Transcripts For CNN American Morning 20110830

or two in some spots. water is still rising in parts of the country. we begin with hurricane irene. the storm's impact will be felt for months after the winds died down. the death toll rising to at least 27 people. along with the estimated cost, the cost of cleaning up this mess from north carolina through new england, obama administration officials will visit three states today that were hit hard by hurricane irene. virginia, north carolina and vermont. where floodwaters are still r e rising, higher than they've been there in 80 years. the governor saying entire communities in his state are under water with hundreds of residents still trapped. 260 loads washed out by flooding in the state making the effort to reach people who need help that much harder. amber lion is live in saxton river, vermont. the governor says in some cases, they can't even get into these towns to assess the damage. in other cases, these towns have been wiped out. >> i mean, that is the biggest issue facing the rescue crews and people trying to get in and help some of the communities and here in saxton river if you look behind me this is one of the main roads through town. when the local river flooded it caked on a layer of mud that makes this nearly impassable. yesterday, we were trying to get about 30 miles northwest and we kept running into road block after road block. you would see residents pulling out maps trying to figure out ways to get around the state, trading ideas with each other, trying to figure out how you can make it from point a to point b because it's nearly impossible. some communities in vermont now are essentially islands after the roads and bridges leading into town and out of town have been just completely wiped out. governor shumlin also says that right now, many people are stranded. they don't quite know how many people are stranded because once again, the road system has become just so devastated here. three deaths have been confirmed after people were washed away in floodwaters being swept away. many people still missing, although the governor was vague on the exact number. now unlike many states, governor shumlin says there were no evacuations ordered for vermont and he says that that's because many of these cities are in low-lying areas. also there are very few areas large areas and towns of dry land. the governor says it would have been impractical to evacuate many of these communities. he has come under quite a bit of criticism for that. governor shumlin also told cnn that today they're expecting more flooding as these creeks and brooks flow into the state's larger rivers and rescue crews will continue to be out assessing the damage and helping the people in these communities. christine? >> amber, thank you so much. certainly the green mountain state with its beautiful mountains and valleys is trying to harness an awful lot of water right now. thank you. 23 people including two pregnant women and two infants have been rescued from a vacation home in upstate new york. rescued by a chopper, bridges crumbled around them in the town of prattsville, new york, on sunday. the damage there was unexpected, almost unthinkable. a town of about 600 people almost entirely washed away. last night on "ac 360" anderson cooper spoke to one local reporter who was stranded there when the water rushed in. >> we arrived here probably the late afternoon. we didn't know what prattsville looks like. this is not in our usual coverage area. it was all water. i would not have known there was an established community unless somebody said you see that house there, there's supposed to be other houses around there. >> emergency workers rescued close to 90 people on sunday before 70-mile-an-hour wind gusts ground the effort. dozens are believed to be in shelters and safe. >> to rob marciano. always amazes me after the hurricane blows over, what a beautiful day arrives afterward. >> it can also be really, really hot when the sun comes out. it has been pleasant, dry and low levels of humidity, but the waters in many areas still rising. one such place the passaic river west of here in new jersey one of our affiliates wabc had their chopper up and showing some of the flooding and preparations. in boontown, about 20 miles west of manhattan. the suburbs here where they're making preparations for this river which is forecast to crest later this morning through this afternoon. you see some of the rushing waters there. a little bit ragged video but those were live, forgive us for that. passaic river expected to crest today. all the rivers in vermont have crested but the damage done there. and we still have flood warnings out down the connecticut river valley from massachusetts into connecticut proper as the water tries to evacuate out into long island sound. let's show you what's the latest on our new tropical storm. it's katia. way out there in the atlantic ocean, between west africa and the leeward islands. this one has a big circulation. it's got decent organization. winds of only 45 miles an hour. of course it's a satellite estimate. as we go through time we expect it to strengthen. west/northwest moving at 17 miles an hour. the forecast track from the national hurricane center, accelerate it to the west/northwest and ramp it up to category 1 status fairly rapidly potentially becoming a major hurricane by the time it does get to the leeward islands. does take a northerly scoot but this bears serious watching as we get towards next week, it could make an approach across to the coastline of the united states. little bit closer to home, here's what's happening. there's your quiet weather across the northeast for the cleanup weather and the heat continues across the south. cleanup effort, a lot of pictures of the devastation of vermont, the flooding in new jersey, but places like connecticut and eastern massachusetts, i mean the entire coastline got hit hard. pictures from swampscott, north and east of boston, the harbor about 30 vessels were ripped off their moorings and thrown inland and now stuck. they have to bait for a serious high tide or get some tow boats out there to make it happen. you know, so much coastline, this is such an incredible storm, guys, because we have the effects inland, the most dramatic effects inland, yet there are miles and miles of coastline that were affected by this as well and millions of people. back to you. >> i know. like fairfield, connecticut, not many realize that's right on the long island sound, like i think five houses collapsed there, lots of trees down, including a tree down on my house there. >> oh, no. carol. >> really? >> yeah. but i feel fortunate because no one was in the house. >> you're right. >> and you can't remove the tree, right, because it's the neighbor's tree that fell on the house and, you know -- it's her insurance that will cover it. there's all sorts of problems now. >> oh. lot of has sells. but you're right, good of you -- nobody was injured but still a pain. flooding has cut off communities across new england and there are new images of the destruction this morning. in new hampshire floodwaters left a 30-foot hole in a bridge over one river, trapping dozens of people. one witness says rocks the size of pick-up trucks were coming down the river when the storm hit. wow. >> and in east haven, connecticut, looks like they were living on a faultline. irene tore the beach front homes to shreds. what carol was talking ability. at least five houses have been destroyed or will have to be torn down because of irene. >> we can say that it's just stuff, but we can say that, because it's not our stuff. and when it's your home, it's a different scenario. >> to find out how you can make a difference and help those devastated by hurricane irene, visit our impact your world page, at cnn.com/impact. to libya now, a potential break in the international manhunt for moammar gadhafi's family. algeria is revealing it has allowed the fugitive dictator's wife, daughter, and two sons to enter that country for humanitarian reasons. the new libyan government wants them back. and a senior rebel commander telling cnn gadhafi's son khamis is dead. the military commander said to have died during a battle in northwest libya. a federal judge is temporarily stopped alabama's tough immigration law from taking effect this week. in her ruling the judge said she needed more time to consider the legal challenges against the law. among other things, the law makes it a crime to knowingly give a ride to anyone who is in the country illegally. also public schools must determine every student's legal status. talk a little sports, the comeback is complete. eagles quarterback michael vick has signed a new, six-year, $100 million contract with the philadelphia eagles. $40 million of that is guaranteed. in the past year, he's gotten nearly everything back, his starting job back, new endorsement deals and now that blockbuster contract to go with it. a few years ago, he was bankrupt. >> he was? jail. >> and then bankrupt. >> yeah. coming up on "american morning," chaos erupts in an ohio courtroom. a man attacks a judge, it's all caught on tape. we'll tell you how this wild scene turned out. >> former vice president dick cheney settling some scores and delivering his version of events in the bush white house. some conflict there we want to tell you about, revealed in his new memoir. this what they call a texas two-step. rick perry was the last candidate who entered the race, now he is stomping the rest of the gop field. is there a nomination in his future? ten minutes past the hour. 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>> the last two big name candidates who got in late did not have the staying power. go back four years and fred thompson the former senator, jumped into the race with a lot of fanfare, jumped in late, immediately jumped in the polls but didn't have much staying power and was out in the premierery process. back four years earlier, wesley clark, the former general, former head of nato, same thing, lot of fanfare, didn't have the staying power, did not do well after an initial bump in the polls. one thing about rick perry this guy is a good politician, compared to maybe those two other names we just mentioned. but ali, one other thing, a lot is going to happen in the next two months. you have five presidential debates over the next two months including two from cnn. a lot could change this race. rick perry will be tested for the first time. >> september 11th in tampa. >> september 12th. >> i'm sorry. tampa. good to see you my friend. >> thank you. talk back on one of the big stories of the day. the question, should candidates religion matter? consider mitt romney, once a strong frontrunner for the republican nomination, the latest cnn/orc poll shows romney slipping in a distant second. the man at the top, you heard, texas governor rick perry, a man who loudly touts his christian religion, remember the prayer rally? >> like all of you, i love this country deeply. thank you all for being here. and indeed -- indeed the only thing that you love more is the living christ. [ applause ] >> i'm not saying perry's christian faith is why he's on top, but romney's not, but romney's mormon faith does not resonate with conservative christian voters, voters who are a force in republican primary elections. as outgoing "new york times" executive editor bill keller put it -- keller's magazine article questioned how religion might influence perry's presidency and that of other gop candidates. not that religion has not been a factor in other presidential campaigns. remember reverend jeremiah wright in 2008. candidate obama was forced to explain his association with the controversial preacher. >> reverend wright's comments were not only wrong, but divisive. divisive at a time when we need unity, racially charged at a time when we need to come together to solve a set of monumental problems. >> still, christian, jewish, mormon, atheist, what does it matter? this is america where we celebrate the freedom to believe what we choose. the talk back question this morning, should a candidate's religion matter? facebook.com/americanmorning. facebook.com/americanmorning. i'll read your comments later this hour. >> can't wait for those. >> such a good question. very excited about that. >> a former vice president dick cheney taking aim at some of his bush white house colleagues in his new memoir. cheney accusing colin powell of undermining the president on the iraq war and questioning whether condoleezza rice was a competent secretary of state. in an nbc interview, cheney was asked about events on the eve of the war which aren't quite the way president bush remembers them. >> makes it sound like he was in charge and decisive. your version makes it sound like you were. >> well, i think there's no question that the president was in charge ta day. my version is in my book. his version's in his book. we agreed that we'd authorize our [ inaudible ] hijacked aircraft that refused to divert. >> you did recommend it to him. his is somewhat different. that's not surprising. in a fog of war that morning all kinds of things going on. >> dick cheney's memoir "in my time" comes out today. he promised heads would be exploding all over washington. >> this is very tab bloids-everything. he's going to appear everywhere including cnn. >> it will probably generate a great deal of money. >> he wants to set his agenda for his legacy. that's what he's concerned about right now. >> this is deet fintive -- his definitive story about what happened, his recollections as he says. >> let's face it, what vice president have you ever talked about like you talk about dick cheney. >> probably none during his term and probably none so much after. >> right. we never even remember vice presidents. >> question of the day, which vice president got more ink than dick cheney. hurricane irene took a heavy toll but those dire warnings for the mother of all storms some say didn't pan out. we're going to hear what hurricane forecasters are saying about it now. it's 22 minutes past the hour. ♪ it was the best day yeah! ♪ it was the best day ♪ because of you [echoing] we make a great pair. huh? progressive and the great outdoors. we make a great pair. right, totally. uh... that's what i was thinking. covering the things that make the outdoors great. call or click today. while i took refuge from the pollen that made me sneeze. but with 24-hour zyrtec®, i get prescription strength relief from my worst allergy symptoms. so lily and i are back on the road again. with zyrtec® i can love the air®. sxwlipdsing your business. a solid rally in stock markets yesterday. the dow rose more than 2%, so did the s&p 500, and the nasdaq was up about 3.3%. three major factors driving markets higher, good news of a bank merger in greece. that signaled stability in europe. there was a solid report on consumer spending here in this country. relief that hurricane irene caused less damage than had been feared. today we get the closely watched case-shiller price home index for june. that tracks the monthly changes of the value of real estate in 20 metropolitan areas nationwide. a report on consumer confidence is expected later this morning as well. friday is the big jobs report, so things could be a little volatile until then. u.s. stock futures are trading slightly low ier a head of the opening bell. president obama nominated alan krueger to be his top economic adviser yesterday. lots of pressure on the white house about the ailing jobs market in this country and krueger is a labor economist, also involved in a cash for clunkers program if you remember that. the official appointment is pending senate confirmation. verizon ranks highest for overall network performance. respondents saying they experienced fewer dropped calls, initial connection issues and texting problems with verizon's service in 2011. 