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even higher. three navy ships off the coast of new york to help with search and rescue missions and reps from the obama administration are going to fan out across three of the hardest hit states, virginia, north carolina, and vermont. let's go ahead and start there where floodwaters have destroyed roads and bridges and left hundreds of people stranded. amber lyons is in saxtons river, vermont. how are things looking this morning? >> reporter: not too good out here. you can see from this road behind me, this is one of the main roads in town and the local river just flooded across here leaving a layer of mud and muck and making this road impassible and it's closed down. nearly every road in this state is having issues. yesterday, we just tried to drive about 30 miles west across the state and it took us two and a half hours because we came across so many road blocks. you'd see people sitting out on the sides of the roads looking at maps trying to figure out how to get home or even how to get to work. we have also talked to people within communities that have been essentially turned into islands because the roads and bridges leading in and out of town, have been wiped out. we spoke with one man who lives in a neighborhood of a home near here. he says so far, residents are only able to walk over bridge to leave town and get supplies. he says they haven't received any type of aid so far. making matters worse. the governor shumlin expects the rivers to kref today. today, still flood warnings across the states as the brooks and streams flooded are pouring into the state's major rivers and will eventually cause those to rise as well. also people still missing in the state unaccounted for, and making matters even more difficult is that these rescue crews are having difficulties entering some of these remote mountain villages to assess the damage and also try to recover the missing. >> do they have enough people to do that, amber? >> reporter: well, they have national guard troops about 250 national guard troops. yesterday, obama declared a state of emergency in vermont, so more aid is expected to flow in. but i just spoke with someone who -- this man who lives in the neighborhood near here who has been turned into an island. he says they haven't seen any type of aid come into their neighborhood to help them. >> wow. amber lyons, okay, we will keep talking throughout the morning. tough situation there. millions of people in new england and across the northeast are also dealing with floodwaters. this is the view this morning over morris county, new jersey. entire neighborhoods are under water there. some of the rivers across the state are still rising. in maine the river has crested but could take weeks to repair the roads and bridges washed out by the flash floods. in neighboring new hampshire fire crews had to react quickly to save a man and his two daughters. >> we talking within seconds of them letting go and nothing between them and the falls. >> the family was apparently on a personal watercraft that overturned in those swift waters. all three were bruised and treated for hypothermia but otherwise they are okay. if you want to make a difference and help those devastated by hurricane irene we have compiled a list of relief organizations for you. just visit cnn.com/impact for more information. to the latest on the war in libya. rebels closeing in on sirte the hometown of moammar gadhafi and irk issuing a tlooin fdeadline for troops to vend. dan, what is the latest? >> reporter: they are saying they have four days to surrender or they will basically move into sirte. that is the hometown, as you say, of colonel gadhafi, still in the hands of gadhafi loyalists, despite the fact the now being approached from the east and the west by the rebels. meanwhile, reports from the algerian government that hannibal gadhafi and muhammad and his daughter aisha and wife safai entered algeria at 8:45 a.m. yesterday local time for humanitarian reasons, according to the algerian government. algeria doesn't recognize the rebel national transitional council here and they have been apparently offered some sort of safe haven there. the ntc is saying they should be force to do come back here. they should be extradited to face trial here and if algeria doesn't do that, it will be considered as an active aggression against the will of the libyan people. so some pretty tough rhetoric from the rebels here who are clearly desperate to finish this job off, finish the fighting, but also to bring colonel gadhafi and his family members to justice. >> dan, thanks. you know that search for gadhafi in his hometown making news on the international scene. zain verjee is joining me from london. what are the headlines saying? >> reporter: good morning. let's take a look at them. it says libya hunts for a living ghost in "the herald tribune." it says perhaps only fitting that colonel gadhafi would be as unpredictable on the lam as he was in power for 24 eccentric years. "good enough news." too soon for libyans to create freedom. there are too many questions and the one on people's mind is where is colonel ma gadhafi? they were describing his family and wife and kids and grandchildren into algeria. u.s. sources, though, says there has been no indication that moammar gadhafi has left libya but the fact of the matter nobody really knows for a fact where exactly he is. one thing that just came in a short while ago the afp is quoting the algerian news agency as saying that colonel gadhafi's daughter aisha gave birth today to a baby girl. she was very pregnant and one of the reasons they probably wanted to get out of libya and into algeria so she could give birth safely because no hospital would do that for them in libya. >> wow. story gets much more interesting. zain verjee out of london for us, thanks. politics now. here at home, our latest poll shows that rick perry is rocking the republican white house race. paul steinhauser is in manchester, new hampshire, this morning with all of the numbers. paul. >> reporter: did you need more evidence that rick perry ace entrance into the race is shaking things up? check out this poll. at the top the long time texas governor 27% say they want him as their nominee for the party. look at that. mitt romney who was the front-runner in about every poll earlier this summer, well, the former massachusetts governor at 14% and palin 10% and bachmann at 9% and as is giuliani. palin and giuliani flirting with ruan for the white house and haven't announced. take them out of the mix and it looks at perry 32% and romney 18% and bachmann at 12% and gingrich at 7% and ron paul who is making his third run for the white house at 6%. a lot of people who jumped into the race late in elections past have also jumped quickly to the top of the polls and interesting to see if rick perry has staying power. five presidential debates including two cnn ones coming up in the next several months. a lot of things to test rick perry coming up. >> that's true. you remember yesterday at the white house briefing jay carney was asked about hillary clinton running for president in 2012. let's go ahead and listen. >> running away from this question? i mean, can you guarantee that, i mean, are you sure not going to run? >> you have to ask her. >> you can hear the different people with the different views there and bottom line, he said you're going to have to ask her. so what do you think? is a hillary run really possible? >> reporter: leach have asked her and our wolf blitzer asked her in march and all of these times she has been asked she says, no, no, not running for president and again doesn't want a second term as secretary of state. what do democrats think? owed with democrats only in this question should the president be renominated or not? 27% say he should not be renominated to lead the democrat irparty in 2012 election up from earlier this year. so some democrats a little upset right now with president barack obama. >> paul steinhauser from new hampshire, thanks. your next political update in an hour. always get all of the political news go to cnn/politics.com. dick cheney says it will take cheap shots. tell you coming up. warren jeffs is in a coma. we will have that story when we go cross country after the break. another good thing about geico is, they've got, like, real live people working there 24/7. so like say you need to report a claim, alright. a real person will be there to help you. then you can use geico.com to view photos of the damage, track your claim, print an estimate. you want an english muffin? they literally hand you a toasted muffin with butter and jam. (sigh) whaa. tasty. that's, that's a complete dramatization of course, but you get my point. vo: geico 15 minutes could save you 15% or more on car insurance. discover aveeno positively radiant tinted moisturizers with scientifically proven soy complex and natural minerals. give you sheer coverage instantly, then go on to even skin tone in four weeks. aveeno tinted moisturizers. ♪ for a snack like you ♪ to come into my life [ female announcer ] lean cuisine has snacks! like creamy cheesy spinach artichoke dip with warm pita. new from lean cuisine®. once again we want to show you live pictures out of patterson, new jersey. we have been able to actually watch the search and rescue teams go door-to-door trying to get people out of their homes. we have been telling you about the water there coming from the passaic river and supposed