Transcripts For CNNW American Morning 20110905

>> that was cool. "american morning" continues right now. after the deluge, i'm christine romans, tropical storm lee now a tropical depression, but still, packing plenty of rain after dumping a foot on parts of the gulf coast. >> i'm carol costello. right now massive wildfires threatening to burn down thousands of homes in texas. it is the worst fire season in state history and it's far from over on this "american morning." all right. good morning, everybody. it's monday, september 5th. labor day. welcome to "american morning." ali is off today. >> happy labor day. i hope you're not laboring. i really do. up first this morning, tropical storm lee now downgraded to a tropical depression but it's still a major rainmaker as it moves across the southeast. the storm dumping a foot of rain along the gulf coast. it also spawned several tornadoes including one in mobile county, alabama. it ripped the roof off of one home, uprooted trees, and brought down power lines. here's what lee looked and felt like from an oil rig out in the gulf of mexico as workers in the gulf were riding out the storm. this rig worker holding on for dear life out on that platform. you can also see lee's raw power in these pictures from biloxi, mississippi. the powerful waves literally tossing around a boat as firefighters tried to tie it down. here's how that turned out. the waves eventually capsized that craft. cnn's ed lavandera is live in crown point, louisiana. it's a strange scene still, ed. >> it has been, carol, for most of the weekend here. though the bulk of the heaviest rain has passed this area just south of new orleans already, and just kind of give you a lay of the land there's one road that takes you into these little communities. we're in crown point and another one called john hefeet. these are areas popular with fishermen, people who lived here a long time. this is what's been going on as these waters, it's not the rain that's causing the problem right now, it's tidal surge. this area that we're in is surrounded by intercoastal waterways and tributaries and that sort of thing and the wind from this storm is still pushing toward the north and that's causing the tidal surge to spill over out of the waterways and into these neighborhoods. many places it's kind of eerie because it's a heavily wooded area and it's hard to see and tell where the water is coming from. it just starts emerging from the tree lines here. there are dozens of homes that are very close to start taking on water and that's the concern. right now, is high tide which means the water is at its highest point and many of the areas that we drove around yesterday, we saw literally the water just up to the doorsteps of dozens of homes. a few homes have in the lowest lying areas have already taken on water, but there is a frantic effort to sandbag and try to control the flow of the water as much as possible and they're waiting here, carol, for this wind to shift back toward the south and that will push water back out toward the gulf of mexico and bring a lot of much needed flood relief to this area south of new orleans. carol? >> ed lavandera reporting live from outside of new orleans, many thanks. let's check in with rob now, rob marciano is in the extreme weather center. good morning, rob. >> good morning. ed mentioned the tidal surge flooding they're seeing across parts of southern louisiana. the inland flooding we learned from irene is a huge concern, if not likely to be the most damage. these are some of the numbers as far as rainfall tallies. parts of new orleans seeing over 10 inches, pascagoula, mississippi, 10 inches of rainfall and jackson, mississippi, seeing 10 inches of rainfall as well. other issues in jackson. a lot of the rain came in last night and there are some -- there's some flooding going on within jackson proper and some evacuations happening as well as the heaviest rain moving to the east of jackson. these highlighted boxes, four of them, where we have a number of radar indicated tornado warnings for eastern and north central mississippi and extreme southeastern mississippi. just to the north of biloxi and gulfport area. all part of a tornado watch in effect for the next few hours, obviously. one of these is a tropical system moving inland we get twists in the atmosphere on the right side of the system and that's why we're concerned about this. we're starting to dry it out on the back side. texas not getting much in the way of help or rain from this. getting some detrimental backside winds. here's the forecast track. it kind of gets involved with what is really a strong cold front for this time of year and that will draw some of that moisture off towards the north and east. chattanooga expected to get maybe as much as 7 inches of rainfall from this system and moving along the appalachians along that front, philadelphia could get an inch and a half, places towards the north and east could see over two inches in spots. obviously still reeling from the flooding from hurricane irene just a week and change ago. that's going to be a huge concern here in the next 48 hours. flood watches and some warnings are already posted for this part of the world, but the red highlighted counties there are the warnings, already warnings in place for parts of new england and upstate new york. briefly on katia, we have winds of 100 miles an hour, it's a category 2 storm and it's forecast to strengthen just a little bit and it is still barreling towards the coastline of the u.s. we've been seeing all last week we're hoping it turns out to sea and becomes a fish storm but we're not giving the all clear, i think really until today. things are looking a little more optimistic as these cold fronts, the one that's coming through now, very strong for this time of year will help nudge it offshore. we will get big waves crashing along the eastern seaboard. some spots got banged around pretty good during hurricane irene. the flooding rains from what's left over from tropical storm lee is going to affect the entire east coast and that includes the extreme northeast and new england and parts of vermont that, obviously, got hit very, very hard with hurricane irene. back to you in new york. >> thanks so much, rob. right now deadly wildfires are blazing across the state of texas. got a thousand homes now in danger, hundreds of households have evacuated. in east texas, a mother and her child were killed as flames engulfed their home. the largest fire is in bassstrop county southeast of austin. this blaze is burning over 14,000 acres. officials there say it is the worst fire season in the history of texas. a deadly plane crash sparkings a 500 acre fire in southern california. one person was killed when the small plane crashed down in the black burn canyon, about 100 miles north of l.a. one home was burned to the ground. 30 others threatened. neighbors forced to evacuate. president obama gets an up close look at the damage left behind from hurricane irene. the president toured the flood ravaged areas of new jersey yesterday and met with residents who lost their homes and businesses and stopped by a makeshift relief center. the president promising help for recovery and pledging federal financial support. >> the main message that i have for all the residents not only of new jersey but all those communities that have been affected by flooding, by the destruction that occurred as a consequence of hurricane irene is that the entire country is behind you. and we are going to make sure that we provide all the resources that are necessary in order to help these communities rebuild. >> hurricane irene ran up a heavy tab, too, from north carolina to new england. there's an estimated $6 billion worth of damages. right now, libyan rebels are waiting for the green light to launch an attack on baneny wall lead, one of the towns still loyal to former leader moammar gadhafi. rebels have given gadhafi loyalists until saturday to surrender but there are indications opposition force mace enter this town before that deadline. cnn also learning this morning from opposition leaders that china apparently tried to help arm moammar gadhafi's forces in late july. according to a senior member of the transitional government, documents found in tripoli indicate chinese companies offered to sell rocket launchers, anti-tank missiles and other weapons to gadhafi despite a ban on such sales. china says its companies did not sign military trade contracts with libya. final arguments in the appeal of amanda knox's murder conviction will be heard in an italian courtroom today. knox and her ex-boyfriend were convicted of killing a 21-year-old british exchange student in 2007. questions about dna evidence could get that conviction overturned. two court appointed forensic experts are challenging the testimony of authorities who said knox's genetic material was found on the suspected murder weapon. dominique strauss-kahn is back home in paris this morning. his homecoming comes less than tw weeks after sexual assault charges were dropped against him in new york. a judge threw out the case because of credibility issues with the hotel maid who accused him. strauss-kahn still faces a civil suit from that woman and a civil suit from another woman in france who has accused him also of attempted rape. so his troubles are not over yet. >> not yet. coming up next, sarah palin will be front and center at a tea party rally today. is she stumping or just stealing the spotlight? terrifying moments at the baltimore grand prix, a car losing control at 190 miles per hour. what caused that crash there. rafael nadal sliding out of his chair at his post-match press conruns from. isn't that sml? what happened to the tennis super star after a break. it's nine minutes past the hour. exclusive to the military. and commitment is not limited to one's military oath. the same set of values that drive our nation's military are the ones we used to build usaa bank. from free checking to credit cards to loans, our commitment to the military, veterans, and their families is without equal. ♪ visit us online to learn what makes our bank so different. usaa. we know what it means to serve. okay, so who ordered the cereal that can help lower cholesterol and who ordered the yummy cereal? yummy. that's yours. lower cholesterol. lower cholesterol. i'm yummy. lower cholesterol. i got that wrong didn't i? [ male announcer ] want great taste? honey nut cheerios. want whole grain oats that can help lower cholesterol? honey nut cheerios. it's a win win. good? [ crunching, sipping ] be happy. be healthy. can i try yours? what if we designed an electric motorcycle? what if we turned trash into surfboards? whatever your what if is, the new sprint biz 360 has custom solutions to make it happen, including mobile payment processing, instant hot spots, and powerful devices like the motorola photon 4g. so let's all keep asking the big what ifs. sprint business specialists can help you find the answers. sprint. america's favorite 4g network. trouble hearing on the phone? visit sprintrelay.com. police in phoenix are asking for the public's help to find explosives that were stolen from sky harbor airport. a container with the explosive equipment was taken during a training exercise last friday. authorities say the explosives can't detonate without additional equipment and, quote, some degree of expertise. >> doesn't that make you feel better about it? passengers on a plane from chicago to ottawa got quite a scare when their plane skidded off the runway. witnesses say people were screaming as the aircraft veered into the dirt at the ottawa international airport. none of the 47 people aboard were injured but the plane did suffer some damage. it caused a minor fuel spill as well. a battle in chicago over the length of school days. city officials are pushing for 90 minutes more class time. not sitting sitting well with the teacher's union. three elementary schools have agreed to take on the extra time but the chicago teachers union is accusing district officials of bribing faculty members of those schools. the united states postal service warns it may be forced to shut down this winter. "the new york times" reporting the agency is struggling to pay its bills and says it will not be able to make a $5.5 billion payment which is due this month. the postal service is calling on congress to step in and help straighten out the finances. seems to be all about tea this labor day weekend. mitt romney cozying up to the tea party crowd in new hampshire yesterday before heading to south carolina today for tea party kingmaker jim demint's presidential forum. cnn political director paul steinhauser joining us live from columbia, south carolina, this morning. jim demint is turning out to be the republican kingmaker here, isn't he? >> in a way he is. remember he is very influential and he's got a lot of support among tea party activists. thinking about running for president himself, decided not to do it. he was extremely influential in the republican primaries and midterm elections and i think he'll have a big say this time around in the presidential race for the gop. this is a big event, so big we brought the bus, the cnn express, we're here, john king from "jk usa" will be here as well. it's called the american principles palmetto freedom forum. we'll have live coverage. six presidential candidates, are going to speak one at a time. michele bachmann, the congresswoman from minnesota, herman cain, former godfather pizza ceo, newt gingrich former house speaker, ron paul, congressman from texas, and mitt romney, the former massachusetts governor making his second stab at the nomination. romney was a late edition to this event. he will