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[ major nutrition ] new ensure high protein. ensure! nutrition in charge! just about 30 minutes past the hour. good morning to you. top stories now. more than a day after the storm, parts of the northeast still suffering the worst of irene. floodwaters still rising in vermont. the governor there saying entire communities in his state are now under water, with hundreds of people still trapped. obama administration officials will visit three states today that were hard hit by hurricane irene, including vermont, as well they'll be in virginia and north carolina. >> to libya where some of moammar gadhafi's family members have surfaced. actually officials in al gear ra confirming they've taken in gadhafi's wife and three children on humanitarian grounds. a senior rebel commander also tells cnn one of gadhafi's sons, khamis gadhafi, he says he died in a battle in northwest libya. they say the devil is in the details and while hurricane irene was devastating for many people, in other ways the storm didn't measure up to some of the hype. was it a swing and miss for the hurricane center experts? john zarrella has that part of the story for us. he's live in miami. john, you are a veteran of hurricane coverage and, you know, sometimes it's right on and sometimes it isn't. we've been talking about this criticism, as you know, i'm -- i think people have to be careful, particularly in big centers like new york to say we dodged a bullet because lots of people are dead and a lot didn't dodge a bullet but it does speak to how accurate our forecasting is. i know you've been looking into this. >> there's no question about it. this is a long standing issue. when it comes to the strength of hurricane irene, before it madelandfall, the hurricane center will readily admit they missed it. but there's a very good reason. >> reporter: max tucker owns a bar and grill just outside philadelphia. it flooded. tucker says no way did the government overreact to irene. >> i think we all got really lucky. it could have been a lot worse. i would rather be safe than sorry and i think that they did what was necessary. i think always better safe than sorry. >> reporter: this is where the information comes from that helps keep you safe rather than sorry. the national hurricane center in miami. here, the science of forecasting is digested, regurgitated. all that science, everything the super computers were computing, told forecasters irene would be a major hurricane when it hit north carolina. >> at least in the guidance we were looking at, there was no indication of anything that would cause the storm to weaken. so we thought we would have a category 3 storm at landfall. >> reporter: instead, irene was a category 1, the weakest. so what happened? simple. hurricane forecasters say they're pretty good at telling where a storm will hit, but technology and science aren't there yet when it comes to forecasting how strong a storm will be. despite all the modern day advances, they just don't fully understand what makes these storms tick. and in every storm, reid sees a curveball. >> in this case, it was one where it went downhill and charlie, a few years ago, is one that went uphill. neither case did we see that coming. that's my measure of the fact that we have a long way to go. >> reporter: aside from the might of the wind read says the forecast was on the money. heavy rainfall, storm surge up the east coast, and inland flooding. for portions of the northeast, the rain was a one in 100 year event. in vermont, is anyone saying there was an overreaction? >> i do not think that there's any blame to go around. i think that, frankly, those that got hit have their hearts broken and understand how serious this storm was. >> reporter: it's estimated overall damage could reach $10 billion or more. if that happens, irene will rank as one of the top 15 costliest hurricanes ever. >> reporter: bill read told me that they're no better now than they were a decade ago or certainly only marginally better at figuring out intensity of these hurricanes. there's a major study under way right now to get a better handle on it, but the fact of the matter is that emergency managers will warn their folks in the -- in their communities to prepare for a storm one category higher than what the hurricane center is forecasting for this very reason the uncertainty of the intensity. >> are they -- have they been reacting? a lot of criticism has been towards the media. do they care about the criticism that the forecast was off a bit? >> yeah. they absolutely do care about the criticism but they told me yesterday, they stick by the fact that people evacuated. it was the right thing to do. read said, three out of four times you're going to be told to evacuate and it won't be necessary. the fourth time you're told, it's going to be andrew, it's going to be the bolivar peninsula after ike or it's going to be hurricane charley in punta gorda. >> carol was pointing out some of the criticism that surfaced was that at some point people will say, they told me it was going to be that serious and next time i won't. >> next time it's forecast for new york city, the way people reacted here, maybe people won't leave because it was hard to get new yorkers to leave anyway, but yeah, there is a sense of that boy who cries wolf, or yelling fire in a crowded theater kind of theory out there. >> to the point where if people know three times out of four nothing is going to happen. >> you'll know. >> people don't know that. >> he's telling us. >> he can tell us all he wants. >> that guy has stood in more hurricanes than anyone i know. whatever john says i'm listening to. thank you for doing that. it's been a question on our minds and appreciate you doing that story. talk about nasa, a move that has nasa talking about evacuating the space station. russia says it's delaying a manned mission to the international space station which was scheduled for next month after the crash of an unmanned cargo spacecraft last week that uses the same kind of rocket. russia is our ride up there now after the retirement of the shuttle program and nasa official says they may have to bring astronauts home from the space station if manned missions don't resume by mid-november. there are six astronauts aboard the international space station right now, two of them are american. we're told they have a lot of food, though. ahead on "american morning," rick perry, rick perry suddenly the clear frontrunner for the gop presidential race and he now has a texas-sized bull's eye on his back. it's 36 minutes after the hour. ♪ ♪ to come into my life [ female announcer ] lean cuisine has snacks! like creamy cheesy spinach artichoke dip with warm pita. new from lean cuisine®. [ male announcer ] they'll see you...before you see them. cops are cracking down on drinking and riding. drive sober, or get pulled over. cops are cracking down on drinking and riding. if something is simply the color of gold, is it really worth more? we don't think so. chase sapphire preferred is a card of a different color. unlike others, you get twice the points on travel, and twice the points on dining, and no foreign transaction fees. call now or apply at chasesapphire.com/preferred. rick perry is sitting pretty in the latest cnn/orc poll with a double-digit lead over his nearest competitor mitt romney. with you pay a price for being in first place and perry is getting some bad press. first the poll numbers. perry leads mitt romney by 13 points, the only other announced candidate up there is michele bachmann and she's at 9 points. for the bad press how about this headline on politico, "is rick perry dumb." did that spark a debate on fox news last night. but they asked a different question. they asked if president obama is dumb. listen. >> liberals like yourself refer to reagan as an am pe yabl doesn't, attack michele bachmann's intelligence, sarah palin's intelligence, george bush's intelligence and every liberal is a genius that drives the economy into a ditch and then say this guy is brilliant. >> i got to say that's a hard point to argue with. >> there you have it. of course you're probably wondering is it that debate that's really dumb? we'll explore that. sasha is a man who knows rick perry well, the author of "rick perry and his egg heads and the victory lab," sasha joins us live now in washington. when you listen so that debate, what goes through your mind? >> i mean, i don't think anybody is making a claim rick perry is an intellectual or particularly sophisticated thinker about policy or political ideas. one of the things i learned about writing about his world he's comfortable surrounding himself with smart people and experts and once he trusts somebody he puts a lot of responsibility into them. i told a story of how they brings in the four political scientists he never met before and allows them to run experiments on his 2006 campaign to see what works in a campaign. there are no t not a lot of politicians that would bring in academics and give them that level of freedom and authority. >> why is this going on, number one. number two, is rick perry dumb? surrounding yourself with smart people doesn't sound that dumb to me. >> we've seen perry's grades, they weren't that impressive. we saw perry compare himself to george w. bush by saying he went to yale and i didn't, i went to texas a&m. perry has thrived on the idea he's a good old boy and, you know, he -- one thing that surprised me when i learned that he had brought two yale political scientists into his campaign, i heard him in speeches take knocks at -- i don't need ivy league professors to tell me how to run an economy. a lot of it is perry has happily cultivated that image and the rise in the polls in part because he's been able to bridge this gap between the sort of washington establishment and to some degree the republican intellectual elite and this more populace outsider -- >> i was going to say there's a difference between portraying yourself as an intellectual and as somebody who's smart in a common sense way. that appeals more to conservative republicans than the intellectual thing does. talk about the upcoming republican debates because rick perry has never debated on a national stage. how do you think he might do? >> and he's debated not a whole lot on the texas stage given the number of races he's run there. his campaign in 2010 did a lot of things differently. they cut back on a lot of traditional communications, didn't meet with editorial boards. one of the things he didn't do in the fall 2010 didn't debate. so in that respect he's a little unproven and going to go in an unusual position of being a target for many people on stage in his first debate. and people in his own campaign in 2006 were surprised when he came off a little better than they had expected because he didn't have a reputation necessarily as a guy with a sort of wide command of policy or being on his feet on complex issues. >> michele bachmann did quite well in the debate. >> right. >> and he's stomping here right now. so what is she likely -- what is she likely to attack rick perry on to gain what she's lost because of governor perry? >> i assume at some point in this campaign she makes a sort of a stronger push towards social issues. in the couple of months before he got into the race, she tried to stay away from social, cultural issues. an issue about the vaccine that he mandated in texas as governor for teenage girls, and i think that's the type of issue where she might be able to bridge two of her critiques, statewide health care mandate she attacked romney over, but has the family values component where she feels comfortable and increasingly she's going to find the only way to find growth in this field is to drive harder on the social conservative issues. i don't know whether she'll do that, you know, in september or wait a little later in the campaign but i assume that's the place where the space is for her. >> so you know rick perry well, you've written two books about him. what is your prediction for his staying power? >> i mean, i think what we've seen in your poll numbers show it is that there was -- that the assumption that perry's advisers made when they decided he could get into this race, there was space between bachmann and romney for him. i think it's clear that he's filled that space an in addition, been able to take a bite out of the support that both bachmann and romney have. this test as you say which we'll start to see in the debate, whether he can show a sort of command and credibility around national issues. he's been very comfortable not reaching outside of the sort of boundaries of his state, not necessarily taking on national or international themes, and romney's success to some degree thus far republicans see him as a plausible president and perry has a few months to prove to people that he looks like somebody who could be president too. >> we'll see on september 13th. sasha, thank you so much for joining us this morning. we appreciate it. >> very interesting discussion. >> oh, yeah. >> coming up -- at 8:10 eastern we're going to talk with ohio democratic congressman dennis kucinich, also a prior presidential candidate, about why he thinks general electric's boss jeffrey immelt, head of the president's council on jobs and competitiveness, should resign from that job. >> 46 minutes after the hour. top stories straight ahead including a former nba player now facing murder charges. >> are 45 minutes after the hour. hey. i'm brad paisley and i spend, i don't know, about 100 days of the year on the road. ♪ tell them i don't want >> being on the road the hours aren't anything like what you're used to at home. the most important tool to survival is coffee. we've got various kinds. there's kona we get sent from hawaii, coffee we bought up in canada. don't tell them, i don't think we paid any duty on that. this is the monkey poop stuff, personally tested by a lee mur. it's ridiculous how set up we are to make coffee. we carry workout equipment for whenever we don't have a gym available. you can't neglect that. you're able to say i'm going to carve out a little time to exercise as if it's as important as eating. the good thing about traveling is it makes you take stock of what's important. if you're the kind of person who's home with your family, never go anywhere, every morning when they wake up and go to bed, you never miss that, then you never miss that. you spend your time wisely. maybe that's the trick to life itself. hey, everybody, see you on the road. thanks for hanging out a little bit today. see you somewhere in america. also get a free flight. you know that comes with a private island. really? 