Transcripts For CNN CNN Newsroom 20110909

starting tomorrow small businesses will get a tax cut if they hire new workers or raise wages. pass this bill and all small business owners will also see payroll taxes cut in half next year. >> not only should congress not pass his plan. i say mr. president stop. your last plan hasn't worked and is hurting the american economy. >> the plan got mixed reviews from republicans. the only formal response was from presidential candidate michele bachmann. you got a chance to hear her. meantime parts of southern california are getting back to normal this afternoon after a massive power outage left martin luther king jr. of people in the dark. san diego gas and electric says it has restored power to all of its customers. the blackout started yesterday. parts of arizona and mexico are also affected. authorities say a worker replacing equipment at a sub station near yuma, arizona triggered the outage. still no sign of moammar gadhafi but there is a new warrant out for his arrest this time from interpol, the international criminal police organization sending out red notice arrest warrants for the former libyan leader. his sons and his brother-in-law. the warrants will help with the extradition of gadhafi from libya. meantime i want to take you straight to capitol hill where they are having a moment of silence in memory of the thousands killed on 9/11. >> september 11, 2001. [ silence ] >> again, that moment of silence there on capitol hill in commemoration of the thousands killed on 9/11 ten years ago, three airplanes hijacked by terrorists causing the deaths of thousands in new york, at the pentagon, and in shanksville, pennsylvania. >> the house will be in order. it is another day on the front lines for firefighters in texas battling dozens of wildfires and the flames are still spreading. a fire near austin is the biggest. at last count it had destroyed 1400 homes. dozens of new fires have started in the last week. president barack obama has signed emergency orders for parts oftated by flooding. one of the area major rivers the susquehanna is starting to crest but the water is still rising in other places. at least three deaths are blamed on the flooding brought on by the remnants of tropical storm lee. >> we had no warning. if it wasn't for me waking up at 3:00 to go to work we'd never have known the flood waters came up. >> i'm still shocked. i can't believe it. my husband said to me the cars are going. i'm thinking, what do you mean the cars are going? >> 4, 3, 2, 1, fire! >> and nasa holding a very large test there of what this space agency calls its largest and most powerful solid rocket motor ever designed for flight. this happened in utah yesterday. they'll use the information collected from this test and earlier ones to better understand the motor's performance and reliability. ten years after the 9/11 terrorist attacks and the start of the war in afghanistan. what is going on there right now? our suzanne malveaux is looking for answers as she is live from camp eggers in the afghan capital of kabul. suzanne? >> reporter: hey, fred, good to see you. this is a race against time if you think about it. it's slated that u.s. and nato troops are going to be pulling out of afghanistan by the end of 2014 so what they're trying to do here at this base is really get the afghans up to speed to get an army, a military service, air force that can protect its own country. it is a tall order, fred, a top priority. officials admit. but we had a chance to see first hand what it is that they're actually doing here and throughout the country. first when it comes to the air force had a chance to go up in a helicopter as well as a c-27 transport plane went flying high above afghanistan. if you take a look at the terrain it's about the size of texas or so, very rough terrain. that is why the air force is really critical to the security of afghanistan trying to train these pilots to get them up to speed. on the ground, you've got what is traditional, conventional training. they are shooting guns, shooting targets, replacing some of the old russian military weapons with american weapons, advanced weapons, but at the same time there is something that is very fascinating and unique that is happening here and that is the focus on education. you wouldn't think that perhaps the greatest, most powerful weapon of al qaeda is teaching afghans how to read and write but, fred, that is actually the case here on the ground, about 86% of afghan recruits for the army are illiterate and they say that is no way to run an army, no way that people will really be able to have the kind of quality to produce the kind of army that they need. so that is the focus here, to try to get people up to speed in many different areas. they're going to focus more on the education aspect after this quick break. # removes 99% of dirt and toxins without dyes, parabens or harsh sulfates. so skin feels pure and healthy. 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the war on terror in afghanistan. the race is on to train the afghan army to take over its own security. u.s. forces come home in 2014. our suzanne malveaux is in afghanistan to see first hand how that training is going. she is joining us now live from camp eggers again in kabul. suzanne, tell us more about the military readiness. >> it's really interesting. ten years ago what was the priority of the bush administration, president bush saying we have to get rid of al qaeda and make sure the taliban is not -- make sure they don't come back into power. well, now the focus certainly is on training the afghans to try to get them up to speed to provide their own security and what is surprising here is that a lot of the training that you see not the conventional type of training but really is the kind taking place in the classroom. they think that is the strongest way they can beat back al qaeda is empowering the afghan people. the mission now is for afghans to take over their security by the end of 2014 so that u.s. and nato troops can get out. on the ground at the kabul military training center, u.s. and nato trainers are frantically trying to get thousands of raw recruits up to speed. where these folks are standing in this training exercise is significant. six months ago american trainers were standing up front. they've been moved to the back with interpreters to be on stand by in case they're needed but up front the afghans are training the afghans. >> most of the time we don't have to intervene but if there is something they cannot associate with heavy weapons we step in and resolve the issue. >> reporter: the race is on to train afghans sufficiently before u.s. troops are scheduled to pull out in just over three years' time. critics charge that nato is putting quantity over quality. >> everything is a numbers game. that is essentially what we're seeing. this is like a big machine which takes in this these afghan recruits and spits them out at the other end and it doesn't really matter how good or effective they are. >> reporter: colonel mike meyer a top advise tower the kabul training mission defends the program. what we've tried to do is build an army quickly and, you know, we're on track to do that. once we have an army at a certain level then we'll be able to sustain that and improve the quality. >> reporter: but the challenges right now are immense. 