomery county teenager arrested for allegedly arranging drug deals. 18-year-old was trying to sell pot near walter johnson high school in bethesda. charged with possession, with intent to distribute. >> weather wise, the clouds are rolling in. >> felt like summer today. even though it is fall. >> chief meteorologist vytas reid is here to tell us what's going on. >> can you

one of the most outrageous aspects of this story of acorn is that it is almost laughable, that the irswas basically giving funds to acorn to train people had to deal with, you know, their tax forms. that would be like putting bernie madoff in charge of the justice department's, or bonnie and clyde in charge of the bank's -- in charge of the justice department, or bonnie and clyde in charge of the banks. they should not have tax-exempt status. acorn is an umbrella group of something like to one organizations. some of them are lobbying groups, political action committees, 501(c)(3) groups, but the vast amount of what they do is not providing homes to the homeless or feeding the hungry. it is over political action. that is not tax deductible. greta: you focus on that, but i do not even get to that point, because to me, i think, why is it taking two gusti teenagers under the age of 25 to do this -- two goofy teenagers? why are they not checking it out? first of all, they are right. everybody jumping on this weeks ago, and of course, during the election, there were a lot of irregularities t

the main iss that angered egyptsspecifically atthe unitedtates was the ir war and with the ama ministration specifically talking abouawithdrawal, i thinthat that's improved people's opinions. >> and overall, eightyears on, is there more o less violent tremism d syathy for al qaeda? >> well the sympathy for the attacks of/11 have been on decline anthey are -- th continue to decline in 009, especially among bothgyptians an saus. it's interesting the two countries that impred the opinion of the united states and also t two countries whose publics are le likely th they were jst a year ago or two years ago to say that t attacks of 9/11 were justified. >> and what abt onions towards musls around the world? have they got more or less gative or would you say tt th figures have stayed about the same? and wh do you thnk there may or may not have beenchanges to that? >> the opinions of -- tard muslims around the world, specifically by the amerian puic, have improv slighy, but not ve muc soin 2007, we foundhat around 19% of americans saidthat they dxtreme prejudi towards muslims. when we polled again i

the possilities of pressuri ir are limited. irans someat certain that china and russia are not going to participate in significant sations against the iranians. >> do u think that ir is making a bomb? does it want bomb? >> there is question that iran wants gain thecapacity to mak a nuclear wean because th is the way to become a serious pler in regional relations. hower, whether or not ian wi go the last step and actually do make mb, withdr from internatiol atomic agency and make a mb, that depends on how secure or insecurehey feel at tt time. which is a year, two years or three years down the road. >> professor farha, thank you. thank you verymuch. >>> and that brings us to tonight's "how you see it." eight months ito the obama administration, is u.s. foreign policy headed in the right direction or therong direction? you can tell us what you ink by going to the"howou see it" section our weite at worldfoc.org. >>> in central amica, in honor rous, supporters of dposed president manuel zela again to to the streets last night in dea

the irs is going to tell you whether you have a health care plan that is acceptable or not? ericans don't want an irs bureaucrat telling them if their health care is okay or not. >> what about the republican plan dealing with the skyrocketi skyrocketing costs of health insurance. which proposal would the republicans put forward as an alternative? >> paul ryan, congressman from wisconsin has great legislation. you look at stuff that republican governors have done, mitch daniels talking about healthy lifestyles. the oklahoma and texas where they have done tort reform. what a way to bring down health care costs. >> there are steps towards tort reform in what max baucus said and preventive medicine and healthy lifestyles. >> those are good steps. it is not going to pass the democrat house and senate and the president is not going to sign those measures. they made it clear. >> you don't think he is going to sign preventative measures? >> they are $800 billion or $1 trillion adding to the deficit which means less financial security for americans. >> david, we have been waiting to h