be speaking here. he got -- he's going to get an ensers doment we report from a tea party type down here state officials in south carolina and last night where was mitt romney, at a tea party express rally in new hampshire. another incredibly important early voting state. and this was the first time that romney, since he's jumped into the race for the white house this time around, has talked at a tea party rally. christine, pretty interesting stuff on mitt romney. let's -- also when at that rally last night seemed like maybe he was taking a shot at one of his fellow rivals, rick perry, take a listen. >> i haven't spent my whole life in politics. as a matter of fact, of the people running for office, you know, i don't know that there are many that have less years in politics than me. i spent four years as a governor. i joke i didn't inhale. i'm still a citizen. >> reporter: we've heard that line recently from mitt romney. he's barely been a politician, only four years. he was a businessman. rick perry, long-time politician, doesn't mention rick perry by name but maybe now romney is no longer the frontrunner he's starting to go after rick perry who is the frontrunner on top of those polls. >> i'm not sure i get his joke, it's early, it's 6:16 on the east coast. want to ask you about something jim demint said yesterday. he told candy crowley, talking about how he wants a president to put something down on paper, he doesn't want to just hear the president in a pretty speech -- he said he could barely listen to the president in another speech. so, what is it -- i've heard this before. the rnc told me a couple times, you know, there's not one word that's been put on paper. what do they -- do they want the president to write legislation for congress? what is it that they want? >> yeah. republicans have been arguing this for a while and not just on the jobs plan but health care and other issues that white house, the administration doesn't actually put anything on paper. and that gives them more leverage because they can tell congress to do something and put the onus on them. it is an argument we've heard from the republicans for a while. they want an actual plan from the president to be presented to congress. christine. >> let me ask you about sarah palin. sarah palin, a lot of people are still wondering, is sarah palin a celebrity, candidate, somewhere in between, is she -- she's like something we've never seen before in politics, someone who can really take so much of the oxygen of the room, but we don't -- she's been a governor for two years. it's not like she's got a long, long career in politics. what is sarah palin and do tell me about what she says about polls? >> yeah. fascinating stuff. your description is right on. she's a little bit of all of that. for somebody who is not an elected official, somebody who is not right now a declared candidate for president she has no problem whatsoever finding the spotlight. and she is doing it again right now this weekend. remember, she -- today she's going to be in new hampshire at a tea party express rally. we'll have live coverage of that in the noon hour. she will be speaking in new hampshire. on saturday, she was in iowa, the first state that votes in the primary caucus calendar at another tea party event. a lot of coverage of that as well. take a listen to what she said about polls. >> polls, they're actually -- usually i'll say polls, nah, they're for strippers and crosscountry skiers, but -- [ applause ] but polls in those parts actually show that some people there believe that economy has actually improved. see, there may not be a recession in georgetown, but there is in the rest of america. >> reporter: classic sarah palin there, i guess you could say n iowa. one thing she didn't do in iowa and we don't expect her to do today is declare or announce her candidacy for. the. she says she will have a decision by the end of this month. she could jump in late and raise a lot of buzz and raise a lot of money at the last minute. >> she's a tease. >> i love it. paul, have a good time. thanks so much. going to air senator demint's forum in its entirety from 3:00 to 5:20 eastern time, john king will anchor that special coverage. cnn the exclusive national broadcaster of the forum. carol? it's your turn to talk back on one of the big stories of the day. the question for you today, do unions help or hurt america? it's a question labor union leaders want you to consider on this labor day because they say a war is being waged against hard-working americans. in wisconsin, despite massive protests governor scott walker took on public unions and their pension plans and effectively killed off collective bargaining. ohio's governor did the same thing pushing senate bill number 5. it is now law. unions aren't giving up, though. they point to wisconsin and the successful recall of two anti-union republican state lawmakers. in ohio, they point to a petition with a record $1.million signatures that put sb 5 on the november ballot. pittsburgh union leaders banned any state lawmaker considered anti-union from their labor day parade and the head of the teamsters, james hoffa, is calling big companies who refuse to hire american workers unpatriotic. >> i think the president should challenge the patriotism of these american corporations that are sitting on the sidelines saying, why do we have high unemployment, but i'm not going to hire anybody. you know, they have an obligation just like the federal government, just like obama. we've all got to get into the game. i don't see that happening. >> despite it all, only 11% of american labor is now represented by unions. and the american middle class worker, their wages plateaued decades ago. the wage gap is growing ever wider. of course critics blame unions for that charging their fat pensions and agreed force companies to send jobs overseas. so the talk back question today, do unions help or hurt america. facebook.com/americanmorning. i'll read your comments later this hour. >> can't wait to see that j coming up on this "american morning," the nuclear era under way in iran. that's right, nuclear era under way in iran. details of that ahead. egypt's ousted president on trial. but the real action is taking place outside the courtroom. it's 21 minutes past the hour. you want to keep your loved ones safe and secure. give them the gift of financial security from new york life. we've been protecting families for over 166 years. new york life. the company you keep. [ male ] using clean american fuel is just a pipe dream. ♪ [ female announcer ] we're rolling away misperceptions about energy independence. did you know that today about a quarter of all new transit buses use clean, american natural gas? we have more natural gas than saudi arabia has oil. so how come we're not using it even more? start a conversation about using more natural gas vehicles in your community. about using more natural gas vehicles a vacation on a budget with expedia. make it work. booking a flight by itself is an uh-oh. see if we can "stitch" together a better deal. that's a hint, antoine. ooh! see what anandra did? booking your flight and hotel at the same time gets you prices hotels and airlines won't let expedia show separately. book it. major wow factor! where you book matters. expedia. i know you're worried about making your savings last and having enough income when you retire. that's why i'm here -- to help come up with a plan and get you on the right path. i have more than a thousand fidelity experts working with me so that i can work one-on-one with you. it's your green line. but i'll be there every step of the way. call or come in and talk with us today. don't let times like these stand in the way of them. protect your family with the gift of financial security. backed by the highest possible ratings for financial strength. new york life. the company you keep. minding your business. u.s. stock markets are closed today for labor day on friday that dismal jobs report pushed markets down sharply. the dow, nasdaq and s&p 500 lost more than 2% friday. america's high jobless rate remains front and center. president obama will give the big speech on thursday about jobs and today talking about jobs in an event in detroit. pushing european marketing down overnight friday's jobs report and a local elections loss for german chancellor merkel mounting pressure on her and other eu leaders over the financial bailout of greece. concerns over europe's debt problems likely to have an effect on u.s. markets this week. honda recalling nearly 1 million fit compact crv and citi vehicles worldwide over a problem with the window switch that could catch fire. more than 80,000 crv vehicles in the u.s. made in 2006 are part of this recall. the company says no injuries or deaths have been reported related to this switch problem. starbucks ceo should getting commitly involved. calling for a town hall by phone. he took out full page ads in national newspapers over the weekend with his letter criticizing the lack of leadership of this country. murdoch making a penty despite the phone hacking scandal in the uk. the chairman and ceo of news corps got a race. makes more than $43 million a year including a $12.5 million bonus. this is according to the company's regulatory findings. the founder's son james murdoch who heads up the company's international unit declined his bonus after the fall of one of news corps's london based newspapers. "american morning" will be back after this quick break. exclusive to the military. and commitment is not limited to one's military oath. the same set of values that drive our nation's military are the ones we used to build usaa bank. from free checking to credit cards to loans, our commitment to the military, veterans, and their families is without equal. ♪ visit us online to learn what makes our bank so different. usaa. we know what it means to serve. it is 30 minutes past the hourp. happy labor day. let's get to our top stories now. tropical storm lee downgraded to a tropical depression, but still bringing rain. parts of louisiana and mississippi waking up under water after more than a foot of rain fell. lee also spawning several tornadoes. at least a thousand homes in texas are in danger of being burned to the ground as deadly wildfires there continue to rage. hundreds of households have been evacuated now. a fire in east texas killed a mother and her 18-month-old daughter who were trapped inside their home. the largest fire is burning in bastrop county, southeast of austin, has scorched 14,000 acres. president obama tours flood ravaged new jersey. he visited two towns hit hardest by the hurricane yesterday. he spoke with residents who lost their homes and businesses and the president stopped by a temporary relief shelter and he pledged federal resources to help victims rebuild and recover. there's an estimated $6 billion in damages along the east coast. rob marciano is in the extreme weather center for us this morning, good morning, rob. >> good morning. want to crank through a few tornado warnings from lee. the right side of this storm spinning radar indicated tornadoes to the east of louisville, mississippi. jackson, mississippi, by the way, getting a tremendous amount of rain last night and there are some evacuations ongoing this morning because of flooded roadways and homes and some apartment complexes in and around the jackson, mississippi, area proper. three tornado warnings for southeast mississippi. these are radar indicated and one decent size, one moving east across or north across i-10 just to the east of pensacola. and north of december tin. that one radar indicated as well. watching storms as they develop within this tornado watch box area common for a tropical storm when it makes landfall. obviously the flooding is a dangerous situation as well. from mississippi is where you're getting it right now and this rain will spread up towards the north and east throughout the day, kind of getting tangled up within a cold front. we could see five, seven inches across parts of the tennessee valley and getting to areas that don't need it along the i-95 corridor and northwest of there through places like connecticut, cat skills and vermont. flash flood warnings posted already. katia a category 2 storm. the forecast track brings it toward the u.s. but breathing a little easier this morning because i think these cold fronts, one of which is very, very strong for this time of year, will help nudge this thing out to sea. there it is. there's your cold front, there's your rain. cooler air behind it and drier. the next 48 hours, guys, looks to be fairly wet. back up to you. >> thanks, rob. fairly wet 48 hours. i've heard that before. >> can't wait until hurricane season is over. japan struggling in the aftermath of typhoon talas. 