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[ male announcer ] to get the flights you want, sign up for a venture card at capitalone.com. what's in your wallet? uh, it's okay. i've played a pilot before. aren't getting enough whole grain. but actually, it's never been easier to get the whole grain you want from your favorite big g cereals. from cheerios to lucky charms, there's whole grain in every box. make sure to look for the white check. hour. here's what you need to know to start your day. this tape just in from little falls, new jersey. more than a day after irene floodwaters are still raging in many places. at least 27 people have died as a result of this storm. millions are still without power and entire communities are under water and hundreds of residents are still trapped. new york city subways fully back in service this morning after an unprecedented shutdown that affected 5 million people. some commuter train service north of the city remain suspended. amtrak is resuming service between new york and boston. former libyan leader moammar gadhafi's wife and three kids have fled the country. they're now said to be in algeria. libya's new government is demanding they be returned. 19 coal miners rescued in china this morning, three more still missing. the men have been trapped underground for a week after they accidentally drilled into another flooded mine. that's the news you need to know to start your day. "american morning" back right after this. we asked you to talk back on one of the big stories of the day. this was the question, should a candidate's religion matter? this from matt, he says -- this from tony -- and this from jeremy -- keep the comments coming. facebook.com/americanmorning. we'll read some later on on "american morning." so i just got a breakfast sandwich. >> i am quite aware of that. >> what does it have to do with my question? >> it has to do with -- >> because i love it. it's like a religious experience for me. no. all right. it's a new subliminal marketing technique. >> make me want to eat breakfast because you continually order breakfast and i continue to smell it all morning. >> the smell of bacon in my breakfast making you more productive. something a technique they're using in a brooklyn supermarket chain. filling the aisles with the scents of chocolate, fresh fruit, and bacon. >> so the idea is that these artificial smells boost their sales. felicia taylor looked into it. >> if you're passing the sour pickles it smells good. we buy the olives they're delicious. >> reporter: about 75% of what we sense as taste comes from our sense of smell. it's an important detail when it comes to selling food and the folks here have figured out a way to boost that scent. here it is. >> i don't eat a lot of product. they cannot attract me by package, so the scent, that's what can attract me. that's why i brought this idea. >> reporter: five machines are mounted on the wall throughout the store and pump out scents like bread, chocolate, bacon and grate grapefruit. we wanted to test the power of the aromas, we asked tonya, one of our producers if we could blindfold her and take her through the store and see what she can sense. she has no idea exactly where we're going or what aisles we're in. >> okay. >> i smell meat. >> smell meat. >> got a whiff of meat. sneets. >> that's where we are. >> okay. >> and again, there's the device. something changed? >> yeah. are we in the bakery section? dessert aisles. >> desserts, yep. absolutely. >> yum. >> yum. >> customers had a similar reaction. >> i do smell different like bread smell different, like cooked foods smell different, you know, even like bakery smells different, you know. >> does it make you want to buy more things? >> yes. >> everything is so yummy and you want to buy everything. >> reporter: the company has stores in new york and pennsylvania, and already has plans to install the machines in all other stores besides this one in brooklyn. >> the goal is very simple, to increase the sales. by making our customers hungry, satisfied, and happy, everybody will be happy. >> reporter: for the folks at net cost market they've already seen results with sales up about 5% in the last three months. and that adds up to the sweet smell of success. felicia taylor, cnn, new york. >> that's why ali's such a good television anchor. because i have bacon over here. >> is that's what is making me perform better. >> there you go. >> and it gives him a stomach ache. >> i order things, if i'm watching tv and see an ad for pizza i'll order pizza. >> you will? >> he is susceptible to -- >> i've ordered most things as seen on tv, ped egg, one sweep. >> you've ordered those? >> what's the ped egg. >> a guy showed up on tv and you get abs for doing nothing and dance, i ordered the whole set. >> what does that have to do with bacon? >> the suggestion, power of suggestion. >> got it. >> if there's a smell of something i will order it and eat it which is why i look like me. >> next hour, what turns rafael nadal into a scaredy cat. carol sat down with one of the brightest stars in tennis. some of the questions and answers might surprise you. >> awesome! >> can i have some ice cream, please ? no, it's just for new people. hey ! chocolate, vanilla or strawberry ? chocolate ! chocolate it is ! yeah, but i'm new, too. umm... he's new... er... than you. even kids know it's wrong to treat new friends better than old friends. at ally bank, we treat all our customers fairly, with no teaser rates and no minimum deposit to open. it's just the right thing to do. but sometimes i wonder... what's left behind? 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[♪...] >> male announcer: now, for a limited time, your companion flies free, plus save up to 65%. call 1-800-sandals. conditions apply. irene's last gaps a lethal one. the water still rising in the northeast. some towns almost wiped off the map. >> after irene, fema facing a disaster potentially of its own. the agency says it could be running out of money on this "american morning." good morning. it is tuesday, august 30th. welcome to "american morning." we are still talking about hurricane irene. the death toll rising sharply this morning to at least 27 people. power still out for nearly 2 million people from pennsylvania to maine. obama administration officials will visit virginia, north carolina and vermont where floodwaters are still rising, higher than they've been in more than 80 years. the governor there saying entire communities in his state are under water with hundreds of residents still trapped. amber lion is live in saxton rivers, vermont. what's the situation there? >> hey, good morning, ali. right behind me this is the saxton's river and earlier yesterday, this came through here and flooded, bringing a layer of mud. it's just caking this field. across this area and then over here on to the road. the road has now been shut down, and it is impossible to drive through. that is the problem that's happening all over this state. more than 260 roads shut down. some communities have essentially turned into islands because the roads and bridges leading in and out of town have just been wiped out. now today search and rescue crews will continue to try to access some of these communities. also continue to try to get out there and look for people who are still missing. there have been three confirmed deaths, but as of now the governor of the state says that they don't know how many people were potentially swept away by floodwaters because they're not able to access this community. more problems today as well. the governor expects that these rivers or these creeks and streams are going to start flowing into the rivers, causing rivers across the state to crest and causing even more flooding. so far we've been driving around vermont trying to get just about 30 miles west last night. took us two hours and we'd stop at checkpoint after checkpoint where roads were closed down. you would see the residents pulling out maps trying to trade ideas with one another about how to get around this state. above all, vermont is just a mess right now, and it's nearly impossible to drive through this area. ali? >> the governor is saying still there may be people unaccounted for, that they still don't know about. >> yeah. still people. because there's these -- vermont is a state with small mountain communities and a lot of these communities, rescue workers can't get to them because of roads like this that are caked in mud and roads that have been wiped out. so they don't know how many people are missing. >> all right. amber, thanks very much. we're just going to have to wait and see you thaz recedes. amber lion? vermont. that flooding has cut off communities across the northeast. two pregnant women and three infants have been rescued from a vacation home in upstate new york. bridges crumbled all around them in the town of prattsville, the scene of major flooding there. in east haven, connecticut, irene tore beach front homes to shreds. at least 25 houses have been destroyed or simply going to have to be torn down. this video from patterson, new jersey. an entire neighborhood flooded out. rob marciano here again this morning. any relief in sight for these people? >> for the passaic river in jersey ging to crest and slowly recede. the connecticut river will be cresting later today. massachusetts and vermont those rivers have crested but most still in flood stage. the connecticut basin that water moved quickly and we saw such a torrential rapids and flash flooding because the connecticut river can drain the basin in 24 hours. passaic river, little falls, new jersey, aerials hopefully from wabc. there you go, their reporter standing in it right there. again, the river expected to crest this morning and slowly begin to recede as we go on through time. there you see little falls, that entire neighborhood. flooded. let's look at this satellite picture. it shows you a high resolution visible satellite imagery of irene as it was making landfall in new york city. you can see the eye. what the visible satellite does, shows you the density of the cloud tops. the northern part of the storm it looks bright. that's really, really thick clouds. lot of moisture. southern half, not quite as bright. not as much moisture. that's where all the rain was, where all the flooding was, where the torrential stuff was and we're seeing it right now. let's talk about what the folks across the u.s. have to deal with today. dry weather again today. we had rough weather across north carolina. not so much today. should be dry. just about everybody on the east coast. the east coast still has to worry about the atlantic basin. we have our next tropical system, tropical storm katia. just formed overnight. way out there in the atlantic, but it's pretty impressive, decent circulation with this thing and will continue to move off. this is an infrared shot of the satellite picture. here's the forecast track from the national hurricane center. brings it fairly rapidly up to a category 1, 2 or maybe 3 as we get towards the weekend but it doesn't reach any sort of landfall or land really until we get towards the weekend origining of next week. it's a little further north than irene. that's the good news. hopefully we'll get this out to sea, way too early to tell you about that. that's the forecast from the national hurricane center. uncertainty as you go out through time begins to get greater, obviously. two or three days out, they are spot on when it comes to the track and they were spot on for irene. as far as how strong the storm was, well maybe they were a little bit over the top as far as the strength of it, maybe a category or two off. how do they feel about it? how does the national hurricane center feel about it? john zarrella talked to them. >> reporter: max tucker owns a bar and grill just outside philadelphia. it flooded. tucker says no way did the government overreact to irene. >> i think we all got really lucky. it could have been a lot worse. i would rather be safe than sorry and i think that they did what was necessary. i think always better safe than sorry. >> reporter: this is where the information comes from that helps keep you safe. rather than sorry. the national hurricane center in miami. here, the science of forecasting is digested, regurgitated. all that science, everything the super computers were computing, told forecasters irene would be a major hurricane when it hit north carolina. >> at least in the guidance we were looking at, there was no indication of anything that would cause the storm to weaken, so we thought we would have a category 3 storm at landfall. >> reporter: instead, irene was a category 1, the weakest. so what happened? simple. hurricane forecasters say they're pretty good at telling where a storm will hit, but it technology and science aren't there yet when it comes to forecasting how strong a storm will be. despite all the modern day advances, they just don't fully understand what makes these storms tick. and in every storm, read sees a curveball. >> in this case, it was