in the meantime, the irs said they will not be included in the volunteer tax assistance program. the house and senate voted to cut ties after employees were caught on video helping the pair commit what could amount to tax fraud. the census bureau shut out acorn for the 2010 national head count. >>> first she was in. then apparently out. then back in. but tonight the democratic nominee for mayor of annapolis calls it quit. after her troubled past game to light. delia goncalves has more. >> reporter: she puts the controversy to bed and bows out of the race leaving her supporters and opponents alike disappointed. >> i thank you. >> reporter: she thanked supporters as she delivers the news, i regret i will step down. >> reporter: the former white house aid was in the running to be the first african-american mayor. it was reported she decided to drop out of the race but then she said it was a mistake and she was running. >> she is out and cloud of controversy. history and financial troubles. >> things have slipped through the cracks. i own up to it. >> reporter: she struggled -- strug

the answero that is if you do these tax subsidies, the irs has chanisms of course, which legal residence. gwen: the federal government won't subsidize an ilegal alien program. >> it oes epressly ba that budoes it ave adeuate enforcement? and is there a public option? can an illegal imigrant buy this planthat the government uld offer as a competitor to private insurers. the bills dot say they can't. and congressional rsearch seice says there's nothing in the bilthat says gwen: how can you stop? the white hoe today said they won'tllow in their plan, they uld bar ilegal immigran from buying t public- >> even in the cange, whic would have private programs well, forwhich you really question where is the bsidy the. accusations that are potent. gwen: that's the bg question about the end f this week for me. how ch did the outburst an how much did the ebate that folwed the outburstand the discuson of this issue, how mu did it expose what is really the problemfor the esident and fr congresson this iss, which is meem re so head up out it that i is almost imposble to get the details out >> they are

the irs is joining the list saying it will no longer include acorn in its volunteer tax programs. they provided help this past year on 25,000 tax returns. >>> a man busted for selling drugs to kids right next to a high school. the 18 year old is charged with possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia. turns out he is a recent graduate. he allegedly sold to some of his former classmates. police say he deals to students during the open lunch period at a nearby shopping center. he is being held on $50,000 bond. >>> the union representing metro train operators says its members are becoming scape goats for metro's fatal train accident. president of the local that represents 10,000 metro workers says top level metro officials have never been held accountable for correcting the system's deficiencies. >> i can't hold mr. kato accountable for all of the problems that and aging system has. that's not what we want to do. but it is how you react to those problems. >> she says metro has ignored the union's safety recommendations an today she said the system ought to remain in manual mode u

will we see a response from the irs? i hope so, and as you know, he is a ranking republican member on the ways and means committee, and has oversight on that committee, over the irs. i think most americans are outraged that the government would be working with an organization that has committed some of the acts that we have seen on your network. i hope weekend and this partnership with the government and people are not rounded, when they call the government, to an acorn office, when you have this type of conduct. martha: what do you think about these filmmakers and the fact that they brought this issue to the fore after so many have been trying to put pressure on them? >> it is an instance where you have to say, our country is a democracy and some, if not all good ideas are going to come from the people. they do not come from washington. it is important to the value of our rights to free speech and that we act when we see instances such as this -- just absolute, definitive violations of the law. the government should not

the irs just reported 1.4 million americans took advantage of the free money. others have credited the benefit with helping to lift home sales. joining us to talk about the local housing market and other trends is dr. stephen fuller direct of analysis at george mason. what do you think? we have a first-time home buyers tax credit. it is set to expire in november, if it is not extended. some people are worried if that goes away maybe this resurgence in housing sales could go away soon. >> it has been very effective. the problem that led us in to the recession was an over supply of housing. there are other problems too. the inventory is brought down to normal levels and a major factor has been this $8,000 tangs credit for first time home buyers has basically taken the lower priced houses out of the market. it is one of those stimulus activities we can actually see the results of. i think one of the things it's done and it might be a little worrisome as we look forward is it brought buyers to the market sooner than they would have been otherwise. it may have taken