56 people are missing, 29 people have been killed. typhoon talas brought in record rainfall causing landslides and flooding. more than 16,000 were forced to evacuate. iran's first nuclear plant is on-line. the facility connected to the national electric grid late saturday night. it's expected to produce 2.5% of the country's electricity when fully operational. the plant is fueling concerns its reactors may help iran continue to develop nuclear weapons. ousted egyptian leader hosni mubarak back in court today. his trial resumes behind closed doors in cairo. as you can see outside the courtroom, major clashes between police and the families of those killed during february's uprising. mubarak's charged with ordering the killings of more than 800 protesters which ultimately ended his 30-year rule. if convicted, mubarak faces the death penalty. we're following developments in the case of the american woman missing in aruba. gary giordano is a prime suspect in the disappearance of his traveling companion robyn gardener. his lawyers are expected to appeal a ruling to keep him in an aruban jail another 60 days. martin savidge is live in aruba. good morning. >> good morning, christine. you'll remember last week a judge said gary giordano could be held in this country for another 60 days. his attorneys say look that is ridiculous, there is no evidence of a crime as yet in the disappearance of robyn gardener. so they'll appeal it. a hearing perhaps later this week. meanwhile, authorities are appealing to the public for their help to identify a mystery car. the car a white hyundai getz, not familiar to many americans but familiar to many on the islands here. a small compact. here's the thing. it was seen on a security camera video right in the back of the restaurant where robyn and gary had their last meal together. the time stamp on that photograph, 5:59 p.m. in other words, right at the time that gary giordano says the couple was snorkeling. this is the story that has not been verified by anybody else. so, what it would mean is somebody back in the place where the couple was at the time they were supposedly getting into trouble in the water, which is why authorities desperately want to talk to that driver. they may have seen something that can confirm or deny the story that gary giordano has been telling about the disappearance of robyn gardener. the thing is, it could be somebody in aruba driving that car or an american tourist. it's popular to rent that car. that's why they're abealing in this country and the united states as well. if you were in that white hyundai goetz at that time, authorities desperately want to hear from you. gary giordano has been detained for one month. robyn gardener disappeared exactly august 2nd. and there has not been a trace of her since. christine? >> martin savidge, mystery intensifies, thanks. imagine, 190 miles per hour and no brakes. a terrifying high-speed crash during a practice run at the baltimore grand prix. brazilian tony ka nan loses control during the first turn and he hits the back of helio cast tra knee very. his car launches into the air before smashing into the tire barriers. incredibly neither driver was hurt. actually they're friends and competitors. so they talked to one another afterwards an both said, are you okay? and the race went on. four american men have reached the fourth round of the u.s. open for the first time in eight years. but everyone still buzzing about second seed rafael nadal's press conference afterward. the spaniard rolled his head back, squeezed his eyes shut and slid off his chair two hours after winning his third round match. it's a scary moment. turns out it was a leg cramp. nadal's camp is insisting he's okay but that looks painful. very painful. >> i can't imagine no one rushed to his aid and offered to massage his leg. tennis's top players feeling good at flushing meadow. novak djokovic doing a victory dance saturday after advancing to the fourth round of the u.s. open. the top seeded serb improving his 2011 record to an astounding 60-2. he has a lot to dance about. >> he sure does. up next on "american morning," trying to win over the tea party, republican presidential candidate mitt romney addressing a rally in new hampshire. can he turn some skeptics into supporters? we're going to talk to two top political analysts ahead. she keeps stirring the pot. sarah palin slamming mitt romney and the president this weekend. but does she have an announcement? "american morning" back in a minute. it's 38 minutes past the hour. es is a "what if." what if we designed an electric motorcycle? what if we turned trash into surfboards? whatever your what if is, the new sprint biz 360 has custom solutions to make it happen, including mobile payment processing, instant hot spots, and powerful devices like the motorola photon 4g. so let's all keep asking the big what ifs. sprint business specialists can help you find the answers. sprint. america's favorite 4g network. trouble hearing on the phone? visit sprintrelay.com. massachusetts governor mitt romney is making his first real attempts to win over the tea party. over the weekend he attended a tea party rally in new hampshire. today he will be in south carolina where senator jim demint's tea party presidential forum is drawing the top gop contenders. joining us live this morning from washington, roll call political writer sheer ra tublits and from chan manchester new hampshire, ben smith, report are for politico. happy labor day. thanks for laboring for us this morning. >> good morning. >> let me ask you first about mitt romney in new hampshire. this is sort of first foray to a tea party crowd. there was a counter kind of presence from the freedom works folks who don't like him. and you say the news from your perspective he didn't panneder to the tea party crowd? >> yeah. i think at love people were watching whether he would try to -- >> how could you possibly explain that? >> we have sound in our ear. something bleeding through. sben, try to talk over it. >> i guess i think a lot of people were trying to figure out whether he would try to out tea party rick perry, come out and tell these guys exactly what they wanted to hear, which would be a bit of a departure from his record, from his past. in fact, he didn't mention the word tea party. he gave a word for word standard stump speech and he brought in maybe 50 people in blue t-shirts, about half the crowd, some of whom kind of were clearly not tea party members. one of them a tea party person was saying have called the tea partiers a nut. called them nuts. it was much more his own crowd that he brought in and spoke to. >> what is his comfort level, i guess, with the tea party, and how will he fair later today with senator demint and trying to address this group on a broader scale? >> i mean i think his pitch to them is as he said, a business guy, for free enterprise, he's a private sector guy, but he's not going to try to run as the candidate of conservative ideology. he's in the going to run as -- and i think, you know, basically there's no way he can plausibly get to the right of rick perry, no, iway he can sell himself as more of rick perry than rick perry. the early indication was he wasn't going to try. >> let me ask you about sarah palin. in new hampshire for a tea party event. saturday in iowa. hitting these important states. h she's not declared. sarah palin, is she a candidate, celebrity, a kingmaker, a speech maker, a rainmaker? i've never seen anything like this before. she's got two years of, you know, of i guess governor level public service under her belt. what is sarah palin? >> i've heard some people refer to her as a celeb bri politician, kind of a nod to the reality show she did a couple years ago. i think that's the best way to describe her. is she a presence in the republican party? sure. but does anyone look for her for policy positions or is anything more than someone who stirs the pot on the right? i don't think so at this point. >> you don't think she'll run, do you? >> i think it's very doubtful at this point. look, we're getting close to the iowa caucuses and it's a process to run for president in iowa. you need to be there on the ground, meet with voters one at a time. you just can't come in like the celebrity she thinks she is and think she will have an upper hand immediately. every week that goes on it gets more difficult for her to lay her claim to the nomination. >> do you think she could make a run for the nomination? >> yeah. she certainly could. it's hard to see how she would win the nomination, but no law against her running. she's been incredibly unpredictable in the past and could do it. what she did the day before yesterday in iowa was pretty interesting. she -- a lot of people expected her to take a look at rick perry and say he's my kind of guy, conservative, a governor. she did not do that. she delivered a speech full of veiled barbs at perry and showed she wants to be a troublemaker in the race. >> let me ask you about this test maybe for governor perry at the jim demint, the republican presidential, you know, event later today. how important is this for him? >> i think it's pretty important, especially given how many debates we have coming up in the next few weeks. this is the first time he's going to sit down in south carolina and answer questions by some of the so-called kingmakers in that state, for example, senator jim demint. we've seen him on the stump, we know he's good glad handling voters and speaking to them but this is a different kind of test. we'll see how he does when someone is asking him questions. >> ben, it's labor day and on thursday we get the president's jobs speech. senator demint telling candy crowley they want something in writing with a price tag, see what he's putting down on paper. are the president's policies, what do you think is going to come out for the jobs speech? is it dead on arrival? is the bent of the presidential candidates on the republican side just to say no to whatever the president wants? >> i think the republicans will certainly be calling for something quite different. massive roll backs of regulations and taxes. but i think the president may be able to propose sort of relatively small kind of middle of the road stuff like this georgia works unemployment insurance program that can get some kind of bipartisan support on the hill. >> that georgia works unemployment, people got unemployment benefits but also working for companies for free, so the companies got workers to try out and the people were getting unemployment benefits and the president mentioned that as a program he likes. thank you. nice to see both of you. >> thank you. >> we'll be back in a couple minutes. 47 minutes after the hour. [ male announcer ] it's been a good year for the chevy silverado. and not because of the awards or the accolades. no, it was good because you told us so. the chevy model year wrap up. get in on our greatest model year yet. just announced -- celebrate labor day with an additional $500 bonus cash. with all other offers, including the all-star edition discount, that's a total value of $6,500. ♪ our greatest model year yet is wrapping up. 48 minutes past the hour. happy labor day. here's what you need to know. lee now a tropical depression, but bringing rain by the bucket full as it moves from the gulf coast to points north and east. there is severe flooding in parts of louisiana and in mississippi after a foot of rain from the storm. massive wildfires raging in texas. 1,000 homes now in danger. hundreds have been evacuated. two state highways are partially closed. in east texas a fire killed a mother and her 18-month-old daughter. they were trapped inside their mobile home. final arguments will be heard in an italian courtroom today in the appeal of amanda knox's murder conviction. questions about dna evidence used to convict knox could get her 2007 verdict overturned. president obama and vice president biden hitting the campaign trail on this labor day. the president will be in michigan, speak to a detroit labor council while the vice president heads to cincinnati, ohio, for an afl-cio event. the top republican candidates for president will be in south carolina today for senator jim demint's tea party presidential forum. you can see that live beginning at 3:00 p.m. eastern here on cnn. and will eddie murphy host the 2012 oscars? reports say the actor and comedian has emerged as the leading candidate to host the february oscar telecast. a final decision could be made this week. and that's the news you need to start your day. "american morning's" back right after this break. . general motors is betting the new chevy sonic will be big in the small car market. it's the first subcompact to be built in the u.s. in decades and the first 2012 sonic is coming off the assembly line at a gm plant that was shut down. it's now full of life and workers again. cnn's casey wian has the story from orion, michigan. >> reporter: brad was working at a gm plant in wisconsin that was about to close in 2008. so he moved his family to michigan and transferred to gm's orion plant. before he knew its orion plant shut down too and he was out of work for six months. >> there was a lot of uncertainty at that point. so i decided to keep my fingers crossed and hope that the leadership was making the right decision. >> reporter: one big decision investing more than $500 million to completely retool the orion plant to do something that gm hasn't done in more than two decades, produce a subcompact car in the united states. >> chevlet sonic hatchback, sporty and aggressive design, not only on the exterior but also on the interior. very fuel-efficient vehicle. >> reporter: 1500 orion employees are back building the chevlet sonic set to hit showrooms this fall. >> it's an opportunity for us to show off that our manufacturing system can build anything. we can make it cheap, we can make it good. >> reporter: the plant was completely gutted and redesigned to save half a million square feet of floor space allowing suppliers to operate closer to the assembly line. >> think about going in and taking out everything except for the concrete floor and the roof and then just starting over. that's essentially what we did a year and a half ago. >> reporter: energy efficiencies will help loosen the tight profit margin among cars selling for less than $15,000. >> i think it's a risk, but i think it's a calculated risk in the sense that because there's more demands for smaller vehicle and chevrolet never had to stand down that far into small cars. trying to meet the consumer demands and looking at the future diversification away from trucks