one where it went downhill. charlie, just a few years ago, one that went uphill. neither case did we see that coming. that's my measure of the fact that we have a long way to go. >> reporter: aside from the might of the wind, read says the forecast was on the money. heavy rainfall, storm surge up the east coast, and inland flooding. for portions of the northeast, the rain was a 1 in 100 year event. in vermont is anyone saying there was an overreaction? >> i do not think that there's any blame to go around. i think that, frankly, those that got hit have their hearts broken and understand how serious this storm was. >> reporter: it's estimated overall damage could reach $10 billion or more. if that happens, irene will rank as one of the top 15 costliest hurricanes ever. there is a major study under way right now, rob, for the hurricane center to try to better understand what makes some hurricanes intensify, others weaken. but emergency managers, because of this uncertainty, always warn people in their communities to prepare for a hurricane one category higher than what's being forecast. rob? >> you know, john, retired director max mayfield always would tell me his greatest fear was to go to bed one night when it was a tropical storm and wake up the next day and it would be a category 2 or 3. does the national hurricane center give you indication they err on the side of safety maybe, their forecasts a little higher in the event that happens? >> no. in fact, bill read told me their forecast is exactly what they are expecting. but you're absolutely right about max. that's what bill read told me, their greatest fear is not the storm that loses intensity, it's the hurricane andrews of the world, it's the hurricane charleys of the world, the ones that rapidly intensify when they get close to the coastline and by then, it's too late to evacuate large population centers and that's when they fear there could be great loss of life. rob? >> something else that john said -- >> thanks, john. >> is that the technology hasn't really kept up with forecasting through the years. in fact, the technology is pretty much the same for predicting hurricanes as it was ten years ago. why is that. >> you got to remember our computers are technology. only as good as the numbers we put into them. there's so many variable out there. we can fly these airplanes, have satellites, but you can't have them every ten feet. the atmosphere is three dimensional, call it four dimensional in constant motion. the computers do the best they can. intensity is one thing we struggle with. made one point last hour i want to make again, three out of four times when you evacuate, nothing is going to happen. that fourth time it will. so you should always, always listen to them. as far as this thing being overhyped or blaming the forecasts, i feel strongly about that. i know you to. how many people have to die before we say that everybody did the right thing. >> absolutely right. >> six years after katrina -- >> some people were killed in this for reasons they couldn't avoid. people had limbs fall on them and things like that. but why not take the preparations you can take, if it takes a couple days out of your life. >> i'm talking about human nature, be you know. human nature says it didn't happen this time, so maybe it won't happen next. so people have to conquer that within themselves. >> be responsible, smart adult next time. >> that's it. >> thanks. more fallout from hurricane irene too. fema says it's running out of money. the agency's disaster relief fund is nearly depleted for the fiscal year ending september 30th. congress would have to be called upon to appropriate additional funds. funding for long-term recovery projects like rebuilding roads and schools in tornado ravaged joplin, missouri, could be put on hold. administration officials say don't worry. >> we're not diverting any funds from reconstruction in joplin, missouri. all we have done is to make sure that all survivors are paid, all ongoing projects continue. but no new projects will be approved until we see what the immediate survivors of irene need. >> so far, fema has agreed to state and local governments pay for preparations for irene and some recovery efforts but it hasn't authorized payments to individual victims. to find out how you can make a difference and help those devastated by hurricane irene, visit our impact your world page that's at cnn.com/impact. >> still to come this morning, several of moammar gadhafi's family members make it out of libya. find out where they are and who wants them now. >> and former vice president dick cheney out with a political tell-all on a book tour, surprise surprise, his memoir pulls no punches. >> mitt romney answering the $12 million question, what's up with his mansion expansion? how big is he going and why? you're watching "american morning." it's 11 minutes past the hour. ♪ there's another way to minimize litter box odor: purina tidy cats. his mansion expansion? iu f litters now works harder to help neutralize odors in multiple-cat homes. and our improved formula also helps eliminate dust. so it's easier than ever to keep your house smelling just the way you want it. purina tidy cats. keep your home smelling like home. his mansion expansion? his mansion expansion? a potential break in the international manhunt for moammar gadhafi's family. algeria is revealing this morning it has allowed the fugitive dictator's wife, daughter and two sons to enter for humanitarian reasons. you see them there. the new libyan government would like them returned. they want them back. nearly ten years after 9/11 a new cnn/orc poll suggests american attitude toward muslim countries have not changed at all. in march of 2002, just 24% had a favorable view of muslim countries. today that's still true. only 25% feel that way. broken down along political lines, 56% of republicans have an unfavorable view of muslim nations compared with 44% of independents and 25% of democrats. coming up this weekend, by the way, on cnn, soledad o'brien's special report on a fight over the construction of a mosque in the heart of the bible belt. "unwelcome, the muslims next door" airs sunday at 8:00 p.m. eastern on cnn. republican presidential candidate mitt romney responding to reports he was quadrupling the size of his beach front mansion. he told "the new hampshire union leader" he was only doubling the living space to make room for his five married sons and 16 grandchildren. >> that's right. is that only half the cost? what was it a $12 million expansion. >> i can't remember where it is. >> some in la hoya. >> where everything is expensive. >> going to be a big old house either way. late into the race but now texas governor rick perry is leading the gop pack. according to a new cnn/orc poll, 27% back perry for the republican presidential nomination. mitt romney trails with 14%. and sarah palin with only 10%. so what's the perry draw? well, cnn's ed lavandera takes a closer look at the leadership style of this tough talking texas politician. >> reporter: rick perry is described as a brash calculating politician, but not above ending a satellite interview with a houston tv station a few years ago with this bomb. >> adios mo-fo. >> reporter: an infamous snap shot, inspired t-shirts and coffee mugs. he says perry is a fun, small town guy. what you see is what you get. >> the american people don't want robots, be they don't want sound bites, they want folks who speak from the heart and that's what rick perry has always done. >> reporter: critics say behind closed doors the governor can be vindictive and divisive. >> he's smart, he's aggressive, he is focused on winning elections. >> reporter: mike is a graduate of texas a&m like the governor and was elected as a democratic state representative at the same time perry became governor. he says perry rarely gets involved in the knitty gritty details of public policy. >> he delegates out responsibility to governing. governing decisions are largely driven by political polls. and he keeps his sights set on winning the next election. and so i wouldn't consider him dumb on governance. i just think that's not his priority. >> perry is a guy who sets a clear agenda, rolls up his sleeves and gets to work, taking his message to the people. >> reporter: during rick perry's tenure as governor there have been a long trail of news stories alleging major campaign donors have received preferential treatments, awarded lucrative contracts or appointed to positions. critics say the governor has created a pay to play culture in texas. >> rick perry is the most scrutinized, analyzed probed elected official in texas history. he's been very transparent. >> reporter: in last year's texas governor's race, perry's opponent called him part-time perry. the attack after the governor's official schedule suggested several dozen days without state business. and a working week averaging seven hours in the first half of 20 10e. perry says he works around the clock. >> i've been the governor for ten years. if they made anybody that can outwork me yet, please introduce me to him or her. >> reporter: even his staun chest political adversaries offer this warning, rick perry doesn't lose elections and should never be underestimated. ed lavandera, cnn, dallas. now is your chance to talk back on one of the big stories of the day. the question, should candidates religion matter? consider mitt romney, once a strong frontrunner for the republican nomination, the man who loudly touts his christian religion. you remember that prayer rally? >> like all of you, i love this country deeply. thank you all for being here. and indeed -- indeed the only thing that you love more is the living christ. [ applause ] >> i'm not saying perry's christian faith is why he's on top and romney is not, but romney's mormon faith does not resonate with conservative christian voters, voters who are a force in republican primary elections. as outgoing "new york times" executive editor bill keller put it recently -- keller's magazine article also questioned how religion might influence perry's presidency and that of other gop candidates. not that religion has not been a factor in other presidential campaigns. remember reverend jeremiah wright in 2008. candidate obama was forced to explain his association with the controversial preacher. >> reverend wright's comments were not only wrong, but divisive. divisive at a time when we need unity, racially charged at a time when we need to come together to solve a set of monumental problems. >> still, christian, jewish, mormon, atheist, what does it matter? this is america where we celebrate the freedom to believe what we choose. talk back this morning. should a candidate's religion matter? facebook.com/americanmorning. facebook.com/americanmorning. i'll read your comments later this hour. former vice president dick cheney has harsh words for colleagues in the bush white house in a no hold's barred memoir, cheney's account of events on the eve of the iraq war differs from president bush's version. he was asked about that during an nbc interview. >> i turned to the team gathered in the oval office and said, let's go. you write, the president kicked everyone else out of the oval office, looked at me and said, dick, what do you think we ought to do? >> that's the way i recall it. and i was giving advice. i wasn't making the decision. he was making the decision. >> do you think these revelations will embarrass president bush? >> i don't know why. >> well, he's saying let's go. i'm the leader. >> he was. >> but you're revealing it didn't happen that way. he cleared out the office and said, dick, what do you think we should do? >> right. >> very different picture. >> right. but then he made the decision. wasn't my decision. >> don't you think it will embarrass him? that you point out the difference? >> i -- i didn't set out to embarrass the president or not embrace the president. >> very interesting. the memoir comes out today. it's called "in my time." still to come this morning, have you been traveling on the the world's safest airline. a new survey ranks the top ten. you're about to find out. more coming up. >> he's played the best and beaten the best. all over the world, so what turns tennis star rafael nadal into a scaredy cat. i interviewed him and you'll hear it straight ahead. 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[ male announcer ] they'll see you...before you see them. cops are cracking down on drinking and riding. drive sober, or get pulled over. 27 minutes after the hour. minding your business this morning. a rally on wall street yesterday. the dow, nasdaq and s&p 500 all up more than 2% to start the week. what drove them higher? a solid report on consumer spending and relief that hurricane irene caused less damage than expected. this morning u.s. stock futures for the big three trading lower ahead of the opening bell. investors are gearing up for several economic reports this morning. the closely watched case-shiller home price index for june comes up at 9:00 a.m. eastern that tracks the monthly changes in the value of real estate in 20 major metropolitan areas nationwide. also a report on consumer confidence is expected later this morning. president obama nominated alan krueger to be his top economic adviser yesterday. lots of pressure on the white house about the ailing jobs market in this country. krueger a top labor economist. he worked at princeton as an economics professor. the aofficial appointment is pending senate confirmation. a new report by air transport ratings agency lists air france klm as the safest airline, second is amr corporation, which includes american airlines and american eagle and british airways ranked third. the age of the airline's fleet and organization of operations were part of the criteria measured in the new survey. for the latest news about your money check out the new cnnmoney.com. we'll be right back after this break. met an old man at the top asked him if he had a secret and the old man stopped and thought and said: free 'cause that's how it ought to be my brother credit 'cause you'll need a loan for one thing or another score 'cause they break it down to one simple number that you can use dot to take a break because the name is kinda long com in honor of the internet that it's on put it all together at the end of the song it gives you freecreditscore-dot-com, and i'm gone... offer applies with enrollment in freecreditscore.com welcome back. top stories, the death toll from hurricane irene still rising. it now stands at 