Transcripts For CNN The Situation Room With Wolf Blitzer 20090819

morning show and she said it is likely not to pass the house if there's no public option involved. it's time for the president to stand up and say this is what i want in this bill, end of discussion, give it to me or there's no deal. can't keep going back and forth on this. >> you want to see more of the hispanic guy and black guy arguing, go to -- >> the black dude that didn't play football. >> we'll continue on cnn.com. suzanne malveaux will join you now and invite you to enter "the situation room." thanks, rick. happening now, the health care debate. raging out of white house control, hopes for bipartisanship signings so far. now the president is said to be weighing a drastzic option, going it alone, pushing for a bill without a single republican vote. also, deadly violence against u.s. forces and election workers in afghanistan just hours before the polls open in this country's critical presidential vote. we are on the ground seeing first hand what election officials are up against. and a big-city city mayor is speaking out about the brutal beating that sent him to the hospital. but so far, the family of the accused attacker is also speaking and now conflicting stories are beginning to emerge about what really happened. wolf blitzer is off today. i'm suzanne malveaux in cnn's command center for breaking news in politician and extraordinary reports around the world. you're in "the situation room." first, we begin with breaking news. a decision reached in a case the u.s. has been watching very closely, trying to fervently influence. should a terminally ill man convicted in the bombing of pan am flight 103 be granted compassion nal release and be allowed to die at home? our cnn homeland security correspondent jeanne meserve is joining us live. what are we hearing about this decision? >> reporter: suzanne, we're told that the obama administration has been notified informally that abdel baset ali mohmed al megrahi , the lockerbie bomber, will be released by scottish authorities on humanitarian grounds. state department officials tell this to cnn producers, saying this is a compassionate action on the part of the scots. the exact terms of his release have not been clarified to u.s. officials as yet. now, u.s. officials have been very outspoken in their views on this case. both secretary of state clinton and attorney general eric holder have been in contact with scottish justice authorities to voice their opinion that this is a man who should stay in jail. in addition, the lockerbie families have weighed in. there's some division of opinion, but those who believe he should stay in jail say they are horrified of thought this man could be released from jail whether he's ill or not. he's 57 years old. he has cancer. you can expect tomorrow that you will hear a very vehement reaction from u.s. officials probably in the white house, the state department, the justice department. they will not be happy that scottish authorities have made this decision. suzanne? >> jeanne meserve, thank you very much. we'll come back to you when you have more information. joining us by phone is bert amerman. he lost his brother in the lockerbie bombing. thank you so much for joining us here in "the situation room." i want to ask you first, obviously, your reaction to the news here that the bomber, the alleged bomber, will be allowed to die at home and be released from prison. >> well, this is a bitter moment in this 21-year odyssey. it's sort of ironic that 21 years ago this coward along with others bombed a plane with 259 people on it at 31,000 feet, 270 killed and here we are 21 years later and i've been given other information by some people calling earlier that they're going to try to get him out under the cover of darkness tonight and then make the announcement tomorrow. really it's sort of ironic if that is true, sneak attack 21 years ago and in the embarrassment of governments having to move this killer of 270 people on the ludicrous grounds of compassionate release. >> do you think that he should die in prison, or do you think that this is -- it's okay for him to die at home, that they've made the right decision? >> oh, it's the wrong decision on a couple of accounts. first of all, he got his compassionate release when he got life imprisonment and not capital punishment, which scotland doesn't have. he should finish out his term in his natural life in confinement, then return the body to libya. two, he's going to be going back, even if he has terminal cancer, as a hero and he's going to be received as a hero in libya. three, let's cut through all this information. he's being released because big business in the united states, great britain want the oil in libya and that's what's driving this whole wagon. >> we'll obviously be looking into many of the different questions surrounding this. is there anything that you believe your family can do or will do in light of this new information that's come forward? >> no, because what they did brilliantly, some of the british families wanted him released so they could continue to have the appeal process and according to them find out who really did this. i don't agree with them. but by him dropping his appeals to me is a government decision between the united states and great britain because now they've successfully stopped everything. so, pan am 103, odyssey as we've known it for 21 years, have been successfully closed. and that's what bothers me because the manipulation from bush 41 to clinton to bush 43 and now to the obama administration, even though i did hear in your introduction that the united states is protesting, my 21 years' experience in dealing with governments has taught me one thing -- if the united states didn't want him released through back channels, this man would not be released. so, they can go out and say anything they want tomorrow and how upset they are. don't insult my intelligence. >> bert ammerman, i want to thank you so much for joining us. this is a story we'll be following throughout the next three hours. the white house says bipartisanship is the preferred option, but top democrats close to the white house are now telling cnn that the obama administration is considering pushing a health care reform bill through congress without republican backing by invoking what is a seldom-used procedure. senate democrats could thwart a filibuster and pass a bill with a simple majority. but republicans warn that would be, quote, like a declaration of war. our cnn senior white house correspondent, ed henry, is working the story for us. ed, tell us why all the talk now of trying to go it alone. it's dramatically different when we see the last 12 to 24 hours, when it's been coming out of the white house. >> you're right, suzanne. the bottom line is the president has invest sod much political capital in getting this done and after the speeches, the pr offensive, he still has basically no republicans on board, and that's why top advisers to the president are saying they are actively considering, as you said, basically muscling this through the senate with democrat-only votes by using this budget maneuv maneuv maneuver, reconciliation, they call it, where instead of needing 60 votious need a simple majority, 51 votes. the bottom line is there's no final decision on this. they're actively considering it. white house spokesman robert gibbs saying the president is still holding out hope he can get bipartisanship here in large part because there are three republicans still negotiating the senate finance committee. as you know, they've been meeting for weeks now with very little success, and that's why advisers to the president say that if this isn't done by, say, mid-september, they're very likely to move ahead with reconciliation. they say while republicans will scream in protest, the bottom line is if in the end they get a win for the president, people remember that, not the process, suzanne. >> let's bring in senior congressional correspondent, dana bash. dana, obviously, you've been talking to folks all day. what are congressional leaders saying about the latest twist? >> reporter: the senate leading the bipartisan talks, finance chairman max baucus and republican charles grassley, they've both released statements to cnn today saying they are committed to bipartisan negotiations. they reminded us there's a meeting, a conference call tomorrow night with those six senators. however, a spokesman for the senate's top democrat, harry reid, issued a warning, suzanne. he said that democrats' patience is not unlimited and democrats will ultimately do whatever it takes to pass health care. i'll read a statement from senate majority leader harry reid's spokesman. he said, "the white house still prefers a bipartisan bill." >> reporter: now, suzanne, that is just about one of the clearest statements yet on the record about what we've been hearing privately from democrats, especially in the past 24 hours. they are already quietly figuring out how to jump legislative hurdles to push through health care without republicans. why? because privately democrat leaders doubt the bipartisan talks will be successful. >> dana bash, thank you very much. ed henry, we'll leave it there. we'll join jack cafferty in new york with "the cafferty file." jack, what are you following? good to see you. >> suzanne. nice to see you. six months since the obama administration pushed through that massive $787 billion economic stimulus package, so where are the jobs? house republican whip eric cantor says he doesn't think the program is working as well as it was advertised and he says nobody should be highlighting the benefits of the stimulus plan. cantor points out that when this thing was passed the administration predicted it would keep unemployment lower than 8.5%. hasn't happened. the jobless rate in july was 9.4%. the white house has pushed back against critics of the stimulus bill, saying that it's working as planned by easing but not erasing the impact of the recession. they say it'll take a very, very long time, their words, to fill what they call a very, very deep hole. that's fine. but where are the jobs? most economists agree the recession would have been worse without the stimulus although they don't agree on how much it is actually helping. a new poll shows most americans think the stimulus package has cost too much money and is not doing enough to end the recession. 57% of those polled say it's having no impact on the economy or is making things worse. 60% doubt the plan will help the economy in the future. and only 18% say it has done anything to help their personal situation. not exactly rave reviews there. so, here's the question -- go to cnn.com/caffertyfile and post a comment on my blog. lot of people out of work in this country, suzanne. >> absolutely. thank you, jack. well, we are getting word of severe weather hitting the st. paul area. chad meyer is with that breaking news next. and a potential breakthrough in the standoff over north korea's nuclear weapons program. we'll talk to new mexico governor bill richardson who's been meeting with north korea diplomats and he's going to make news right here in "the situation room." also, the deadliest day in iraq since u.s. forces withdrew from the country's cities and towns two months ago. new details of a wave of deadly bombings. plus, a battered big-city mayor speaking out. this is my verizon small business specialist, tom. now, i know the catering business but when i walked in here i wasn't sure what i needed. i'm not sure what i need. tom showed me how to use mifi to get my whole team working online, on location. i was like, "woah". woah ! only verizon wireless has small business specialists in every store to help you do business better. you're like my secret ingredient. come in today and connect up to five devices on one 3g connection. now only $99.99 some people buy a car based on the deal they get. others by the car of their dreams. during the lexus golden opportunity sales event, you can do both. special lease offers now available on the 2009 es 350. severe weather reported in the st. paul area. let's go right to cnn's chad myers with the breaking news. chad? suzanne, still tornado warnings for the areas east of st. paul. we did have a tornado reported by the public just north of literally downtown minneapolis. there is the town of minneapolis here. here is the convention center. we know that part of the roof is off of the convention center itself. and then as we spin you around, we know that there were reports of damage all along 35w all the way down about fourth avenue south and about 35th street. and then a little bit of wind damage through the downtown area itself. this weather popped up very, very quickly, and the severe weather will probably continue for much of the night. so, we'll watch minneapolis. we will also watch parts of indiana and illinois for the potential for severe weather tonight. suzanne? >> all right. thank you very much. chad myers with breaking news in the st. paul area. breaking news also in the standoff over north korea nuclear weapons' program. new mexico governor bill richardson has been meeting with two of the country's top diplomats. govern governor, what can you tell us about your talks? what do the north koreans want? >> well, first, the north koreans are sending good signals that they're ready to talk directly to the united states. they felt president clinton's visit was good, that it helped thaw relations, make them easier. they did feel that getting the two american journalists out was a gesture on their part. they mentioned several other gestures they've made recently, the release of the south korean detainee. and so, i detected for the first time -- and i've been meeting with minister kim, who's the top u.n. diplomat -- a lessening of tension, some positive vibration. the fact that they're ready to have a dialogue again. but the issue is should that dialogue be in the context of the six-party talks which the united states wants with the other asian countries or bilaterally as the north koreans want, directly u.s./north korea. >> did they tell you they were willing at the very least to go back to the six-party talks and begin renegotiating in that form, the united states, the obama administration, has preferred? >> no. they don't like the six-party talks. they felt that it's produced sanctions on them. they want a new format. and the format they want is direct talks with the united states. now, maybe a compromise might be some kind of direct talks within the six party format, but, again, this is something that diplomats should negotiate. i'm not negotiating on behalf of the obama administration. >> sure. >> they called me, the state department approved the visit. they've come here three times before. i know minister kim well. we're going to meet some more this afternoon. and then tomorrow. so, maybe there will be a little more. but the good news is i detect a lessening of tension, good vibration. the clinton visit helped. they feel, the north koreans, that by giving us the two american journalists, that they've made an important gesture. and now they're saying the ball's in our court. that's in essence what i got from the first meeting this morning. >> do you feel like they've conveyed the u.s. owes them anything, that they have expectations