is an important step for them. >> reporter: a controversial agreement with the united auto workers tied to the federal government's massive bailout of gm and chrysler. it's a two-tiered labor agreement permitting newly hired workers to be paid $14 to $16 aen hour, about half of what gm veterans make. >> i think we all had to go through a cultural change between union and the management. >> it's a bold gamble by both the uaw and general motors and it's going to be successful and that's going to be really important for creating more jobs in america. >> reporter: but that two-tiered wage system remains controversial among some in the uaw. in fact, that very issue is on the table right now in negotiations over a new uaw contract. talks are expected to wrap up later this month. casey wian, cnn, orion, michigan. >> love to see the factory floor come to life in this country but it comes with great compromise because it's been very tough. >> it has been tough. but the good news between the auto company unions and, you know, the detroit big three, supposedly they're ahead of schedule in their negotiations. they're getting along. >> nice. >> it's amazing. we asked you to talk back on one of the big stories of the day and that has to do with unions. we asked you this question, do unions help or hurt america? this from david, i'm sure they help a whole lot more than ceos making 400 plus percent of what the average worker makes. the gop wants to give them huge tax breaks with hopes they'll give us a few jobs. we wouldn't have 40 hour work weeks and weekends off if not for unions. from christina -- and this from joe -- >> keep the comments coming. facebook.com/americanmorning. we'll read more of your thoughts later. i've been doing a lot of stuff on my weekend show about education, and people get fired up about education and unions and education. are unions helping education reform or hurting education reform and it is a subject that inspires so much passion on so many levels. really interesting on this labor day. top stories coming up next, including tropical depression lee, saturating several southern states. a lot of concerns about new orleans. we're live in louisiana. 56 minutes after the hour. when you play in the same sandbox as luxury s.u.v.s, it helps to have the quality and craftsmanship of your leather interior test better than the lexus rx 350. it's also helpful to set your "select terrain" dial to "sand." ♪ [♪...] >> male announcer: now, for a limited time, your companion flies free, plus save up to 65%. call 1-800-sandals. conditions apply. a subborn storm soaking the south. tropical depression lee dumping more than a foot of rain on new orleans and the worst flooding may be yet to come. texas inferno. a massive wildfire, reportedly 60 miles long blazing through the lone star state this morning. one resident telling cnn, you can smell the earth burning. poised for attack, the showdown in libya getting even more intense this morning. rebel forces getting ready to launch an assault on one of moammar gadhafi's last strongholds. it's all about jobs this labor day. the president and the people who want his job fanning out across america, including mitt romney who suddenly seems to have a taste for tea on this "american morning." and good morning to you. it is monday, september 5th. happy labor day. welcome to "american morning." i'm carol costello. >> i'm christine romans. ali has labor day off. up first, lee is a tropical depression moving across the southeast this morning. its center of circulation sitting in southern louisiana right now where it's expected to dump as much as 20 inches of rain in some spots throughout -- through tonight. the storm made a very slow landfall this weekend. here's what lee looked like from an oil rig out in the gulf of mexico where workers were riding out the storm despite the wind whipped waves. measuring the wind speed is what that oil worker is doing right there. a foot of rain fell in parts of louisiana and mississippi, triggering flash floods. this is what it looked like in plaquemines parish, water from the gulf of mexico began overtopping levees in dozens of spots there. ed lavandera is live in crown point, louisiana, which felt the brunt of the storm. 15 miles south of new orleans. good morning, ed. >> good morning, christine. this what is folks around here are dealing with this morning. that water is creeping up out of the intercoastal waterways, pushed up. it's a tidal surge problem here now. has much less to do with the rain. we haven't seen any significant steady rainfall since yesterday morning. but the problem is, is the winds are still pushing to the north and it's pushing the water out of these canals and waterways into these neighborhoods. we're in the town of crown point, near the town of lafeet. areas we've seen mandatory evacuations throughout the weekend because of situations like this. the water creeping up and in many places, very close on the doorstep of dozens and dozens of homes in these low-lying areas. water has gone into several homes, but that hasn't really happened. there's a frantic effort going on right now, they've got crews sandbagging and they've created these little makeshift levees, long, plastic tubes that they fill with water to create levees and try to control the water. they've laid about 26,000 feet of that. a great expense to try to protect as much of these -- as many of these homes as possible. what they need is for the wind to shift back toward the south. that will push water back out into the gulf of mexico. but as you mentioned, christine, this storm is so dreadfully slowly moving. i feel like we've been talking about this storm for three days, just being over louisiana. it's hard to imagine it still hasn't moved farther north. at one point this storm was only moving two to three miles per hour and you could walk faster than that. christine? >> all right. you can't outrun the rain drops that's for sure. ed lavandera, thanks so much. deadly wildfires burning in texas this morning. at least 1,000 homes in danger of being burned to the ground. hundreds of households have been evacua evacuated. the largest fire in bastrop county southeast of austin. chris welch is there now. describe what's happening there? >> let me begin by giving you a quick update on the numbers. i want to stress these numbers are from last night. we've just, you know, we're getting to the morning hours when daylight comes they'll get a better idea. so far they say officials say there are at least 300 homes burned to the ground, completely destroyed at this point, and 5,000 people have been evacuated. that is just here in this county alone. fires have spread out, have opened up yesterday over several counties in this part of the state near austin, also on the eastern part of the state and that's where we had two confirmed fatalities so far, eastern part of the state. but i want to stress, the serious part of this fire, what broke out yesterday, is what officials are very concerned about. they say their efforts all efforts will be focused here today on basically assessing the situation once daylight comes and figuring out exactly whether they will be able to fight this or not. the winds have remained strong. they say this fire is 0% contained at this point. they set up official evacuation shelters across the state. they don't have an exact number on how many that is. they say unofficially, several have popped up all over. this is a very serious situation. they expect to hold a morning briefing. we don't know exactly what time that will be. we expect it some time around maybe the 9:00 or 10:00 eastern hour. but at this point, officials just telling us this is serious. we don't know the extent and may not for a couple hours. they expect it to be bad. >> chris, those fatalities you talked about, a mother and her 18-month-old child. they were trapped in their mobile home when it was overcome by flames. are people listening to the evacuation orders? >> yeah, carol. i think it's safe to say they are. officials have told me that people have come from all over to fill these shelters. they've said hotels are filling up with, you know, families and children who clearly they have come from homes where, you know, these folks who are in the shelters have no idea whether their home is still there or not, whether their life is still there or not. a lot of people in this area in texas in general, rely on ranching, on farming, and with a fire like this, it can completely destroy a livelihood, a career. this is -- that's just one other factor to this disaster that officials are watching. >> worst factor of all. chris welch reporting live for us from bass strop county, southeast of austin, many thanks to you, chris. fire, rain, cnn's rob marciano tracking extreme weather for us this morning. he's in atlanta. good morning, rob. >> good morning. obviously the rains from lee have not reached texas. we have critical fire danger from dallas through san antonio and austin as again today very dry and the winds will be whipping at times. the winds may be exaggerated a little bit from what's left over of lee. the backside working its way with the front and that squeezes the isobars and gets things cooking a little more. this is where lee is. it's kind of sort of falling apart. it has a lot of moisture with it. new orleans seeing over 10 inches of rain, pascagoula, jackson mississippi a lot came last night over 10 inches. there are some evacuations in and around jackson proper including some homes and apartment complexes there this morning. we have tremendous amount of rain that's forecast to head up across the tennessee valley later on today. we also have the threat for seeing severe weather and we've seen a couple tornado warnings that have been posted. wayne and washington counties in eastern mississippi and the county along the florida panhandle including fort walton beach these cells continue to rumble across i-10 around the mile-marker 50 to 67 marker there. those storms moving rapidly off towards the north at about 30 to 40 miles an hour. all rotating around lee, obviously, eastern front of this is where the tornado threat is and this watch box has been posted by the storm's prediction center. good until 4:00 this afternoon local time. the other threat, obviously, is the rainfall that's going to stretch up into the northeast across the flood ravaged folks from irene. cat tee yashgs the good news here, katia, although category 2 storm, we are forecasting it to miss the u.s. finally we're getting the all clear. those strong cold fronts that will give you the rain across the northeast will help nudge katia eventually out to sea. back to you. >> thanks, rob. president obama heads to detroit later this morning to talk jobs on this labor day. this after touring hurricane irene's aftermath in the northeast. the president visited two flood ravaged towns in new jersey yesterday surveying the damage left behind. he met with residents who lost their homes and businesses, promising help for the recovery and pledging financial federal resources. >> the main message that i have for all the residents not only of new jersey but all those communities that have been effected by flooding, by the destruction that occurred as a consequence of hurricane irene is that the entire country is behind you. and we are going to make sure that we provide all the resources that are necessary in order to help these communities rebuild. >> and that's a whole lot of resources. from north carolina to new england there's an estimated $6 billion worth of damage. >> i did my back-to-school shopping in wayne so i would spend my dollars some place where i knew people were trying to get back to work. a lot of things are up and running again. big signs saying we're open, come here. new this morning college football season kicking off to a rocky start. three stadiums evacuated because of bad weather. more than 50,000 fans were evacuated at west virginia university. their game was delayed three hours. at the university of notre dame lightning and storms caused the first ever weather delay. the stadium had to be evacuated not once but twice. the university of michigan had to end its game early, clearing its massive 110,000 seat stadium during the third quarter. >> that is a massive undertaking. >> i'll say. the suspect in the disappearance of robyn gardner in aruba plans to challenge a judge's order to hold him for an additional 60 days. lawyers for gary giordano plan to file an appeal today. the 50-year-old giordano has been in jail in aruba for the past month. he has yet to be charged with a crime. the united states postal service warning it may be forced to shut down this winter. "the new york times" is reporting the agency is struggling to pay its bills and says it will not be able to make a $5.5 billion payment due this month. the postal service is calling on congress to step in and help straighten out its finances. a terrifying high-speed crash during a practice run at the first ever baltimore grand brick. tony ka nan loses control during the first turn hits the back of helio castroneves's car and launches into the air before smashing into tire barriers. incredibly neither driver was hurt. for some reason kanaan's brakes were not working, traveling at 190 miles per hour. it's amazing everyone is a-okay this morning. >> i'll say. donald young stirring things up at the u.s. open. the lefty from the south side of chicago, one of four american men to reach the round of 16. that hasn't happened since 2003. american andy roddick also advancing. the 2003 u.s. open champion reaching the quarters with a straight set win yesterday over france's julien benito. second seeded rafael nadal moving on to the quarterfinals with a