slipped into the health care bill, new provisions cracking down on taxpayers in their dealings with the irs. legislation would strip away legal defenses increase penalties on corporate and individual taxpayers facing irs scrutiny if they ared in good faith. democrats say this week pelosi will let rangel keep his chairmanship. >> the president has trouble on the foreign policy front after another bloody month in afghanistan. calls from the left and right to with you drew -- withdrew. can the administration sell a new strategy there? ♪ the amazing always infinity. ♪ it's astonishingly flexible. ♪ unbelievably soft. ♪ and has an amazing material... that's 4x more absorbent than you may need. making fluids seem to... poof... disappear. just like magic. ♪ always infinity. have a happy period. >> paul: the news doesn't get any better for the president on foreign policy. with august marking the deadliest month for u.s. forces in afghanistan since the war began in 2001. it may come as no surprise that liberals like wisconsin senator russ field -- russ feingold are questioning strategy. forces shoul

in the meantime the irs says acorn will no longer be included in the volunteer tax assistance program. earlier this month the house and senate voted to cut ties after employees were cut on video helping the pair commit what could ultimately amount to tax fraud. the census bureau also shut out acorn for the national 2010 head count. sherrie johnson, abc2 news. >>> a minute after 5:00. >> this is something a lot of you are talking about. abc2news.com is where we want to you leave us a message on how you feel about acorn filing a lawsuit. friend us on facebook and twitter. just write us and we want to get your comments on the air. >>> massachusetts governor duvall patrick is going to name an interim replacement today for ted kennedy. patrick was granted the authority by law just approved by massachusetts lawmakers. sources say kennedy's sons want patrick to name and appoint former democratic national committee chairman paul kirk. >>> 5:02 now. first she was in, then out, then in again. now the final. the democratic nominee for annapolis player calls it quits for good amid a cloud of cont

now the irs says it is cutting ties with the left-wing community organization group. they were involved in the volunteer tax assistance program which provides free tax and buys to tax filers. the irs dropping the group from the program after employees were caught on tape telling a couple just as a pimp and a prostitute out to skirt the law. according to the report, the head of acorn said that they would not be doing that type of thing during their own investigation. bill: president obama made a big deal making sure afghanistan was done the right way, announcing a bold new strategy. this week he says it may have to go, only six weeks later. how much has things changed since march? >> i want the american people to understand we have a clear and focused bowl, and to disrupt, dismantle, and the ft al qaeda in pakistan and afghanistan, and to prevent their return in either country in the future. bill: top brass in the military says that we cannot win unless we get more troops. my guess right now is bill cowen, a former colonel. this is an all-star lineup. general david pet

people are posing as a pimp and prostitute getting advice to how to la jolla to the irs. >> your businessa fulfilling artist. i'm not league. [ indiscernible ] >> a performing artist. >> okay. >> stop saying. the video was taken july 24th in the baltimore office. a spokesman said the video is an attempt at got you journalism and wants to see the full video before taking comments. >>> caught on tape, secret recordings are released. on the audiotape, you can hear him coaching executives on hw to fool investigators and keep the ponzi scheme alive. they come out the same day as the capital hill -- capitol hill hearings. fox's adam shapiro has more. >> this conversation never took place. >> reporter: an ominous start to a phone call between bernie madoff and top executives at fairfield greeich group. a multibillion feeder fund. you hear him telling the executive how to dodge questions from securities and exchange commission investigators. >> don't want to think that you're concerned about anything. we're trying to be cool and cooperate and get it over with and get em out of here. >> reporter:

this lawsuit comes after the irs ended its relationship with acorn. census bureau also cut ties and the house and senate cut off federal funds. acorn faces criticism after videos from hidden cameras caught staff members giving advice about tax evasion, human smuggling and child prostitution to james o'keefe and hanna giles. the pair were wearing disguises as pimps and prostitutes and acorn announced it would sue because o'keefe recorded the staff members without their consent which is illegal. o'keefe and giles say they will not be intimidated by the lawsuit and there are more videos coming out. sherrie johnson, abc2 news. >>> it's 6:52. a small baltimore technology company suing facebook claiming they violated its patent for managing private networks on the internet. the company in canton says the facebook violated its patent for what they call distributive personal relationship information management systems and methods, essentially a social networking site. the patent was issued in 2007 and the company employees five people and provides software to

be getting this ominous note, many of them, saying that they are potentially among the people that the irs wants information from and providing them with a number of options they can essentially fight it with the judicial review process that's been set up in switzerland, consent to ubs turning over information to the irs or participate in the irs's voluntary disclosure program and submit it themselves. but people now are getting this letter which we have also obtained, telling them that they have until next week, the 23rd of september, to comply one way or the other, or at least initiate steps to fight it under swiss law. this again, part of that landmark settlement between the u.s. and the swiss and ubs. it is now being implemented. mark? >> thank you, scott cohn. >>> still to come, our men in washington, john harwood, sits down with senator -- which senator? know, olympicia snow. talking health care, the baucus bill and the issues that still have to be addressed. >>> plus, mike huckman back. mike, what do you have today? >> no genitalia today, i promise. one of the three companies workin

code, and it is very difficult to continually change and amend provisions of the irs code with tables and so on an easier for us to discuss those kinds of things in conceptual language, but this is not that except for a few provisions. this is a major, substantive bill that changes, as some people said, when six of the economy. i prefer to talk about the changes will have in the lives of the american people. it deals with a variety of complicated and significance subjects, he and it is important to have the legislative language. i spoke with one of the very helpful staff members last evening about the abortion language, and i said, "would you show me where it says that no money in this legislation would be used to pay for an abortion," and we went over and what was going to be written, and it is very important for things like that that you see the actual legislative language, because, frankly, there is a big difference in interpretation between people who believe that it does and it does not, and i was persuaded that current tensions where consistent exactly with what we were saying y

in the meantime the irs says acorn will no longer be included in the volunteer tax assistance program. earlier this month the house and senate voted to cut ties after their employees were caught on video helping o'keefe and giles commit ultimately what could amount to tax fraud. the census bureau also shut out acorn for 2010 national head count. sherrie johnson, abc2 news. >>> it's a hot issue. how do you feel about the latest on the controversial video? should the people who made it get in trouble? friend us on facebook or twitter. tell us what you think. i want to get your comments on the air. >>> a 24-hour gym boarded up and closed in pittsburgh. in fact, a lot of businesses have closed up shop and hired security guards in preparation of protesters. leaders of the world major industrial and developing nations are in pittsburgh today for the g-20 summit. the president will host the two-day meeting of representatives from the world's largest economies today as well as friday and thousands of protesters, they've already showed up to voice their concerns and opposition to the summit. >

. >> the irs' new plan to go after tax dodgers. >>> the new sky high fees from airlines.hy it will now cost you more to fly over the holidays. >> and what the redskins nation is now saying this morning following an embarrassing loss to the lions yesterday. >>> good morning. time for weather and traffic. right now a cool 58 at reagan national where we see now in the foreground national airport under a clear sky. about 20 minutes away from dawn this morning and from petworth to falls church, glendale and bethesda, it is fresh and cool, down into the mid-50s there. farther to the west near 50 degrees. later on today we should reach the mid-70s with increasing clouds. as a front sweeps through there's a small chance of a passing shower and a blustery wind to follow that. tomorrow morning down into the 40s. windy and cool tomorrow, highs in the 60s and partly cloudy. wind diminishes, remaining cool wednesday, thursday and friday. over the weekend, maybe a passing shower saturday. your national travel forecast in ten minutes. how's the traffic now? >> let's take a look at chopp