86% of the afghan recruits are illiterate. they can't write their names. they can't add or subtract. even at a kindergarten level. that's why the u.s. and nato mission launched an all out literacy campaign last november. to make sure every recruit has at least the basics. this man couldn't even write his own name when he signed up for the afghan army. now he's proud to be reading at a second grade level while supporting his sick father on his soldier's salary. >> translator: before i wasn't able to read the signs and i wasn't able to write letters or sentences. now i am able. even if i want to go to the doctor i can see the sign and read it. >> reporter: for muhammed it is much more personal. his older brother was killed by the taliban. trnchs even my parents told me that by joining the army you will be going the same way. but i told my parents, no. i would like to serve my country this way. >> reporter: sergeant jesse finley a u.s. member of the training team says the afghans have a lot of heart but don't always stick around. >> given that retainability, it's very difficult because some of them just want to go back home. you know, get a little pay, go back home. >> reporter: but their home, afghanistan, is at a critical turning point. its future is uncertain. >> this war is not over, no. no. it's not over yet. it will be over when the afghan people decide it's over. >> reporter: so, fred, it's kind of strange when you think about it when you first hear about the whole literacy campaign that the army, that u.s. and nato forces be involved in this but if you think about it, i mean, the folks i talked to, the afghan recruits, i mean, they were not able to, if you issue them a weap weapon, for instance, keep track of a serial number because they can't count. they can't actually read the numbers. if they got lost they couldn't read a map. they can't even like get a pay stub for their military work because they're not able to actually read, write, or count. so if you look at it that way it makes sense that the military is involved in trying to educate these folks so that they can become more independent, be stronger and essentially have a military that can act independently. fred? >> so, suzanne, there is another obstacle, right? we're talking about the rugged terrain. it's been an obstacle for allied forces, u.s. troops, and now is likely to be an obstacle for these new recruits as well, right? >> well, sure. you have the whole air force component of all of this because if you think about afghanistan, it's about the size of texas. very rugged terrain. you've got extreme weather, extreme heat, extreme cold. if you use the roads a lot of times travelers are subject to insurgent attacks, those kinds of things. you've got to have an army, an air force that's flexible and able to move in the sky and get around. they've got pretty old aircraft they were working with previously in the russian age, the soviet age. they are now upgrading to some american aircraft. they have a long way to go, fred, a lot of work to do because as was mentioned before you can't teach someone how to fly until you teach them how to read. and so this is a slow process. they admit, the officials here, that there is a lot of work to be done but they feel like they are making some progress. >> all right. suzanne malveaux in kabul we'll get back with you momentarily within this hour. thanks so much. more now on the response to a terror threat aimed to coincide with the 9/11 anniversary. officials say new york and washington are likely targets but law enforcement agencies across the country are also on alert. senior correspondent alan chernoff joins us now on the phone from new york. there he is not on the phone but there you are live and in person. alan, how are authorities, you know, reacting, responding to this possible plot? >> reporter: the police ourt in force all across manhattan today. there are checkpoints just like this set up in downtown manhattan near the financial district right near ground zero. midtown especially near times square and here at the beginning of the upper west side we're standing at 60th street and columbus avenue. what the police are doing is they are visually inspecting all vehicles. they have to pass just one lane, trucks and vans are being pulled over and asked to open up. police take a look inside. one truck pulling over. they'll ask the driver to open up so they can look inside. the police are wearing radioactivity detectors on their bodies. they're like large pagers and they'll go off if there is any radioactivity so they're checking for dirty bombs as well. on top of that the police have license plate readers at bridges and tunnels entering manhattan and have the check points set up all over town. there are two more set up on the upper west side above us and have a look at what that is doing to traffic. way backed up not only to the upper west side but come with me. if we look over here, this points over across town. we're looking right over at columbus circle, central park. traffic a complete mess over here. i should also add that police vehicles are cruising this city with those license plate readers but they're certainly not cruising at a very fast speed today. i asked paul brown the deputy commissioner for public affairs of the police department whether all of this might have been happening anyway since we are only a couple days ahead of the 9/11 anniversary. he said we'd have had a large presence but certainly would not have had all of these check points like you see right here. >> incredible. alan chernoff, thanks so much from new york. meantime, out west the massive power outage hits parts of california, arizona, and mexico and the blackout snarled traffic and left millions in the dark. we'll go live to san diego. the natural oatmeal formula improves skin's health in one day, with significant improvement in 2 weeks. i found a moisturizer for life. [ female announcer ] only from aveeno. new splenda® essentials™ no calorie sweetener with b vitamins, the first and only one to help support a healthy metabolism. three smart new ways to sweeten. same great taste. new splenda® essentials™. live pictures now of the university of richmond's robin center. any moment now you see a huge crowd there. any moment president barack obama will be coming into the crowd there and taken to the microphone. he's starting his nationwide tour to impress upon points made last night on his jobs plan on capitol hill. a lot of people in southern california spent the night in the dark as utility crews scrambled to get power back on. most outages were in the san diego area but power is now back on. casey wian is in san diego. how did this blackout happen? there a better explanation? >> we don't have a clear explanation yet. what we do know is that it started in the state of arizona near the community of yuma when a utility worker was working on a piece of equipment. for some reason that caused a massive power outage to spread from yuma where it started with 50,000 people losing power throughout southern california across the mexican border ultimately 5 million people were without power during parts of the day yesterday. what you're seeing behind me is something that's a real welcome sign for san diego residents. it's traffic actually moving through an intersection relatively smoothly. even though this intersection is still blinking red lights traffic is much better than it was yesterday afternoon when it was snarled throughout this area. businesses were without power. many of them have complained that they lost inventory, convenience stores, restaurants. it was a really big inconvenience for them and for a lot of people. san diego gas and electric officials worked all night long to try to get power restored which they were able to do very, very early this morning. they were able to get 100 sub stations back online and more than a thousand different points of distribution. so the impact of that since they were warning yesterday that residents may have to prepare for power outages all day today, perhaps even into the weekend, is that some businesses haven't reopened. schools remain closed throughout the area. the airport here is experiencing a little bit of delays but it's back open. flights are resuming. one thing i've never seen before and i've lived most of my life in southern california is if you look at your smart phone traffic map from southern orange county to the mexican border which is about 75 miles it's completely green, which you would never see at 8:15 in the morning on a work day. so it's a quiet day in san diego, which is very welcomed news for people in this community. >> all right. casey, thanks so much for that update. all right. as we approach the tenth anniversary of 9/11 we want to tell you about a new yorker who was deeply moved by the outpouring of help his hometown received. since 2004 he's been saying thank you by giving back to communities across the country. >> september 11 was a very tough time for the fire department. i lost some friends, guys wint to the academy with. the day afterwards people came from everywhere to help us out. it was incredible. you knew you weren't alone. as a new yorker to see that outpouring of kindness and generosity, it was more powerful than the terror that happened. that really changed me. i'm jeff parnes and i want to show the world that new yorkers will never forget what people did for us following 9/11. every year on the 9/11 anniversary we take volunteers from new york and send them to some part of the country where they had a disaster and help folks rebuild. the grain silo. a little culture shock. rebuilding homes or barns or churches. our way of saying thank you. now more than half our volunteers are from new york. people from the small towns we've helped keep showing up to help the next community. they're from louisiana and indiana and california and illinois and every year you see more t-shirts from more locations. after katrina we just jumped on his band wagon. this whole paying it forward thing is contagious. >> like this big dysfunctional family reunion of these disaster survivors who get together and do a barn raising. >> banging nails and building something but the relationships help you heal. >> it's about using the 9/11 anniversary to celebrate the 9/11 spirit. >> we'll see you all next year. >> people say thank you for doing this. i say you want to tlang me? show up on the next one. >> jeff's group has restored an american flag from ground zero now known as the national 9/11 flag. to find out more about his work or to make a donation go to cnn heroes.com and join the conversation on cnn heroes, facebook, and twitter pages as well. u.s. troops in afghanistan talked to suzanne malveaux about the 9/11 attacks. emotions are still very raw for some. suzanne will be joining us live from kabul after this. 