straight set win over david nalbandian. that's in a blistering new york heat yesterday. >> you know what heat dozen. it causes severe cramping. quite a scare for rafael nadal and his fans two hours after that match, the spaniard talking about his game at a post-match press conference. look. he suddenly wincing in pain and slides out of his chair on to the floor. it was a really bad leg cramp. nadal's camp says he will be fine. he jumped up shortly after that. man, that looks painful. >> cute even when grimacing in pain. >> i would have rubbed his cramping leg for him. >> carol's interview with him. there you go. tennis's top player, he was feeling good. no wincing here. feeling good about his chances this weekend. novak djokovic doing a victory dance after advancing to the round of 16. the top seeded serb improving his record to an astonishing 60-2. >> he's been having a phenomenal season. >> how do you say his last name? djokovic. >> djokovic. you go. >> my brother-in-law is serbian. i should know all the serbian pronunciati pronunciations. wrings my neck. funny. >> it tough games in tennis. still to come, one city turning its labor day parade into a march for jobs, only not everyone is invited to this year's march. find out why. plus, the president's plan to create jobs. one proposal is infrastructure spending. but is it really the answer to putting americans back to work? 12 minutes after the hour. [ whistle blows ] oh! [ baby crying ] ben harper: ♪ what started as a whisper every day, millions of people choose to do the right thing. ♪ slowly turned into a scream ♪ there's an insurance company that does that, too. liberty mutual insurance. responsibility. what's your policy? with a verizon mobile hotspot, you can connect up to 5 wifi devices to the internet with lightning-fast verizon 4g lte speed. a gaming device. ereader. mp3 player. connect any 5 for wifi on the go. get the 4g lte mobile hotspot now for only $49.99. verizon is the place with the largest selection of 4g lte devices. on america's fastest, most advanced 4g network. good morning. u.s. markets are closed today for labor day. on friday that dismal jobs report pushed markets down. the dow, nasdaq, s&p 500 all lost more than be 2% after it was reported there were no net jobs created last month. this week america's high jobless rate remains front and center. president obama will give his big jobs speech on thursday and today he will be talking about jobs at an event in detroit. pushing european markets down overnight friday's u.s. jobs report and a local elections loss for ger mank chancellor merkel, a local elections loss. mounting pressure on her and other eu leaders over the financial bailout of greece. concerns over europe's debt problems likely to have an effect on u.s. markets this week. honda is recalling nearly 1 million fit compacts crv and the city vehicles worldwide over a problem with a window switch that could catch fire. that includes more than 80,000 crv vehicles in the u.s. the company says no injuries or deaths have been reported. related to the switch problems. don't forget for the latest news about your money check out the all new cnnmoney.com. it's 15 minutes past the hour. "american morning" will be back after this quick break. hi honey, what are you doing? just having some chicken noodle. starting my progresso soup for lunch plan, huh. nope, just having some tender chicken and some tasty noodles. let's see... south western vegetables... 60 calories, oh beef pot roast... ...ya' know those jeans look nice. they do? yup. so you were checking me out? yup. [ male announcer ] progresso. 40 soups 100 calories or less. 18 minutes past the hour. welcome back to "american morning." in pittsburgh today, unions are inviting thousands of the city's unemployed and underemployed to march in the labor day parade, but not everyone is welcome. some politicians are being told thanks, but no thanks. joining me to talk about this is jack shea, president of the allegheny county labor council afl-cio and jim bonner an unemployed bus driver who will be attending today's parade. welcome to you both. >> good morning. >> jack. >> good morning. thank you. >> thank you for being here. i appreciate it. i know it's labor day and you're busy, but you have important things to say. jack, start with you, the big labor day parade set in pittsburgh. calling it a march for jobs. who are you asking for help? sh. >> actually, we're asking president obama, actually, to take the gloves off, i think the bipartisan peace he's been trying to drive home for two and a half years hasn't worked and we're asking him to just take the gloves off, be more proactive and actually we're asking the republicans who have stopped everything that he's tried to do, to please, to something about jobs. we all know what the numbers were last month and they're terrible and i blame that directly, lay that at the feet of the republicans who have been stalling him. >> and not president obama, who some people say -- >> not at all. i think president obama has some great ideas, some great programs, but i don't have to tell you, carol, you see what they're doing as well as anybody else. they haven't come up with one job program since they've been elected in 2010, when they were elected in 2010 we know what they did to everybody in ohio and jersey and all those other states and it's not president obama. president obama has some good programs, but he can't get anybody to go along with him to try the programs to see if they work. >> you mentioned bipartisanship and i know this parade is by invitation only. you're not allowing politicians you deem anti-union to march in this parade. isn't this a time when we all have to work together no matter what our core beliefs are? why keep them out? >> actually, we have tried. let me give you an example. senator toomey, who wants to absolutely weaken people with the bargaining table, he's come out publicly and said it since he's been elected, so he don't like the working class folks for 364 days a year, i don't think he wants to be around us one day in a year. now we did invite republicans that we work with who understand workers issues. very honestly, anybody anymore who has wages and benefits and a pension, either the corporations are coming after them and they're the same, let me point out to you, the same corporations not paying their fair share in taxes. what they're doing is they're making all the workers, they're all getting their wages dumped on, nobody has had a real increase the last ten years. i've been bargaining all my life. i know the changes. i'm telling you it's not good. it's not good for the workers. we're playing a little defense, but we're taking the gloves off. it's time we take the gloves off and say hey, let's start worrying about working families for a change. >> jim, let's talk to you now, because you're an unemployed worker, a bus driver. you were laid off six months ago. who do you look for for help? i mean, who's out there helping your cause? >> well, we have the labor movement helping us out. our union local 85 in pittsburgh is doing a fairly good job in trying to get the issue out and talk to people. i have been out myself with a few other people, group called pittsburghers of public change, trying to raise the issue about what's happened here alone with public transportation. >> let me ask you it this way. what do you want to hear from president obama on thursday? what do you want to hear from him when he gives his big jobs speech? >> i don't want to hear it on thursday, i want to hear it tomorrow or today. how he's going to fund infrastructure, highways and bridges and most importantly fund public transportation in pittsburgh and throughout the whole country. i want to see these good paying jobs that are being taken away from us be put back in. these are the jobs that the politicians will talk about creating but once they get in there, they want you to work for 10 or $12 an hour and that's unacceptable in pittsburgh and throughout the country. >> are you losing hope that anyone can fix what's wrong with this country? >> no, i'm not. i remain optimistic. i remain confident that if we as a labor group, as the bus drivers, electricians, as the people of the united states, if we fight back together we can win this battle. but we have to fight. we have to be strong. we have to get into the streets and tell the ruling class this is uncalled for, unnecessary and this will not be tolerated. >> jack, you said the president should take off the gloves. what do you want to hear from the president on thursday? he's going to be looking at law makers straight in the eye in this joint session of congress. what do you want him to say? >> i would like him to say especially to the republicans who have stonewalled him, here's what you want in your district we'll do it. here's what you want in your district we'll do it. when they won't agree with him, i want him to point out people by name. i don't want him to say that congress won't do this or that. i want him to say, this one won't do it, that one won't do it no matter where they're at. i want him to fix infrastruct e infrastructure. we saw the hurricane just a week and a half ago come up the east coast and we saw the damage it did. and it didn't take much to do it. the point being is, our infrastructure, our bridges, our schools, they're getting old. they need fixed. we got to start putting people back to work. when you do, there's no doubt about it, i've been around long enough to know this, when you put people back to work they spend. when they spend, everybody feels pretty good. people go to a restaurant and say, boy, everybody must be doing okay, i have to wait in line a couple minutes to get a table. my point is, that president obama has tried and tried, because i watched the stuff pretty closely and he's tried and they've said no. as a matter of fact, they have actually went the opposite way and they said all they're interested in one thing, to make sure he's a one-termer and that's terrible. we have never treated other people like that. let me make one more point if i may. if president bush was still in office today, and he was on board when we got -- oh geez, mental block on tv, it's terrible. when he killed the al qaeda guy, we would be putting a statute in every city in the united states. president obama was in office, he's the one who called the shot and guess what happened? they ignore it, they brush it off, it's water off their back. that's how they're treating the man. >> i got to wrap it up. >> jack shea, jim bonner, i'm sure many republicans would disagree with you. they blame the unions for a lot of what's happening in this country and -- but we're only hearing one side of the story this morning. thanks to both of you for joining us. we appreciate it. talk back on this story. the question we're asking you this morning, do unions help or hurt america. facebook.com/americanmorning. we'll read your comments later this hour. >> i think they were a little fired up. >> i would say so on labor day too. >> on labor day. >> it's the big day for the cause, right. >> many union people say president obama hasn't done much for the unions lately. >> when you look at an underemployed rate of 16.2%, just brings new fire to labor day in general. everyone wants america to get back to work. how to get there is a big question. still to come this morning, awkward moment at the tea party rally in new hampshire. why some people didn't appreciate a comedian's joke before sarah palin took the page -- took the stage, rather. and michele bachmann not backing down from one of her biggest campaign promises. she says she can bring the price of gas down to $2 a gallon. she can do it under a president bachmann, $2 gas. how she plans to keep that promise. hey can i play with the toys ? sure, but let me get a little information first. for broccoli, say one. for toys, say two. toys ! the system can't process your response at this time. what ? please call back between 8 and 5 central standard time. he's in control. goodbye. even kids know it's wrong to give someone the run around. at ally bank you never have to deal with an endless automated system. you can talk to a real person 24/7. it's just the right thing to do. you can talk to a real person 24/7. [ cat meows ] ♪ [ acoustic guitar: pop ] [ woman ] ♪ i just want to be okay ks ] ♪ be okay, be okay ♪ i just want to be okay today - ♪ i just want to know today - [ whistles ] ♪ know today, know today - [ cat meows ] - ♪ know that maybe i will be okay ♪ [ chimes ] travelers can help you protect the things you care about... and save money with multi-policy discounts. are you getting the coverage you need... and the discounts you deserve? for an agent or quote, call 800-my-coverage... or visit travelers.com. demint in demand. the south carolina republican and tea party are becoming something of a fire brand this morning. six republican hopefuls for president coming to his presidential forum today. the question this morning is demint the new presidential kingmaker on this "american morning." and good morning to you. it is monday, september 5th. welcome back to "american morning." i'm carol costello. >> i'm christine romans. ali has the morning off. here are this morning's top stories for you. texas still bone dry, strong winds are whipping up more wildfires there. one of the largest fires threatening about 1,000 homes near austin this morning. in east texas, a mother and her 18-month-old child died when their mobile home was overcome and burned by the flames. after talks failed libyan rebel fighters are poised to attack pro-gadhafi forces in the town of bani walid, one of gadhafi's strongholds. libya's leaders have given loyalists until saturday to surrender