to crest today at its highest level since 1903. sergeant alex papa is on the phone now with patterson new jersey police department to talk us through some of these live pictures. so, sergeant, as we are getting this feed in from wabc, can you tell us who is all involved in the search and rescue missions and exactly what they are doing? >> good morning. patterson fire department in coordination with the police department and office of emergency management, we are dealing with quite a few resc s rescues. over 500 people rescued by boat and pretty much approaching that has been safe in a shelter in a community college which is now nearing its capacity. >> what type of people have you been rescuing, sergeant? families, kids, elderly? actually, we are looking at a shot now of one of the rescue workers holding what looks like a brand-new baby with the rest of the family here and none of the boats. describe to us. is this mainly what you are dealing with is family that are trapped? >> we are dealing with elderly people, families, small children, and pets as well along the flood-prone aers of the passaic river. it's been pretty much 24 hours a day. people call and we dispatch the fire department and they get out there with the boats and rescued people from the river who have jumped into the river or fallen off of a bridge. we have rescues also from the passaic river. >> how many people do you think you've rescued so far, sergeant? >> it's over 500 and the amount is climbing. we are still getting calls for people that are trapped and need to be rescued and dealing with that as we speak. >> now, i don't like asking this question, but as you know, we have been covering the number of people that have died due to these conditions. are you coming across folks that didn't make it? >> luckily, to this point, we have not had any fatalities and we hope it stays that way. as far as the other fatalities along the river, i don't know. in patterson no fatalities as of yet. >> what are you advising people in your area who may be home watching cnn and seeing these live pictures? if they are trapped, how besides calling 911? is there a way that they can get the attention of your rescue crews by maybe stepping outside, going out into a patio? what are you advising? because you, obviously, want people to stay safe before rescuers are able to get to them. >> if at all possible, if they don't have a phone or access to a phone, if they can somehow get to a neighbor's house and call. we have a hot line. our command post is up 24 hours a day. if you can advise. the phone number 973-321-1142 and 973-321-1195. those are two dedicated phone lines that we have and then we dispatch the fire department and we will come get them if need be. >> just one more time for folks that are tuning in. i first hot line if you are, indeed, in the area, need help, 973-321-1142. sergeant, one more time can you give me the other number? >> sure. 973-321-1195 and that is manned 24 hours a day. that is our command post and we will dispatch the fire department there and we also are providing transportation to the shelter which is another municipality in a different county. >> we are watching the live pictures of your men and women carry out the search and rescue operations. they are doing an incredible job. sergeant, thanks for calling in. >> thank you. other stories are making news right now. polygamist warren jeffs in krl condition in the hospital. prison officials tell officials jeffs fell ill while fasting in his prison cell. he is serving a life sentence on child sex charges. a former nba player javaris crittenton on murder charges and taken in custody in l.a. while trying to board a plane to atlanta and apparently wanted in connection with a drive-by shooting death of a woman in atlanta on august 19th. hard landing for united express flight in moline, illinois. plane veered off the runway landing yesterday and coming to a stop in a nearby grassy area. no one hurt. officials are investigating what exactly happened. dick cheney's memoir is out today. he is promised, quote, heads will explode over this book. you can imagine, they already have. first one to do so, former secretary of state klecolin pow saying the book is full of cheap shots. its title is "in my time a personal and political memoir." for the first time we get insight into personal conversations with cheney and the george w. bush inner circle. john avalon is with the daily beast. i know you have, john, you haven't had a chance to get the full read but just like all of us, we have read the excerpts, seen the interview so far. you know, he reveals, apparently, all of these personal conversations with condoleezza rice, colin powell and george tenet. critics say he is rewriting history and he wants it portrayed the way he wants it portrayed. what is your take? >> winston churchill once said history will be kind to me because i tend to write it. . i think that is the motivation of any memoir. love him or hate him, he has has a successful career and probably a lot to learn here. but always take it with a grain of salt. this is going to be dick cheney's version of events not an objective historian's account. >> talk out there that cheney was the one calling the shots on crucial decisions, not george w. bush. and he was actually challenged on that point in an nbc interview. let's take a listen. >> i turn 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 getting 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 is saying let's go. i'm the leader. >> but he was. >> but you're revealing that it didn't happen that way. he cleared out the office and said, dick, what do you think we should do? >> right. >> it's a very different picture. >> right. but then he made the decision. it 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 embarrass the president. >> discussing the call to go to war in iraq. so what is your take? set out to embarrass the president or not? disrespectful? respectful? >> i think it's a fairly slim read. the decision to go to iraq is something that hangs over the bush administration in the eyes of history. whether you're for it or against it but i think what cheney is credible. of course, the president asked his advice. somebody who is the chief of staff to president gerald ford at the age of 37. d.o.d. secretary and vp and never disrupt the chain of command because that would hurt his effectiveness. i have no doubt he was influential in the administration and help drive the decision and probably picking information to be brought to the decision. at the end of the day the president made his own decision and i don't think in the interest of deck cheney to interrupt the chain of command. >> on cbs, powell did talk about this and he said the team was not functioning as a team. he was very blunt about that. what do you think is behind this book? is it venting, anger, is it saving face, or is it just getting the truth out about an an administration that didn't get along very well and was being slammed for iraq, waterboarding and all of the various resignations that happened. >> at the end of the day, dick cheney was never one to have criticisms and stand his ground on waterboarding. even when the administration was in office deep fault lines between the personnel. neocons and dick cheney and colin powell and condy rice. they didn't get along. dick cheney is a hard-liner and putting out his version of events and interesting book if only because he has been such a successful bureaucratic infighter with such disproportional flungs on the american history the last several decades. >> john avalon, thank you for weighing in. >> you bet. former prosecutor and top rated tv host and now dancer. hln's nancy grace is joining "dancing with the stars." your entertainment headlines are next. 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[ male announcer ] new bengay cold therapy. the same technology used by physical therapists. go to bengay.com for a 5-dollar coupon. require showbiz headlines. nancy grace joins 11 other celebs in "dancing with the stars." also david arquette and ron artest and u.s. soccer star hope solo. it will begin december 19th. ignited more than 8,800 tweets per second, fastest rate ever for any event twitter says. she warned matthew fox to get off. he wasn't invited on the bus. but he just wouldn't listen. >> i warned him three times and then here comes the fest and he started whaling on me so i started swinging back. >> did you hit him? >> i did. i hit him in the mouth. >> tmz was told fox looked drunk and hasn't decided yet whether she will press charges. alison kosik at the new york stock exchange. the opening bell just a few minutes away. we had a big rally yesterday. what is in store today, alison? >> reporter: we did have a nice rally yesterday. the second time we saw the dow jump 200 points in august. opening bell expect to see the markets take a step back. look at the positive with monday's jump. all of the markets are still in the red but the dow is actually getting closer to the break even mark. we did get one economic report so far today on home prices showing that home prices had a bit of a comeback the past three months jumping 3.6% but if you compare to how home prices were back in 2010 over the same period, they are still down 6%. not really having a big impact on the opening numbers on futures right now. we are also expecting reports on consumer confidence and fed minutes as well. we will be looking at the fed minutes because the last meeting, that is