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[ female announcer ] only from aveeno. ten years after 9/11 emotions are still raw. our suzanne malveaux is in afghanistan looking at the war that began in response to the september 11 terrorist attacks. suzanne, what are american troops telling you about their memories of 9/11? >> fred, i had a chance, an opportunity this morning just to gather at a picnic table with some soldiers here to talk about that day and what was really unique, what was interesting is of course they all still believe in the mission, really kind of motivated them, catapulted their mission if you will to get involved in the war against terror. but one of the things that they reveal is a personal side, the pain that came out of that day and the memories that still exist every day for these guys. thomas carter was in room 4-d room 131 of the pentagon when it was hit. >> i heard a loud boom and then after that boom it was like an earthquake had hit the pentagon. that massive building actually shook. it was a feeling of surprise and shock and then anger. >> reporter: colonel todd key was also inside the pentagon on the other side. he had just gotten off the phone with his wife. >> i swear i thought she was dead. i just had that feeling that she was dead. >> reporter: he realized she was alive when he reunited with her after escaping the burning building. >> i realized, too, that everyone that died in the pentagon has a family, and it made it real to me that that's -- was a -- that was different at that moment. it was different. >> reporter: colonel david kumar was thinking of his 5 and 2-year-old children when he began carrying out the toddlers of the pentagon daycare. >> what was painful was the thoughts that went through my head that perhaps some of those children's parents had perished. >> reporter: for captain jason grason the pain of 9/11 was different. he had to leave his pregnant wife to identify the pentagon bodies. >> i was the one who was taking all the x-rays on all the victims and trying to match dental record. the toughest part was at the end of the day they would take the victims that were ready to be transported back to the families. >> reporter: it's okay. take your time. >> and the hearses would come. >> reporter: it's okay. take your time. it's okay. take your time. do you want to join him? it's okay. >> and the hearses would come and the military escorts, we'd all line up. we'd do the final salute. and you do that enough times it wears on you. because you know that could have been me. it could have been one of these guys. and they all had families and that was the worst part. that was the worst part. >> that was captain jason grason. you can tell how close those guys are. they are there for each other and still a very emotional time. he told me that, you know, sometimes a song will come on the radio or he'll smell a smell and it'll take him back to those two weeks that he had to work there and identify those bodies but, you know, these guys, they say that they've been there for each other. you can tell how close they are, how important this is. and they say every day they still think about that day at the pentagon. some really have very good memories but they take a great deal of comfort in supporting each other. fred? >> and, suzanne, you talked to other soldiers who also have memories. very different from these gentlemen. >> reporter: i had a chance to actually talk to some 9/11 soldiers. they were -- 18, 19 years old. and it was so fascinating to hear their perspectives. they were in fifth grade, sixth grade. they were ten years old and a lot of them talked about the fact that they didn't know what terrorism was. they didn't know what a terrorist was. they remember the video. they remember watching television. having to go home early from school and having their parents describe to them and talk to them and tell them what this meant to them. it ended up being something that for a lot of them motivated them to go into the military to try to understand that there was a threat, that the country was not invincible. that was something that was totally foreign and totally new to them. very different than the guys i talked to today who really experienced it first hand but they seemed to be ready. they seemed to be ready to wrap up this mission and turn it over to the afghans. >> all right. suzanne malveaux from kabul, afghanistan. we'll hear from you again back next hour from us focusing on the u.s. efforts to create an afghan air force. you'll be seeing a 19-year-old afghan woman who is defying the odds by training to become a pilot. and then when we come back, we'll take you back to a university of richmond where the president of the united states is likely to be speaking about his jobs plan on his national tour. from neutrogena® naturals. removes 99% of dirt and toxins without dyes, parabens or harsh sulfates. so skin feels pure and healthy. 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>> the people here, you know, the people here i just think have an innate optimism and can-do spirit that is typical of this country. i love you, too! i love you, too. it's good to get fresh air, good to get fresh perspective. i'm grateful to spend some time with you because obviously we're going through a difficult time in this country. and i know you folks are as frustrated as i am about the economy. you know, it's, i know you're also frustrated not just about our economic conditions but also what's happening in washington. tim, i got an amen there. you have every right to be frustrated. here in virginia, here in richmond people don't have time for political concerns. you've got real life concerns. you may be looking for a job or you know somebody who is looking for a job. >> we still love you, barack. >> i love you back. you make sacrifices to make ends meet. you work hard to meet your responsibilities. you expect the people you send to washington to do the same thing, to meet their responsibilities. >> we keep losing that signal. we hope to re-establish it. the president there at the university of richmond. let's try again. >> -- to help the economy, to restore some security and opportunity, restore the american dream, restore those things that made america the envy of the world. in other words, you expect action and you deserve it right now. that's why after a few scheduling issues i it won't congress last night. to suggest new ways we can grow the economy, help businesses, and put more fellow americans back to work. it's called the american jobs act. next week i will send it to congress. they should pass it right away. now, everything in the american jobs act, everything in there is the kind of proposal that's been supported in the past by both democrats and republicans. nothing radical in this bill. everything in it will put more people back to work and more money back in the pockets of those who are working. everything in it will be paid for. but the reason i'm here in richmond, because to make it happen every one of your voices can make a difference. every one of your voices will have an impact. i'm going to talk about the politics in a second but let me right now just talk about what's in the american jobs act. it will create more jobs for construction workers, more jobs for teachers, more jobs for veterans, more jobs for young