or face military forces. lee now a tropical depression, moving very slowly, very slowly inland after pounding the gulf coast with rain by the bucket full and it's carrying more flooding rains as it heads across the southeast. rob marciano live in the extreme weather center. gosh, rob, ed lavandera was telling us it's going about 2 1/2 miles an hour at one point. it's just -- we could outwalk this thing. >> it wasn't moving very rapidly, but it is beginning to pick up speed and lost intensity. that's the good news. the cloud canopy getting trained in a cold front and that's going to mean we're going to spread this thing out over a lot of real estate and a lot of people as well. the other threat with this, tornadoes. we do have a tornado watches extended for all of alabama, at least the southern part of it. panhandle of florida the smidgen of georgia until 4:00 local time and a number of tornado warnings indicated by radar with that spin that often accompanies these systems off towards the east of them. all right. this thing will continue to move towards the north and east and pick up speed but it still has a lot of moisture with it. flood warnings are posted for eastern parts of mississippi. there have been evacuations in jackson proper, some homes and some apartment complexes being flooded out. and flood watches and even a couple warnings already for the northeast because of all the saturated soil, obviously, from irene and flood ravaged regions there. good news with katia, look at the eye popping out, 100-mile-an-hour winds, category 2, the storm forecast with this strong cold front to be nudged out to see. i think at this point, we can breathe a sigh of relief there. lee may cause in problems for a lot more people than katia moving forward. >> rain, rain, go away. unless you're in texas. they want that rain. they're not getting it. >> thanks so much, rob. we begin this half hour with politics. sarah palin has been stealing the spotlight even though she won't talk about her political ambitions for 2012. in iowa she continued to slam president obama calling him a president who promised to cut the deficit in half and instead tripled it. >> he wants to win the future by investing more of your hard earned money in some hair brained ideas like more solar panels and really fast trains. these are things that venture capitalists will tell you are nonstarters yet he wants to do more of them. we're flat broke, but they think that these panels and really fast trains are going to magically save us. he's shouting, all aboard obama's bullet train to bankruptcy. >> there was an awkward moment before palin took the stage. a comedian named eric golub telling a joke comparing liberals to special needs children. of course, the former alaska governor is the mother of a special needs child. >> the left should love sarah palin. she has a beautiful, adorable, special needs child that she cares for while balancing everything else. for that reason alone the left should worship sarah palin and adopt her as one of their own because the leftist haters are an entire political ideology of special needs children. >> palin returns to new hampshire today to speak to a tea party rally in manchester. we'll keep you posted. all right. they're calling him the kingmaker. south carolina senator jim demint hosting six republican candidates at a presidential forum this afternoon. mitt romney will be among them. the former massachusetts governor has been -- i don't think you can say cozying up but meeting and greeting the tea party lately. >> like pannedering? >> it will be the first time romney and texas governor rick perry square off on the same stage, so that will be interesting as well. cnn deputy political director paul steinhauser joins us live from columbia, south carolina, this morning. paul, what can we expect to come out of this forum? it's kind of strange. two law makers and a professor will be asking these candidates questions, right? >> yeah. it's a forum so it's not a debate. they speak one at a time. each candidate will get about 20 minutes and take questions from among them, jim demint as you mentioned, the senator from south carolina down here, two-term republican, and yeah, demint has become a kingmaker among tea party activists. he has a lot of support among tea party members and tea party activists across the country. last year, demint went against his party in endorsing a lot of tea party type republicans like marco rubio and ron paul and others and very influenceal last year and we think demint could be influenceal this time around in the race for the republican nomination. six candidates, name them, michele bachmann, the congresswoman from minnesota, herman cain, former godfather's pizza ceo and radio talk show host, you've got newt gingrich, the former house speaker, ron paul, congressman from texas, rick perry of course the texas governor and mitt romney, a late add, the former massachusetts governor e who's making his second bid for the nomination. >> paul, i joke that mitt romney is pandering to the tea party but he certainly wasn't -- i'm thinking of another word -- i'll say cozying up to the tea party before. why does he think it's so important to be a part of this forum today? >> yeah. the forum today, he was a late entry there. he changed his schedule to be here. the rally last night, that tea party express rally in new hampshire. that was the first time that mitt romney actually spoke in front of a tea party rally since he's jumped into the race for the white house earlier this year. you know, we talked to his campaign officials and they say he's not doing anything different but here's what has changed in the last couple weeks. rick perry has jumped into the race and now rick perry not mitt romney is at the top of the polls. the top person in our cnn/orc poll and others. the dynamics have changed and maybe that's why we're seeing mitt romney apparently changing a little bit. >> all right. thanks so much. we can't wait to see it because we are going to be able to watch it, and see it in its entirety beginning at 3:00 p.m. eastern, the entire presidential forum, 3:00 p.m. eastern right here on cnn. full coverage if you will anchored by john king. we, of course, the exclusive national broadcaster of this forum. plb doubling down, the 2012 candidate is pledging to bring gas prices down to $2 a gallon. she made that promise on cbs's "face the nation." how will she pull it off? >> embarking in an all of the bof energy strategy. what the president has been doing is strangling the united states energy sector. i want to do what house republicans have been talking for a long time and that is embrace an all of the above energy solution so we can be our own answer. we all realize we can no longer be dependent on for ren sources of oil and energy. one thing we know again, gasoline was $1.79 a gallon when president obama came into office. we can bring the price of gasoline down, but not with the current policies of this administration. my pro growth, pro energy policies, will bring the prices down because again, it's not government directed, it's private sector directed. >> bachmann addressed a previous statement about drilling in the everglades. she says she would not do anything to compromise water or air quality. she believes the u.s. should tap into its resources, but should do it responsibly. many people say to get $2 gasoline, you basically need another recession. the reason why gas prices -- gas prices go down quickly would be because the demand would dry up because the economy is so weak. >> drilling -- >> all of the above approach would include more drilling, takes a long time -- >> i was going to ask you that. she's talking about more domestic drilling, if we depended more on that we would get more oil out of the ground in our country and that would drive gas prices down because we wouldn't be dependent on foreign oil. it takes time to get those oil fields up and running in the united states, so when will we see that $2 a gallon gas, even if that would work? >> i think a $2 gas campaign pledge is -- it's a round number that's appeals to a lot of people. it's much more difficult and complicated than that. i think also, presidents get too much credit and too much blame for things like gas prices and stock markets and all that kind of stuff. it's a very i don't know -- when i see $2 gas i cringe because i worry so badly that gas -- last time we saw gas go down abruptly when the economy was falling apart. i don't want the economy to fall apart, you know. anyway. still to come, a big day in court for amanda knox. her appeals trial, winding down. details on this one straight ahead. plus, find out who was apparently trying to help arm moammar gadhafi's forces during the final days of his regime. you're watching "american morning." it's 38 minutes past the hour. exclusive to the military. and commitment is not limited to one's military oath. the same set of values that drive our nation's military are the ones we used to build usaa bank. from free checking to credit cards to loans, our commitment to the military, veterans, and their families is without equal. ♪ visit us online to learn what makes our bank so different. usaa. we know what it means to serve. welcome back to "american morning." right now, libyan rebels are waiting for a green light to launch an attack on bani walid, one of the few towns still loyal to former leader moammar gadhafi. rebels have given gadhafi loyalists there until saturday to surrender, but there are indication opposition forces may enter this town before that deadline. cnn also this morning from opposition leaders that china apparently tried to help arm moammar gadhafi's forces in late july. according to a senior member of the transitional government documents found in tripoli indicate that chinese companies offered to sell rocket launchers and anti-tank missiles and other weapons to gadhafi despite a ban on such sales. china says its companies did not sign military trade contracts with libya. and one of moammar gadhafi's sons says he is ready to stop the fighting. saadi gadhafi called our nic robertson to say he's ready to negotiate a cease-fire. he's considered a moderate compared to other members of his family and said he has not spoken to his father or his brother in two months. amanda knox's effort to overturn her conviction for the murder of her roommate in italy is entering its final stretch. her appeals hearing resumes today and you'll remember new dna analysis is calling her conviction into question. >> zain verjee live in london. good morning. this trial has been simply fascinating, especially after the most recent sort of scientific or forensic evidence there. >> it really is. and this is going to be a pivotal week, the final stretch. the defense and the prosecution are going to present their final arguments. what happened, critically, the last time was that independent forensic experts were brought in to analyze two really, really key pieces of dna evidence. the first was a knife that was found with amanda knox's genetic material on it. what these experts said, that was just too small, they had questions, too, about how it was collected and the fact also that it was not double tested. the other key piece of evidence was the clasp on the victim's bra strap. the basic issue with that, the experts had, was that it was contaminated. they said it had been lying on the floor for something like six weeks and then the analysts came in, they picked it up, they passed it around in a way that would have contaminated it and it was even caught on videotape, so they said that that piece of evidence as well as the knife was not permissible. that really did give amanda knox a boost. >> we'll see what happens. let's talk about dominique strauss-kahn, because he's back in france, but his troubles are far from over. >> right. exactly. he is back in paris. i spoke to an analyst in france today and he said the one question everyone is asking today, is when is he going to talk? is he going to bring his wife with him on tv? we want to hear his side of the story, they say. something like 61% of the people in france don't believe that he should ever be in politics. this was a guy that was going to run for president of france against nicolas sarkozy. a smart guy, very intellectual and with the world economic crisis many people in france are thinking he may look for some kind of a behind-the-scenes advisory role, but the accusations against him for rape by one french writer as well as a civil judgment case still pending in new york city, are still going to dog him. >> he hasn't been convicted of anything and the french have a different perspective on things like this. i mean if they decide this is just an affair of the heart or it's just his personal dalliances they're much more likely, aren't they, zain, to forgive him and he could have a second, you know, a renaissance, if you will? >> the french all about. [ speaking foreign language ] and a different standard sometimes with the affairs of the heart like this, but i think that this really, really has impacted not only dominique strauss-kahn but the country as well. there is a percentage that may look at this case, sympathically toward him, but because of the allegations that continue to come forward, his chances for rehabilitation are still going to be pretty tough. he is an intellectually respected guy. he may be able to maneuver himself and build a future tofo him around that. i think the jury is still out in france because they want to hear from him. >> thanks so much, zain verjee. >> there are some that say it caused a renewed importance of feminism in france too, like this new mood that -- >> i don't think the french presidency is in the