when the fed put an exact date how long it would keep rates low until 2013 and could find out why the fed members disagree on doing that. we will have the numbers for you. >> thanks. they missed the mark when it came how hard the winds would be blowing on hurricane irene. we will talk about that next in four minutes. if you believe the latest polls, rick perry is way out in front of among republican white house contenders. the numbers and a closer look at the texas governor is straight ahead. oh, we call it the bundler. let's say you need home and auto insurance. you give us your information once, online... [ whirring and beeping ] [ ding! ] and we give you a discount on both. great! did i mention no hands in the bundler? bundling and saving made easy. now, that's progressive. call or click today. possibilities are everywhere. multiply them with the premier rewards gold card from american express. with triple membership rewards points on airfare, double on gas, double on groceries, and a single point on everthing else, it's a fast way to earn more every day. plus, you can earn 10,000 bonus points. and the annual fee the first year is on us. call 800.axp.gold to apply. checking top stories now. moammar gadhafi wife and three children in algerians after they allowed him on humanitarian grounds. gadhafi daughter is reported to have given birth this this morning this morning as well. michael vick signed six-year $100 million contract. two seasons ago, vick was a third string quarterback after coming out of prison. tropical storm katia is way out in the atlantic ocean now, but expected to strengthen and speed up. too soon to tell if katia will make landfall in the u.s. irene has left the national stage but its impact is far from over. let's take a look. at least 5 million customers now without power. at least 38 people confirmed dead in 11 states. and three navy ships with several large helicopters are off new york and can also provide search and rescue missions. also reps from the obama administration are fanning out across three of the hardest hit states today, north carolina, virginia, and vermont. let's take a live look now from patterson, new jersey, where massive flooding there has taken place. the passaic river actually crested overnight. its highest level in more than a hundred years. the star ledger newspaper is reporting at least 400 homes have been evacuated. now in the last hour, i spoke with the police officer in patterson and he says that those rescues have been going on throughout the night and this morning. >> elderly people, families, small children, and pets as well along the flood-prone areas of the passaic river. it's been pretty much 24 hours a day when people call, we dispatch the fire department and they get out there with the boats. we also had several people rescued from the river who have fallen or jumped into the river or fallen off of a bridge. rescues also from the passaic river. it's over 500 and the amount is climbing. we are still getting calls for people that are trapped and need to be rescued so we are dealing with that as we speak. >> i don't like asking this question. but as you know, we have been covering the number of people that have died due to these conditions. are you coming across folks that didn't make it? >> luckily, to this point, we have not had any fatalities and hoping it stays that way. as far as the other municipalities along the river. i don't know. in patterson no fatalities as of yet. >> good. i was just having a conversation. i thought i had said little falls, new jersey. no. those were picktures from patterson, new jersey. we are following the live pictures from search and rescue operations taking place all night. forecasters and many people cleaning up this morning say irene's impact justified those government warnings to get out of the way. our john zarrella takes a look at how experts at the national hurricane center predict these storms. >> max owns a bar outside of philadelphia. it flooded. he says no way did the government overreact to irene. >> i think we all got really lucky. it could have been a lot worse. i'd rather be safe than sorry. i think they did what was necessary. i think better safe than sorry. >> reporter: this is where the information comes from that helps keep you safe, rather than sorry. the national weather service in miami. here, the science of forecasting is digested, regurgitated. all of the forecasters told 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 category 3 storm at landfall. >> reporter: instead, irene was a category 1, the weakest. so what happened? simple. hurricane forecasters say they are 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 of 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 char cha charley went uphill. we have a long way to go. >> reporter: reid 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 is 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. >> john is joining us from miami now. john, what is the hurricane center doing to better understand the intensity of these storms? >> reporter: bill reid was telling me yesterday they are no better off now than they were 20 years ago at forecasting hurricane intensity. there is a project that is under way right now where they are using the super computers, advance modeling and doppler radars to try to get a better look at the core of the hurricane, the heart of the hurricane right around the center to try and start to get a better understanding of what makes them tick and they say some of the things they are finding, some promising stuff coming out of that project. >> we will keep watching. john, thanks. michele bachmann making headlines again. this time, it was about the earthquake and the arrival of hurricane irene. messages, she says, from god. >> washington, d.c., you'd think by now they would get the message. an earthquake. a hurricane! are you listening? the american people have done everything they possibly can. now it's time for an act of god and we're getting it! >> now her explanation. >> of course, it would be absurd and ridiculous to think that that was the intention of my comment. if you know me, you know that i am a person who loves humor. i have a great sense of humor and i think it's important to exhibit that humor sometimes when you're talking to people as well. and if you take everything that a person says straightforward, you misunderstand the intent. so, of course, i was being humerhuma humorous when i said that. you've heard about what rick perry said last night and you're wondering did he really say that? here you go. >> adios, mofo. >> it appears to be working for him, too. we have got a new poll to show you that puts perry well out in front of the gop race. intelle that's helping drive the future of business. in here, inventory can be taught to learn. ♪ machines have a voice. ♪ medical history follows you. it's the at&t network -- a network of possibilities... committed to delivering the most advanced mobile broadband experience to help move business... forward. ♪ [ male announcer ] they'll see you...before you see them. cops are cracking down on drinking and riding. drive sober, or get pulled over. rick perry only jumped into the race for the white house not too long ago and already he is kicking some you know what. a new poll of republicans puts the texas governor way out in front of gop presidential candidates. it isn't even close in this one. former massachusetts governor mitt romney is in a pretty distant second. so cnn's ed lavandera lays it out for us. >> 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. >> aadios, mofo. >> reporter: it became a snapshot and created t-shirts. he says perry is a fun, small town guy. what you see is what you get. >> the american people don't want robots. they don't want sound bites. they want folks who speak from the heart and that is what rick perry has always done. >> reporter: but critics say behind closed doors, the governor can be vindictive and decisive. >> he is smart and he is aggressive. he is focused on winning elections. >> reporter: mike villareal was elected as a democratic state representative at the same time perry became governor. he says perry rarely gets involved in the nitty-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 is not his priority. >> perry is a guy who sets a clear agenda and rolls up his sleeves and get to work, taking his message to the people. >> reporter: during rick perry's tenure as governor a long story lines that major campaign donors have received preference shal treatment or appointed government positions. critics say the governor has created a play to pay political culture in texas. is the governor guilty of that? >> rick perry is the most scrutinized probe in texas history. he has been very transparent. >> reporter: in last year's texas governor race his opponent called him part-timier pi after the governor's schedule suggested several dozen days without state business and a working week averaging just seven hours in the first half of 2010. perry says he works around the clock. >> i've been the governor for ten years and if they made anybody that can outwork me yet, please introduce me to him or her. >> reporter: even his staunchest political conveyors 0 offer this. that he shouldn't be underestimated. lz granderson in his latest op-ed saying jon huntsman needs to restart his campaign and run it like ross perot. that is next. an accident doesn't have to slow you down. with better car replacement, if your car is totaled, we give you the money for a car one model year newer. liberty mutual auto insurance. 