from this obama administration now? >> well, they do believe they are owed a gesture. i don't believe that's the case. these were two american journalists. they were only doing their job. they suffered for several months, and they were released thanks to some very good diplomacy by the obama administration. but the north koreans obviously used the journalists as a bargaining chip and now they want a gesture in return. what i believe they want in return is, all right, the u.s. is now ready to talk directly, maybe substitute the six-party talks for bilateral talks, but this is something the u.s. is going to have to decide in some tough bargaining. this is why i mentioned that perhaps within the six-party talks the asian countries, russia, china, south korea, japan, the u.s., that there been bilateral talks by the u.s. and north korea within those talks. but you first have to get together. there first has to be a dialogue. and i think the north koreans are -- >> who do they want to talk to, governor? do they want to talk specifically with former bill clinton? are they asking to speak with the current president, obama? >> no. they're ready to talk to our design designee, our ambassador bos worth, our special enjoy. they're leaving it up to the u.s. on who should they talk to. they didn't place any conditions, and that's good news. i think the visit of president clinton, although as a humanitarian, unofficial visit, gave them international prestige. and i think it did. and it took somebody of the stature of president clinton to get the two journalists out, and this credit should go to president obama and his team that realized that this was the only way to get them out. >> and, governor, are they specifically talking about nuclear negotiations here, a willingness to take a look at their program and perhaps give up their nuclear ambitions? is that what they are talking act when they say we want one-on-one talks? >> well, they said that everything would be on the table -- security issues, normalization issues. but, look, they're very tough barg bargainers. previous administrations have tried before, nuclear agreements in exchange for them giving up their nuclear weapons. they get food, aid, energy. that hasn't worked. so, there's probably going to be a need for a new format, not just in terms of negotiating but also the issues. but i think the important thing, because the relationship has been so negative for the last two years, it's just sitting together and talking, dialogue, diplomacy, because it's in both our countries' interest for north korea to end their nuclear weapons, to have stability in asia and to improve situation of the north korean people. >> governor, last quick question. i know you have more talks and this will continue. but did they you any indication they are willing to compromise, willing to pull back on their nuclear program? was that something they had offered or said they were willing in some ways to change? are have you got on the that point? >> no. no. and they wouldn't bring that up with me. this is up to the two governments. i'm sort of a liaison here, but they know me. i've dealt with them over the years, and they asked to see me. so, i will convey back to the administration what they said. but the negotiating on the hard stuff like reduction of nuclear weapons, termination, some kind of an agreement, which is in our interests -- >> sure. >> -- getting them to stop exporting their nuclear material has to be handled by our diplomat, and we have some very good ones, especially ambassador boz worth. >> thank you very much, governor bill richardson, for joining us. deadly violence and a logistical nightmare. we are on the ground in afghanistan, a country on edge just hours ahead of a crucial presidential election. plus, hurricane bill now a very dangerous cat gory 4 storm. these days, wouldn't it be great if saving money happened as automatically as everything else? at bank of america, it practically does. use the bankamericard power rewards visa credit card and earn rewards like cash back with every purchase. cash you can put into savings. or even use to help pay down your credit card balance. it's one of the many ways we make saving money in tough times a whole lot easier. poppy harlow is monitoring the stories coming into "the situation room" right now. poppy, what are you working on? >> reporter: suzanne, nuri al maliki said the security arrangement in his country needs to be re-evaluated, this following six bomb attacks in baghdad today alone. at least 95 people were killed and more than 560 others were wounded. two bombings targeted government guildings including the ministries of foreign affairs and finance. an iraqi army official says two suspects in custody are believed to be senior leaders of al qaeda in iraq. also making headlines, hurricane bill is now a powerful category 4 storm with winds topping 135 miles an hour. it is expected to pass north of the leeward islands in the next 24 hours. the storm could intensify as it moves north. forecasters say hurricane bill could produce dangerous rip tides and high surf on the eastern coast this weekend. the new hurricane advisory is due out soon, and:'s meteorologist and severe weather expert chad myers will have all the details on that in the next hour of "the situation room." and an 11-year-old british boy has become the world's young estwing walker. that's right. see him on the top of the plane? tiger brewer broke that record today by standing on top of his grandfather's biplane as the plane flew 1,000 feet in the air. thankfully, his feet were strapped down. wing walking is a family tradition for the brewers. tiger's grandfather operates the world's only formation wing walking team. he says his grandson has been waiting for this day for years. >> tiger's been asking to do this since he was 3 years old. and i've always said, no, you've got to be bigger, and until you fit the straps properly. you know, about six months ago, he said, granddad, can i do it this summer? i said we'll have to see. he said, grandpa, i told my friends i'm going to do it. i said we'll still have to see. >> suzanne, you could not pay me to do that. >> that's a brave young man is there. thanks, poppy. well, milwaukee's mayor battered and bruised, and for the first time he is talking about how he got those injuries in a bizarre weekend attack. and we are following breaking news out of minnesota. severe weather in the minneapolis/st. paul area. so what do you think? i think i'll go with the basic package. good choice. only meineke lets you choose the brake service that's right for you. and save 50% on pads and shoes. meineke. you're in "the situation room." happening now, afghans go to the polls in just a few hours but security is a huge concern as taliban militants step up attacks to intimidate voters. are their terror tactics working? we'll have a report from the capital, kabul. and a shocking attack in georgia. an elderly couple is mauled to death by a pack of wild dogs. the bizarre details coming up. and nascar champions in the driver's seat and at the white house. wolf blitzer's off today. i'm suzanne malveaux, and you're in "the situation room." milwaukee mayor tom barrett is now speaking out about how he was attacked while trying to help a woman on the street. the incident happened last weekends as the mayor was leaving the wisconsin state fair. our cnn's brian todd is joining us now. brian, what did the mayor say about this attack? it's the first time he's talked about it. >> that's right. the mayor said he was having a nice evening out at the state fair with his family on saturday. they noticed a disturbance leaving the event and then he says things moved very quickly. >> reporter: with a substantial cut on the left side of his face and his broken right hand heavily bandaged, milwaukee's mayor gives new detail on the attack that sent him to the hospital. tom barrett says as he and his family were leaving the state fair saturday night, people in his group heard someone yell, "call 911." they noticed a woman holding a baby. >> within seconds, we realized the problem was not with the baby, it was with the man, and he came up and was very, very agitated. and events took off from there very, very quickly. >> reporter: barrett wouldn't give more details on the beating, citing the investigation, but his brother did describe the incident to cnn, saying the other man punched mayor barrett, threw him to the ground, then -- >> this guy had, like, a police baton that extend, and he is xwlas pounding tom over and over with this baton and knocks tom, like, a tooth on the bottom of tom's mouth out right at the root. >> reporter: police in nearby west allis, wisconsin, tell cnn the suspect, 20-year-old anthony peters, is still being held and the local district attorney says a decision on possible charges could be made by thursday. a separate 911 call indicates peters was threatening the grandmother of his 1-year-old daughter when the mayor interceded. but other members of peters' family have indicated they think the mayor may have provoked peters. peters' older brother spoke to cnn affiliate wtmj but asked he not be seen on camera or identified. >> somebody got involved that shouldn't have been involved. >> my first reaction was that's pretty bizarre. we were literally walking down the street, so i don't want to say anything more than that. we were literally walking down the street. >> peters' mother told our cnn affiliate, if it had been anyone else beside the mayor, it wouldn't have even hit the news and my son probably wouldn't have been arrested. >> was there security detail around the mayor? >> no. he was home saturday night, he had his kids, his wife out of town. he was looking for an excuse not to make dinner. he got calls from his siblings to go hear a band at the fair. he says it was a spur of the moment decision and that's why there was no security detail. deadly new violence in afghanistan just hours ahead of the country's closely watched and critical presidential elections. six american service members have been killed since yesterday, five of them in hostile attacks. and militants are also targeting election workers with at least six deaths reported. all of this is creating a very tense atmosphere with just over six hours to go before the polls open at 10:30 eastern time tonight. ivan watson is in afghanistan with the very latest. >> reporter: we're on a convoy with a police truck escorting this truck ahead of us taking ballot boxes up to some of the polling stations here in afghanistan's central province. as you can see, security is important here even though this is one of the safest provinces in the country. despite that good track record, election workers say in some parts of the province they've heard of armed men going house to house, warning people not to vote. and also there's been a spike in violence and insurgent attacks over the past three months as insurgents have tried to disrupt this election process. now, you can tell the roads here are not paved. despite the fact that this is one of the safest provinces in the country, it's been spared the daily car bombs and roadside bombs, th that the south and th east of the country have seen and some of the assassination attacks, it still hasn't really benefitted from reconstruction. there are fewer than five kilometers of paved road in this entire province, and that makes this election a real logistical challenge. you can see the posters over there of some of the candidates for provincial counsel and for president. people here say they are going to participate in the elections tomorrow, and there is a lot of support here for the incumbent president, ma ha mid-karzai, in part because some of the traditional ethnic leaders, a predominantly ethnic province, they have endorsed the incumbent president, hamid karzai. >> ivan watson mentioned the logistical challenge of the election. i went you to take a look at this. officials have enlisted more than -- this is amazing -- 3,000 donkeys to help deliver ballots to remote corners of the country. in fact, there are more donkeys being used than cars. this massive effort is being conducted by an election staff of 165,000 people. well, we possibly wouldn't even be here without him. donahue wit, a tv news pioneer whose influence reached far beyond his groundbreaking newsmagazine "60 minutes." we look at his life and legacy. also, a new role model for scorned women everywhere. show and tell you weren't always my favorite day. with all the pet hair in the air, i'd spend class preoccupied, bothered by itchy eyes. but now i have new zyrtec® itchy eye drops. it works fast, with just one drop, to relieve my itchy eyes from allergies for up to 12 hours. no other allergy itchy eye drop works faster or longer. which is good, 'cause there's a lotta paws to shake. with new zyrtec® itchy eye drops i can love the air™. 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(max azria) perfect. ♪ ♪ now create your own look with my new line miley cyrus & max azria great styles at incredible prices. only at walmart. save money. live better. walmart. well, tv news as we know it would not exist without donahue wit, the veteran journalist and creator of "60 minutes" has died of papg rattic cancer at age 86. as kyra phillips shows us, his influence on the industry extended far beyond the news show he started. >> reporter: pioneering journalist donahue wit in the early days of television. >> call me when you get that. >> reporter: he began his career in print journalism. he moved to cbs in 1948, where he stayed for more than 50 years. >> see it now -- a document for television. >> reporter: he directed "see it now." and the legendary series "cbs reports." he worked alongside correspondent edward r. murrow and producer fred friendly. they set the highest standards, virtually inventing the new medium of television journalism. as producer and director of douglas edwards and the news, he had a tremendous influence on the development of day to day television news programming. he headed cbs' early political coverage including the 1960 presidential debate. >> nixon was ill. this phi's been to the hospital. he arrived looking like the wrath of god. jack kennedy looked terrific. >> reporter: 70 million viewers tuned into that debate, which revealed the awesome power of television. >> but people who heard it on radio thought that nixon won. all the people who watched on television saw this sort of s salowed, green, pasty nixon and decided that kennedy was the winner. >> reporter: don hewitt is best known for creating the groundbreaking news broadcast "60 minutes." >> this is "60 minutes," a kind of a magazine for television. >> reporter: it became one of the most successful and profitable news programs in television history. an impressive achievement for the man who dropped out of college after just one year and admitted he was not really an intellectual. his genius came in creating stories in a way that appealed to the average person. >> i go to every screening as a viewer, and i sit there and say if i were a guy sitting home 7:00 sunday, would i look at this? does this interest me? can this be told better? >> he did a book about it called "tell me a story." it was a story. it was a story. and he hooked us, this old crowd, on stories. >> reporter: he would develop the reputation of a