begin winding down programs designed to keep mortgage rates down and get banks lending. >>> well, the irsving tax evaders more time to come clean. the agency is extending an amnesty for americans hiding assets in overseas bank accounts and have until october 15th to apply which promises no jail time and reduced penalties. the original deadline was wednesday. who are than 3,000 americans have already applied. >>> well, it was raining meatballs at the weekend box office. the animated comedy "cloudy with a chance of meatballs" opened in the top spot. the movie is based on the popular children's book. "the informant" debuted in second place and "i can do bad all by myself" slipped to third. >>> well, anyone who grew up watching sci-fi movies has probably dreamed about flying in a jet pack. it can become a reality if you can afford it. a chance to do this is being auctioned off on ebay. $30,000 the initial bid. there is already one bid. >> very cool. >> if i had the money, i would do it. >>> coming up next on this monday, police track down an escaped mental patient with a murderous past. >>> t

>> i keep thinking, here is the government that gave us the compassion of the irs, the efficiency of the post office, and the effectiveness of katrina, and now they want to take over our health care? sean, use those three together, and you have got a powerful message that the president does not want to hear tonight. sean: i started my opening remarks this week saying this speech was a glorified partisan speech that i think could have been written by james carville. did you think that he was too harsh in his rhetoric? too much in almost a political attack? >> there are elements of the speech that are quintessential barack obama, where he appeals to a greater nature in all of us, and he does call to that in partisanship and greater civility. the problem is that you cannot offer with one hand and then slapped with the other. he would have had to have been consistent in his conciliatory approach, and i did not hear that tonight. i do believe he is going to turn a number of people in his favor over the coming days, but two weeks from now, i think we are going to be back to where we are to

>> i keep thinking, here is the government that gave us the compassion of the irs, the efficiency ofhe post office, and the effectiveness of katrina, and now they want to take over our health care? sean, use those three together, and you have got a powerful message that the president does not want to hear tonight. sean: i started my opening remarks this week saying this speech was a glorified partisan speech that i think could have been written by james carville. did you think that he was too harsh in his rhetoric? too much in almost a political attack? >> there are elements of the speech that are quintessential barack obama, where he appeals to a greater nature in all of us, and he does call to that in partisanship and greater civility. the problem is that you cannot offer with one hand and then slapped with the other. he would have had to have been consistent in his conciliatory approach, and i did not hear that tonight. i do believe he is going to turn a number of people in his favor over the coming days, but two weeks from now, i think we are going to be back to where we are toda

the irs gets very, very upset. likewise, you can be opening yourself up to a ton of legal liability if you miss classify people. check with an attorney, an employment attorney specifically to advise you on this. >> or you can look online. they get some pretty good advice. >> irs has a top 20 ways to determine if somebody is an employee or contractor. it's good to make sure because all states are slightly different. the other thing is where are you using your money? is it a short-term need that you don't need somebody full time? there's a lot of factors you can use to determine whether you need to control everything that person does and have them in house versus takinging advantage of an outside service and paying for that instead? >> that's what you do. someone doesn't hire a person to work on their ad trafficking which is what you do. they hire you as a company who provides the person which takes care of all that difficulty are they employee or contractor. >> right. we provide x amount of service for x fee, and th

>> how would you like fit the ir sk asks for taxes three years early. the bangs don't like it'ser this. that's one way to look at the scenario that's potentially unfolding today. the government, not going to let the fdic fail, so they're looking at options including this report that they will ask banks to cough up three years worth of fees early. you know, pay your future fees early. and this is really a sign of the extraordinary times that we're in. the fdic is supposed to be baling out banks but they're basically going to the banks and saying can you bail us out? it's because so many medium and small-sized banks have been failing. it's helped 75 banks so far this year. it's drained it of its reserves. it's trying to spread the money around for maximum stability. >>> yesterday we had some big mergers we mentioned that a big merger may not affect your everyday life but it really helped the stock market and that's because a analysts say more mergers is a sign that there's optimism out there among the ceos, that the credit math is getting better, that they