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[ engine revs, tires screech ] mom? ♪ when lz granderson looked at the current field of republican candidates he says he feels trapped. as a matter of fact if he had to go to the ballot box tomorrow he would be forced to ma make a decision. a decision he says which is deciding which limb to cut off. there is one candidate he says he wants to hear more from, jon huntsman. lz in your editorial you say he should reboot his campaign and become an independent. why? >> because when last i checked, i think the gallup polls, he was behind lady gaga among republican favorites to win the primary. so i think this party, his campaign needs to seriously reconsider what they have been doing and i think it's not even i think. i know for a fact there are a lot of independents who think he is an attractive candidate, but as long as he is focusing in on trying to be a gop candidate, he won't be able to get that national platform the way that a lot of independents would like to see him do. so i think re-booting, going ross perot, if you will, make actually help him a great deal. >> you're taking me back to lubbock, texas, when i was a young reporting covering a man by the name of ross perot. i will never forget it. we saw what happened there. boy, did he gain speed and then it went like this. so what is it that you would want to see huntsman do specifically and why huntsman? >> again, because i think huntsman is someone who has shown to have politics that appeals to both conservative -- or conservative democrats, as well as more liberal-leaning republicans. when ross perot ran, you know, we really looking at the independent voter as a serious movement, as a serious group of voters. that is totally different today. and i think if you look at the polls -- in fact, only 13% of americans approve of congress, that means there are a lot of people looking for someone outside of the establishment and huntsman, who has worked with obama administration, has had criticism, who has had criticism directed at his gop running contenders, is someone who looks more of middle line and more moderate and more attractive. >> lz, thanks for joining us this morning. >> hey, thank you, as always. >> you bet. you can also read lz's latest piece on cnn.com/opinion. he loves that. give him a comment and get him fired up. checking stories now making news later today. president obama addressing the american legion national convention in minneapolis at noon. 12:15 eastern the republican governors association releases a report detailing 32 policy solutions for fixing medicaid. 3:00 eastern the united nations security council meets to remove a freeze on government. and a while courtroom attack in cleveland all caught on tape, and we will tell you what is behind the incident. ♪ [ female announcer ] we're throwing away misperceptions about natural gas vehicles. more of the vehicles that fuel our lives use clean american natural gas today. it costs about 40 percent less than gasoline, so why aren't we using it even more? start a conversation about using more natural gas vehicles in your community. but afraid you can't afford it? well, look how much insurance many people can get through selectquote for less than a dollar a day. selectquote found, rich, 37, a $500,000 policy for under $18 a month. even though dave, 43, takes meds to control his blood pressure, selectquote got him a $500,000 policy for under $28 a month. ellen, 47, got a $250,000 policy for under $20 a month. all it takes is a phone call. your personal selectquote agent will answer all your questions ... and impartially shop the highly rated term life companies selectquote represents for your best rates. give your family the security it needs at a price you can afford. call this number or go to selectquote dot com. selectquote. we shop. you save. stories across country now. barack obama's uncle has beeen arrested on a dui charge. officials in massachusetts say that he failed a field sobriety test. we are told he is in the country illegal and the white house confirms he is the half brother of president obama's late father. and this man appears in court for trespassing charges and clearly upset and hurls a backpack at the judge who managed to duck under the bench. officers nearby jumped into action and tackled the man to the ground. michael jackson and fans are celebrating what would have been the king of pop's 53rd birthday. hundreds of fans gathered out of his home in gary, indiana, and the jackson family members made a rare appearance. and let's check in with dan rivers in tripoli. dan? >> yeah, thanks. people here are digesting news that members of colonel gadhafi's family have fled across to neighboring algeria, and two of his sons and wife and daughter are believed to have crossed yesterday at 8:45 confirmed by the algerian government who does not recognize the rebel transitional national government, and they were allowed to cross on humanitarian grounds. i'm christine romans in new york. what the president needs to do now to create jobs, and why his critics say, kyra, it is not what he does, but what the president must un-do to create jobs. the biggest political fight that you have seen yet over jobs coming up at the top of the hour. i'm amber lion in vermont where the floodwaters have turned some communities in the state to essentially islands and some residents say they have been left to fend for themselves. i will have more coming up at the top of the hour. >> all right. thanks, guys. are natural disasters a sign from god to clean up our act? we will talk to a religious scholar, and regardless of what the pundits are saying, he says that natural disasters are firmly rooted in science and not religion. [ male announcer ] members of the american postal workers union 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? millions? tens of millions? hundreds of millions? not a single cent. the united states postal service doesn't run on your tax dollars. it's funded solely by stamps and postage. brought to you by the men and women of the american postal workers union. ♪ [ male announcer ] they'll see you...before you see them. cops are cracking down on drinking and riding. drive sober, or get pulled over. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com cops are cracking down on drinking and riding. it is hard to believe that two years ago michael vick was getting out of prison. jeff, now he is cashing in and it is remasrkable. >> it really is. truly one of the great football players we have seen in the last couple of decades and all went wrong of course, and now the comeback. the philadelphia eagles giving michael vick a six-year $100 million contract and $40 million guaranteed. this is a comeback story, and vick signed the biggest contract in history when he was with the falcons, but then the dogfighting. he spent a year and a half in prison and went bankrupt and last year he was named the comeback player of the year and made the pro bowl, and this year because of vick, the eagles are favored to get to the super bowl and now he is one of the highest paid members of the nfl. and the jets and the giants, and it was delayed due to hurricane irene. and now cromartie gets it going, and takes the ball back lxx yards before being pushed out of bounds. nice run back, and you won't see as many because of the new return rule. and the jets win this one 17-3, and the nfl regular season starts in nine days. i know you are excited. venus williams in an unusual spot in the u.s. open, unseeded. she is taking on russia's vezina at the first round, and look who is in the house, tony bennett. venus naggeded by injuries, but she had the serve working. she is looking for the first u.s. title in ten years, yes, back to 2001. and baseball at the royals and tigers game. the fans came to play. the foul ball and the fan came with the glove and the nice grab, and look at the huge mitt. that thing is enormous and like a butterfly net or something. that is enormous. >> yes, it is. >> and fist bumps and he probably plays slow-pitch softball or something where you need the big mitts. and of course, they were celebrating, and the tigers did lose at home. >> i played slow-pitch softball and i didn't remember those big mitts. is that my problem? maybe that is why i missed every pop-fly to center. >> no, i'm sure you didn't. >> thank you, jeff. all right. it is the top of the hour, and we begin this hour with the lingering misery caused by hurricane irene. the new drama unfolding this hour. pictures coming to us here from paterson, new jersey. crews going door-to-door, already plucking 500 people from their homes. the floodwaters are overflowing from the passaic river. do we have that live shot by the way of the passaic river? are we able to get that? it is frozen, but wait until we bring the pictures, because you will see it is intermittent, but it is incredible. it did freeze, but we will bring it to you when it fires up. that is the passaic river that is supposed to crest today at the highest level in more than a century. now, we talked about all of the search and rescue missions going on last hour, and now we are joined -- that was with with the police department, and now we are joined by edward o'connell who is joining us by phone to tell us about the river, and he is the liaison of the passaic river county office there with the emergency management system, and it is a fluid