hands-on manager, a person whose fingerprints could be seen on every frame, every line of every story, a stickler for perfection. >> he's a kind of id owe savant broadcasting flying by the seat of his pants in a control room or edit room or cree carining around the hallways adjacent to his office. >> reporter: he also develops a reputation of his handling as a boss. sometimes volatile and heavy handled. >> there are oftentimes blood on the floor of that screening room. believe me. >> reporter: over the years, "60 minutes" became appointment television, brings us some of the most memorable and sometimes touching moments in television history. >> this is not something else. this is a marriage. that's a very different thing. >> reporter: in june 2004, hewitt stepped aside. some would say he was pushed aside as executive producer of "60 minutes." he left at age 81 after heading "06 minutes" for 60 years. >> he was a great boss. you could challenge him, you could fight him. the only thing you could not do is bore him in the screening room. that is the one thing that is not allowed. >> reporter: well, we want to show you a bit more of the cbs show "see it now" that kyra mentioned. hewitt was right in the middle of the action alongside cbs joump journalist edward r. murrow during the first live transmission program back in 1951. take a look. >> cbs television, in cooperation with its affiliated television stations, presents the distinguished reporter and news analyst ed regard r. murrow in "see it now." edited by mr. murrow and fred friendly. a public service of the cbs television news work. >> this is an old team trying to learn a new trade. when we started this series of program, we had to decide where to do it from. we decided to do it right here from the studio. my purpose will be not to get in your light any more than i can, to lean over the cameraman's shoulder occasionally and say a world which may help illuminate or explain what is happening. we have here two monitors which will serve as live speakers from various and other places. we will from time to time show film on those monitors, as well. we are as newcomers to this medium rather impressed by the whole thing, impressed, for example, i can turn to ddo don hewitt here and say, don, will you push a button and bring in the atlantic coast? >> this is camera one at a point of vantage on governor's island. there's the island. it's right down that way. there's where the big ships sail out to europe and all other parts of the world. >> thank you very much. now on monitor two, may we have the p p.a. civic coast, please? >> hello, new york. this is the golden state, the waters of san francisco bay leading out to the pacific ocean. it's rather hazy out here, mr. murrow. >> thank you very much, indeed, don. we for our part are considerably impressed. for the first time man has been able to sit home and look at two oceans at the same time. we are impressed with this media and hope to learn to use it and not to abuse it. >> well, highlighting the use of multiple video screens in reporting. that's something we love here in "the situation room." "see it now" ran from 1951 to 1957. we owe him quite a bit. well, democrats and the white house may try to push through health care reform without republican support. how will that sit with the american people? the latest poll result in today's "strategy session." and drawing a line in the sand. the wife of south carolina governor mark sanford talks about his affair and reveals what he has to do to save their marriage. her words resounding with the public and hollywood. whack ♪ ♪ 'cause now i'm driving off the lot in a used sub-compact. ♪ ♪ f-r-e-e, that spells free credit report dot com, baby. ♪ ♪ saw their ads on my tv ♪ thought about going but was too lazy ♪ ♪ now instead of looking fly and rollin' phat ♪ ♪ my legs are sticking to the vinyl ♪ ♪ and my posse's getting laughed at. ♪ ♪ f-r-e-e, that spells free- credit report dot com, baby. ♪ ...and big hearts happy too. because as part of a heart healthy diet... ...those delicious oats in cheerios can help naturally lower cholesterol. (cheerios spilling) cheerios. how can something so little... ...help you do something so big. a possible shift in the democrats' health care strategy tops our "strategy session." democratic strategist and cnn political contributor paul begala and the deputy chair of the republican national committee and who, we should mention, works at a consulting firm that represents health care clients. thank you very much for joining here in "the situation room." want to start off, there's a lot of talk now, specifically over the last 24 hours or so, what is the president going to do, the obama administration, to try to bring on republicans or just abandon it all together. here's the latest poll. whether or not they should have broad support. congress should approve health care reform only with support from democrats. 36% agree, but 59% disagree. so, paul, how does the president handle this? how does he push it through? and what does he need to do to get republicans on board or should he just say forget about it? >> what's interesting is he's got two campaign promises that are in conflict. he ran around the country and said i will be postpartisan, rise above the fray, bring republicans and democrats together. he's not going to be able to do that. i think, to paraphrase george w. bush, he misunderestimated the republicans. he gave them credit for being reasonable and responsible when they're not. he and his team have accepted, get this, over 100 republican amendments and changes to the health care bill, for which they've gotten no republican votes. so, i think he has no choice. he promised to do health care and he promised to be bipartisan. when those two are at war, health care is a lot more important. he's got to do his job, which is to try to bring quality, affordable health care the to the people even though republicans won't do their job. >> frank, is there some room for the republicans to jump on board for health care reform or are they just not saying the right things yet? >> well, there might be, but here's a suggestion to the president. actually try to get republican votes. he's supporting a bill in the house of representatives that was written by george miller, henry waxman, and charles rangel, three very, very fine representatives who are among the most liberal members in the entire congre congress. these are small technical things. he's refused to talk about things that could be truly bipartisan in a time when the american people really i think are looking for a bipartisan solution. >> an example. this so-called death panel that is compensating docs in the medicare system if they spend time counseling people on advanced medical directives and living wills. that's an idea the that came from two republicans, olympia sno snowe, republican from maine. it was included in the bill beez these two wanted it. then thed are cal right, sarah palin, rush limbaugh, others, even charles grassley, says we're pulling the plug on grandma and calling it a death panel? it was a republican idea. >> and the congressman distanced himself from that whole idea, but what does the president need to do? i mean, is there one thing that he could offer here that the republicans would sign on board? >> thank you. let me give you two. talking about equalizing the tax treatment between people that buy their insurance directly from an insurer and people that get insurance directly from their employers. that's a reasonable position that the president should be willing to talk about, but he criticized john mccain in the presidential election and the unions are against it so he won't talk about it. medical malpractice reform is another commonsense solution. i would say to the president you have an opportunity to get something bipartisan here but you've got to walk away from the left side of your party. he's never been willing to do that. >> paul, i want to show you this nbc news poll, how health care is being handled by president obama. but there's a lot of misinformation. you talked about the so-called death panels and so forth. how does the president right now cut through a lot of that? he has been trying for weeks now, and so far we are still seeing a disapproval rating higher than the approval rating. >> right. what's interesting, paul steinhauser, who wrote up this story on our cnn political ticker, he points out that 41% approved, not very good, but it hasn't gone down since all of this ruckus at these town hall meetings. the august recess has not damaged president obama. he's trying to take on the very hardest issue, except for race, the hardest issue on the domestic front in american history. >> frank, i want you to weigh in real quick. >> what has gone up is the hard disapproved, and now the public opposes the public option by several percent. that's a sea change. a tough problem for the president. >> we'll have to leave it there. thank you very much, frank donatelli and paul begala. cnn i-reporters on the scene of deadly bomb blasts in baghdad. you'll see what they see as the iraqi capital is rocked. also, we are standing by for a new forecast on hurricane bill. i think i'll go with the preferred package. good choice. only meineke lets you choose the brake service that's right for you. and save 50% on pads and shoes. meineke. jack joins us again with "the cafferty file." indeed, i do. for our own comfort rather than giving the potential process time to work its way through the wilderness that our traditional demand for bounty has produced. there's a reason i didn't do well in college. i'm not sure i understood that. if you didn't see your e-mail here, go to my blog at cnn.com/caffertyfile and look for yours there among others. did you follow that, suzanne? >> i didn't either. we're in good company. thank you, jack. here in "the situation room," happening now, hours before afghan voters go to the pools braving a new wave of bloody violence. iraq's insurgents providing nightmares of that country's darkest days. six bombings leave hundreds dead and wounded. we'll take you to both war zones sxwroop betrayed wives in the spotlight. now the wife of south carolina governor mark sanford opens up about her husband's affair and how she's dealing with it. and a politician makes a dramatic marriage proposal to his fiancee using a police helicopter and police boat. can he make it up to taxpayers? wolf blitzer is off today. i'm suzanne malveaux and you're in "the situation room." as the u.s. and its allies focus on afghanistan where a crucial election is due to get under way just hours from now, insurgents in iraq make it clear that they are not going to be counted out. a half dozen devastating bombings just minutes apart killing and wounding hundreds of people in baghdad. we begin with cnn's arwa damon in the iraqi capital. >> reporter: suzanne, it was the type of violence that was reminiscent of iraq's darkest days when the insurgency was at its peak, the type of violence that so many iraqis had hoped was a thing of the past. in the span of less than an hour, six attacks, the deadliest day in iraq since the country took responsibility for its own security on june 30th. this is the aftermath of just one of many bombings to strike the capital, baghdad. we're here just few moments after the explosion itself took place, a scene of toe al and utter devastation, and tensions here are running very high. this would end up being the deadliest attack, a truck packed with explosives setting off a blast so powerful it blew through the front of the foreign ministry, sent some vehicles flying, and reduced others to twisted hulks of metal. and demolished homes in the surrounding area. >> translator: i was sleeping here, and the explosion happened. the fans fell from the ceiling," he says, pointing to the damage. the areas just outside of the heavily fortified green zone, teeming with iraqi security forces. "i don't have any faith in the security forces," he says. "this is supposed to be one of the safest neighborhoods in baghdad, and there are explosions like this?" the road where the bombing took place used to have a checkpoint where every vehicle was stopped, and, more importantly, it had bomb-detection equipment. that was recently removed, giving the insurgents a target of opportunity. "why are they doing this to us," this woman wails. "all these dead people. this kid, our neighbor died. another neighbor died before. why?" the iraqi government has been removing blast walls in some areas, reducing checkpoints to try to create a semblance of normalcy. its rush and desire to prove its control on this day came at the expense of the people. the prime minister's office issued a statement saying that today's attacks wither carried about by those who wanted to decrease the iraq people's confidence in the iraqi security forces. it would appear that they succe succeeded. suzanne? >> thank you. the series of bombs that shook buildings across baghdad were felt by an i-reporter working in the green zone. our abbi tatson is here with those images. that's amazing we were talking about this because that's the first time they got something like this from baghdad. >> haven't seen this before. a u.s. contractor currently in baghdad and saw these explosions happen right before him. this is from john peters, who is there right now. he was shortly before 11:00 a.m. this morning when he says the whole building that he was in shook. there was a rumbling sound. when they went up to the roof, they saw smoke rising and then right in front of them just a couple of minutes after that a second explosion, what he then called a huge explosion. he later identified it happening at the ministry of foreign affairs as far as he could tell. that one much bigger. at that point, they heard the loud speaker telling them to lock down, seek shelter, and they ran back down below as smoke continued to rise around them. this was more than a mile away or slightly more than a mile away as far as they could tell. still, the damage felt where they were in the building when they were working, this is one of the downstairs windows that was blown out by the explosion, john says he's been there for about a month already, he's got another five months or so to go, this by far the biggest explosion or attack that he's seen. >> incredible pictures. thank you very much, abbi. well, in afghanistan, taliban insurgents are doing all that they can to turn a high-stakes election into bloody chaos. on the eve of the balloting, the u.s. military announced the death of six more american troops. cnn's atia abawi is in kabul. >> reporter: suzanne, it's been a very bloody week leading up to afghanistan's second-ever presidential elections. we've seen rocket attacks. we've seen gun battles between potential suicide bombers and afghan forces, and we've also seen two suicide car bombs killing at least 15 people in a span of four days. and it makes many people in the country wonder, is it even worth going out to vote? what's left after tuesday's suicide car bombing in the capital of afghanistan. among the dead, civilians, u.n. worker, and a coalition soldier. this is an area that's usually very busy. this is an area that has shops. this road leads to the largest u.s. base here in afghanistan, bagram airfield. this is where the blast occurred. it's usually an area