28. also this morning, senior obama administration officials fanning out to vermont, virginia, north carolina, three states hit hardest by this storm. fema is recreveals its federal disaster relief fund is nearly depleted. more than a day after the storm parts of the northeast still suffering through the worst of irene. floodwaters still rising in vermont. the governor there saying entire communities in his state under water with hundreds of people still trapped. fresh pictures of the devastation in little falls, new jersey. water halfway up homes covering the front doors. check out this i-report sent in from manville, new jersey. shows national guard trucks driving down the street, even though they are almost entirely submerged. they went about a block before everyone had to climb out. >> how could you drive that? >> i don't even understand how -- >> hope they got out of there. that's for sure. pompton lakes, new jersey, surrounded by three rivers, water up to the front doors and some rooftops, higher than 1984. mary snow toured the damage. >> reporter: we're here in pompton lakes, new jersey, this is one of several new jersey communities dealing not with hurricane irene's ocean swells or winds, but from the heavy rains. take a look at all the water here. this is a big improvement from earlier in the day. these waters have been receding. residents say that they had several feet of water in their homes. there are three rivers running through this town. we went on a tour with new jersey's national guard and they gave us a look at just how widespread this damage is in northern new jersey. we went over passaic county. by afternoon, governor chris christie said there were nine rivers that had reached or exceeded record levels. and the worst is not yet over. that's because there are continuing rising waters. and right now, the concern is, for those rivers that have yet to crest. mary snow, cnn, pompton lakes, new jersey. all right. new this morning a warning from u.n. health officials about a new strain of the deadly bird flu virus. they say a mutant strain of h5n1 virus appeared in vietnam and china and apparently can bypass the defenses of current vaccines with quote unpredictable risks end quote to humans. eight people have reportedly died in southeast asia this year after being infected with that bird flu virus. a deadly bear attack at yellowstone national park. the body of 59-year-old john wall a hiker from michigan was discovered on friday. official say he was mauled by a bear some time last week. they say wallace set up a camp at an area in the park closed to hikers because of its high bear population. it is the second deadly attack this summer. police in san francisco arrested two people last night in the latest protest against the b.a.r.t. system, the train system, commuter system there. demonstrators have targeted bay area transit stations in recent weeks in response to a number of transit police shootings, including a deadly confrontation last month. let's lighten the mood and talk about something good, shall we? he is just 25 and a tennis great. rafael nadal will play in prime time tonight in new york city at the u.s. open. he is the defending open champion. i sat down with him this weekend to talk about life on and off the court. his biggest passions and also his biggest fear. >> one of the quotes from your book, your mother describes you as a scarededy cat around your family who sleeps with a light on. how does the cat become the tiger that you certainly are on the court? >> well, that's good. especially during the opening i opening, -- i live with the computer or the tv on. >> you don't like the dark? >> i hate the dark. i do. i do. i live with the tv. >> it takes a big plan to admit that. >> i wake up at 3:00 in the morning with the tv on. >> you joined the twitter verse. >> i am doing since a few weeks ago. >> how is that going? >> i started with facebook a few years ago and well, was the right moment to start with twitter. it's a different thing to do. i have fun. more contact with the fans and i am a little bit shy but with this kind of things, i am opening myself a little bit more to the people and something i think works for them, but works for myself too. >> i would never think you would be shy. >> i am a little bit, yeah. i was very shy a few years ago. with my life, i tried to improve that. >> so why did you decide to become a part of that campaign? >> for me it's a really [ inaudible ] being a ambassador of champions drink responsibly. it's a campaign i really believe. it's for everybody, but especially fort young people. i am young and i like to go out with friends, i like to have fun with family friends. but everything thinking responsibly. like come back home safely, that's the right message. >> let's talk about the u.s. open. what is different about the u.s. open from other tournaments? >> the u.s. open is the last of the season and probably that is more show for everybody, for the players, for the crowd, the crowd are very emotional here. a lot of things going on during the match. >> is the crowd tough here? >> i love the crowd here. i think they -- i have a big support from them the last years and hopefully this year i will too. i feel a lot of passion when i go out on this court. it's the biggest court on the tour. the crowd is hard. i love playing here in new york. >> what opponent do you find more difficult to face? is it federer or djokovic? >> when fedder is playing well i want federer. he's the bes of the history and it's impossible to reach that level. y djokovic is doing well. it's difficult to beat him. this year everybody knows because he only lost two matches during all season, but depends on the moment when djokovic is playing his best, djokovic is very difficult, when federer is playing his best, federer is very, very difficult. if i am playing not my best, it's impossible. >> he was so charming. i did ask him about the blisters on his hands because in cincinnati he didn't do so well in the tournament there. he's been prone to injury. but he said he's completely healthy, blisters are all gone and looking forward to facing his opponents. if you know anything about his training regiment, it's insane. he is the most fit human i have ever seen. >> he plays tennis all day long? >> he practices 12 hours a day. he's very focused when he's on the court. but off court as you can see he's charming and shy. >> he's -- >> i know. >> i'm just saying what you're not saying. >> okay. he was handsome, okay. he was still the most fit guy i've ever seen and a lovely person. >> that was good. that was a good discussion. looking forward to seeing him play. >> me too. still to come this morning, heart disease the top killer for men and women if america. dr. sanjay gupta has looked into this. he's got advice for what you can do to keep your heart healthy. how you can prevent a heart attack. stale st-- stay with us. to thr what's pure and what's real from we who believe we know just how you feel. haagen-dazs. whether it can be done safely and responsibly. at exxonmobil we know the answer is yes. when we design any well, the groundwater's protected by multiple layers of steel and cement. most wells are over a mile and a half deep so there's a tremendous amount of protective rock between the fracking operation and the groundwater. natural gas is critical to our future. at exxonmobil we recognize the challenges and how important it is to do this right. still waiting for the jobs plan from the white house, but there's a new member of obama's economic team now. the president appointed alan krueger to be the chairman of the white house council of economic advisers. unlike past chairman, he specializes in the jobs market. he is a labor economist. is he the guy to get the u.s. hiring again and is he the guy who's going to help save our middle class? joining me to talk about that, don peck, author of the book "pinched how the great precision has narrowed our futures and what we can do about it" features editor. steven moore for "the wall street journal" editorial page. don, let me ask you first, is he a good choice, the guy who's going to be able to unlock hiring in this country? >> i think alan krueger is a great choice for this position. he knows labor markets, he understands job creation, he understands unemployment as well. so yes, i think he'll be a good addition to the administration. >> steven moore, people even yesterday saying, he's a liberal, believes in spending and incentives to get the economy going and there's no reason for us to think conservatives saying, no reason to think he gets we want to undo the stuff the administration does, we don't want him to do more. >> i agree he's a very distinguished economist, he's very well published. i would say he's one of the top 25 economists in the kunltry. i don't always agree on some of his policy prescriptions. christine, you're right he's very likely to continue to support a lot of the programs that barack obama has put in place. by the way, he's been in the obama administration for the last couple of years, so he's been an architect of a lot of these policies like the cash for clunkers car program which i don't think worked out so well. i think we're likely to see from mr. krueger some of the same ideas that we've seen in the last two years. republicans are going to say, what's different? >> let me ask you about what we can expect from the president's jobs plan. you know, steven saying we're going to see the same ideas we've already seen. how do we make sure we don't have a warmed over collection of things we've already tried, or do we need what we already tried on steroids? what do we need? >> we need the latter and more, actually. people say obama is just going to, you know, present what he's already presented but we haven't been doing many of the things that the administration has suggested. we need to do -- >> like what? >> to support the economy. more infrastructure spending, a deeper extended payroll tax cut, job credits to employers who make new hires. these are all things that we need to be doing. they're tools we have available that we are not using adequately. we switch to austerity, to a large degree, with the debt reduction deal, the debt ceiling deal, and that's a mistake in this kind of economy. so we do need fiscal expansion, we do need measures to create jobs directly, and i hope we will go in that direction. >> steven moore, the cbo, congressional budget office, mandated to give an update on the progress of the stimulus. the stimulus that reviled among conservatives and many people saying impossible to try to push through anything that looks like stimulus spending to get the jobs market going, but the cbo found that stimulus is benefiting the economy, not the much as the white house hoped for, promised or advertised but still benefiting the economy. >> they're using the same model used back when this started, where they said this was going to create millions of jobs. i don't think many americans believe that or many republicans in congress do. the agenda you heard is pretty much the same thing that president obama has done in the last couple years, just more of it. i don't -- if the president comes forward with that agenda, when he comes out with his remarks next week, i think it's going to fall pretty flat in the congress. we need new things. i'm hopefully might get the super committee to come up with a whole tax revision, blow up the tax code and start over, and you know what, i think they're starting to be bipartisan support for that idea. something i could get behind and i'm sure don could too. >> i want to -- if you got payroll tax holiday extended, small business -- tax credits for small business hiring, extension of unemployment benefits but modeled it after a retraining program where people got unemployment benefits but the government was paying for them to be working at a company to try them out, if you got something like that, could conservatives be behind it, stephen? >> i kind of doubt it. conservatives like me think one of the biggest problems we have is this enormous deficit, zapping the economic energy of this country. we saw a downgrade of our debt a few weeks ago. spending control is needed with smart, you know, tax policies. the problem i have, christine, with the payroll tax credit you mentioned, we did the payroll tax credit in december and we didn't see many jobs created from it. this is just the problem i have with the obama agenda in general, we try these things, they don't work and then try more of it. >> the argument would be, if you didn't do it -- >> could have been worse. >> don peck that's the thing. is this sav on the wound? not necessarily healing the wound but these things are life is better with them than without them. >> absolutely. people need to recognize there are no silver bullets in this situation we're in right now. the economy is going to take some time to heal. but that sav you talk about is very, very important and as we've begun to withdraw government support in the past year the economy has weakened. we need more of these actions. in addition to measures to increase the rate of technological growth in the country, which is a more fundamental basis. >> one quick point on this. i'm sure you read my column on friday in the "wall street journal" but i pointed out if you compare the reagan expansion with the obama expansion, there is no comparison. at this stage of the reagan expansion -- reagan inherited incredible economic crisis as well, the economy grown at 6 or 7%, it was booming. >> it's hard -- we could argue about it. it's hard to compare the recent period. it's hard to compare the most recent period with each of these -- >> that was quite a financial crisis. >> we got to -- i'm sorry. we have to leave it there. i'm telling you, there's an ideological divide and we will see that play out when the president's plan comes out and the super committee. don peck, thanks so much. stephen moore, thanks guys. it's 48 minutes after the hour. 