situation where we are getting live pictures of the search and rescue that the fire and the police department are carrying out and then the live picture of the passaic and remarkable shot we get, and sometimes it freezes, but bring us up to date right now with regard to the water and, you know, how far has it risen? give us the status. >> as of 9:00 a.m. tuesday, the passaic river at little falls was at 18.19 feet, and still rising. so they are expecting it to crest some time today and the other rivers will be rising as well, and they are expecting to crest as well today. >> what could that mean? put this in perspective for us and people in your area, and you know, we have been watching more than 500 search and rescue missions have taken place so far and your guys and gals are still out there rescuing people as this water continues to rise, and how bad can it get? >> when it crests, we will have to assess the damages then. we do have urban search and rescue team from the state assisting the fire departments and first responders trying to get the evacuations done. the evacuations are ongoing and in woodland park and little falls and paterson, and we have approximately done 1,700 evacuations up to date. and hopefully, it will crest soon and we can assess the damages. >> well, i was able to get two phone numbers from the representative from your police department last hour and he said that the calls continue to come in. are you able to keep up with all of the 911 calls and the people who are calling for help? >> we are doing the best we can. obviously, the priority calls will come in first, and then we will go from there, but we trying the best we can. >> what the crews are doing is once they are able to pluck somebody or pluck a family and get them to safety, they are taking them directly to shelters, is that right? is everybody -- >> well, we have several shelters open in wayne, bloomingdale, and others where they will take them to shelters or hopefully family in higher grounds, and a lot of people have self-evacuated already as of yesterday and the day before. >> as you can image, we are getting lots of calls on how people can help. and we have set up an area on impact your world on cnn.com. what is it that you need specifically? what do your people need at this point? how's the water situation, food situation? >> they can contact their local olem, and go through them and it is different with each town. right now -- >> what do you think you need, edward? >> excuse ne? >> what do you think that you need with regard to what do the people need right now that you are rescuing? >> right now, people need to get on dry ground and cooperate with the search and rescue teams out there trying to get them to drier and higher ground. >> but you have enough food, water for folks at that point? >> right now, the food and water situation stable. and hopefully we won't run into that problem at all. >> all right. edward o'connell with the passaic county emergency management, and i know you are busy and the phone is ringing, and you are busy, so we will let you go. we will stay on the story and continue to monitor the situation there. >> thank you so much. >> you bet. long before irene arrived, a sense of dread fell over the town of little falls, but people are saying that is the worst they have seen. flood floodwaters are expected to crest there today as well. and at last check 5 million people without power, and throughout the morning the death toll has been jumping up as well. 38 people now confirmed dead in 11 states, and that could go higher. three navy ships are off of the coast of new york waiting to help with the search and rescue efforts. and then you have administrations of the obama administration to fan out between three of the hardest hit states virginia, north carolina and vermont. from north carolina to new england, millions of americans are focused on cleaning up everything that is left behind from irene, and that means costly repairs to the washed out roads an bridge and bridges ande hardest hit is vermont. our amber lyon is there at the sax river. have things improved there? >> well, we have spoken to residents who say that the conditions are deteriorating because relief supplies cannot get to them. i am standing in a community in a community that was fielded where the river right over there rose 20 feet. they say you could see houses, chicken coops and all kinds of belongings and debris floating down that river. when it crested, it came across here depositing a thick layer of mud and muck that i'm standing in right now as i can barely move my -- whew, my boot, because it is so intense here. this also spread over to the road. if you see that road, it has been shutdown because the roads can not drive over it because of the mud. that is happening all over the state, and 260 roads shutdown and some communities becoming essentially islands after the bridges and roads leading in and out of town have been wiped out. one of the communities in a neighborhood of 25 homes, and we spoke to one of the residents, and he says that no relief supplies have arrived and residents have been fending for themselves and literally walking across the bridge to go get food and water an carryikaand carryi over to their homes. so far three confirmed deaths in the state from the flooding, but the governor estimates even more deaths, because there are people still unaccounted for in the small mountain communities that rescue crews cannot reach quite as easily, because there is such an issue with the roads. yesterday, president obama declared a state of emergency in this state. today the governor will be out touring the damage by helicopter with fema, and we will bring you more details on that coming up later in the day, kyra. >> all right. sounds good. amber lyon there in saxton river, and thank you so much. if you want to make a difference and help those devastated by hurricane irene, we have compiled a whole list of relief organizations, and all you have to do is to visit the impact your world page at cnn.com/impact. today, airlines are struggling to get back on line after hurricane irene cancelled hundreds of flights over the weekend. and those cancelled flights are cost the airlines big bucks. alison kosik is at the new york stock exchange, so what type of losses are the airlines going to face? >> well, kyra, they are going to lose up to $300 million in profits from hurricane irene, and analystforecast.com say that 13,000 flights were canceled from friday and that means lost revenue from the people who cancelled trips and did not rebook. the airlines also waived the change fees which they love to get a lot of revenue which comes out to $100 a ticket, and they didn't get that either. guess which airline is going to be hit the hardest? this analyst says jetblue because irene may shave 20% off of jetblue's annual earnings, because mostf of the flights go to the east coast, go to the east coast like new york and boston and obviously, that is is where irene hit. overall for the industry, when you look broadly, it is bad time, because the profits are already low because of the weak economy and not a lot of people are flying these days. kyra? >> what do you think it will mean to passengers? >> one big fat headache, especially if the passengers are looking to re-book, because it is a test of patience. one study says that the wait at an american airlines customer service counter is 1 1/2 hours long, and i have good news for you, because the airlines are not expected to raise the fees, because they got ahead of irene and meaning they moved the planes to safe areas and rebooked flyers beforehand and are organized. obviously, there is loss of life and property from irene, but overall damage is lower than expected. compared to the blizzard of last christmas, it shaved off days of the flying, because airlines had to clean the ice and the snow off of the runways and the planes and they could not start flying until days later. also, the airlines this time around, they have spare seats on hand and they are able to re-book the passengers on the flights this time around if they are willing to go on the vacations which labor day is coming up, so maybe they will. kyra? >> right around the corner. thank you, alison. and the latest on the war in libya and a new deadline for the troops loyal to a deposed dictator. fighters say that soldiers have until sunday to surrender or face assault. opposition troops are also closing in on gadhafi's hometown. and meanwhile, the national transitional council plans to ask algeria to extradite gadhafi's relatives who are hiding there. and now the deadline that has been issued for the troops to lay down their weapons. dan simon is in tripoli, and what do you know? >> well, they have been given this kind of eid, kyra, to lay down the arms in sirte or face another onslaught from the rebels. we are told that nato is continuing to pummel sirte and hitting various targets and more than 40 sorties in the last 24 hours alone, so that gives you an idea of what a desperate situation those gadhafi loyalists are in now. they are basically surrounded and they have nato hitting them from the air. they have been given four days to lay down their weapons or the rebels will go in to take their town. >> all right. dan rivers there in tripoli for us. you know, nato is saying that it is not letting up on the pounding forces loyal to gadhafi either. his troops still have the ability to command and control systemic attacks, so let's go live to