that's bustling with afghans trying to sell goods, trying to sell food. survivors came to assess the damage and somberly go about their lives and return to their jobs. this police officer blacked out at the time of the attack. he joust teld me there were three dead bodies that fell next to him. but he says that he's fine. he said he was protected by his flak jacket. there were no flak jackets for two workers who were killed at this hotel. the owner says they were villagers who came to the capital for work so that they could provide for their families. many afghans say they will not vote tomorrow, not just because of the danger but because they don't feel any candidate will be able to improve their lives. it's hard to believe that that little hole caused this much damage. he just told me he went from this side of the road all the way to the other side of the road when the blast went off. it goes to show you why he doesn't remember the blast-it sticks with him, yet a day after the the blastz, they're all still here, all still going on with their lives, because they have to. and the elections must go on, too. there's a bit of an eerie calm in parts of the capital, kabul, today. others are seeing blazing gun battles. but behind these walls, this is a girls' high school, preparations are still under way by the independent electoral commission to make sure that the vote goes on. even though we have independent electoral commission press cards, we're being denied access to get into the polling stations to look at the preparations being made. i've heard from some journalist friends who have actually been attacked by the police and the military for trying to just take pictures. so, it goes to show you we don't know how the preparations are going. we don't know what's going on in the polling stations. and we don't know if we'll have access tomorrow. atia abawi, cnn, kabul. and jack cafferty is in new york with "the cafferty file." jack, what are you following? >> what an incredible story. >> absolutely. >> just watching that report. it makes you appreciate how we manage to do these elections here in this country, doesn't it? >> certainly does. >> president obama and the democrats may wind up going it alone when it comes to health care reform. the democrats now say they see little chance of getting any republican support and point to lawmakers like senator charles grassley, who they say are not serious about making a deal. the administration says it had hoped to get bipartisan backing but now it's looking less likely. inste instead, they would have to get moderate and conservative democrats on board. that's not guaranteed either. party leaders in the senate could wind up using a tactic where they only need 51 votes to pass a health care bill instead of 60. one republican warns if the democrats go this route it would be, quote, like a declaration of war, unquote, as opposed to the spirit of cooperation that we have now. going it alone has pros and cons for democrats. it could mean crafting the bill that that he thai really want, for example, the public option, which the white house appeared to be abandoning this week, would likely be back on the table. but pushing legislation through without republican support could also be risky as the gop might call it a power play and say they were merely opposing a bill that the public disliked. one recent poll shows almost 60% of registered voters oppose passing a health care bill without bipartisan support. but the white house doesn't seem too worried. one official told cnn, quoting here, if we have to push it through this way, no one is going to remember how messy it was. a win is a win, unquote. i don't want about that. here's the question. getting ugly out there, suzanne. >> yeah. we know president obama, one of the campaign promises to try to bring people together. >> i think he's trying. you know, he's made a herculean effort to do that but is not having much luck. >> we'll see what the viewers think. thanks, jack. how to survive the ultimate stress of combat. >> i remember distinctly crashing, and i thought i'm going to die right here. >> coping skills taught to troops by a woman who overcame her own incredible ordeal. and a pack of wild dogs, killers of an elderly couple, meet their own fate in rural georgia. i'm robert shapiro. over a million people have discovered how easy it is to use legalzoom for important legal documents. at legalzoom, we'll help you incorporate your business, file a patent, make a will and more. you can complete our online questions in minutes. then we'll prepare your legal documents and deliver them directly to you. so start your business, protect your family, launch your dreams. at legalzoom.com we put the law on your side. powerful winds slammed into indianapolis today tearing off part of a church steeple and ripping up trees. let's go live to our severe weather expert, chad myers, in atlanta. was it a tornado we saw? >> the public report is this, suzanne, so it's not official yet. many things can look like a tornado. it can be scud, which is rapidly rising air, looks wispy, like smoke, or it could have been a wall cloud that got very close to the ground. they'll have to see. we know there was damage especially on the south side, 35w. we know there were other tornadoes not far to the west of prairie du chien. that's the big story. we'll take you to a few pictures here from minneapolis. this is the central lew ran church. this is very, very close to the convention center. and, in fact, let me take you on a little tour here. here's our google earth. i'm going to hit play, and there's downtown minneapolis. here's 35w coming up here. now we're going to take you to a place called powder horn, where we know there was damage. this is very close to green central park school, which would be right there. and then you've got portland and south fifth avenue kind of down there. we know there was damage there. there, right there, that is the convention center. and i'm going to zoom you around that building right there with that lutheran church that i just showed you. here's one of the entrances of the convention center. we'll zoom you back out. that's the building that we know had some damage. also probably some tiles off the convention center itself. here is the police car. we know some type of a tent was probably at the lutheran church. there it is again, blown around. so far, no injuries with this either wind damage or potential tornado. i'm even seeing some parts right here. they look like big foam sheets. it's usually part of a roof structure somewhere, but i know we have more on that coming up because we have somebody on the ground, suzanne. >> thank you so much, tchad. amaze nothing injuries there. chris welch is joining us from the scene. we're used to seeing you in the middle of all those political stories you handle during the campaign season, but what did you see today on the ground? >> reporter: it was interesting. i was actually downtown when the tornado or whatever it was came through. we could hear the sirens going on and off and police cars, fire trucks going by. started to wonder what was going on. as you drive around a little more, you see the police have taped off around the convention center and, you know, police standing around, a couple saying they had heard word of one very minor injury from someone who worked inside the convention center. whether that was just an early report maybe they were misinformed or not, i'm not sure. but that's what one of the sergeants with the minneapolis police department said. further south, chad mentioned there's a -- portland, streets go from the north to the south and go soout out of town. for about two miles down that, there are big trees down everywhere and large sections of that road are closed down. and there are trees that are uprooted and literally leaning against people's houses. it looks as if something came through, a gust of wind, people in the neighborhood saying they had been startled by rattling of windows, sounded like a freight train, came up and down the street. they looked out their window, they said they saw swirling air, like a light-color swirling air and it had some debris and leaves in it, all kinds of gunk. they started to run outside and saw something moving. they didn't really realize what it was until they saw it and they said that was the tornado. now, whether it was or not, who knows but this stuff was pretty bad. >> we are taking a look at those incredible pictures you submitted. want to thank you so much for your report. as always, excellent reporting from our chris welch who's actually on the ground there. hurricane bill is now a dangerous category 4 storm. we are tracking its path and looking at where it could make landfall. and a very violent and dangerous situation in afghanistan with the country's presidential election just hours away. will national security concerns overtake the health care reform debate here in the u.s.? introducing the all new chevy equinox. with an epa estimated 32 miles per gallon. and up to 600 miles between fill ups. it's the most fuel efficient crossover on the highway. better than honda cr-v, toyota rav4 and even the ford escape hybrid. the all new chevy equinox. poppy harlow is monitoring the stories that are incoming to "the situation room" right now. poppy, what are you working on? >> reporter: well, transportation secretary ray lahood trying to reassure the nation's auto does he recalls they will be reimbursed for the cash for clunkers program. many dealers are frustrated by what they say is r delays in the government's reimbursement program to them. the program offered up to $4,500 for car buyers to trade in their own gas guzzlers for more fuel-efficient models. swiss banking giant ubs giving the irs access to nearly 5,000 accounts of u.s. custom customers. the irs believe they're holding assets. and california governor arnold schwarzenegger got a firsthand look at damage caused by a riot at a state prison earlier this month. more than a thousand inmates were involved in that violence. governor juarez neger compared the damage at the prison to some of the devastation on his movie sets. he says there needs to be changes in the laws. and millions of fans by the numbers on their cars. number 48 sprint cup champion jimmie johnson was honored by president obama at the white house today. many other top drivers tagged along for the ride at the white house, including jeff gordon, tony stewart, and dale earnhardt jr. and i've been so to those nascar races. the fans go crazy. >> you and i both. they're very popular there. interesting to see that car. 3,500 pounds it weighs. on the south lawn. amazing. >> i've ridden in one at 180 miles an hour, suzanne. >> whoa. >> quite an experience. >> i'm impressed. did not know that. thanks, poppy- hurricane bill is a category 4 monster with winds topping 135 miles per hour. now, we are tracking it as it churns through atlantic. want to go back to our severe weather expert meteorologist chad myers. he's at the cnn hurricane headquarters in atlanta. chad, what are we seeing? >> it's a big storm and it's making large waves. that's the first thing you need to know. even if it never approaches the u.s. coast, it is making large waves that will crash onshore from the u.s. virgin islands, into puerto rico, the dr. eventually as it moves north, the large swells will affect the u.s. east coaster, personally for this weekend. and i know a lot of people will be going to the shore this weekend and you'll want to go out. these swells are going to be dangerous. they are going to be rip tide killers this weekend. don't let the kids out there. go swim in a pool somewhere. do not go in the ocean. this storm gets all the way to 145 miles per hour tomorrow. then down to 130, 135, but still a category 4 hurricane has it makes its way up towards the northeast. we still don't know whether it's actually going to make landfall in the northeast or not. pulse.com, our friends at this website, have all the computer models. they all miss the u.s. but some get dangerously close to, like, cape cod and narragansett and places there across parts of the northeast, suzanne. >> thank you very much, chad. they have been mentioned as a possible alternative to a government insurance plan. >> i watch a lot of it on television. i know there's a lot of talking about co-ops. but i didn't realize this was a co-op. >> but just how do medical co-ops work? 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wolf blitzer is off today. i'm suzanne malveaux, and you're in "the situation room." from the outside, it looks like any other health clinic, but inside it's a cooperative run by its members. it's the so-called public option, a government-run health plan doesn't survive the reform process, health care co-ops may take on a bigger role instead. our cnn's chris welch shows us one that has been around for half a century. >> this is mary. how may i help you? >> reporter: health partners serves more than a million people in minnesota and wisconsin. >> come on back. >> reporter: some members, even if they've been with health partners for decades, don't even know they're with a co-op. >> i watch a lot of it on television. there's a lot of talking about co-ops. but i didn't realize this was a co-op. >> reporter: you might say that co-ops fly under the health care radar. there aren't that many, and they don't have the lobbying power of other players. how describe what a health care co-op is to people who have no idea, have never heard of it before? >> i describe it as an organization that is governed by its membership, by its customers, and that is not for profit in nature. >> reporter: for example, it saved millions by switching to generic drugs, and it cut tobacco use among its members by double the minnesota state average. that's all because doctors help patients to quit. health partners is a pioneer of electronic records. its administrative costs are half those of the average private insurer. >> my doctor can get easy access to everything, and even when i go outside, everything comes through the computer. it's all digital. >> and they like that, because, oh, yeah, i can go to another clinic another day and, oh, yeah, you have my information. >> reporter: as a co-op, they don't have shareholders or with i about the bottom line and the members elect the board. >> i like the small community feel of here. it's more personal attention. >> reporter: it does help that minnesota has laws that favor co-ops, but ceo mary brainard says its affordability to drive success. >> making sure that health care is affordable is a very big deal to a cooperative. having low administrative costs, there's no value to our membership in having high administrative fees. >> reporter: there must be some type of drawback or issue that's prevebting other people around the country from doing something that you have done. >> the environment hasn't been very supportive of co-ops. it's been a much hotter deal to be a publicly traded for-profit health care facility. i see a lot of potential for co-ops going forward. i think the discussion that's going on right now is positive for the co-op models. >> reporter: co-ops may not have the industry clout of the big companies, but here at this clinic they think their time is coming. >> have a good day. >> yep. thanks. you, too. >> reporter: chris welch, cnn, minnesota. well, patients seem to be happy with health care co-ops, but just as we saw, there are some patients that don't even realize that they are partners. so, how does the white house clear up the confusion? joining me, cnn political contributor and democratic strategist james carville and republican strategist trent duffy, whose consulting firm works with health care clients. i want to start off with you, james. i mean, obviously, the white house message has gone through a different -- some changes here. the president arguing that health care reform is good for the economy, then emphasizing good for security, your own insurance, you get your own insurance, it's not going to change, and some folks are talking about the moral issues around health care reform. what is the message the white house needs to get to folks to make it stick? >> well, the first thing -- the problem is depending on the senate finance committee to produce a bill. apparently it's dawned on them that's highly unlikely to happen. i think they're -- >> what's the issue? >> cost. cost. cost. that -- yes. spending $8,000 per person in the united states on health care. the next country closest to that is switzerland, $4,000. we spend $1.2 trillion. the co-ops are a good idea, but they won't have a chance in washington because no one is making money on it. that's the whole problem and people understand that. premiums went from $6,000 a year in 2001 to $12,000 a year in 2007. the cost is killing people out there. >> trent, do you agree that the president is essentially saying that health care costs are going to go down, that's what's going to get this thing through? what does the white house need to do? >> i don't know, suzanne. i think they've tried the cost issue as one of their first arguments and it fell on its face when the congressional budget office said it would not control cost, it would not drive down premiums and it would drive people from their employer-provided health care coverage or what they get there from the private insurance market. it worked in mn.. but the fact is the rules exist for these things to take off. in iowa, on the other hand, a blue state, they had regulations and laws encouraging co-ops but it failed. so, this is a model that may be looked at, but the fact of the matter is it's still a government option. the government pays the bills, sets the rules and it won't drive down costs. >> go ahead, james. >> that's exactly the message they want. there's nothing you can do. the costs have gone from $6,000 to $12,000, maybe it will go to $24,000. that's the answer to anything. you can't have co-ops. everybody in a credit union is in a co-op. the answer is we're paying $4,000 a head more than anybody in the world wnd they do that because they have the lobbies. >> medical liability reform can bring down costs. >> yeah, right. >> they believe that. i don't know that you or i believe but they believe that. >> this included canada. >> trent, why should the president try to get republicans on board if the white house sees nothing but dissent here? is there any reason why they should? >> i'm not arguing they should, i just think -- >> you don't think they should. do you think the white house should still try to get republican support? >> i just think the main problem with the white house right now is the confusion over the message because they done have a clear policy. it's hard to argue what you're for when you don't know what you're for and cannot specify what you're for. i agree with james. they are handcuffed in the fact they have wedded themselves to a committee finance proposal and everything is loosey-goosey until they come out with a bill. that's a fundamental problem. but you cannot unleash a messaging machine until you know what the policy is. they don't. >> the people who perhaps are delivering this message, james, you worked under the clinton administration, obviously you advised the clintons, hillary clinton as well as former president bill clinton when it came to health care reform. do you think that the president or his administration should tap into that? should they have former president bill clinton out on the road trying to appeal to folks to bring their message of health care reform? and should they quietly be using hillary clinton to give advice? >> well, first of all, i think that the secretary of state probably got quite a bit on her plate. secondly, you know, i think ex-presidents can be valuable, but i think in a very limited and a very strategic sense. and sure, if tirp white house, i would call president clinton every day. he's probably the most brilliant strategist that i know. there's a big difference. people always draw an analogy to what happened in the clinton white house and now. sunday, the euphemism of the moment, they pulled the plug on it and i think it was september of 1994, an election year. there's over a year between now and the election, i might add, thank god. so, there's a lot of time and there's a lot of things that they can employ. and i think you're going to see -- you know, start seeing a little more focus, a little sharpness and change here right after labor day when the president gets back from vacation. right now, to be honest with you, it's not working out that well. >> trent, i want to switch over here. obviously, there's a lot that's on the president's plate, especially in september. what we are seeing here is national security is at the forefront. we had -- 95 people who were killed today inside of iraq. afghanistan's elections are starting within hours. how does the president keep the focus on health care reform? because the last go-round, when he was at the g-8 summit, he lost a little bit of control of that message, you may know, and he has got to keep focus on this. >> i think you're right. i don't think that the health care debate is going to be reduced by any way by this one policy debate, but you're absolutely right. the increase in violence in iraq and the inkreensed violence in afghanistan giving president obama's wanting to increase troops, which i support because the bush policies are going to reflect on him at a bad time for this debate on health care because it's the liberal anti-war left that's going to be dissatisfied with increased violence overseas. they're also going to be dissatisfied with him backing off their public option. so, here you've got the president's base, who will be really angry at him at a time he needs them the most. >> have to leave it there. james, if you could do a five-second answer on that one, rebuttal. >> first of all, that afghanistan election, i don't like violence overseas. you're right. that makes me part of the liberal whatever, kind of weird. >> don't need it, james. >> we're going to leave threat. you're in agreement. thank you so much. calling in a police boat and helicopter for backup, a politician makes a dramatic marriage proposal to his fiancee. can he now make it up to taxpayers? @@@@@@@@@@h well, a dog is known as man's best friend, but a pack of wild dogs ended up being vicious killers of an elderly cup until georgia. cnn's brook baldwin is at a cnn center in atlanta with those details. what can you tell us? >> reporter: 16 dogs in total have been caught, put down. still on the loose tonight, one. i talked to the county coroner. he described to me the hundreds of flesh wounds as traumatic. these are the last pictures of the dogs, by now 11 adults and five puppies have been youth niced for court order. friday night on this rural road, this same pack of dogs mauled a couple to death according to investigators. they say sherry had gone out for a walk that evening and when she didn't come home, her husband went looking for her. >> it's a huge shock, a huge shock. >> mark's parents' bodies were found saturday morning mutilated, riddled with hundreds of dog bites according to the county coroner. the dogs still standing guard above their prey when authorities arrived on the scene. >> it appears at this time that she was attacked and killed by the dogs in some manner at some point. and then possibly later on he came up, but we feel sure that she was probably attacked first. >> reporter: animal control was called in to capture the dogs. the sheriff described them as aggressive. after the animals attacked two of his deputies, tranquilizers had to be used. the dogs were wild, according to county officials, but they say an 83-year-old man, the only man to live on this road, had been feeding them. >> for the most part, it is pretty rare. >> reporter: in the first eight months of this year, there had been 20 fatal dog attacks nationwide. compare that to 22 in 2008 and 33 the year before. while rare, adam points to a possible explanation for friday's brutal attack. >> i think because they're stray they're probably not well cared for, they're hungry, they're territorial, and likely have one or more dogs who were leading the charge and their actions sort of initiated others to do so, as well. >> reporter: even though this sort of attack is unusual, it is little consolation for mark, who will never see his parents again. >> and they were, you know, wonderful, dear, kind-hearted people and we miss them. and this is just terrible. terrible. >> no charges have been filed against the man, 83-year-old man who's been feeding those dogs, suzanne, at least not yet. >> okay. thank you very much. a politician makes a traum marriage proposal to his fiancee. now he may have to make it up to taxpayers. here's reporter kerry owens from our baltimore affiliate wmar. >> reporter: state delegate john cardin wanted to make his fiancee's night perfect. his plan to propose to her on a boat august 7th. that proposal apparently involved having a baltimore city police department helicopter hover overhead as city marine police intended to search the boat. no one is saying how that was arranged, but the police commissioner has ordered an investigation. he wants to know if this was more than just a case of bad judgment. >> i don't know, though, that this is much beyond the scope of a couple officers who used poor judgment. and i'm going to reserve much more comment until i know more of the facts. >> reporter: the commissioner also wants to know why he's only hearing about it now, even though state employees have been talking about it for a while. apparently it was the talk of last week's convention in ocean city. the commish, obviously frustrated that this is happening at a time when budget cuts threaten the mounted and marine units. he is hope that feel the police department is doing everything it can to stop waste. >> because i think people will put this in context, and i think that they -- i think they will understand bad judgment or human error differently than they would understand systemic waste. >> reporter: delegate cardin has already contacted the department about reimbursing the city for its cost. >> he has contacted me, and he offered an apology for putting the baltimore police department in, you know, this kind of predicament and spotlight. >> that report from terry owens. from elizabeth edwards to jenny sanford, the stories of betrayed wives make news and are the inspiration for a new television series. [bell ringing] the way the stock market's been acting lately you may wonder if you've been doing the right thing. is the advice you've been getting helping or hurting? are the fees you're paying really worth it? td ameritrade's fees are fair and straight-forward. their research is independent and unbiased. their investment consultants are knowledgeable and there when you need them. so why not talk to one? announcer: call today to schedule a free investment check-up, or visit a td ameritrade branch. -d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d the wife of south carolina's governor mark sanford is opening up about her husband's affair and the future of their marriage. the public seems to like what they're hear, and hollywood is taking notice, as well. our cnn's carol costello has the story. >> reporter: the betrayed wife as empowered role model. it's the picture september's "vogue" pains of jenny sanford, whose cheating husband is fighting to hold on to his governor's seat in south carolina. and she's not the only wronged woman to hold our attention. these ladies have inspired a new cbs drama. it's called "the good wife." >> i have never traded lighter sentences for financial or sexual favors. >> reporter: that scene was inspired by new york attorney general eliot spitzer who resigned after he was caught in a call girl scandal, his good wife by his side. >> so many of these women are so accomplished and so high-powered and intelligent. >> we just kind of liked the idea of what would happen to that woman a minute later, six months later, seven months later, and throughout the rest of her life. >> bits and pieces from the real-life sanford soap opera will figure into the soap opera, too. mrs. sanford took the kids and moved out of the governor's mansion, telling "vogue" she's forgiven her husband, that they weren't madly in love when they met but were good friends, that he became obsessed with going to see the other woman. it was like an addiction to alcohol or pornography for him. for for many, her candor is refreshing. >> what's interesting is that every time she speaks, people seem to understand and are going to support her words. every time mark sanford speaks, people are left with more questions and are wondering how did this man get so far in his political career. >> reporter: it's the kind of thing that fits perfectly into a tv drama. in "the good wife," the political spouse uses a sort of sanford power to return to work as a lawyer. >> not only are you coming back to the workplace fairly late, but you have some very prominent baggage. but hey, if she can do it, so can you. >> reporter: mrs. sanford isn't going back to work, but some in south carolina are urging her to run for political office, maybe even for governor. mrs. sanford did run her husband's campaign, and many consider her the brains behind the man. i asked mrs. sanford's press person about the possibility. she told me for the time being, mrs. sanford is totally focused on getting her boys started in their new school and settling into the house. don't think she has any political ambitions, but i will pass along the compliment. carol costello, cnn, washington. time now to check back in with jack cafferty. jack? >> just want a little correction. eliot spitzer was the governor of new york, not the attorney general. >> right. health care reform shows the democrats just go it alone. steve says absolutely, "republicans never cared about health reform. the only thing they knew about benjamin franklin is that he's on the $100 bill. they're not going to vote for anything this president proposes, no matter how beneficial. this is all about destroying obama's presidency, and unfortunately, there are enough suckers in this country to do their dirty work." marilyn writes from nashville -- "democrats should go it alone. the president has bent over backwards to include republicans. so far, the right has no plan, no platform, no strategy, no cooperation, no integrity and no truth." say nothing of no concern for the citizens of the country. j.w. in atlanta -- "no. if the package doesn't fly with bipartisan support, it ought to be postponed and rethought. the