people. more jobs for the long-term unemployed. it will provide a tax break to companies if they hire new workers. it will cut payroll taxes in half for every small business owner and every working american. it will jump-start an economy that has stalled and it will give companies the confidence that if they hire new workers and they invest in their businesses then there are going to be customers there who can afford to actually buy the things they're sealing. passing this jobs bill will put people to work rebuilding our crumbling roads and our crumbling bridges and it will also help us rebuild our schools. i just, in the back i was taking some photos with folks who had helped out to organize this event. there was a young lady who was a teacher. she said i heard your speech last night. i really appreciate it. i'm teaching 8th grade english. and i teach in a trailer. we shouldn't have people teaching in trailers. we shouldn't have kids learning in trailers. they should have classrooms with internet and science labs. so you've got aging bridges on i-95. you need to replace them. you got schools like nigel's that need to be upgraded. there are millions of unemployed construction workers across america ready to put on their tool belt and get dirty. i don't know about you. i don't want the newest airports, the fastest railroads to be built in china. i want them to be built -- i want them to be built right here in the united states of america. [ chanting ] usa! usa! usa! >> i don't want any of our kids to study in sub par schools. i want all our kids to study in great schools. so there's work to be done. there are workers ready to too it. let's pass this jobs bill right away. passing this jobs bill will put thousands of teachers in virginia and across america back to work when we need the most. this is a new age. everybody here knows that. if you want a good job, a good career, if we want america to succeed, then we've got to have the best trained, most highly skilled workers in the world. you've got places like south korea that are adding teachers to prepare their kids for a global economy. we're laying off our teachers in droves. it's unfair to our kids. it undermines their future. it undermines our future. it has to stop. let's pass this bill and put our teachers back in the classroom where they belong. passing this bill gives companies new tax credits to hire america's veterans. a lot of veterans here in richmond and all across virginia. we ask these men and women to leave their careers or interrupt their careers, leave their families, risk their lives to fight for us. they come home and they can't find a job. the last thing they should have to do is fight for a job when they come home. pass this bill now. and put these folks to work. pass this jobs bill and we'll give small business owners here in richmond and here in virginia a tax cut for hiring new workers but also for raising workers' wages. cut their payroll taxes in half. that will give small businesses money they can use to hire more workers. pass this bill and we give hundreds of thousands of disadvantaged youth the hope and the dignity of a summer job next year. that instills in them good habits that last a lifetime. it'll make it easier to find a job in the future and to continue their education. passing this bill will give companies a tax credit for hiring anybody who spent more than six months looking for work. and there are a lot of folks like that. this has been a terrible recession. and, you know, i get letters from folks and they write to me about what it's like month after mangt writing letters, sending out resumes, knocking on doors. folks get discouraged and at some point they drop out of the labor force and it is very hard for them to get reattached. you've got some employers now if you've been out of work for a long time even if they're looking to hire a lot of times they'll say, well, you've been out of work too long. i'm not sure we want to hire you. >> all right. president barack obama there at the university of richmond re-emphasizing what he revealed last night to the american public, his jobs plan. he says he plans to send it to congress next week and his words, he said they should pass it right away. underscoring that tax incentives and breaks will be extended to employers who hire people who have been out of work for extended period of time as well as to military veterans. well, next we'll actually have reaction from two unemployed workers right here in the studio with me to see if they heard anything that sounds appealing from the president last night or just now. was taken by someone on the first morning of their retirement. it's the first of more than 6,000 sunrises the average retiree will see. ♪ as we're living longer than ever before, prudential's challenge is to help everyone have the retirement income they'll need to enjoy every one of their days. ♪ prudential. bring your challenges. o naturals from delicious, real ingredients with no artificial flavors or preservatives. naturals from purina cat chow. share a better life. new splenda® essentials™ no calorie sweetener with b vitamins, the first and only one to help support a healthy metabolism. three smart new ways to sweeten. same great taste. new splenda® essentials™. i'm a dad, coach, 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. the president in richmond -- at the university of richmond. in the speech to congress last night says everything in the plan has been supported by everybody in both parties. here are some of the highlights of the president's $447 billion plan. it would extend payroll tax cuts and calls for infrastructure spending, and the plan would extend unemployment benefits and would include money to subsidize job training and to keep teachers and first responders from being laid off. so the 14 million americans who are out of work were hoping to hearing is encouraging in the president's plan. we're talking with two job seekers to get their reaction. johanna hill is back with us and we met her at the jobs fair in atlanta a few weeks ago. she has been looking for work a year and a half now. and our next guest has been out of a job for about 14 months now, and looking. johanna, let's begin with you and we spoke a couple weeks back and you were discouraged on how things were going, did you hear anything encouraging from the president last night or moments ago? >> yeah, oh, yeah. i think the plan will work. of course there will be some spending, but, you know, like i said earlier, anything you do in order to make money you are going to have to spend some money. i think they should work together, democrats and republicans, and stop the bickering and the fighting, because actually we're suffering right now. as a nation we're suffering. >> that's something you said a few weeks ago. the most discouraging thing here was the bickering, and it seemed the stalled efforts on capitol hi hill, and we heard from some republicans, eric cantor and john mccain saying there are some things they like and there are some things they may not necessarily be onboard with. is your worry those things might hold up the entire plan? >> of course. definitely. i hope that those people who are against part of the plan would look at it as a whole and see how it's going to affect us as a whole. and know that we're going to have to spend something to get these millions of people back to work. >> among the things that are appealing to you, extending of the unemployment benefits, that was something in the plan. >> yes. i think the problem now is employers are looking at the long-term unemployed and not wanting -- they are leering about hiring us. they think that we don't have the skill set -- >> do you feel like you feel that when you are looking? >> i have not -- i have not heard it specifically, but i think in the nonresponse to the resume, to the resume to the follow-up phone call to the follow-up on the interview, i think that that definitely shows that employers are just leery about hiring the long-term unemployed. the incentives would inlg courage them to hire the long-time unemployed. i do. >> thank you, and i hope things turn around soon. >> thank you. appreciate it. police are on alert to a possible terror plot coinsighting with the 9/11 anniversary. 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[ male announcer ] introducing cadillac shield. the most comprehensive suite of owner benefits offered by any luxury auto maker in the world. 