zain verjee in london, and zain, nato is saying it won't commit any ground troops, but rebels, do they need them or not? >> well, what nato has said a short while ago in the press conference, they absolutely will not do this. there's a divided school of thought as to whether there should be ground troops or not. they figure if they can militarily deal with it just by using aerial force, that is way better than committing to troops on the ground financially as well as politically, and if the rebels can get their act together and make a transition happen quickly, they don't need to have the troops on the ground, and we know through special reports there are forces from the uk and france that are helping the rebels on the ground. so there are foreign boots on the ground and just not nato. the other thing that nato said, kyra, in a press conference a short time ago, too, is that the operational focus is on sirte, but because it is a coastal area, it is difficult, because there are a lot of small and large village, and they are going to have to maneuver carefully. so essentially translating, they need to be careful of civilian casualties, and yes, the other important point to note, they said that moammar gadhafi and the remnants of his regime do still have a degree of operational command and control. what they are hoping is that the dialogue will work out between the rebels and the gadhafi loyalists, and there is a peaceful outcome. kyra? >> if you watch the way things are going thus far, it seems far-reaching, but we will follow it. zain, thanks. so are earthquakes and hurricanes punishments from god? despite the words of some pundits, scholars say that national disasters are one arena where science has almost trumped the language of religion. a former nba player has been arrested on murder charges. it is not the first brush with the law either. naturals from purina cat chow. delicious, real ingredients with no artificial flavors or preservatives. naturals from purina cat chow. share a better life. helps defends against occasional constipation, diarrhea, gas and bloating. with three strains of good bacteria to help balance your colon. you had me at "probiotic." 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'cuz robots work for free. robot 1:good morning... robot 1:...female child. sfx: modem dial-up noise woman: are there flaws? yeah, um, maybe. anncr: there's an easier way to save. anncr: get online. go to geico.com. get a quote. 15 minutes could save you 15% or more on car insurance. stories across country now, polygamist leader warren jeffs in critical condition in the hospital. texas prison officials say he fell ill while fasting in his prison cell, and he fell into a coma. he is facing life sentence on sex charges. and officials have charged javaris crittenden, a former nba player with murder charges. he is wanted in connection of a driveby shooting of a woman in atlanta. and a woman from moline, texas, veers off of the runway. national transportation agency is investigating. so, do you blame god for natural disasters? how can we forget that pat robertson said that earthquake and hurricane katrina were god's curse and then recently michele bachmann. >> you would think washington, d.c. by now would get the message. an earthquake, a hurricane -- [ laughter ] are you listening? the american people have done everything they possibly can, and now it is time for an act of god, and we are getting it. >> okay. she says that she was joking. but the discussion as led religious scholars to write an op-ed for the belief blog, and he is joining us from cape cod, and steven, you write that god is no longer in the whirlwind, and what do you think, americans as a whole, do they no longer interpret natural disasters as say signs of the apocalypse? >> well, i don't think they do so much, and the fact is that robertson and bachmann are in the mainstream in american history. for most of our history we have interpreted things like hurricanes or earthquakes as messages from god, and you know, usually fingers pointing at us for some sin political or cultural or otherwise, but that has shifted to where conservative christians say that they have to say it is a joke when they say it or pose it in the form of a question as pat robertson did the other day with the crack in the washington monument with the earthquake, and so things have changed in this arena with science and religion where science is the dominant language in terms of thinking of the events. >> do you think that people are less religious, stephen, or more pragmatic? >> well, i don't think that we are less religious, but at least in this realm the power of the theological interpretation of the apock lapse is shrinking so that 95% of people praying to god are christians and believers, and they will pray to god for things in their life, relationship, their family, and things like that, but it is at the macro level of the nation and the supernatural so-called acts of god that i think that the explanatory power of theology is going away. >> final question, stevphestephn god does have something to say, when does he or she have to say it? >> well, the way that americans are hearing god is more through the bible and then through their own hearts. it is sort of a quieter voice, and also through their own pastors and preachers and rab rabbis, but this whirlwind of the earthquake and hurricane irene is not voice of god, but stuff happening out there through air pressure and ta tectonic plates. >> thank you so much, stephen, from the belief blog. >> thank you for having me. talk show host nancy grace joins the cast of "dancing with the stars" and she weighs in on the chances of winning. [ male announcer ] this is coach parker... whose non-stop day starts with back pain... and a choice. take advil now and maybe up to four in a day. or choose aleve and two pills for a day free of pain. way to go, coach. ♪ nancy grace's new dancing gig, and beyonce busts a social media record, and a "lost" actor takes one on the chin. showbiz host a.j. hammer with the latest entertainment headlines. a.j., our nancy grace is busting a move. we can't wait. we have all been talking about it. >> oh, yeah, nancy is going to be busy in the coming weeks and months. the hln co-anchor is joining "dancing with the stars." she has an interesting cast this year, and it is a variety of stars this season. you have the u.s. women's soccer star hope solo, and ricki lake, and kristen kcavallari and carsn kressley, and rob kardashian and ron artest who is in the process of changing his name to metta world peace, and chaz bono born a woman who has become a man and i know who kyra is routing for, j.r. martinez who is not as well known as the other stars, but he is a wounded war veteran currently starring on "all my children" an nay si says she knows that the competition is tough, but she is going to give it her best. this is what she told us. >> i know can i try. i'm not the youngest, the thinnest, the prettiest or the best dancer, but i have a lot of heart. that has to count for something, right? >> now, kyra, i have to tell you that i'm eager to hear how nancy will react and say when a judge tells her something that she does not like or disagrees with. >> well, i can't wait to see that, but she did hit it on the head, she has a lot of heart, and you know my heart, a.j. and the vets and the wounded warriors especially, and i'm a big supporter. it looks like beyonce the unofficial queen of twitter now, and i can't believe the way that her twitter lit up the way after we saw the baby bump. >> yeah, this is pretty amazing. beyonce made a big splash by announce sheeg was pregnant at the mtv award show. there were the most tweets per second for any event ever from her baby news. the earthquake that shook the east coast last week generates 5500 tweets per second and that is the number generated by the death of osama bin laden and the japanese earthquake and kyra, i won't delve into the commentary that makes, but beyonce is now the biggest thing on twitter. >> okay. a bus driver in cleveland says that kind of got into it with one of the cast members from "lost." >> yeah, sounds like matthew fox from that show ran into one tough lady. her name is heather borman and she is saying that a drunk-looking fox tried to push his way on to her party bus, and she wasn't have any of it. >> i warned him three times, and then here comes the fist, and he started wailing on me, so i started to swing back. >> did you hit him? >> i did. i hit him in the mouth. >> there you go. borm bormann has decided not to press charges, but i am guessing that fox is wearing a few bruises. >> maybe the next big fighter. >> look out. >> thank you, a.j. great to see you. dick cheney says that the new book is going to make heads explode in washington. as you can imagine, our political panel may have a few other ideas. and i was a longtime smoker. in my heart i knew for the longest time that did not want to be a smoker. and the fact that i failed before. i think i was discouraged for a very long time. ♪ knowing that i could smoke during the first week was really important to me. 