problem in health care is cost, and tort reform plus product pricing have to be addressed in a big way. we can't afford any political shenanigans on this matter. best to cool down now and try again later." bobby in georgia writes, "the president, the house and senate have no choice. republicans never intended to help reform health care. after all, what did the republicans do about health care reform when they controlled the white house and both chambers of congress from 2001 until 2006? absolutely nothing." rich in new jersey writes, "jack, i used to be a republican, but no more. think about the title -- health care reform. how can that be bad? my wife and i have our own small business. our medical insurance premiums are $14,000 a year. between co-pays and a high deductible, figure $20,000 a year. the republicans used to be country first. what happened to that?" and frankie writes, "bipartisan support has become a luxury. while health care reform is an urgently needed necessity." if you didn't see your e-mail, go to my blog at cnn.com/caffertyfile. look for yours there among hundreds of others. suzanne? >> thank you, jack. debt collectors accused of abusive behavior. >> ma'am, learn english, get an education, since you're sitting on your fat derriere all day long. >> new york's attorney general says it goes way beyond that to threats of violence. we'll hear from a victim. and he blew up an airliner in midflight. now he's about to be let out of prison. what the families of victims have to say about it. you're in "the situation room." i think i'll go with the preferred package. good choice. only meineke lets you choose the brake service that's right for you. and save 50% on pads and shoes. meineke. u.s. troops in afghanistan and iraq don't just have to be physically fit. they are also supposed to be mentally strong, able to survive stressful times. so, the army is teaching them key coping skills. here is cnn's pentagon correspondent barbara starr. >> reporter: basic training at ft. jackson, south carolina. soldiers learning battlefield skills. but with suicides, alcohol use and divorce rates on the rise in the army, troops are now being taught how to cope when life goes wrong. >> if you cannot change the situation, what can you change? your reaction to it, okay? that will help to limit your frustration and stress when the event does come around. >> reporter: we came to ft. jackson for a firsthand look at how the army is now teaching what it calls mental resiliency to every new soldier. leading the program, a most remarkable choice, brigadier general rhonda cornum. >> the time to instill those skills is before you actually need them. >> reporter: a flight surgeon during the first gulf war, cornum was on a rescue mission when her helicopter was shot down over iraq. she was held captive for eight days. >> i remember distinctly crashing, and i thought, well, i'm going to die right here. then when i wasn't dead when i, you know, woke up, then, yeah, i was a prisoner of war, but that was the best possible outcome. >> reporter: cornum, who suffered two broken arms in the crash, was sexually molested by her iraqi captors, but she has refused to let the horrifying experience haunt her. she believes troops can be taught to do the same. >> i came into that experience a very resilient person. i mean, i had had other challenges in my life and had automatically applied that kind of thinking. >> reporter: under her program, soldiers will answer a questionnaire on how they cope with stress, all aimed at assessing their emotional and mental resilience. every soldier from private to general will now get training on how to improve those skills. >> if you have better coping skills, if you -- if when, you know, your girl or boyfriend dumps you, you don't just think, oh, i'm unloveable, i will never find anybody else, i was really a failure. instead of thinking that, you think, you know, you're sad and you're disappointed both in your partner and sometimes in yourself, but you get over it. >> reporter: it's critical training for the army. in the first seven months of this year, the number of suicides or potential suicides, 96, up 17 incidents compared to the same period last year. if the new program works, cornum says soldiers will be mentally stronger. >> they will see that every problem is finite, that whatever bad thing is happening is not going to last forever and that at whatever level, there's always something you can do about it. >> reporter: commanders hope all of this training will teach young soldiers the emotional and mental strength they need to go to war and come home to a healthy life. barbara starr, cnn, ft. jackson, south carolina. happening now, breaking news. the bomber who blew a plane out of the sky apparently is about to go free. this hour, new reaction from families of victims in the deadly attack on a pan-am jet over scotland. plus, she says she was bullied, insulted and harassed over a $187 bill. debt collectors are under investigation for shocking tactics, including racial slurs and the threat of sexual assault. and chilling warnings about the virginia tech killer over a year before the massacre. documents show that mysteriously vanished, finally made public. wolf blitzer's off today. i'm suzanne malveaux in cnn's command center for breaking news, politics and extraordinary reports from around the world. reports from around the world. you're in "the situation room." -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com in the years before 9/11, this was one of the most notorious terrorist attacks ever. more than 20 years after pan-am flight 103 was blown to bits it now looks as though the bomber will be released. he is suffering from cancer, but families of the 270 victims may not be feeling so much sympathy for him. our homeland security correspondent jeanne meserve is following this breaking news story. jeanne, what do you have? >> reporter: suzanne, the obama administration has been informally notified that one of the lockerbie bombers will be released by authorities. the u.s. government will not be happy. 270 people died when pan-am flight 103 went down over lockerbie, scotland, in 1988. only one man was convicted of that crime, libyan abdel basset el megrahi. he is now 57, suffering of terminal cancer and scottish officials notified the u.s. that he will be released on compassionate grounds, according to senior state officials. the brother of one lockerbie victim is deeply disappointed. >> this is a bitter moment in this 21-year odyssey. >> reporter: the u.s. has been outspoken in opposing el megrahi's release. secretary of state hillary clinton underlined the u.s. view on tuesday. >> i think it is absolutely wrong to release someone who has been in prison based on the evidence about his involvement in such a horrendous crime. we are still encouraging the scottish authorities not to do so and hope that they will not. >> reporter: some relatives of lockerbie victims supported the release of a terminally ill man, but others like susan cohen, who lost her 20-year-old daughter in the attack, were horrified and angered at the prospect of el megrahi walking free. >> he's not going to get forgiveness from me, and as far as i'm concerned, he should die in prison and his soul rot in hell, okay? >> reporter: some members of congress are already issuing statements condemning the release. expect more strong words tomorrow from the obama administration when news of el megrahi's release becomes official. suzanne? >> thank you very much, jeanne. now to the big squeeze on president obama from both sides in the health care reform debate. we are following new developments on this make-or-break issue. on the left, a threat from the president's political base. the afl-cio now is warning it will not support democrats who oppose a government-run insurance option. on the right, republicans are warning the president not to push a reform bill through congress without their support, using a maneuver one gop senator calls sneaky. the white house says it still wants a bipartisan bill. all of this as the president makes a new health care pitch to religious groups. let's bring in our senior white house correspondent ed henry. and ed, what are you hearing that is new from the president? >> reporter: well, what's interesting, suzanne, is that the president just wrapped up a conference call with faith leaders and really took the gloves off. for the first time in this health care debate, i heard him use religious republicans to hit republicans, hit them pretty hard. at first, mild religious references, the president saying he thinks there's an obligation for people to help others who do not have health insurance, saying "i am my brother's keeper, i am my sister's keeper," but then he said this. >> i know there's been a lot of misinformation in this debate, and there are some folks out there who are frankly bearing false witness. >> reporter: now, the president also went after his critics on this charge that he wants to create death panels. the president saying, "that is just an extraordinary lie." i had not heard him use that word either. so, it shows that as time is running out, as this reaches a more critical stage, the president's rhetoric is certainly getting much tougher, suzanne. >> and ed, we know that he's going to be talking more about this moral imperative behind health care reform, a moral obligation for people to get involved and support this effort. do we expect that he's going to use more of these kind of religious references, work that in, perhaps, in some of the town halls or the speeches that will be coming up in the coming weeks? >> reporter: well, he could, because as you know, in recent election cycles, there's been a feeling in the democratic side that republicans have reached out to faith leaders more aggressively. and you'll remember that in the campaign last year, certainly then as a candidate, senator obama was very aggressive in saying he was not going to cede that territory to john mccain. so, it's possible, in the last few moments, reaching out to republican strategists and aides on capitol hill, they're pretty angry about this rhetoric. and so, it will be interesting to see whether the president pulls back or not. because they're saying this crosses the line, using religious references to go on the attacks as well. >> ed henry at the white house, thank you so much. we are now going to breaking news. this out of severe weather that was hit, i believe, in the st. paul minneapolis area. let's go to chad myers, who has the very latest information. chad, you've got new pictures and new information? >> we do have new information. minneapolis/st. paul here. here's the 35w. just east of the 35w, there's a street called portland, and south portland at about 35th street, there was significant damage earlier today. now we have some pictures of that damage, right along this street, literally. almost every tree on the ground because of the weather that they saw there. still, they're still calling it on the weather service, they're still calling it storm damage due to a thunderstorm, a severe thunderstorm, but you have to realize that severe thunderstorms can make tornadoes, and that's what we may be seeing here from kare, an affiliate just -- there you are -- all over this now, because this tornado damage literally went from south of town right over downtown and the convention center and then on up even to the north of town where the public reported the tornado there as well. so, just look at the trees down on almost every single house, suzanne. >> incredible pictures. thank you so much for bringing us the very latest on that, chad. jack cafferty joining us at this hour with "the cafferty file." hey, jack, what are you watching? >> suzanne, are you a good driver? >> i am, i think so. a little aggressive, but good. >> a little aggressive? well, be careful. "usa today's" got a story that states are cutting down on bad drivers by going after super speeders, lane hogs and drivers with multiple moving violations. turns out, suzanne, aggressive drivers may, may kill more people than drunk drivers across the country every year. a recent aaa study found things like speeding, tailgating, weaving in and out of traffic, et cetera, were a factor in 56% of all crashes. so, states are cracking down. in florida, the worst drivers have to go back to driving school. a driver who's found at fault in three crashes over three years has to go back, pass a driver's ed class -- course -- and a road test just like a beginning driver. in georgia, so-called super speeders will be fined an extra $200. this applies to all drivers going faster than 75 miles an hour on two-lane roads or faster than 85 on any road. the new fine's expected to generate about $23 million a year for georgia. sounds like it might be a good idea for other states that could use much-needed cash. in kansas, a new right-lane law makes it illegal to drive in the far left lane unless you're passing or turning left. other states have launched campaigns against aggressive driving, trying to reduce road rage. and officers have been targeting drunk drivers, speeders and those who do not wear seatbelts. so, here's the question -- what is the best way to put the brakes on bad driving? go to cnn.com/caffertyfile, and you can post a comment on my blog. suzanne? >> all right, jack, we'll see what they have to say. thank you, jack. debt collection abuse. i want you to listen to the kind of calls that some people are getting. >> and they get worse. how are these collection agencies getting away with it? also, documents just released on the student gunman who massacred 32 people at virginia tech. what we are learning about his treatment at a counseling center. all you have to do is a major diplomatic announcement right here in "the situation room" just a short time ago. new mexico governor bill richardson says that north korea is ready to start a new dialogue with the u.s. about nuclear weapons. the reason, it feels owed a favor after releasing two american journalists. richardson revealed the outcome of his meeting with two top north korean diplomats. take a listen. governor, what can you tell us about your talks? what do the north koreans want? >> well, first, the north koreans are sending good signals that they're ready to talk directly to the united states. they felt the president clinton visit was good, that it helped thaw relations, make them easier. they did feel that getting the two american journalists out was a gesture on their part. they mentioned several other gestures they've made recently -- the release of the south korean detainee. and so, i detected for the first time -- and i've been leading with minister kim, who's the top u.n. diplomat -- a lessening of tension, some positive vibrations. the fact that they're ready to have a dialogue again. >> north korea wants direct talks with the united states, but senior obama administration officials say that they stand by their call for north korea to rejoin six-party international talks, and they stress that richardson was not negotiating on the president's behalf. well, we are counting down to a major test for the obama administration's war policy. presidential balloting begins in afghanistan just a little more than four hours from now. u.s. roopz atroops are playing crucial role in trying to make sure that the vote doesn't