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we have much better idea as to why and we can control those things. >> i know at one point in the documentary you're talking about if you thought that heart disease was a foodborne illness, how would you change that. you talked at length with former president clinton, who is now a vegan. i don't want to become a vegan, but is that really making a big difference for him? >> i certainly seems to think so. a lot of science has gone from the recommend of being anecdotal showing there is impact not just in slowing down heart disease but in reversing it. he was famous for his diet but now this plant-based diet he says has given him more energy and even after his heart surgery several years ago, he says he got a little bit better about modifying his diet but it wasn't until after he had the stents placed more than a year ago he got serious about it and he says he feels better than ever before. one thing i will say, a lot of people don't want to become vegans out there. they say that is a radical change. if you look back how we eat now and a hundred years from now i garnt people say it was a radical diet. the way we used to eat or eat now is much more radical. >> i know in your book "chasing life," you talk about plant-based diets and low calorie diets and how they are thought to extend life in some people but there is criticism there is not enough protein in a plant-based diet. if i'm somebody concerned about heart disease, is being vegan or some way down that road vegetarian, good for my heart and does it outweigh what i'm missing? >> what the plant-based diet alone, i hear this all the time about protein. that is just simply not true. if you just do a little bit of research you'll find that broccoli has more protein per grams than a lot of meats do. spinach has about the same. beans, lentils you enjoy. i think the protein argument is somewhat of a falfallacy. we spent a year investigating for this documentary. they feel good. i mean, they feel very high energy. they do start to lose weight which is not necessarily their point when they start. they are doing it for their hearts but everything about them starts to change and it really doesn't take that long. >> this is a real game-changer, the ability to change your only risk for heart attack. let's talk about this a few times this week. >> let's do it. >> i want as many people as possible to see the special. good to see you, as always, sanjay. >> thanks. >> you can watch "the last heart attack" a sanjay's life steam or see it on tv this saturday at 8:00 eastern time. 8:00 p.m. >> i always learn something from sanjay but i did not know there was protein in broccoli. >> and spinach. >> i know you guys are pressuring me to have a broccoli omelet tomorrow morning. i like broccoli. >> i'm proud of you. >> i think i surprise a lot of people by saying that. it doesn't even have to be dipped in chocolate and fried! >> we asked you to talk back this morning on one of the big stories. should a candidate's religion matter? this is what some of you said. this from matthew. it should. religion can guide a person's thoughts and actions and if a person makes certain decisions for our country based on religion they not make the greatest or most favorable decisions. aaron says it shouldn't. you better be a christian or you're pretty much wasting time and money seeking office. i don't think atheists are even allowed to run in this country. what a shame. this from jamison. it shouldn't matter at all but a long time before we see a nonchristian president and that is really unfortunate. keep the comments coming. we will read some of your comments again later on on "american morning." >> what about candidates who are religious in words only but not in deeds? >> that is another category. coming up ahead next hour, good hour for us right now. she's come for our jobs. the cutest hurricane irene i reporter you have ever seen is going to join us live. we hear she has an entourage. it will be fun. where do you go to find a super business? 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[ female announcer ] ask the doctor about your loved one trying the exelon patch. visit exelonpatch.com to learn more. rim christine romans. breaking news. 36 people new dead in hurricane irene. there are new i amages of floods that have bulldozed some towns. the water rising as the water moved out. >> i'm carol costello. it is now tropical storm katia still an ocean away but already rattling nerves. could it be the next natural disaster to hit us? i'm ali velshi. dennis ckucinich says it's time for him to go. we will talk to the congressman on this "american morning." ♪ good morning, everyone. it's tuesday, august 30th. welcome to "american morning." >> good morning to you. we begin with breaking news. hurricane irene, well, the death toll has gone up. it has now killed 36 people. that is eight more than were just confirmed just an hour ago. also we have fresh images coming in of the devastation. water tearing through many towns and turning them into islands and entire neighborhoods flooded out. water halfway up homes and covering the front doors. obama administration officials will visit three states today hit hard by hurricane irene. virginia, north carolina, and vermont. floodwaters in vermont are still rising and higher than they have been for 80 years. the governor there saying entire communities in his state are under water and hundreds of residents still trapped. >> amber is live in vermont this morning. it's the water and it's the mud here too, isn't it? >> reporter: yeah, mud and muck and covering roads across the state. this is the sackston river. this river crested and you could see houses and chicken coops and all types of buildings and belongings floating down this area. i would have been under the water when it came through here and brought over this layer of mud and muck and deposited it over here on one of the main roads in town. this road now shut down. cars cannot get through here. and that is part of the problem the state is facing. more than 260 roads and bridges across vermont have been knocked out. some of these communities have essentially been turned into islands as the roads and bridges leading in and out of the communities are both gone so that is something that rescue crews will try to be doing today is accessing these communities to figure out who needs help. there are still people, as of today, missing who are presumed to have been swept away by floodwaters. three people died in this storm. and above all, the governor is warning people that some of these rivers in more low-lying areas will continue to crest and rise today and there will still be more flooding across this state. now, today, fema will be in vermont. also more and more rescue crews will continue to go out and try to find out any way they can help these residents. >> amber, unlike a lot of states, vermont didn't declare a state of emergency. it didn't order evacuations prior to the event. how are they dealing with these people who are trapped right now? has that affected their ability to do it? >> reporter: well, yeah, definitely. because a lot of these people did not evacuate and were in these small mountain communities at the time that these floods hit and continue to be there as of now. ali, yesterday, governor shumlin came under a lot of criticism for not ordering massive statewide evacuations but the governor's explanation is that many of these communities are in low-lying areas and there are very few large areas of dry land in the state of vermont where they could have evacuated people to so the governor says it wouldn't have been a practical solution but, above all, they are just trying to figure out the scope of the damage and trying to get around the state is nearly impossible. >> amber, thanks very much. really is something there. as we pointed out, in some places like vermont and parts of new jersey, it's worse today than two days ago. >> nothing worse than water in your home, right? >> it's difficult to pinpoint ahead of time where these types of floods are going to happen. obviously, the media would be at those spots if it were that easy. >> how long of a chance for vermont to get hard like it has been hit hard? >> a very good chance. the one message we got accurate which is the inland flooding is the big story of this and we knew that ahead of time because you guys have gotten so much rain the past couple of weeks. for philly and new york and some spots upstate august was a record-setter as far as rainfall. it was a ticking time bomb in that regard. some of the rivers are receding but most in flood stage. show you exactly that. the higher terrain the ones that had the most rugged terrain, the steepest valleys and mountains is vermont. it drains the fastest as well and most of it is beginning to recede at least in the larger rivers, connecticut river basin. that runs i-91 corridor through springfield and hartford. most of that is crested with the exception of the lower connecticut that will crest on later on today and tonight. also cresting today is the passaic river. don't have to tell you if you live in that new york suburb. tremendous amount of flooding happening now even after a crest that will be in flood stage a couple of days. show you this high resolution satellite. it shows where the moisture was in this storm and why we knew this inatlanta flooding would be a problem. all of these visible satellite picture, high resolution, take a snapshot you get a sense where the deepest moisture is. brighter the clouds, deeper the moisture. southern half not a lot of rape so it's well to the north and west. as far as what is going to happen on later on today, we have dry weather in store with a couple of thunderstorms across north carolina. we are watching, by the way, our computer models are spinning a little something up in the gulf of mexico as we get towards the weekend so keep an eye on that. nothing yet. what we do have is the new tropical storm named katia and way out there in the atlantic and no threat to land right now, but we expect it to ramp up. it has decent organization. you see the infrared satellite picture and likely become a satellite in a short time. here is the forecast from the national hurricane center which brings it to category 1 status the next couple of days and potentially a greater tome towards sunday. we have five days before it even gets toward a land mass and that would be toward the leeward islands. another cool shot i want to show you. this video of the satellite picture from start-to-finish of irene. this is always awe inspiring to me to watch these type of things develop as we go through time. do we have that picture? yeah. i'm assuming we got it. >> there it is. >> we do. you can see it over here. >> over where? >> come over here. there it is. >> not enough monitors in this place. it's impressive to see that thing spun up like that and and the eye pop in and out when it was a category 3 storm and thankfully decreasing in intensity as it hit the eastern united states. >> one of the pickets taken from the international space station was incredible, how huge it was. massive. >> like the size of europe at some point. >> these pictures are taken from 22,000 miles up. iss is up there about 600 miles. much closer up shot. looks a lot bigger and it is big. we sometimes lose that perspective of a monster storm, no doubt about it. >> you want to stick around for this, rob. we showed you this pint-size the ireporter yesterday. she documented irene's every move until it was bedtime. >> jane harbor here reporting from pennsylvania. the rain is coming down more than it was before. the wind is probably going faster. i think this is just the starting event. i definitely feel it on my head just a tiny bit of rain. i'm considered about the flood just like my puppy. it's definitely raining more because it's 5:00 now. back to you. this is my last report because it's my bedtime. it is really raining. the wind has picked up. this is the biggest ever has it been. everybody take care! and please stay inside. otherwise, you might blow away! >> she is adorable. >> nothing wrong with that report. you understand? >> she was very accurate. >> that is journalism 101. >> very calm. i as a matter of fact learned a few lessons. i was with her back stage and with the rain gear off, she is gorgeous. >> she is here. her and her family is here. >> they will be coming up later. family, we will get to you after the break. >> should president obama fire general electric chief jeffrey imle? the council is supposed to create jobs here in the united states. congressman dennis kucinich says they failed to do that. what does the president need to do now to create jobs and what does he need to undo his critics would say to get the economy back on track? the morning opinion next. 10 minutes after the hour. you name it. i've tried it. but nothing's helped me beat my back pain. then i tried this. it's salonpas. this is the relief i've been looking for. salonpas has 2 powerful pain fighting ingredients that work for up to 12 hours. and my pharmacist told me it's the only otc pain patch approved for sale using the same rigorous clinical testing that's required for prescription pain medications. proven. powerful. safe. salonpas. a mouthwatering combination of ingredients...e for you! i know you're gonna love. 