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[ male announcer ] ask your doctor about chantix. over 7 million people have gotten a prescription. learn how you can save money and get terms and conditions at chantix.com. what if we designed an electric motorcycle? what if we turned trash into surfboards? whatever your what if is, the new sprint biz 360 has custom solutions to make it happen, including mobile payment processing, instant hot spots, and powerful devices like the motorola photon 4g. so let's all keep asking the big what ifs. sprint business specialists can help you find the answers. sprint. america's favorite 4g network. trouble hearing on the phone? visit sprintrelay.com. it's high time to make our floor look better and feel softer. ♪ how 'bout we start with the guaranteed low price on the carpet... the pad, and installation. let's get peace of mind for a lifetime. it all adds up to the lowest total price on our carpet project. guaranteed. and a room that looks better than we ever imagined. more saving. more doing. that's the power of the home depot. get 12 months special financing on carpet purchases when you use your home depot credit card. checking top stories. libyan rebel leaders giving gadhafi loyalists until saturday to surrender towns. moammar gadhafi's whereabouts not known. michael vick has signed a $600 million contract. just a season ago he was a quarterback coming out of prison. and too soon to tell if katia will make landfall in the u.s. out in the atlanta. and now, the political topics and 30 seconds on the clock and playing today is democratic strategist keith boykin and first time with us, and comcast bureau chief and will cain. and first question, dick cheney's book hits the stands today and we are all talking about it, so will heads really explode over this, as he says it will, or is this a book rehashing six years of bush? keith? >> i think that my head is going to explode if i have to watch dick cheney on another television interview. i have seen him everywhere talking about rehashing the past six years and it seems like he is not taking any responsibility for anything that went wrong in the bush administration, and everything that went well is his responsibility. so he is saying i'm right and everybody else is wrong. >> will? >> well, there is a reason that people like chris christie, and the same people that people like howard stern, because they tell you exactly what they think with no regard to your feelings or whether or not you agree. dick clayheney is in the same m and written a book and tells insider stories and he doesn't care if you agree with him or care about your feelings, and i don't know if it will make your head explode, but it is not a rehashing of the last eight years, keith. >> and you make explosive headlines with a book, so dick cheney is creating a sizzle saying, read my book and i'm not sure about people's heads exploding, but egos are going to be bruised and we saw that over the weekend with general powell and condoleezza rice over the weekend. so every single person who wants to write a book and be on the new york bestseller hlist, they make headlines. >> we are falling right into the sell the book club. all right. moving on. alan krueger is now the lead guru in the economic team for president obama, and so is this a reshuffling of the deck? will? >> yes, a reshuffling of of the deck. this guy was assistant treasury department secretary under obama and friends with summers and geithner and goolsby and this is the epitome of the appointment, but you can't blame them after losing summers and row mar and goolsby and it is a fact and not a critique. it is what they need to look for, and besides, it is not like there is some imaginative new way to fix the economy, so this is probably the right move for the administration. >> keith? >> no, it is not reshuffling the deck. he is a brilliant economist and done smart work on the minimum wage and he is going to help the administration with the jobs proposal they are working on right now and help to do more on the jobs agenda, because that the issue that most americans are concerned about, so to pick somebody who has the specialty and the expertise in the field of jobs and in the field of creating jobs or doing something about unemployment is a smart move by president obama and it will help not only with the p s present election, but with the economy in our country. >> robert? >> in many ways i don't want anybody's head to explode here, but in many ways president obama is similar to president bush in terms of predictable. president obama likes to have people around him that he is comfortable with and that he also knows that he has a relationship with. so having this person come back to the administration is predictable on the president's part, but the unfortunate part of it is that there is no fresh thinking, there and that is the frustration of a lot of people of wall street and main street have had with the president. >> all right. guys, your buzzer beater and 20 seconds each on this one. michele bachmann reportedly spent $4,700 getting a makeover as her campaign got under way, so let me ask you, who else should be spending that kind of money getting a makeover? robert? >> i think that every single presidential candidate out there should use $4,700 to kind of bust a move if you will to get out there and do something with the new sound track to kind of drum up some kind of enthusiasm on the campaign trail. so every person should get out there and bust a move a little bit. >> will? >> i have no idea what that means, robert. no idea. >> i guess we know that will has no rhythm. that is what he is saying. >> come on, will. give us some rhythm here, will. >> no chance. no, no, i will leave that to my friend pete dominic. here is ron paul. the guy has a message that exists way outside of the mainstream and resonates with a ton of voters, but the problem is that most of us who like him know that he is the wrong salesman for his ideas, and he does not quite put it together, so a $4,700 makeover could do ron paul a lot of good. >> keith? >> well, i think that i have two choices. one i would have to say that the republican super committee to choose six white men to decide the direction of the country in leading the economy, but the second choice in the presidential field has to be rick perry. i mean, haven't we seen this whole show before, and the whole george bush texas twang thing and people have to represent himself in a way that is not looking like the tired old package of the past. >> they never tire of that, keith. never tire of that. >> and i bet -- >> we texans are leaders. >> i bet that rick perry can two-step. >> i bet he can. >> and the texas two-step, right. >> and by the way, the two-step is probably in $4,700 cowboy boots. >> oh, i have seen the cowboy boots years ago and don't forget the tight wranglers either. gentlemen, i will talk to you later. and now facebook makes a change and dropping one of the newest features. ng. thankfully, there's listerine® antiseptic. its triple-action formula penetrates biofilm, kills germs and protects your mouth for hours. fight biofilm with listerine®. [ male announcer ] they'll see you...before you see them. cops are cracking down on drinking and riding. drive sober, or get pulled over. try capzasin-hp. it penetrates deep to block pain signals for hours of relief. capzasin-hp. take the pain out of arthritis. okay. we have got the obvious effects and more obvious effects of hurricane irene coming to us from the affiliate news 12 out of new jerseych it . that is flooding coming up near i-287 which kconnects into i-80 in parsnipny, new jersey, and the crews are in trying to fill it in. we have a steady picture with the crews in there, and basically the water was chipping away at the road making its way closer to the interstate, but they have crews there trying to fill it up, and you can see the water and how close it is to interstate traffic that is backed up for miles there. we are going to keep an eye on that for you. >> other stories across country now. barack obama's uncle has been arrested on dui charges. police in massachusetts say that he failed the field sobriety test and a law enforcement source is telling us that he is also in the country illegally, and the white house does confirm he is the half brother of president obama's late father. an attack in a ohio courtroom. it is all caught on tape. the man appeared in court for a trespassing charge and clearly upset because he hurled the backpack at the judge, an officers jumped into action and tackled the man to the ground. michael jackson's family and friends celebrating what would have been the king of pop's 53rd birthday. fans gathered outside of his childhood home in gary, indiana, and the jackson children made a rare public appearance as well. >> we have adjusted over the past years, and i think that coming here and seeing our dad's old house and all of the fans coming out, i think it is sweet that they did that. >> and fans also gathered in longhorn where a flash mob performed thriller. alison kosik of the new york stock exchange where it is a down day for the markets and a report of consumer confidence was released at the top of the hour, and what does it tell us about the economy, alison? >> not too inspiring, kyra, to be honest. most americans think that the economy is in bad shape. consumer confidence plunged hitting a two-year low and falling to a level that we haven't seen since the recession, but you have to remember that there is a lot going on in august and the debt ceiling debate and the s&p downgrade of the u.s. debt, and stock volatility and more people expect the business conditions and job market and incomes to get worse over the next six months but those worries could hit spending, and that is a problem, too, because spending is a big engine of growth. kyra. >> all