turn into a blood bath. cnn's ivan watson is on the move in afghanistan right now. >> reporter: we're on a convoy on a police truck. we're escorting this truck up ahead of us in the dust. you might be able to see it. and it's taking ballot boxes up to some of the polling stations here in afghanistan's central bamiyan province. as you can see, security is important here, even though this is one of the safest provinces in the country. despite that good track record, election workers say in some parts of the province, they've heard of armed men going house to house, warning people not to vote. >> reporter: afghan president hamid karzai is facing almost 40 challengers in this election, and he is so worried about violence, he is asking the local news media not to report attacks. let's bring in pentagon correspondent barbara starr. barbara, how are the u.s. troops positioned for this event, for this election? >> suzanne, i have to tell you, as the voting begins, within hours now, u.s. troops are at the ready. what we are learning is that there are about 300,000 both u.s., nato and afghan security forces, on high alert for the election. just like we saw in iraq, however, it is the afghan forces that will be right at the polling places. the u.s. troops will hang back a little bit, if you will, and they will be ready to move in very quickly, via helicopter or ground vehicles, if trouble breaks out. but the real hope is that doesn't happen. there's about 6,500 polling stations across the country, 15 million afghans going to the polls, but going to the polls under the threat of taliban violence. there's a lot of tension there. >> i know white house officials are watching this very closely as well as the state department. what are they housed invested in the outcome of this election, the obama administration? >> well, this is president obama's top priority in the war right now is to have a credible election in afghanistan. the administration has really made this the center point of what's going on. because if they cannot demonstrate that there is a credible, free and fair election in afghanistan, it will be very tough to keep the u.s. military mission going there. but here's the real bottom line, suzanne, everyone expects that there will be a runoff, that there will be no clear winner tomorrow. >> true. >> the runoff will not happen until early october. so, we're talking about several more weeks of potential violence in a very fragile country. >> i know you'll be watching very closely. thank you very much, barbara. well, debt collectors laying on the abuse. >> and there is even more to this story than bullying and insults. one state is investigating. iraq's insurgents are back with a vengeance. half a dozen bombings hit baghdad just minutes apart, leaving hundreds dead and wounded. and more than two years after a mass killer struck at virginia tech, victims' families are getting to see details of his visits with university counselors. hoppy harlow is monitoring the stories coming into "the situation room" right now. what are you following? >> well, suzanne, iraq's prime minister, nuri al maliki, says security arrangements in his country need to be re-evaluated following six bomb attacks in baghdad today alone. at least 95 people were killed. more than 560 others were wounded in those attacks. two bombings targeted government buildings including the ministries of foreign affairs and finance. an iraqi army official says two suspects are in custody and they're believed to be senior leaders of al qaeda in iraq. meantime, television news has lost one of its pioneers, don hewitt. creator of "60 minutes" died today of pancreatic cancer. hewitt also produced the first televised presidential debate between john kennedy and richard nixon back in 1960. cnn u.s. president john klein was hewitt's boss at cbs, and he shared his memories. >> don hewitt didn't need a boss. what he needed was somebody to bounce ideas off of the very first day on the job. so, here i was 37 years old. supposedly on paper, overseeing a legend like don hewitt, and he took me to lunch. he said, listen, kid, it's very simple, i have ten ideas a day. nine of them are terrible. your job to tell me which one is great. and that was pretty much the relationship. and he lived up on that. i'd say he had more than ten ideas a day. he was bursting with passion for what we do, telling stories. that was it in a nutshell. >> don hewitt was 86 years old. meantime today, police investigating an explosion at a home in memphis, tennessee. crews were able to rescue the only person in the home at the time of the blast, a 45-year-old woman who suffered second and third-degree burns on her body and face. the cause of that explosion not yet known. and the number of women driving drunk has skyrocketed in recent years. a new federal study shows arrests for women driving under the influence jumped by almost 30% between 1998 and 2007. while the study showed the number of dui cases involving men has declined, their arrest record still out-numbers that of women four to one. and finally, military maneuvering in china. the people's liberation army conducted high-speed stunts today to show off the skills of their military drivers. trucks jumped between platforms, as you can see, simulating a large road gap, and they pulled off hair-pin turns on an obstacle course. pretty impressive video. suzanne? >> thank you. more than two years after the virginia tech tragedy, families of the victims are for the first time seeing details of the killer's visits with virginia tech counselors a year before he killed 32 people. let's go to abi. what'd he tell them? >> seung-hui cho told counselors, suzanne, he was not suicidal, and counselors set him away with emergency contact information. virginia tech has released documents today, mental health records from late 2005 from seung-hui cho's visits with campus counselors, and they noted at the time in this first telephone interview that they did with cho that he had problems. he had depression, anxiety when having to talk to people. does not have any relationships is what cho told them. but take a look at this later conversation that they had in person with cho a couple of weeks later. it concludes with this post-it note which is on the front of the document. "i met with student for about 30 minutes. he denied any suicidal or homicidal thoughts." and if you can see, there's a cross through the document behind it. that was to suggest that the counselor thought he had been assessed enough already, saying he's been assessed just a couple of days before. now, that's despite the fact that the day before that was written, cho had been briefly hospitalized after telling a roommate that he had thoughts of suicide. the roommate was alarmed enough to alert campus police to that. but he, suzanne, cho told the counselors that that was a joke and the counselors didn't meet with him again after december 2005. >> and abbi, why is it we're just seeing these documents now? >> these documents have been missing throughout the whole investigation and just last month, the former director of the counseling center said that he found them amongst his personal records. he had inadvertently taken them. obviously, their discovery and their release now causing further pain and further questions as well for the victims' families. >> certainly. thank you very much, abbi. well, what if the bill collector called and you heard this? >> we are looking into bullying, threats and harassment by debt collectors. could it happen to you? also ahead, the u.s. gets the keys to the secret swiss bank account and some rich americans could be in big trouble. and how did nazi symbols and rhetoric get thrown into the health care debate? >> we don't respect them. the guy -- did you hear this? hitler, did you hear? i'm a joe. you're telling me hail hitler? shame on you! shame of you! consumers are accusing a debt collector of going to offensive extremes to get hold of their cash. imagine getting a call and being told your daughter will be sexually attacked. new york's attorney general says it is happening in several states and he wants to shut it down. our mary snow has been digging deeper on this story. and mary, you actually spoke to one of those victims. >> reporter: hi, suzanne. yes, we did. we spoke with a mother of two young children who tells us as soon as she hung up the phone, she knew she was scammed, but she says she felt so cornered and was so upset that she gave out information she shouldn't have, and she says she's telling her story now in hopes that other people won't get duped. michelle minton says she'll never forget the call she got the same day her daughter was diagnosed with autism, a man posing as a lawyer claims she owed $4,400 and said her arrest was imminent if she didn't pay up. >> he was getting very insistent and started, you know, i don't remember all the words, but started talking about, your kids will see you arrested. if there's nobody there, if your husband can't make it home, child protective services will have to take your kids. >> reporter: minton wasn't actually in debt, but feeling the pressure, she relented, gave the number of her bank account and lost $900. dorothy gilbert teared up listening to the voice mail left at her home over a $187 bill she had already paid. >> you are totally ghetto. second of all, ma'am, learn english, get an education since you're just sitting on your fat derriere all day long making money off of the rest of the free working population in the country. you might want to try to get educated enough to at least be able to say "payment plan" instead of "payment pan," you uneducated reject. >> reporter: new york attorney general andrew cuomo says that call and others in which law enforcement is impersonated and some even threatening sexual assault, are tied to operators of 13 companies he's now trying to shut down in new york. >> the tactics, they are so disturbing, so threatening, that they tend to be effective. that's why they do it. >> reporter: private attorney joe mauero represents debt collection abuse victims. he says there's been an increase in cases tying it to the economic downturn. >> there is no money to be pulled out of consumers these days. and as that happens, the debt collectors become more desperate. >> reporter: but the trade group for debt collectors says don't paint them all with the same brush. it estimates rogue collectors make up about 10% of the industry. >> the harassing phone calls and the aggressive behavior is absolutely unacceptable. >> reporter: new york's attorney general filed a lawsuit against the benny smith group, an umbrella group for 13 companies. we called several and they were either disconnected or out of service. three individuals from buffalo, new york, are also named. we reached a lawyer for one who says he'll fight the charges. suzanne? >> thank you, mary. the u.s. government is getting access to thousands of secret swiss bank accounts, accounts that americans may be using to avoid paying taxes. so, the internal revenue service today announced a landmark deal with officials in switzerland. it means the irs can peek into more than 4,000 accounts held by rich americans in switzerland's biggest bank. billions of dollars could be on the line. our tom foreman has been looking into these vaults of banking secrecy. and tom, what are we following here? >> i'll tell you, suzanne, what we're following here is what really may be one of the biggest stories of the day, although it may not jump out at you that way to begin with. look at this map. everywhere that you see one of these raised gold symbols like this is a place in the world where people can do offshore banking. so, you see it's off the coast of africa here, europe, over in the south pacific, in central america. what's offshore banking all about? we've all heard about it. let's take a look at it. offshore banking is a way that people can put money somewhere else, often seeking lower tax rates, sometimes seeking stability. sometimes people are in very troubled parts of the world and they're seeking a place where they can put the money where they think is more stable so they won't lose the money. but most of all, many people say it's about this, about privacy, about hiding exactly how much you have, perhaps from the government in which you live. now, there are other reasons, too, global banking, global business deals, things like that. there's some good reasons for this in many cases, but it's very widespread. look at this, down in the caribbean, lots of it going on. the advantage to small nations is that it allows them to compete on the world stage by offering something that maybe they can't offer in terms of natural resources or products or trade. but let's take a look over here at the big story here, which is -- i'm going to have to spin it by hand over here. if we go over to look at switzerland, this is where usb is, and this, suzanne, is what they think could be the mother lode in this big story. >> and why is the irs going after them? >> well, what they did is they went after usb, this big -- >> ubs. >> ubs, excuse me. they went after them to say, we need to know who you're dealing with, because we think some of these people are trying to cheat our government. ultimately, ubs said they'd go along and they gave them about 5,000 accounts, information on about 5,000 accounts. the irs initially wanted ten times as many. so, it's not as much as they wanted, but these 5,000 accounts at some point or another had about $18 billion total dollars in them. these people are coming under pressure now, but this is the part that matters right down here. >> sure. >> september 23rd is the voluntary deadline from the irs, where they're saying to these people who are going to be identified, you can come forward and talk to us before then. tell us what your money was, what you were doing with it, and you might get off this without such a big deal. why does that matter? because that is a way to make these folks, perhaps, talk about all the other banks and all the other clients in all these other countries. this is something the obama administration said they wanted to do. they wanted to get out all this hidden money, and when you have a government like ours that's looking for money right now, this could represent a tremendous amount of money if they can in fact find all of these tax havens all around the world. >> one of the places to do it. very big job. >> just because they have an account, they may not be, but certainly that's what they are looking for. >> tom, thank you very much. fascinating report. angry town halls are taking an ugly turn with references to so-called nazi policies and pictures portraying president obama as adolf hitler. there is concern that the gatherings are becoming forms for hate speech and potential violence. plus, nascar was once thought to be republican territory, but can the president find political gold in the popular sport? 