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[ woman announcing ] new beneful healthy fiesta. another healthful, flavorful beneful. >> live pictures we are looking at. this is patterson, new jersey, right now. water is still tearing through many towns as was expected. some water levels have been rising and, of course, now we are getting some of the first picks from some of these places. aerial shots give you the sense of the power of the water. this is patterson, new jersey. >> i think this is the passaic river. it has been rising all morning and little falls is a town next to here. you look at some of those pictures. whole rows and rows of houses inundated with water. but these pictures brand-new. just unbelievable velocity of water in new jersey. >> yeah, yeah. >> we will keep you posted. in to cnn, a deadline in libya. rebels with giving forces loyal to moammar gadhafi until saturday to lay down their arms or face a military onslaught according to the chairman of the national transitional council. a rebel commander also telling cnn moammar gadhafi's son khamis is dead. he was reportedly killed in a battle with opposition forces. >> algae yeah revealing it has allowed moammar gadhafi wife and daughter and two sons to enter the country for humanitarian reasons but the libyan government wants them back. gadhafi daughter who fled to algeria reportedly gave birth to a girl early this morning according to afp. we had knew she was almost fullterm with a child when she was still in the country. authorities say mother and daughter are doing fine. democratic congressman dennis kucinich had his way ge executive would be out of a job and asking him to resign on council on jobs because ge's investment in china will end up createding jobs over seas. he joins us now. congressman, thank you for being with us. >> good morning. >> we knew that number one, ge pays less corporate tax than most people think it should pay on a federal level and it creates jobs overseas. the white house, the president must have known this but as the head of one of the world's biggest industrial companies in the world, it seemed to make some sense at the time. did it make sense to you that jeff immelt would be the key man advising the president on job creation in the u.s.? >> he has expertise in job creation, but, unfortunately for the united states, it seems to be creating jobs in other countries. one-fifth of the u.s. work force has been eliminated since that gentleman had taken the helm of ge. now, the larger problem here, which caused me to look at this, is that we have a synthetic efficient technology that was developed at nasa for the private sector. it is that technology and other unspecified high technologies which ge is now moving to china and will help china gain an even greater lead over the u.s. and jeopardize further our aerospace industry. so if this individual is involved in creating jobs and in competitiveness, what is he doing? >> so you represent a state, congressman, which has really been hit hard over time by the loss of manufacturing jobs, which has nothing to do with this particular administration. it's been going on for a long time. >> right. >> i guess here is the issue. ge, like so many other industrial companies, based in the united states, in order to stay competitive, have been creating jobs elsewhere around the world. they also sell their products elsewhere. so who better -- in other words, if it's not the head of a major industrial corporation, who is the person who you think should be advising the president on how to get jobs created in the united states? nothing funny about it. >> i know. but it's a very serious matter. but, look. if the white house doesn't have a jobs policy and they go to somebody who is not only moving his jobs out of the country, but also off showing profits so he is not paying a share of the taxes ge ought to be paying, look, the white house has to get a grip on its jobs policy. >> right. >> we have 14 million americans out of work. you're right. in the state of ohio, the unemployment level is high. but, at the same time, we have lost steel, aerospace, and we have to have a manufacturing policy which we don't have that says that, as a matter of national security, steel, automotive, aerospace, shipping, the industries we should be focusing on. we are not doing that. >> some would argue the horse is out of the barn on that one. >> not really. >> we are maybe within a week or so of the president making his speech on jobs. what should that policy be right now? so putting aside jeff emmelt for a second and whether or not he should go. i hear you. i hear you clearly that i'd love to hear the argument that despite ge not paying the federal taxes it pays and despite sending jobs overseas, why exactly jeff immelt what is he doing to create jobs in the united states. that said, what should the president be doing? >> what we should do is this. take a page out of fdr and go back to the wpa and rebuild america's infrastructure and rebuild our roads and water and sewer systems and people say where is the money coming from? if the fed can't take money and park at the fed and gain interest the government hat ability to spend money into circulation, just as the fed does, and create the millions of jobs that are needed. we need to regain our position in technology. we should have a works green administration which would take wind and solar micro technologies like they are working on at nasa and be able to, with the private sector, take the design and engineering at nasa, then go for the manufacturing distribution and installation of maintenance, tens of millions of wind and solar micro technologies could be developed. and for placement in homes. we don't have a lack of need here. we have a lack of vision and the white house has to look at it from a perspective that is from sea to shining sea, not how do you move jobs out of the country any more and that is why i raise this issue. i'm hopeful the president is going to come forward on labor day with a plan to get america back to work for real. not minimalism and not just talk but do something. >> dennis kucinich, a pleasure to talk to you. >> thank you. live pictures from wabc. telling you about patterson, new jersey. where you're seeing ferocious water rising and now live rescues. first responders pulling people out of homes and walking them carefully gingerly through the rising waters of the passaic river and putting them in rafts to try to get them out. we have seen really big boiling water coming out of that passaic river and now as they are going door-to-door, house-to-house to get people out. >> going inside the homes and getting people out and using boats to do it, although the water doesn't look all that deep there but next to the homes it must be. >> this is one of those things you can get out there and it's up to your mid thigh in some places but up to the doors in other places. >> it takes you 6 inches of water to drown and a little more than that to be swept off your feet and pulled off your feet. >> in cars, you don't need much for a swept to get swept away. in manhattan we didn't have that much water and cars turning in and saying i'm way deeper than i thought i was in. >> there is the road. >> what amber lyons was saying the government of vermont had told her they are concerned people got entirely swept away in that state and not accounted for. >> we saw the earlier shot of the passaic river it was moving, it was really serious. you can just imagine what the peoples homes look like like the water is inside their houses and what they have to come to. >> when you're talking about jersey. route 46 and 3 and all of these highways that crisscross and concrete and towns alongside the passaic river and in some cases no place for the water to go. you've got concrete and you've got homes and you've got neighborhoods and they have the banks of this river. as rob was saying, that is the passaic. that is the tape we were showing you earlier of the passaic river. unbelievable. you have the wettest august on record for new jersey and that is before irene. i think it took 15 minutes of irene to get over that -- >> i wonder if people were in the evacuation zone. were they told by the governor chris christie to leave? we don't know but it would be interesting to find out i. this is well off the coast. this is 13 to 15 miles from new york city. this is the inland flooding that rob marciano and jacqui jeras was saying a problem would happen all along. >> we are glad the rescue workers are there doing the right thing and getting people out of their homes to safety. thank goodness for them. we will jump out there for now. a check of the morning markets up next. china cracking down on lady gaga and katie perry. 23 minutes after the hour. and economic growth. north america actually has one of the largest oil reserves in the world. a large part of that is oil sands. this resource has the ability to create hundreds of thousands of jobs. at our kearl project in canada, we'll be able to produce these oil sands with the same emissions as many other oils and that's a huge breakthrough. that's good for our country's energy security and our economy. handle more than 165 billion letters and packages a year. that's about 34 million pounds of mail every day. ever wonder what this costs you as a taxpayer? 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"minding your business" this morning. u.s. stock futures for the big three are all trading lower ahead of the opening bell. investors gearing up for several economic reports this morning and one on the housing market and the other on consumer confidence. investors gearing up for econ reports. some of them the home price index for june and comes out at 9:00 a.m. eastern and tracks the monthly changes in the value of real estate and the 20 metropolitan areas nationwide. the biggest ones. report on consumer confidence is expected a little later this morning. a new survey by j.d. power and associates says verizon ranks highest for overall network performance. fewer dropped calls and texting problems for verizon's service in 2011. lady gaga and katy perry are pop stars used to topping the charts but maybe not this chart, though. the chinese government released a list of a hundred songs to be banned from the web sites in the country. six of them from lady gaga and two from katy perry. banned in china! the government there says downloading these and other pop songs on the internet is, quote, endangered natural cultural safety. the songs were not registered with the cultural society which is required by law. rafael nadal off the court, what scares him the most and got him so excited about this year's u.s. open? "american morning" back of the break. exclusive to the militar. and commitment is not limited to one's military oath. the same set of values that drive our nation's military are the ones we used to build usaa bank. from free checking to credit cards to loans, our commitment to the military, veterans, and their families is without equal. ♪ visit us online to learn what makes our bank so different. usaa. we know what it means to serve. this is cnn breaking news. >> continuing to watch these live pictures come in. this is from patterson, new jersey. flood rescues are going on right now as water continues to flow through the streets there. in many of these places, the water levels are rising. crews are going door-to-door in the area telling people to get out. we will keep an eye on that for you. we have got these pictures continuing to come in. you can see raft rescues under way there. hurricane irene has killed now 38 people. 38. that is ten more than were confirmed just an hour ago. obama administration officials will visit three states today that were hit hard. fema director craig fugate hets to vermont where flooding has stranded hundreds of people. as irene dies, tropical storm katia forms in the atlantic. the national hurricane center is watching it as the next threat to the east coast. maximum mum sustained winds 40 and it is far away but expected to move faster as it gets closer to the united states. 25 years old. already a tennis great. ali says he is dreamy. raphael nadal will play in prime time tonight in the u.s. open. >> he is the defending champion. number two in the world. i got a chance to sit down with him about life on and off the court about his biggest passions and his biggest fear. your mother describes you as a scaredy cat around the family who sleeps with the light on. how does the that become the tiger you are certainly on the court? >> especially in the evening i like to live with the tv or with the computer. >> even today, now? >> today, i live with the tv on. yeah. >> why is that? you don't like the dark? >> i hate the dark! so i do, i do. i just live with the tv. >> it takes a big man to admit that. >> i wake up at 3:00 in the morning with the tv on. i turn it off. >> you've joined the twitter verse. >> doing since a few weeks ago. >> how is that going? >> i started with facebook a few years ago. well, was the right moment to start with twitter. yeah. it's a different thing to do. i have fun. i am in more contact with the fans and, you know, i am a little bit shy, but with this kind of things, i am opening myself a little bit more to the people and something, i think, works for them but works for myself too. >> see, i would never think you would be shy. >> i am a little bit, yeah. i was very shy a few years ago but with my life, i try to improve that. >> why did you decide to become a part of that campaign? >> for me, it's really hard of the ambassadors. i really believe it's for everybody but especially for the young people pim young and i like to go out with friends. i like to have fun with the family friends. go for a party, but everything, thinking responsibly. if you don't like crazy have the right plan to come back home safely, that is the right message. >> let's talk about the u.s. open. so what is different about the u.s. open from other tournaments? >> u.s. open is last tournament of the season. probably the one who waste most show for everybody, for the players, for the crowd. the crowd very emotional here. a lot of things going on, doing the march for the crowd. >> is the crowd tough here? >> i love the crowd here. i think they -- i big support from them last years and, hopefully, this year i will too. so i feel a lot of passion when i go on this court. biggest court on the tour. the crowd is hard. so i love playing here in new york. >> what opponent do you find more difficult to face? is it federer ? >> i think the best. it is impossible to reach that level. he is very difficult to defeat him. to beat him. this year, everybody knows because he loves the match. all season. but depends on the moment when he is playing his best, he is very difficult. when federer is playing his best, he is very, very difficult. and if i am playing not my best, it's impossible, so that's the thing. >> is that he self-deprecateing in real life? >> i was a charm. he is really a charmer but he is talking about facing these different opponents. he says he didn't do anything but stick to his game. if he is on his game, he says he is unbeatable. >> very interesting. what is up with the hair? >> he had longer hair. i said you got your hair cut. he said, yeah, yeah. >> it's not all in the hair. rob marciano joins us here in our studios with a special guest, a guest we promised you yesterday. rob, what are you learning? >> rafa smafa. a star here. we have been showing this you on youtube. 5-year-old jane and she is with us in the studio. this is a new star reporter. behind you, jane, we have a satellite picture. you don't look intimidated at all. this is big-time weather tv here now. here you are. are you ready? can do you what we call a toss to break? can you look in into that camera and say "american morning" will be right back? give that a shot. >> "american morning" will be right back. >> nails it! nails it! she kills it! >> excellent! naomi pryce: i am. i'm in the name your own price division. i find empty hotel rooms and help people save - >> - up to 60% off. i am familiar. your name? > naomi pryce. >> what other "negotiating" skills do you have? > i'm a fifth-degree black belt. >> as am i. > i'm fluent in 37 languages. >> (indistinct clicking) > and i'm a master of disguise >> as am i. > as am i. >> as am i. > as am i. >> well played naomi pryce. sunny and 76 right now. what a beautiful shot of central park. mostly sunny later this afternoon with a high of 83. >> we have had plenty of great hurricane irene reporting here at cnn with our reporters spread across the east coast but there is one reporter who captured our hearts. 