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®. let's take a look at the big board. the u.s. markets are taking a hit right now. the dow is down about 285 points. let's check in with alison kosik live from the new york stock exchange. is there a fairly decent explanation as to why? >> yes, actually the stocks are off their lows of the session but are close to them. i talked to traders that said this has a lot to do with president obama's speech on his jobs plan last night. they said it was a bit of a letdown. they wanted to see more specifics especially on the corporate tax code. they did not get enough specifics. they were happy about regulation, and the one big question is how he is going to pay for it and how is he going to get it through congress, and you are seeing skepticism we can move forward and move the economy forward at this point. >> meantime, encouraging words coming from the floor today from the u.s. secretary hillary clinton, and former new york mayor, right? >> they wound up talking a lot about the threat that was announced yesterday. you know, secretary of state, hillary clinton, said the threat is unconfirmed but are taking it seriously. they found al qaeda was still determined to attack around the anniversary dates. former new york city mayor, giuliani, he said the people who were killed on 9/11, they still want to kill, but americans have shown a readiness to band together and make it through. >> the reason that america in this great city has shown such resilience is because we refused to be intimidated, and that doesn't mean we're stupid. we will keep our eyes open. part of the reason to go public with this and to tell people go on with your lives and keep your eyes open, if you see something let us know. >> we have much better methods in place than we did before september 11th. i am confident the new york city police department should be able to prevent this, and people should be more alert. >> you know what? we can do a lot. it was a street vendor, fredricka, that spotted the times square bomber's suv, and he said something. that's kind of the mantra that new yorkers really noel. if you see something, say something. it has worked. officials say we still need to go about our daily lives, as we do. and mayor bloomberg took the subway today as he does every day, fredricka. >> thank you so much from the new york stock exchange. sunday, join us for our special 9/11 ten years later. and it begins here on cnn at 8:00 a.m. eastern time. top of the hour. i am fredricka whitfield. police are on alert in response to a possible terror plot coinciding with the 9/11 anniversary. officials say they have received credible but unconfirmed confirmation. it's believed to involve three people and a car or truck bomb. law enforcement around the country are on alert. and we asked how concerned we should be. >> the one thing that is most concerning to me. we heard from commissioner kelly this morning that the three individuals, at least one of which is a u.s. citizen official, they tell us they have not identified, and that's a big problem especially for the u.s. citizens. americans cross our borders easily, and that's a challenge for them, and that's why you are hearing officials ask for the americans' help. >> and president barack obama signed emergency orders for parts of pennsylvania and new york devastated by flooding. one of the srivers is still flooding. one of the ireporters captured this incredible scene. take a look. >> is that a house? oh, my god. get off the bridge. seriously. that's metal. >> come on. >> oh, my god. oh, my god! >> it's another day on the frontlines for firefighters, too, in texas battling dozens of wildfires and the flames fr still spreading. a fire near austin is the biggest at last count. it has destroyed 1,400 homes. dozens of new fires have started in the last week as well. take a look at live pictures right now of a plane doing some air drops there. this is considered the magnolia fire. they are trying to douse as much as they can. you are not seeing the air drops taking place right now but the plane getting into position for the areas that need some sort of flame retarredants as soon as possible. and president-elect barack obama is on the road in richmond, virginia, promoting the jobs plan he outlined last night. he is calling on congress to approve the $447 billion plan right away. just moments ago the president said it would help get america working again. >> it will create more jobs for construction workers, and more jobs for teachers, and more jobs for veterans and more jobs for young people. >> still no sign of moammar gadhafi. red notice arrest warrants are being sent out for the former libyan leader, for his son and his brother-in-law. the warrants will help with the extradition of gadhafi and impede his ability to cross borders. and southern california is getting back to normal after a massive power outage that left millions in the dark. san diego gas and electric says it restored power to all of its customers. parts of arizona and mexico were also affected. a worker replacing equipment at a substation near yuma, arizona, actually triggered the outage. the weather did not cooperate again so nasa will try once more to launch the latest moon research mission tomorrow. the space agency hopes to discover what is beneath the lunar surface from crust to core. and then more on on the possible terror plot to combination with the 9/11 anniversary. officials say they have credible specific but unconfirmed information. try to break down what that means for us? >> well, unfortunately the specific is not specific enough. it doesn't name who the individuals are, which makes it very difficult for any of the u.s. authorities to locate someone that you don't know who you are looking for. so you are hoping for a vigilant public. if something looks out of the ordinary, report it. >> do you like the administration is handling this? >> i think most people thought the color coding system was silly and confusing and was not specific enough as to locations within the country. here you have specific statements involving new york and washington, d.c., and information at least of what the public should be aware of at this point as far as what the attack might be. >> is it your feeling, tom, people anticipated this? anxiety comes with the 10th anniversary of 9/11, and then the killing of bin laden, a lot of material recovered in the compound a lot of things were there found. >> yeah, it obviously showed he had an interest in the anniversary date. the threat information being put out now is quau wince dental. this is an on going stream of reporting that comes out of pakistan and afghanistan, and that individuals have trained in camp. some may attack in europe and some may travel to the united states and commit an attack here. it's just getting that same stream of information this weekend makes it all the more interesting to the authorities to be alert. >> tom, always good to see you and appreciate your insight. >> thank you. as we mentioned, washington and new york are cited as possible targets. we will find out about security in washington and that's at 1:00 eastern time right here in the "cnn newsroom." it will be t. j. holmes filling in for randi kaye. and then the mission to train afghan groups in intensifying. suzanne malveaux is joining us live from kabul. what more can you share with us? >> reporter: fred, you think about this, and it's a race against time. you are talking about u.s. and nato troops pulling out of afghanistan by the end of 2014. so they have got to train these afghans and get them up to speed and pretty quick short order. so what are they doing? they have to get together an air force, army and police. they are talking about doubling and tripling in size. huge challenges they are dealing with here. you have 30 years of war that this country has been inengaged in, and so there's a generation lost when it comes to education, and 80% of the recruits for the afghan army can't read or write and there are some that can't count. it has to strengthen if it will allow the troops to go home. that's why the international forces have the literacy program, and it's a very aggressive program that they are hoping will be successful. so far the last six months they have seen good signs. the other thing we're taking a look at is the air force program. this is really for the elite, if you will, for those who are educated. it's a much smaller group. we had a chance to go up in a c-27, and a helicopter to see firsthand that program, what they are doing and there are changes being