stars for him any longer. >> i think you're right. time for romans' numeral, 4.5. not how many jobs are lost or created a day, but an important number to keep in mind if you're on the hunt for a job. "american morning" will be back with the answer. even though i'm a great driver, and he's... not so much. well, for a driver like you, i would recommend our new snapshot discount. this little baby keeps track of your great driving habits, so you can save money. [sighs] amazing. it's like an extra bonus savings. [ cackling ] he's my ride home. how much can the snapshot discount save you? call or click today. handle more than 165 billion letters and packages a year. that's about 34 million pounds of mail every day. ever wonder what this costs you as a taxpayer? millions? tens of millions? hundreds of millions? not a single cent. the united states postal service doesn't run on your tax dollars. it's funded solely by stamps and postage. brought to you by the men and women of the american postal workers union. ♪ a lot going on this morning. here's what you need to know to start your day. forecasters expect lee, now a tropical depression, to bring more heavy rain and flooding as it moves across the southeast. the storm dumped a foot of rain on parts of louisiana and mississippi this weekend and spawned several tornadoes. lee's strong gusty winds have whipped up the wildfires burning in texas. a fire near austin is said to be threatening been said to be threatening thousands of homes right now. authorities say a mother and her child were killed when fire burned their mobile home. police are investigating the death of a man whose body was found at the home of nfl player anthony smith. the 37-year-old victim was discovered at the bottom of a swimming pool. police say they don't suspect foul play. republicans who would be president will spend labor day in south carolina, attending a key party forum hosted by senator jim demint. cnn will carry that event live starting at 3:00 pm eastern. "the help" doesn't need any at the box office. the movie is number one for the third straight weekend, taking in just under $15 million for the first three days of the holiday weekend. will eddie murphy be hosting the 2012 oscars? the actor and comedian has emerged as the leading candidate to host the awards ceremony next february. a final decision could be made this week. "american morning" is back in 60 seconds. the number is 4.5, 4 1/2, the number of unemployed people competing for job openings. carol, that's an improvement, believe it or not. >> it is? >> some companies are saying they have a position available but the skill set and the jobs open in this country are not quite matched. 4 1/2. that's your competition. that's your competition out there. >> now you know. >> we asked you to talk back on one of the big stories of the day. do unions help or hurt america? i'll get my sheet here. we asked for your responses. unions are the best thing that happened in the past. with all the labor laws in place now, unions are the worst thing for the present. from skylar, i have to say, yes, unions do more good than not. my former union helped increase wages, gain benefits for working students and developed a more comprehensive work/life balance. i do admit that sometimes unions can be counterproductive. it's all about balance. and this from michael, the unions have sucked the life out of this country by driving our factories overseas and i've watched this country fall apart for the past 40 or 50 years because of unions cheating companies out of their capital. keep those responses coming. i'll read more later on, on "american morning." >> a lot about teachers and teachers unions. there's been an interesting movement there. so many teachers get frustrated with their union. at the same time they don't like to see governments going after unions like wisconsin. then they're frustrated by that, too, and a lot of teachers feel like they're caught between their union and what they would like to see as well. it's a real tough situation. >> it's a controversial issue. keep those responses coming. weaker, but still causing problems. tropical depression lee dropping more than a foot of rain on new orleans. and threatening with high winds and coastal flooding still. we'll have a live report for you. 54 minutes past the hour. deadly wildfire still raging in texas. a live report where fires have destroyed more than 14,000 acres. are you curious about new ideas? do you want to learn a new language, or just a new word? maybe you want to know more about anatomy, or astronomy. you could master something new, or uncover a hidden talent. there's never been a better time to learn. [ male announcer ] if you're in a ford f-150 and you see this... it's the end of the road. the last hurrah. it's when ford's powertrain warranty ends. but in this ram truck, you've still got 39,999 miles to go. ♪ guts. glory. ram. ♪ but not in my neighborhood. ♪ [ female announcer ] we're throwing away misperceptions about natural gas vehicles. more of the vehicles that fuel our lives use clean american natural gas today. it costs about 40 percent less than gasoline, so why aren't we using it even more? start a conversation about using more natural gas vehicles in your community. look at all this stuff for coffee. oh there's tons. french presses, espresso tampers, filters. it can get really complicated. not nearly as complicated as shipping it, though. i mean shipping is a hassle. not with priority mail flat rate boxes from the postal service. if it fits it ships anywhere in the country for a low flat rate. that is easy. best news i've heard all day! i'm soooo amped! i mean not amped. excited. well, sort of amped. really kind of in between. have you ever thought about decaf? do you think that would help? yeah. priority mail flat rate shipping starts at just $4.95, only from the postal service. a simpler way to ship. i know what works differently than many other allergy medications. omnaris. omnaris, to the nose. did you know nasal symptoms like congestion can be caused by allergic inflammation? omnaris relieves your symptoms by fighting inflammation. side effects may include headache, nose bleed, and sore throat. got allergy symptoms out of my way. now life's a picnic. [ man ] omnaris. ask your doctor. battling nasal allergy symptoms? omnaris combats the cause. get omnaris for only $11 at omnaris.com. it's expecting to bring more heavy rain and flooding as it threatens the tennessee valley and the northeast. >> i'm christine romans. deadly wildfires threatening to burn down a thousand homes right now. strong wind conditions are stoking these flames on this "american morning." good morning to you. it's monday, september 5th. happy labor day. i hope you're not laboring. ali is not. he has the day off. >> we are laboring. we are laboring. >> he owes us one. >> that's right. that's right. first, though, lee has weakened now to a tropical depression. but continues to soak the south, the storm dumping already a foot of rain along the gulf coast. it also spawned several tornadoes, including one in mobile county, alabama. it ripped the roof off one home, uprooted trees, brought down power lines. here is what lee looked and felt like from an oil rig out in the gulf of mexico. these workers, riding out the storm. this guy, trying to measure the wind speed as he holds on there for dear life. the storm whipped up the surf in biloxi, mississippi. it was tossed around -- wow, look at that. tossing around a boat like it was a toy. firefighters trying to hold that boat down, tie it down. that's what it looked like when it was all said and done. in crown point, louisiana, hit hard by this storm, ed lavendera. good morning, ed. >> reporter: good morning, christine. we're just south of new orleans and on the way toward the gulf of mexico. many of the roadways are covered in water. not terribly deep here. if you look off to the side, can you see what many people in these communities are dealing with, water that is emerging from the canals and waterways coming up from the gulf of mexico, pushing out of the banks and into these neighborhoods. a lot of these homes are on the verge of taking in water. the reason this is a concern right now, it is high tide right now. and all of these water levels kind of fluctuate, depending on the tide. the fact of the matter is the winds coming out of the south is pushing the water out of the banks of these waterways and canals. it is causing problems. really what they need to see is the winds to shift back toward the south and let everything begin to recede. across the area, we can't even get into the area where we were in yesterday. you see this home, water getting very close. this is actually -- this house is in pretty good shape. many of the homes we saw yesterday, as we were driving through the town of lafitte, water was on the doorstep, on the verge of going into dozens and dozens of homes. obviously, they are doing everything they can to protect these homes. they've been sand bagging and making these makeshift levees to control the flow of the water. they really need these winds to shift. the winds have pushed to the north. they anticipate the winds to push toward the south some time this afternoon. that would be welcomed news. christine? >> you said this thing was moving so slowly, it felt like it just kept dumping and dumping rain on you? >> reporter: i can't tell you how bizarre -- that's been the weirdest thing about this storm. a lot of times when you cover these tropical storms, you see the eye and it's just a matter of time before it passes over you. i've spent the last two days talking about how the center of this storm was on the louisiana coastline, just barely getting east of new orleans and to baton rouge. it's taking forever for this thing to move through most of the state of louisiana. >> all right. ed lav lavandera, thanks, ed. >> developed fairly quickly. it was right off the coastline. it didn't move very quickly. it was stuck in some in-between steering currents. remember, last week we talked about it and said we don't know where this thing is going to go, what it's going to do. considering the range of possibilities, this isn't horrifying. it could have sat out there in the gumsz and turned into a monster. the best scenario would have been to get that rain in texas. didn't get any of that. some of the winds associated with this have been drying things out even more. the tornado threat is in here as well. the tornado warning is out until 4:00 this afternoon. it continues to weaken, though, and be picked up by this cold front which, for a short time, will kind of increase the winds a little bit on the east side of this thing, which may increase a little bit of the twist. the ongoing threat, obviously, will be the amount of rainfall that we expect from this. we've already seen, in some cases, a foot or more. flood watches and warnings are in effect from jackson and north and east of mississippi. flood warnings are happening. and the frood watches extend all the way up into new england. north and west, places got hit hard from hurricane irene. could see more rainfall in the next 48 to 72 hours. hurricane katia, winds now 100 miles per hour, a category 2. definitely gaining intensity there. this thing could be a category 3 before too long. it continues to track toward the u.s. but we're feeling more comfortable this morning than we did a few days ago. these cold fronts that are sweeping across the northeast will help to push katia out to sea. it's going to be a little bit of a scary situation there with category 3 status expected. here is your cold front. cooler air behind it. a cool labor day for places like chicago, back through milwaukee, detroit. cooler, dry air behind us. it's going to take a while to push this front off and out to sea. heavy rainfall at times throughout the day today. that will be the ongoing threat. not only across the south, guys, but up across the northeast as they continue to pick up the pieces after the flooding from irene. back to you. >> thank you, rob. >> all right. >> deadly fires across east and central texas. at east texas, a mother and her 18-month-old child were killed as flames engulfed their mobile home. right now the largest fires burning southeast of austin. that's where cnn's chris welch is there now. any new information for us now? >> reporter: it's still early this morning. i can tell you what we know so f far. yesterday afternoon, around 2:00 pm local time, fire broke out here in bastrip county. it's continued to spread. these heavy winds we've been seeing as a result of tropical storm lee have made things much worse. officials here not exactly sure when they'll be able to get in to actually fight this fire. right now, it's zero percent contained. the only numbers we have right now is 300 homes have been destroyed here in bastrip county. 