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>> suzanne, have you noticed all the talk about hitler in health care reform lately? every so often, someone cares the health plans to hitler's extermination policies or brands president obama or his political allies as nazis. this image here popped up outside a town hall meeting, and that's a lyndon la rusch protestor from the left making that comparison. a swastika was also painted on david scott's office sign after he argued with a doctor at a town hall meeting. finally, at a town hall yesterday, congressman barney frank lashed out at a woman. she was speaking to him while holding a poster that showed president obama's face defaced with a hitler mustache. let's listen. >> why do you continue to support a nazi policy as obama has expressly supported this policy? why are you supporting it? >> lady, when you ask me that question, i am going to revert to my ethnic heritage and answer your question with a question. on what planet do you spend most of your time? >> now, that woman is not alone. this israeli man seemed to be near tears when a woman threw out hitler's name as he was being interviewed. >> you know, we just talk, but we don't respect them -- >> hail hitler! >> the guys -- did you hear what she say to a jew? hail hitler? i'm a jew. you're telling me hail hitler? shame of you! shame of you! >> look, it should go without saying that there is just no legitimate basis between with a comparison between a murderer and a president campaigning for legislation. the question here is is this just overheated rhetoric as usual or has a new line been crossed, suzanne? >> excellent question. we'll start with you, david. >> i direct viewers to a funny website, called obamaisliterallyhitler.com, which points out they both had dogs had baggy pants and had beer stomachs, so it's a lot in common. look, it's a foolish way to talk and doesn't have a place in american parliament. i wonder, the problem isn't that americans don't have enough references to other bad regimes. like steven spielberg, need a enemy, get a nazi. >> clarence, is it just ignorance on the part of people who are going there or is this something that politicians should address? >> the short answer is yes to that thought. the longer answer is, one of the things david and i agree on is that hitler analogy should not be made to anybody but hitler. i mean, it's ridiculous from both the left and the right this happens. lyndon la rusch was behind this particular campaign. i've been republican for several decades, suzanne, and this is the biggest publicity he's gotten because these town halls, those quirky things, these town halls are attracting cameras to anybody who makes a fuss of any kind. the people who come and peacefully ask questions and have civil discussion don't get covered, but the nuttier you are, the more coverage you get, and now it's just by yelling hitler. it's appalling. >> you covered la rusch for a long time. so, we've seen him and his supporters certainly on the campaign trail. and look, the bottom line is, the fact that we're talking about him and the fact that we're talking about what his followers are doing to disrupt these town halls may be encouraging them. because the reality is that there are people who are loud, but many of the people who are loud at these town halls do have legitimate questions about fundamental policy questions that have to do with their lives with regard to health care. these people, that's not what they're talking about. >> does it help or hurt in making those points? if you're against any kind of reform, health care reform, does that hurt their movement when you have people from both sides of the extremes doing this? >> look, if you're trying to oppose the president and then you have a lot of lunatics showing up and saying, yeah, you agree with me, that's not helpful. i mean, there are so many points that need to be raised about what is wrong with the democratic plan. it is going to be expensive. it doesn't have proper cost controls. this public option will crowd out the private insurance that americans rely on. these are serious points, and these are unserious points. >> right. it's really rather sad. but the obama administration was caught off guard by this series of events. they were hoping to have some kind of finished legislation that they could seriously debate for august. they don't. they have a lot of rather vague ideas right now as the sausage-making process is still happening on capitol hill. and meanwhile, anybody who just yells no gets a lot of attention. >> i'm going to ask you to stand by. we're going to ask a different question. top nascar drivers make a pit stop at the white house. can president obama help them find some new fans? and wet kisses from a pit bull. dogs do tend to slobber, but well, jeanne moos finds that it can happen sometimes most unusual. new chevy equinox. l with an epa estimated 32 miles per gallon. and up to 600 miles between fill ups. it's the most fuel efficient crossover on the highway. better than honda cr-v, toyota rav4 and even the ford escape hybrid. the all new chevy equinox. it doesn't cover everything. and what it doesn't cover can cost you some money. that's why you should consider... an aarp medicare supplement insurance plan... insured by united healthcare insurance company. it can help cover some pd what medicare doesn't... so you could save up to thousands of dollars... in out-of-pocket expenses. call now for this free information kit... and medicare guide. if you're turning 65 or you're already on medicare, you should know about this card; it's the only one of its kind... that carries the aarp name -- see if it's right for you. you choose your doctor. choose your hospital. and no referrals needed. there are no networks help protect yourself from some of what medicare doesn't cover. save up to thousands of dollars... on potential out-of-pocket expenses... with an aarp medicare supplement insurance plan... insured by united healthcare insurance company. call now for your free information kit... and medicare guide and find out... how you could start saving. the politics of nascar. we are back with david from, clarence page and cnn congressional correspondent dana bash. and cnn national political correspondent jessica yellin. jessica, take it away. >> hi, suzanne. on a lighter note now, here we see president obama posing with, yes, some of the stars of nascar. don't ask me their names. to think that just a few years ago, every candidate competed for the nascar vote. and this kind of snapshot, it would have been a political gold mine, especially for a democrat. do you remember when president bush showed the flag often during the 2004 campaign, turning out with nascar folks? last year, candidates clinton and mccain both made racing world pit stops. but you know what? it would seem nascar is not the force it once was. thanks to the recession, ticket sales are down, sponsorships are off, and nascar is now working hard to find new fans. the racing powerhouse, it would seem, has hit a speed bump. so, today on all the sports channels, there's talk that president obama could actually help nascar, that an association with the president could accelerate the association's appeal to a younger, more diverse fan base. now, there's a turn-around. so, the question today is, with the political environment what it is, who actually has more to gain from this kind of alliance, nascar or the president? >> thanks, jessica. great question. dana, you and i have been to many nascar races, the former president bush, who was there. >> our secret. >> what do you think? >> look, jimmie johnson has had a problem running out of gas lately, so, i think the white house hopes there's not a metaphor there for its health care plan. that's all i can say there. but on a more serious note -- >> well put. >> thank you. >> good analogy. that was good. that was good. >> but on a more serious note, look, i mean, this is something that the president tried to do, that republicans have tried to do, reach out to this voting base. and with regard to the last election, the president did win virginia, a red state. he did win north carolina. and you know, the question at this point is whether or not he has lost some of the voters that he gained in those areas. it looks as though the polls now show that he probably has. so, maybe he could use this to try to get some of those voters back. but i think that really, this is a chance for the president to use -- to do what many presidents do with all sports, which is have a feel-good moment. nascar is very mainstream right now and that's what he was trying to do. >> clarence? >> an issue for nascar is to get a more diverse and younger audience. they've been trying all kinds of different outreach. and so, this is kind of an interesting juncture here, because obama would like to have better penetration with the nascar crowd, which is over 60% republican in their voting demographic, and they'd like to have more of an appeal to his base. so, maybe they can help each other this time. >> hey, whatever happened to the promise of green jobs? shouldn't the president be backing bicycle races instead? >> nascar's not that green. >> it is not -- >> you saw the car out there. >> it is not green. but i think the decline in the fortunes of this and other forms of entertainment are one more example that we need -- the penetration and depth of this recession. and the president has with his focus on health care has been a danger of overlooking the driving fact, which is when you look at both the unemployment and the underemployment numbers, people who are looking for part-time work who want full-time work, people who are discouraged workers and have left the labor force, so they don't count in the unemployment numbers. it is really still very grim out there. >> what about the nascar dads? it was a very important voting block for president bush, obviously, and for obama. largely white, southern, republican, working class folks. are they still an important group that the president has to pay very close attention to? >> and by the way, we've got nascar in illinois, wisconsin, upstate new york. it's all over the place. but yeah. you know, what's important here is obama's not going to win in the foreseeable future the nascar demographic, but if they aren't so afraid of him, they aren't so likely to turn out it's that kind of feel-got outreach that's important here. if it were nascar voters mccain would have won last time. >> this is the last chapter in the gates story? i'm wondering if they're not still haunted in the damage the president did himself and an attempt to repair that damage. >> i also think nascar is more wide spread. even nascar fans in new york city. but in terms of the theory of nascar voters. they are more conservative. look at congress where i spend most of my time there's conservative democrats elected from some of these places that are losing when it comes to health care. let's go to lou dobbs, what are you working on tonight? >> the white house insisting they want to sell a health care bill with bipartisan support. top democrats indicating they are ready and willing to shut republicans out. sources telling cnn at the end of the day a win is a win. also after weeks of failing to convince the american people of his health care plans and town halls all across the country the president is now recalibrating his pitch, now emphasizing the imperative of health care for all. and one thing elected officials in national media aren't discussing is jobs, 30 million plus people unemployed. tonight we continue our special series of reports, jobs now. join us for that, all of the day's news and much more at the top of the hour. suzanne. >> jack cafferty joining us again. jack. >> what's the way of putting on the brakes for driving? dave in new hampshire said i am sick of listening to the danger of cell phone use by driving. it would be easy to design a car that would block the use of a phone by the driver while the car is in anything but park. we have the technology to do this. only reason is because the lbyists would argue it cuts into profit of phone companies. keith writes -- why does a card from your pal the cop act as get out of jail free card. we need no institutionalized leniency from the police court and lawyers. dave writes easy, camera and tickets. one ticket in the mail for a few hundred dollars will make a believer out of you. it did me. tom in toronto, that's nothing, in toronto, the fine for speeding about 95 miles an hour is a fine of $10,000, your license is revoked. car is impounded on the spot. it's advertised on signs along the highways and seems to be work. sue in california said having somebody go back to traffic school after causing three accidents in three years is insane. their license should be taken away forever. >> and dennis in bolder, colorado. isn't it ironic that the young who have long lives in front of them are in such a life. and the old who don't have as much time left are in no hurry to get somewhere? if you didn't see your e-mail go to my blog, cnn.com/caffertyfile. this has been a lot of fun for me i want you to know that. >> me too, jack. >> a kiss and tell revealed on live tv. an interview segment that got out of control. also philippino protesters in a tug of war with police. find out who was at the center of the scuffle in today's "hot shots." so what do you think? i think i'll go with the basic package. good choice. only meineke lets you choose the brake service that's right for you. and save 50% on pads and shoes. meineke. here's a look at today's "hot shots" in the philippines democrat on straighters try to keep a protester from being arre arrested. in canada, mr. steven harper waves from a helicopter from his trip in canada's arctic. in ukraine. viktor yushchenko takes a picture of someone at a fair. and pakistan a cousin says good-bye to someone leaving home town due to clashes with security forces and tell ban. a dog, looking for a home stole the spotlight on the canadian news show. pitbull was extremely friendly but did her affection at ways make a lick of difference to the viewers? jeanne moos has the answer in the most unusual tv moment. we're having some technical difficulties with jeanne moos' piece about the pitbulls, obviously in a lick of trouble, but also got a lot of attention from that story. well, we also want you to check out our political podcast, obviously to get the best political team to go. you should subscribe at cnn.com/situationroom. we're actually going to work on another jeanne moos piece we're going to get to you, and i believe that is coming up right now. >> reporter: this kind of keyboard meets this kind of keyboard. to produce the latest web sensation, the keyboard cat has become a recurring theme. >> do it live. >> reporter: tagged on to the end of some of the web's graphic videos. ♪ be it bill o'reilly's rant or break dancer kicks a kid. ♪ or the tv salesman whose ladder collapses -- oh, god, harold are you okay? >> reporter: the videos tend to be captioned. play them off, keyboard cat? how's the cat? >> the cat, actually,en fortunately is dead. >> reporter: charlie schmitt is an artist and videographer. who videotaped his cat 20 years ago. suddenly people are taking his cat and adding it to the other videos. tagging videos with the keyboard cat highlights their absurdity. for instance a guest fainting on the air. charlie thinks the keyboard cat works especially well with news video. >> that's what the news is, it's sort of a frame for a weird behavior. >> reporter: like a car chase. >> oh, my goodness. >> reporter: keyboard cat could replace news anchors. >> we don't need these guys necessarily. don't

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