made, fred. you have young women involved in the program and we will have more on that story after the break. we share. shop from anywhere. and are always connected. we live in a social world. isn't it time we had a social currency to match? membership rewards points from american express. use them to get the things you love from amazon.com, ticketmaster.com, and more unexpected places. they're a social currency with endless possibilities. let's return to afghanistan. our suzanne malveaux is back with us from kabul. you have been watching u.s. efforts to train the afghan troops and made a lot of observations about the challenges at hand as well. >> reporter: there are a lot of challenges, fred. people are encouraged that they are moving in the right direction here, and ultimately it's the afghans who has to be responsible for their own security. this has to happen quickly. we got to go up in helicopters and a c-27 transport to check out what is taking place. it's a smaller group involved because they have to have education and be qualified, but it's encouraging when you see the young women involved in this program. >> getting around afghanistan is tough. it's the size of texas, but it has poor roads, extreme weather and terrain. they are trying to get supplies to the remote basis, and helicopters are essential, as are the afghan pilots. we were taken on a training exercise aboard a russian-made mi-17, often used for battlefield operations. we fly 20 miles east of kabul, and it's a desolate area but strategic for supplying those fighting the taliban. we went on a helicopter ride across afghanistan, and we followed a road, but we are here in the middle of nowhere. >> tell me a little bit about the mission, americans alongside the afghans flying these things? >> it's americans in our squaden, and folks from the other areas, and it was the ride of my lifetime. >> reporter: mine, too. seems like this is the best way to learn about the mountains, yeah? >> the options you have are a donkey possibly or a helicopter. as you can see with the rough terrain, especially as you go out to the northeast of where we are, it just gets worse. >> how important is it to make sure the afghans are ready to fly the helicopters, and not only helicopters, but other aircraft, too? >> well, it's an expensive asset, they need to make sure and the leadership of afghanistan wants to make sure we have people flying that can handle the $20 million asset. >> reporter: and this is her first time ever on a plane. it's a c-27. she tells me she is excited. american master sergeant, aaron manly shows off the capabilities by opening the rear ramp. she gets to sit with the pilots, and the pbumpy ride makes her queazy, but she recovers. >> it's good that you will take this and run with it and make the way for future females in afghanistan. >> reporter: so you are not talking about hundreds of thousands of pilots being trained, you are talk about dozens here. it's a very ambition program. it's only for highly educated. it used to be that this was for afghans and afghan women in the united states, but the idea is to train them here in their own country. and the thing they will do here is going with the general in charge of the whole mission to a place where they are actually going to be wrapping up and creating an air force base within afghanistan itself. >> as it pertains to the training, is there an international commitment as well or strictly u.s. forces? >> reporter: oh, no, you have the united states and 35 other countries involved. it's an international force. they want to make sure that they have experts from different places that are involved in this. what makes it unique is they will be able to do it here in their own country as opposed to outsourcing it somewhere else. that is going to take time and years or so. this is not something that will happen overnight. as you know with the education, and the lack of education, they will really have to build-up these recruits and these students. these are the kinds of folks that have at least had the equivalent, if you will, of a high school diploma, and going into college maybe to handle those aircraft. >> we will see you again at the bottom of the hour. suzanne has been talking with the u.s. troops, as you can see, about the memories of 9/11 as well. emotions are still very raw. it's a powerful interview you don't want to miss. president barack obama is in richmond, virginia, to promote his jobs plan and in his speech moments ago the president said both parties should be able to get behind this proposal. >> everything in the american jobs act, everything in there is the kind of proposal that has been supported in the past by both democrats and republicans. nothing radical in this bill. everything in it will put more people back to work, and more money back into the pockets of those who are working. everything in it will be paid for. >> here are some of the highlights of the president's $447 billion plan. it would extend payroll tax cuts for workers and employers. calls for infrastructure spending on school renovations and rail and transits, and it includes money to subsidize job training and to keep teachers and first responders from being laid off. the big challenge for the president is getting congress to go along with the plan. last night he called on lawmakers to, quote, stop the political circus and do something to help the economy. john avalon is the senior columnist. is the pressure on for republicans to get onboard? >> here is what we know so far. the speech played well with swing voters. this was not another inspirational speech from president obama, and it was a policy speech, and it was based on everything in it has had bipartisan support in the past. and that is key to tell republicans, support this and if not you are playing games. there were a lot of ideas. there is not going to be unanimity like this, but the infrastructure bill, it got applause. >> and john mccain and eric cantor were more open to adopting some measures, but not all. could there still be an ugly battle around the corner? >> an ugly battle in this congress in this washington? where did you get that crazy idea? the fact that john mccain, and eric cantor, and john boehner for that matter opened the door to saying we can work with this. that's a big deal in the environme environment. and that's because these plans are bipartisan. and you know, the idea of cutting corporate taxes and closing loopholes and creating insecentives for hiring, and the are issues republicans can and get behind. there's a hopeful sign because the president framed the speech in terms of policy on firmly bipartisan ground. that's the key to the effectiveness to date. now we have to see if the citizens will call up their congressmen and tell them to stop the games and let's see some bipartisan support. >> and was that embarrassing to some of the lawmakers into acting right away. he says next week he is sending the proposal to congress and they should sign on right away. >> well, you know, there is a question as to whether congressmen would embarrass themselves if you see far right republicans opposing tax cuts because they come from the administration, and there is such a transparent hyperpartisan look at that, and they could be called out. they are trying to encourage the super committee to go beyond the $1.5 trillion. this is high stakes and happening in real time. citizens are frustrated. and here are some plans that are simple, define the common ground that exists. there is not much. the next piece will be the deficit and debt reduction plan. that's an important piece as well. this is all about investment. >> john avalon, always good to see you and thank you so much. >> thank you. the flames from wildfires keep spreading in texas. we will get a live update from the biggest fire near austin. more wildfires are breaking out across texas as the state copes with its worst drought on record. we have been covering the fire. there is about 1,400 homes there that burned to the ground. and jim, what is happening now? >> reporter: it has been an interesting morning. at the morning press meeting, the lieutenant governor introduced himself as the acting governor and went on to blast president obama saying that he is twice sent him request to declare texas a major disaster area because of the wildfires and to make available more resources to fight the fire, and saying that he wasn't getting it, and had not got a response and blasted him for last night asking congress to work immediately