right. move oefrg to faing over to facr they are ending one of the newest features, and what is going on? >> well, facebook is waving the white flag to end the daily deals program. it is only four months' old, and only lasted four months, but they tried to extend the revenue stream beyond advertising, but facebook did not succeed, because they tried to get into a group that has a leader. groupon could be going public soon, and not sure which stock exchange it will choose. looking at the stocks right now, the dow is down 59 points right now. kyra. >> all right. alis alison kosic, thank you so much. the pressure is on the white house to jump start ways to up the market. the president has picked a princeton professor to his council, and so let's talk about allan krueger. >> well, the president needs to do something big and bold and create jobs in the country now or the president has to sim ply un-do everything, erase the agenda, and so that the jobs can be created. don peck wrote about this, and he says he is in the camp that the president must do something, and here is what. >> more infrastructure spending and deeper extended payroll cut, and jobs credits to employers who make new hires. these are all things that we need to be doing. they are tools that we have available, that we are not using adequately and we switched to austerity to a large degree to the debt ceiling deal, and that is a mistake in this kind of economy. >> but you know, kyra, more of the same, and more spending and more infrastructure spending and unemployment benefits will not fly with conservatives like the "wall street journal's" moore. >> this is problems that i have in general, we tried these things and they don't work and then we try more of it. >> yes, they don't want more of it and many say that alan krueger is likely to be asking for more of what we have already done. you know, wisconsin senator ron johnson, a republican, is also blasting the white house, kyra, for having no clue of how to create jobs. he says that un-do the agenda, repeal health care reform, end the stimulus, scrap dodd/frank banking reform, and kyra, we are shaping up to have a big fight on our hands about how to create jobs. >> and back the krueger, because he has to get the thumbs up from the senate, right? >> yes, and he is a known quantity and worked in the administration before, and he has worked at treasury, so all of the people i'm talking to the are expecting him to be confirmed. they don't expect a bruising battle there, but the bruising battle they are expecting is over what the president wants the do to create jobs and whether the republicans are going if go along with it. i mean, simply this idea that stimulus didn't work, and the president's ideas have not worked and anything warmed over that we have tried before is not going to work, and that is something that the republicans will not let go of. one last thing, kyra, the cbo, the congressional budget office, had to do a report on the stimulus, and the fact-checker if you will on the stimulus, and said that the stimulus has created jobs. it is still adding to the economy, but not as much as the white house promised. that's what opponents of it will jump on. they say anything that looks like the stimulus in the president's job plan will not fly. >> all right. christine romans, thanks for weighing in. michael vick's comeback story goes gold. he signs a $100 million contract with the eagles. we will show you where vick ranks with the top nfl paid stars. mom? he's here. nice wheels. oh, thanks. keeps me young. hello there, handsome. your dinner's in the microwave, dear. ♪ where do you want to go? just drive. [ engine revs, tires screech ] mom? ♪ just two years after getting out of prison, michael vick has hit the jackpot, $100 million payday. jeff, it is interest, because he is one of the most hated men in america at least with the animal activists for sure. >> yes. >> and, you know, he went through a lot of repenting and, wow. look it. >> and there was a time when people thought no one is going to want him on the team, the and owners would not want to touch him. he came back and was quiet and went to play with the eagles and didn't play too well, but this last year, he was incredible, and comeback player of the year and made the pro bowl and rewarded big time. $100 million contract over the next six years. the key for him and any nfl player is $40 million guaranteed. nfl contracts are not guaranteed or at least not all of it. over the next six years he could make $100 million if he is as good as he was last year. and it is incredible that he missed the game for two full seasons dealing with the legal battles and going bankrupt as well. >> and who does he rank to next to regard of the highest paid players? >> well, he is now one of the top highest paid. the top is peyton manning, and there you see sam bradford is one of the great up and coming quarterbacks number two. and the way that they count the salary cap, michael vick is right in there, and count $14 million against the salary cap and that will help him, because even though he is making the money, he has money that he owes people. >> he has a lot of debt. >> yes, and by some estimations, $12 million, and in fact, on an allowance out of prison and allowed to spend about $4500 a month, and someone is keeping track of the pennies and the only extravagance is that he lets the kid go to private school to give them privacy, but really other than that, every penny is watched and now he can get out from under the debt and move on. and people feel should he move on or should he still continue to have to pay for what he did? >> well, he is doing a lot of speaking, and we are hearing an interview from npr, i heard not long ago, speaking to kids and talk to them about not doing what he did, and giving money to animal rights folks, et cetera. >> and to his credit, absolutely, he has not been quiet and said what he is supposed to say. and we hope he means it because he has been talking about doing something wrong. >> let's talk tennis moving on to the u.s. open. moving to new york. you have been talking about this, jeff. venus williams in a unusual spot, unseeded. taking on russia's -- help me out. >> well, there is practice required for her name. and venus gets the back hand there. and tony bennett in the house. take it from here. >> yes. and venus looking solid. she has not won the u.s. open in ten years and struggling with injuries, so is you wonder is she going to come back? because the crowd loves her at the u.s. open. they do. and of course, on the men's side everybody has their eye on rafael nadal. he is number two seed and not one. he goes on the court the night. he sat down with carol costello and talked about how the u.s. open crowd fires him up. >> i love the crowd here. i think that they have a big support from them last years, and hopefully this year i will have, too. so i feel a lot of passion when i go on this court. it is the biggest court on the tour, and the crowd is hard, so i love playing here in new york. >> it is a completely different feel to play in new york especially at night. he says he does not change the strategy depending upon the opponent and the night versus day, but talking about night, one great moment from the interview. he admitted that he does not like to sleep in the dark. he is afraid of the dark. can you believe it? he goes to bed with the lights on and the tv on and the computer on. >> oh, my gosh. that is like when i saw the movie "psycho" as a kid and i could not shower with the curtain closed. i love that. he is afraid of the dark. i am sure there are a lot of ladies who would make sure he is okay. >> and there were pictures that came out this week that were fans. >> another story. jeff, great to see you. all right. we will continue the talk about hurricane irene and the flooding that is still happening, the rescues still going on. among them, check this out. a brand new baby held in the arms of the rescuer, and we have the latest. well, irene is off of the map, but the problems it created are far from over. take a look at this. a baby in the arms of an emergency worker in paterson, new jersey. the infant is one of some 500 people rescued in the last 24 hours in paterson, and the police department is still getting calls this morning from people asking for help to get them out. flood victims are being taken to local community college, but paterson police sergeant told me that the college is near capacity with those victims. i asked spokesperson from the passaic county regional office about the rising waters and this is what he told me. >> as of 9:00 a.m. tuesday, the passaic river at little falls is rising. they are expecting it to crest at some time today and the other rivers will rise as well and they are expecting them to crest as well. >> and at least seven people have been killeded by the flooding there in new jersey. we have a live picture to show you. just east of paterson now, this is little falls, new jersey, 15 miles north of new york city. massive flooding there after the river crested overnight, the highest level in over 100 years, at least seven feet above flood stage right now. coming up in tex ft. hour of the newsroom with suzanne malveaux, first it was osama bin laden, and now al qaeda's number two is dead. so ten years after the attacks on al qaeda, is this terror network still a threat to the u.s.? we will talk about it when the newsroom continues. 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