5-year-old ireporter jane halbrick. take a listen to her highlight reel. >> i'm jane harbrick reporting from pennsylvania. the rain is coming down more than it was before. the wind is probably going faster. i think this is a starting bit. i definitely feel it on my head just a tiny bit. i'm concerned before just like my puppy. it's definitely raining more because it's 5:00 now. back to you. this is my last report because it's my bedtime. it is really raining. the wind has picked up. this is the biggest ever has it been. everybody, take care! and please stay inside. otherwise, you might blow away. >> she reported all day up to her bedtime and then she had to sign off. joining us now in the studio is jane haubrich with her parents and her little sister. welcome, you guys. >> thank you. >> jane, you slept in the basement that night, you signed off from your reports and you slept in the basement? >> i slept in the basement! >> did you, charlotte? >> there was a big storm, wasn't there? >> and daddy slept in the basement. >> everybody slept in the basement. that was the biggest storm you ever saw, right, jane? >> but not mommy. >> she didn't sleep in the basement? >> i think charlotte is. >> you see the bigger storm. how did this all come up? how did you jane decide to become a reporter? >> well, i've been working a lot, thif the last two years, and jane kept on telling me she wanted to work with me. i do documentaries and i did a documentary on world war i. she said, daddy, when you're done doing your show on soldiers, i want to do a show with you. every weekend, we tried to find a project and when the hurricane came, she was a little stressed. she has never been through a hurricane before. >> sure. >> i was watching your show. watching cnn. i said to jane, do you want to do your own report? and she gets to hold the microphone. she said, i'm in. >> she didn't look stressed at all. were you nervous in front of the camera? no. i can tell. that is a natural. >> she just wanted to wear a different outfit. >> we notice that. how did you choose your uniform? they give us these red jackets to wear at cnn so we have to wear the same thing whenever we are out there. you were choosing different things. was it depending on how much rain was coming down or how much wind there was? >> no. >> because you wanted to wear different things? >> how did you choose them? >> because i wanted to. >> because you wanted to. >> that is so fun! >> jane, what do you want to be when you grow up? >> a reporter. >> good answer! good answer. >> what kind of reporter? >> i don't know! >> good, good, because right now i'm nervous if she says rerge reporter, i have to brush up. >> did you get pretty wet out there or did you stay under your umbrella or slicker? >> i got wet. >> were you wearing rain boots too out there? yeah. >> so you got wet. but you let me in on a secret. your cameraman, aka daddy, was he out in the rain too? >> no. >> he wasn't? >> really? had a shelter, daddy? what is going on there? >> i was shooting from the garage. expensive camera. >> a number of cnn photo journalists saying he did. we can stay under there. >> i remember my cameraman was standing under the awning of the hotel and kept pushing me out. >> charlotte where were you during all of this? were you watching your sister being a weather forecaster? now charlotte is going to be shy. >> did you hold the umbrella for her a while? can you tell us about that? >> umbrella is pretty heavy. >> charlotte, how old are you? >> 5. >> 3. >> 3. >>en when is your birthday? >> april 6th. >>um already 5 1/. >> mom, ho how are you going to deal with the divas in the family? >> i don't know. she enjoyed it. i think she liked picking out the clothes a lot and her favorite thing to do she says is talk. >> we were enjoying. a lot of talk the last few days whether we were overprepared or whether it was overhyped but it was just fun to watch because she was just giving you the facts. >> just the facts. >> just telling you what was happen. it's raining harder. it's the worst it's been raining. you're going to blow away. where was she getting all of this information? where did you learn all this? >> i don't know. >> you were just saying what was coming to mind? >> reporting what you saw, reporting on what you felt, and a very calm, collected manner. >> she got it from herself! >> she got it from herself! >> very nice. >> you're going to kindergarten this fall? you will tell your teacher what did you do this summer? i was a news reporter, right? that is awesome. that is really awesome. >> we think you're doing a great job. michelle, our producer, just got in my ear saying do you have any words of wisdom. i want to ask you for advice the way that video came poup you did a fantastic job and do you have any stories from the storm? when the storm came through, did you stay inside? did you go out when it was raining real hard? or what did you guys do during the storm? the basement the whole time? yeah. that is a safe spot. >> until we lost electricity. >> you lost electricity too. is your electricity back? >> uh-huh. >> charlotte, you're looking forward to the next storm now? they are a bit fun now? right? did you have a good time watching all of this happening? >> uh-huh. >> good. we got two people less scared of storms now. >> when you grow up, if you both want to be an intern, you have a bright future. we would be happy to have you. >> thanks for coming. we love the ireport. in the seriousness of reporting that storm, a lot of people were touched by how cute she was and how great that is and, sh charlotte, you're cute too. >> great work out there. thanks for encouraging her, dad, okay? >> good job, charlotte. >> more of your headlines coming your way next. ♪ with diabetes, it's tough to keep life balanced. i don't always have time to eat like i should. and the more i focus on everything else, the less time i have to take care of me. that's why i like glucerna shakes. they have slowly digestible carbs to help minimize blood sugar spikes, which can help lower a1c. glucerna products help me keep everything balanced. [ golf clubs clanking ] [ husband ] i'm good! well, almost everything. [ male announcer ] glucerna. delicious shakes and bars. helping people with diabetes find balance. here are your morning headlines. breaks new to tell you about. live pictures out of patterson, nnel. flood rescues going on right now from that neighborhood as water continues to roar through the streets and crews going door-to-door in the area, telling people to get out. there are raft rescues going on as well. hurricane irene's death toll jumped to 38 people. more than a day after irene hit water surging in many places and flooding out entire neighborhoods and taking out bridges and roads. hundreds of people remain stranded. tropical storm katia is forming and getting stronger in the atlanta. the national weather service watching it. >> said to be in algeria is gadhafi's children. libya's government is demanding they be returned. u.s. markets open in 45 minutes. right now stock futures for the dow, nasdaq and s&p trading lower ahead of the opening bell. investors gearing up for several economic reports this morning. one on the housing market and the other on consumer confidence. former laker javaris crittenton arrested last night at a southern california airport and facing murder charges. the fbi says he is accused of killing a mother of four in atlanta. cashing in on the comeback. michael vick has signed a new six-year, $100 million contract for the eagles. $40 million of that is guaranteed and makes him one of the highest paid nfl players in the league. and it's official. we now know the lineup for season 13 of "dancing with the stars." the big names battling it out for the trophy is david arquette and ricki lake and chas bono and one of our own, nancy grace! we will be watching you, nancy. has is the news you need to start your day. "american morning" back after a break. good morning, atlanta. sunny and 73 right now. mostly sunny later today and a seasonable 92 degrees for late august. >> that's right. for atlanta, that's pretty normal. >> back to normal, yeah. your a.m. house call a warning from nun health official about a possible resurgence of the deadly bird flu virus. a mutant strain of the virus may be spreading in southeast asia and appeared in china and vietnam. it can side-step current vaccines and it has killed more than 330 people since it first emerged in 2003. lipitor may lower more than cholesterol. gnaw study out finding lipitor may prevent death from infection and respiratory illness. clinical testings ended in 2003 and since then, researchers say the group that took the drug has what is called legacy effects. a 14% lower death rate than in the group that took placebos. researchers say the finding was very unexpected. we want to introduce you to a remarkable woman who fought adversity and won. here is dr. sanjay gupta with building week's "human factor." >> reporter: on a hot los angeles day you'll find this lady on the roof of her apartment building logging miles on her bike. she is a dedicated multisport athlete, but take a closer look. scout has run marathons and raced triathlons all with one leg. >> this has been very good to me and done a lot of long miles. >> reporter: scout lost her leg when she was just a baby. it was the beginning of a difficult childhood. >> i was burned in a fire in china and when i turned 1-year-old, i was placed on the streets in front of the government orphanage. when i came here to the u.s., i was 7 years old and weighed 22 pounds. >> reporter: scout had never left her orphanage before being adopted. overnight, she found herself with a new family in a new country surrounded by strangers and unable to speak any english. >> everybody just looking at you, wanting to know what is going on, who you are, where you come from. and, i mean, it's like i'm not even sure what is happening to me! how am i supposed toed to explain that to you. >> reporter: exercise became a refuge. she saw other paraathletes race a triathlon with a foundation. >> being able to see that was something that changed my life forever, seeing what was possible out there. >> reporter: she started to race triathlons herself, swimming without any artificial leg because it would weigh her down. switching into a leg with a foot made into a bike cleat and then switching again to an artificial running leg for the end of the race. >> race-by-race, training day by training day, i started to gain this confidence that i really had lacked for much of my life. and became just this person who really believed in myself for the first time. >> reporter: and she has no plans of slowing down. dr. sanjay gupta, cnn reporting. almost tastes like one of jack's cereals. fiber one. uh, forgot jack's cereal. [ jack ] what's for breakfast? um... try the number one! [ jack ] yeah, this is pretty good. [ male announcer ] half a day's worth of fiber. fiber one. if you have painful, swollen joints, i've been in your shoes. one day i'm on p of the world... the next i'm saying... i have this thing called psoriatic arthritis. i had some intense pain. it progressively got worse. my rheumatologist told me about enbrel. i'm surprised how quickly my symptoms have been managed. [ male announcer ] because enbrel suppresses your immune system, it may lower your ability to fight infections. serious, sometimes fatal events including infections, tuberculosis, lymphoma, other cancers, and nervous system and blood disorders have occurred. before starting enbrel, your doctor should test you for tuberculosis and discuss whether you've been to a region where certain fungal infections are common. don't start enbrel if you have an infection like the flu. tell your doctor if you're prone to infections, have cuts or sores, have had hepatitis b, have been treated for heart failure, or if, while on enbrel, you experience persistent fever, bruising, bleeding, or paleness. get back to the things that matter most. good job girls. ask your rheumatologist if enbrel is right for you. ♪ good morning, washington. especially those of you in the white house. it's partly cloudy outside. 70 degrees. it's going to be 84 later on. and mostly sunny. isn't that the same thing, mostly sunny and partly cloudy? >> there a meteorological difference and have to go to rob marciano to find out but do that later. >> right there in the washington trying to figure out how to create jobs. the focus is jobs in today's morning opinion. show you an op-ed what the president needs to do to create jobs and another what the president needs to undo to get the nation's economy back on track. to do list "the washington post" op-ed says it's time for the president to get bold, quote. this is a moment for the president to suppress his reflex for preemptive compromise. the piece goes on to say the administration should use federal money to seed new initiatives. look at this. another op-ed in ""the washington times"" says that is what is contributing to the problem. ron johnson says few on mr. obama's team has ever built a company, manufactured or marketed a product or balanced the books. they have no clue how to get our economy reignited and no clue how to create an atmosphere in which the private sector can create the jobs we need. senator johnson says the first steps to get the economy moving is do away with the stimulus program and repealing health care reform and repealing the todd-franks act. >> that worked out really well when we didn't have consumer protections for anybody. i don't understand how you can be on the wrong side of consumer protection. you can say regulation comes your way. >> it comes from "the washington times" which is a conservative newspaper and from rps so talking points. >> the narrative is the president has to go big to create jobs. the other side of that is the president has got to undo what his agenda has been to create jobs and that is where you're going to see head-butting. >> might be good if the person who wrote the editorial for "the washington times" and "the washington post" would come together in a beautiful moment of promise. >> oh, carol.

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