on the jobs bill when they need help immediately here. >> i have just signed another letter asking him again to make a major disaster declaration for the state of texas. we need help yesterday. we need help earlier. >> reporter: i asked the lieutenant governor where governor perry is, and he would not answer the question. cnn is on it, and we know he has been in california doing campaigning and fund-raising. governor perry did appear at a press conference earlier in the week and said that this fire is not about politics. maybe that has changed. here is why the lieutenant governor said they need help, people are returning to their homes in the devastated community. we caught up with andrew womak. >> what is there to say. build another building. and we like the place how everybody banded together, and what everybody is doing for each other, this is definitely home. we're staying here. >> reporter: we will see the story play out here hundreds of times as the families are going to come back in and assess the devastation they will have to recover from. u.s. troops in afghanistan talked to our suzanne malveaux about the 9/11 attacks, emotional memories, including the captain who had to identify the bodies of those killed at the pentagon. suzanne will join us live from kabul after this. so i was the guy who was never going to have the heart attack. i thought i was invincible. i'm on an aspirin regimen now because i never want to feel that helplessness again. 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[ engine revs, tires screech ] mom? ♪ 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 ten years after 9/11, emotions are still raw. suzanne malveaux is in afghanistan looking at the war that began in response to the september 11th, terrorists attacks. what are the troops telling you about their memories? >> reporter: well, fred i had a chance to talk to a number of soldiers, but this morning we were all just gathered at a small group at a picnic table. it's pretty clear that they believe in the mission. they still believe in the mission, and it had galvanized and motivated in some ways their personal experiences in the september 11th attacks, and what was unique how candid they were about some of the pain, some of it still fresh and raw. thomas carter was in the pentagon when it was hit. >> i heard aloud sonic boom, and then after that boom it was like an earthquake had actually hit the pentagon. that massive building actually shook. it was a feeling of surprise and shock and then anger. >> colonel todd key was also in the pentagon on the other side and had just got off the phone with his wife. >> i thought she was dead. i had that feeling she was dead. >> reporter: he realized she was alive when he reunited with her after escaping the burning building. >> i realized everybody in the pentagon has a family, and it made it real to me that that was -- that it was different at that moment, it was different. >> reporter: colonel david kumar was thinking about his two children when he began to carry out the toddlers at the pentagon day care. >> what was painful is that perhaps some of those childrens' parents had perished. >> reporter: the pain of 9/11 was difficult, because he had to leave his pregnant wife to identify the pentagon bodies. >> i was trying to match dental records. the toughest part was at the end of the day, they would take the victims that were ready to be transported back to the families -- >> reporter: it's okay. take your time. it's okay. >> and the hearses -- >> reporter: it's okay. it's okay. take your time. do you want to join him? it's okay. it's okay. >> the hearses would come, and the military escorts, and the final salute, and after time it wears on you, because it could have been me or one of these guys and they all had families, and that was the worst part. that was the worst part. >> all right. suzanne malveaux there in kabul. it's a tough area in which to get the live shots going. suzanne will join us throughout the weekend to recognize the ni91 9/ 9/91 9/11 10th anniversary. we will go live to one of the pennsylvania towns that is being hard hit. 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. this is the kind of truck that has it all. ♪ guess that means you can do it all. it's the chevy season of doing. now combine the all-star edition discount with other offers for a total value of $6,000. or qualified buyers can get 0% apr for 60 months plus $1,000 cash allowance on all silverado models. get to your chevy dealer and get that truck today. exclusive to the military. 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. jobs, jobs, jobs. that was the central message of the president's speech last night. to get more americans working, the president wants to invest tax dollars back into the economy. but was his speech enough to sway the tea party faithful. don lemon asked some of them. >> reporter: people care a lot more about jobs and the economy than spending. do you think you are on the right track with spending and you don't want to hear about jobs? >> they go hand and glove. if you take a dollar out of the private sector to do something governor with it, and first of all it's a fallacy to hear anybody to say the government will create jobs. it didn't happen. when you remove a dollar from the private sector to have the government redistribute that dollar somewhere else, then it has an immediate impact. i own a small business. i am not hiring anybody else until i can forecast not 12 months, and not even 24 months, but i need to look down the road because my commitment for borrowing is a five-year or seven-year commitment. i don't want to hear about we're going to give a one-year break on this or that, and that's not getting the job done. i am a job creator. >> and you are not creating jobs right now? >> i am not because of the uncertainty associated with the spending. that's why i say that they go hand and glove. you cannot -- they are inseparable entities. job creation and spending. >> don lemon joining me now from tampa. democrats saying spend to create jobs, and republicans and tea party members saying cut. is anybody seeing any middle ground there, especially after hearing the president speak last night? >> reporter: listen, you heard from the members of the tampa tea party. no, there is no room for the common ground. they say the spending as to stop. they think it has exploded and when it comes to new taxes, they say no, no, no. i asked about the recent talks about the deficit and debt ceiling and if they were happy with what the freshman tea partiers have done, and they said yes and that's why they sent them to washington. anything to do with more spending or taxes they are not for it, and if the people that they sent to office votes for that, they will vote them out, fred. >> what did the gentleman that owns his own business, what did he say it would take -- >> reporter: can you repeat that? >> that one gentleman that you spoke to, what will it take before he will hire anyone, and be, indeed, a job creator? >> reporter: what it will take for him is time and confidence. he has to see the economy is on the way back and it's building. he has to see the unemployment rate comes down. and also he has to see that the people who are in washington are going to change their at tootit, and if he sees that happen he will hire more, and he is a job creator as he feels many other small business owners are. >> thank you, don lemon, we will see you throughout the weekend, and that's the leadup to monday. the tea party will be hosting a debate in tampa, florida. that's the sight of the 2012 national republican convention. tune in for that monday at 8:00 p.m., eastern. ♪ [ male announcer ] each of these photos was taken by someone on the first morning of their retirement. it's the first of more than 6,000 sunrises the average retiree will see. ♪ as we're living longer than ever before, prudential's challenge is to help everyone have the retirement income they'll need to enjoy every one of their days. ♪ prudential. bring your challenges. flooding from the remanence of tropical storm lee is breaking records in parts of pennsylvania and new york. thousands have had to grab what they could and leave their homes. at least three deaths are blamed on the floods. president barack obama has declared the region a federal disaster area. mary snow is in west pinston, pennsylvania. >> reporter: water all behind us. behind us is an entire street under water. this has been playing out in community after community here in lithis county. this man has been living here in for nine years in a home built for the family in 1949. he said he never has seen anything like this. >> i love living here. it's a wonderful town. and, uh -- when the river doesn't flood, it's beautiful. i think we're going to clean up and rebuild. whatever we have to fix, we're going to fix. i like living here. >> reporter: he is saying he will rebuild no matter what it takes. in his words, he says it's sad but amazing that so much water came -- in his words -- out of nowhere so quickly. >> looks like the water has receded a little bit. what is the expectation for more? >> reporter: yeah, it is receding, but it's receding slowly. and it is still above 15 or 16 feet above flood stage. what officials are saying is they don't anticipate anybody will be allowed to go back into their homes until at least sunday. one of the big worries is that people may try to go back to their homes and the water is so deep, and they're worried about that. >> people are anxious to see what may be left or what they are able to salvage. tell me about the worry that a lot of first responders or emergency folks have that people might find themselves getting in trouble if they try to check out their properties. >> reporter: i am having a little trouble hearing you, but there have been a couple shelters that have been open throughout the county. most people have gone to stay with relatives. and they have had national guard here, of course, state police, local police, and they are out and really trying to prevent people from trying to go back into their homes too early. >> mary snow, thanks so much. let's check in with chad meyers with a bigger view of the flooding pounding the northeast. bad in pennsylvania, and i was in washington, d.c. yesterday, and maryland got hit, too, but not as bad as pennsylvania. >> yeah, the rivers, as they came together at binging ton. there was 14 feet of water in some businesses. and there is down river, the video you are seeing here from wbal. the mayor yesterday said everybody out. all of the flood gates between 43 and 53 are open, and i don't know how many there are, because they don't tell us the number. when the water gets this high, 43 and 53 flood gates are open. there's nothing they can do to hold it back. the dam is there for a couple reasons, to make power and hold the water back when it is flooding. when you can't hold it back anymore because they know the big bubble of water is coming down, and all the way through the narrows and up in through plains. and our mary snow is way up to the north. this is a long river and valley. you have to understand that some people live on the mountainsides on both sides, and one side being the mountain top and the other side being hazelton. you can't live on the steep parts of the mountain so people live in the valley, and the valley is what is flooding. our mary snow is right there, and all of this completely under water and in some spots under ten feet of water. the only good news is the rain is done. this was all lee. lee is gone and the rain is gone. although it came, and all the way down to d.c. yesterday, and that rain is finally done. the moisture from lee is finally gone. we have flood warnings. there will be streams out of their banks for many days. all of those things and houses are going to be wet for a week, and then for a lot longer than that as people pick it up. this is as bad as hurricane agnes. >> very miserable conditions. thank you, chad. >> you are welcome. let's look at pictures coming out of cairo, egypt. you know about the square being the centerpiece of the up risings that help lead to the toppling of the hosni mubarak regime. what you are seeing on the left, i understand, there's a newly built wall around the israeli embassy, and people are trying to pull down the wall. in large part protesters have converged to the tahrir square, and there is great sentiment there that people are very upset with the military tribunals that they want abolishes and also the establishment of the minimum and maximum wages, permitting egyptians abroad to vote in the upcoming elections. there are a number of protesters that converged at tau rear square in cairo, egypt. espresso tampers, filters. it can get really complicated. not nearly as complicated as shipping it, though. i mean shipping is a hassle. not with priority mail flat rate boxes from the postal service. if it fits it ships anywhere in the country for a low flat rate. that is easy. best news i've heard all day! i'm soooo amped! i mean not amped. excited. well, sort of amped. really kind of in between. have you ever thought about decaf? do you think that would help? yeah. priority mail flat rate shipping starts at just $4.95, only from the postal service. a simpler way to ship. 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. time for the help desk where we get answers to your financial questions. joining me is the founder of the blog, askthemoneycoach.com. and first question to you, lynette. martin has a number of different debts. he has credit card debt, mortgage debt, car loan, etc. he is asking -- he says it's getting harder and harder to make ends meet. looks like debt is overwhelming at this point. >> a lot of people are struggling with debt at all form, and bankruptcy is not a magic bullet. bankruptcy won't make the mortgage go away. do think twice before you go out and do something as drastic as bankruptcy. it will stay on your credit report for ten years. >> people watch businesses go through a bankruptcy and reemerge and think, well, i can do that, too. and this one is from a joe and he wants to know if he should combine his money into a single ira or keep it separate? >> it will depend on what type of contributions it has been. if they have been tax free, they can go ahead and put them in the ira. if they are post taxed funds, he wants to keep them separate. >> do the homework. thank you, guys. if you have an answer you want answered send us an e-mail anytime to cnn help desk@cnn.com. just $15.99. [ trapp ] creating an experience instead of just a meal that's endless shrimp. my name is angela trapp. i'm a server at red lobster and i sea food differently. try capzasin-hp. it penetrates deep to block pain signals for hours of relief. capzasin-hp. take the pain out of arthritis. they were just 7 years old when the president visited their classroom on september 11th, 2001. little did they know they would have a front row street to history. our jason carroll reports. >> reporter: what began as a photo-op to show off the reading skills of the kids in sarasota, florida, ended up becoming one of the defining moments of 9/11, which chief of staff, andrew card, whispered in george bush's ear telling him of the terrorists attack. the president's reaction? he did not leave class and was criticized by some and praised by others for years to come. >> i think he handled it the right way. >> these three remember the day well. >> he was sitting, like, right here. i was sitting over there. >> we were there. >> the girls are now 17-year-old high school seniors, but back in september 2001, they were second graders. >> i remember he came into the classroom -- >> reporter: the president? >> yeah, the president. he shook our hands and we started to read, and a man whispered in his ear and he was stunned. >> we just went through like it was a normal lesson. >> reporter: one of their most vivid memories is when their teacher tried to explain what happened. >> she came into the room and sat us on the floor. she had been crying. >> she said we were young, and so it was like cartoonish. it was not real to us. >> reporter: at what age did you realize the magnitude of what happened on that day? >> when you are in high school, and your history classes and now it has been ten years, so the 9/11 attack is in our history books now. reading about it and having a personal experience with it, i could relate. >> we took a trip to new york and stayed there six days, and we actually got to see the world trade center being rebuilt. that's when it became real for me. >> reporter: do you remember signing it? >> yes, i do. >> reporter: they showed me the book called "the pet goat," and each class member signed it. and looking at it now they say it begins to tell a different story for them, of how a group of second graders have a place in history. >> we're not at the point where we have all of the situation, but we're still learning. of course the

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