5,000 people have been evacuated. folks have been evacuated since yesterday afternoon. they up and picked up what they could, packed their cars with their pets, family members, any necessary materials and got out. we also got word that they will begin to drop -- do some water and retardant drops this morning in a couple of hours. a couple of blackhawks will come in and start doing that. daylight is actually just coming out. we're awaiting a press conference, briefing from emergency officials here. i can tell you from my vantage point, we can just -- we're just starting to see some of the smoke on the other side. within the next few hours, we'll be able to give you some new pictures of exactly what we're seeing. >> all right. we'll get back to you then. chris welch, reporting live from southeast of austin, texas. thank you. president obama heads to detroit later this morning to talk jobs on this labor day. this, after touring hurricane irene's aftermath of the northeast. the president visited two flood ravaged towns surveying the damage left behind, met with residents, promising them help for recovery and pledging federal resources. >> the main message that i have for all the residents, not only of new jersey but all those communities that have been affected by flooding, by the destruction that occurred as a consequence of hurricane irene is that the entire country is behind you. and we are going to make sure that we provide all the resources that are necessary in order to help these communities rebuild. >> from north carolina to new england, there's an estimated $6 billion worth of damages. all right. right now, libyan rebels are waiting for the green light to launch an attack on banni walid, one of the few towns with loyalists still to moammar gadhafi. opposition forces may enter this town before the deadline. china apparently tried to help arm moammar gadhafi's forces, this back in late july. according to a senior member of the transitional government, documents found in tripoli indicate that chinese companies offered to sell rocket launchers, anti-tank missiles, despite a ban on such sales. china says its companies did not sign military trade contracts with libya. knox and her ex-boyfriend were convicted of killing a 21-year-old british exchange student back in 2007. questions about dna evidence could get that conviction overturned. two court-appointed forensic experts are now challenging the testimony of authorities, who said knox's genetic material was found on the suspected murder weapon. to egypt now, where hosni mubarak's trial resumed this morning. he was wheeled into court on a gurney hours ago. major clashes outside the courtroom between police and the families of people killed during february's uprising. mubarak is charged with ordering the killings of more than 800 protesters, which ultimately ended his 30-year rule. if convicted he faces the death penalty. the disappearance of american robyn gardner. lawyers for giordano plan to file an appeal today. he has been in a jail in aruba for the past month. he has yet to be charged with a crime. his homecoming -- does that look like a homecoming? this comes after sexual assault charges were dropped. he faces another civil suit from a woman in france who has accused him of attempted rape as well. next on "american morning," jobs are scarce on this labor day, especially for african-americans. the black unemployment rate now the highest in 27 years. we'll take a look at why. do you do unions help or hurt america? or talkback question of the day. there are strong opinions, of course, on both sides of this debate. baltimore grand prix, a race car losing control at 190 miles per hour. details of the dramatic crash, just ahead. what do you got? restrained driver... sir, can you hear me? just hold the bag. we need a portable x-ray, please! [ nurse ] i'm a nurse. i believe in the power of science and medicine. but i'm also human. and i believe in stacking the deck. a mouthwatering combination of ingredients...e for you! i know you're gonna love. [ barks ] yes, it's new beneful healthy fiesta. made with wholesome grains, real chicken, even accents of tomato and avocado. yeah! come on! [ barking ] gotta love the protein for muscles-- whoo-hoo! and omega-rich nutrition for that shiny coat. ever think healthy could taste so good? [ woman announcing ] new beneful healthy fiesta. another healthful, flavorful beneful. all right. this labor day, washington and the campaign trail are overflowing with ideas to put americans back to work. and a little bit of blame, right? thursday, president obama unveils his jobs plan. it comes as african-americans face the biggest uphill battle in their search for employment. the biggest battle in 27 years. joining me to talk about this, robert kutner and nicole mason, executive director of the women of color policy network at nyu wagner. robert, let me start with you. the optics here of the first african-american president presiding over unemployment for blacks that's the highest it's been since 1984 when ronald reagan was president, it is very difficult politically and practically in this country. >> it's very tricky for him. it's very tricky for commentators, like me. i think his impulse that he had to govern not as a black president, but as a president of all the people was right. but i think his impulse as a crisis president, that he had to be very concilliatory to his opponents was wrong. the right-wing republicans are determined to block anything that he might do to put america back to work. and so he is failing black america and white america by not fighting harder. this is not as a black man. there have been a lot of white guys who were relatively weak presidents in the face of strong opposition. so, he's got to deliver jobs for all the people. >> right. >> and then that will help blacks disproportionately because blacks have been suffering disproportionately. >> so the president weak on jobs and not -- >> i think it's not possible for him, politically, to talk about things like specially targeted programs for african-americans. if you look at the clinton era, what we had very full employment, blacks gained disproportionately because the economy was doing very, very well. if he can deliver for everybody, that will turn around the black unemployment rate. now, that's not to say there isn't still discrimination. there is. it's not to say that black kids don't go to schools that are often worse than the schools that white kids go to. there are persistent racial problems but the larger problem is the problem of unemployment as a whole. >> i want to bring in nicole mason. there are different levers for this. the sectors lost a lot of jobs, public education that may not be the same in some neighborhoods and the legacy of discrimination which is there, but difficult to measure. how does this president deal with all of that at the same time with an unemployment rate on average of 9.1%? can he? can he separate out a black unemployment in the jobs question? >> so, in this economy, blacks have been the first to fall and the last to climb. 16%. so over the last couple of years, the black unemployment rate has jumped 7%. and this idea that a rising tide lifts all boats, it's just not going to work. >> that's what we've seen before from the vice president's middle class task force and other washington initiatives. if we can get the jobs market rising for everyone, that will help everyone. we're not going to start targeting specific sectors. you think that's the wrong approach? >> i think that's the wrong approach. if you have a broken arm and you have a scratch, you're not going to put a band-aid on a broken arm. you're really going to address it head on and pt a cast on. that's what the president has to do to stem unemployment in the plaque community. >> i haven't heard him talk about black unemployment. i haven't seen this big push to talk -- we've seen maxine waters, cornell west and others. there's a frustration building there. what should the president do? >> the president has got to take this on, head on. i know that he is really walking a tight rope, but he's going to have to -- if he wants to win in 2012, he needs african-americans and he needs latinos. he's going to have to address this unemployment rate head on. >> would people who are frustrated about this really vote for the republican? long-time supporting blacks of the president, would they really go republican? is that what he's worried about, or not worried about, i guess? >> obama enjoys an 80% approval rating for african-americans. a b is not an a. >> right. >> he still has enormous amount of support from african-americans and i don't think they're going to vote republican. he needs to say i hear you. i'm really going to address this issue head on and we're really going to start to look at policies that not only create jobs overall but really start to chip away at this problem in the african-american community. >> robert, gosh, 16.7% unemployment rate, when you look for black men it's even worst, 19.1% for black women, it's 14.5%. what kind of policies can the president put forward that can help the jobs market but also narrow this gap? >> i think a massive infrastructure program. i think assistance to state and local government. i mean, it's not just the unemployment problem. it's the cutback of services, disproportionately helped people and african-americans. so, the republicans are not going to support any of this. this is my point politically. he's got to say what he's in favor of and fight for t if the test is what will republicans support, he might as well just embrace the republican program because they're not going to support anything that he proposes. >> in this era of budget cutting, though, you're talking about shrinking the size of government. isn't that getting rid of people's jobs? isn't that something that will continue to hurt this demographic? >> absolutely. blacks, because there was less discrimination in government, disproportionately, especially blacks with college educations took government jobs. when you destroy government, you're destroying black paths to upward mobility. he has to say dam the torpedos. i agree that there is some targeted things that need to be done, but even though a rising tide doesn't necessarily lift all boats, it's a lot better than a sinking tide. and if you get the economy back on track with employment, that's going to disproportionately help african-americans. >> it's a complicated issue with so many different -- >> it's very complicated. >> there's no simple way to solve it in five minutes. both of you, robert ku ttner, nicole mason, let's get the conversation started, right? it's a tragedy in the largest economy in the world. thank you, you guys. carol? now it's your turn to talk back on one of the big stories of the day. the question for you this morning, do unions help or hurt america? it's a question labor union leaders want you to consider on this labor day. they say a war is being waged against hard-working americans. in wisconsin, despite massive protests, governor scott walker took on public unions and their pension plans and effectively killed off collective bargaining. ohio's governor did the same by pushing ohio senate b five or sb-5. it is now law. unions point to wisconsin and the successful recall of two anti-union state lawmakers. and in ohio, 1.3 million signatures that put sb 5 on the november ballot. in pittsburgh, union leaders have banned any state lawmaker considered anti-union from their labor day parade and the head of the teamsteres, james hoffa, is calling companies who refuse to hire union workers unpatriotic. >> the president should challenge the patriotism of these american corporations sitting on the sidelines saying why do we have higher unemployment but i'm not going to hire anybody? we all have to get into the game. i don't see that happening. >> despite it all, only 11% of american labor is now represented by unions. and the american middle class worker? their wages plateaued decades ago and the wage gap is growing ever wider. critics blame unions for that, charging their fat pensions and greed, forcing companies ies tod jobs overseas. facebook.com/americanmorning. i'll read your comments later this hour. 190 miles an hour and no brakes. dramatic high-speed crash during a practice run at the baltimore grand prix. this was yesterday. tony kanaan hitting the back of elio castranavez. incredibly, neither of these drivers was hurt. >> a grand thing to happen, though, on the first ever baltimore grand prix. you're right, no one was hurt, though. it was a good thing. but it made it exciting. four american men have reached the fourth round of the u.s. open for the first time in eight years but everyone is still buzzing about rafael nadal's press conference. he rolled his head back, squeezed his eyes shut and closed his eyes and slid down his chair. turns out he had an incredibly painful leg cramp. his camp is insisting he is perfectly fine now and it will not affect his play. on the brink of financial disaster, fears of an agency shut down in the next few months. those details just ahead. i'm phil mickelson, pro golfer. if you have painful, swollen joints, i've been in your shoes. one day i'm on p of the world... the next i'm saying... i have this thing called psoriatic arthritis. i had some intense pain. it progressively got worse. my rheumatologist told me about enbrel. i'm surprised how quickly my symptoms have been managed. [ male announcer ] because enbrel suppresses your immune system, it may lower your ability to fight infections. serious, sometimes fatal events including infections, tuberculosis, lymphoma, other cancers, and nervous system and blood disorders have occurred. before starting enbrel, your doctor should test you for tuberculosis and discuss whether you've been to a region where certain fungal infections are common. don't start enbrel if you have an infection like the flu. tell your doctor if you're prone to infections, have cuts or sores, have had hepatitis b, have been treated for heart failure, or if, while on enbrel, you experience persistent fever, bruising, bleeding, or paleness. get back to the things that matter most. good job girls. ask your rheumatologist if enbrel is right for you. it's 25 minutes after the hour. minding your business this morning. u.s. markets are closed today for labor day. on friday, the dismal jobs report pushed markets down sharply. it showed that no net jobs were created in the month of august. dow, in addition dak, s&p 500 all losing 2% on that news. president obama will give that big jobs speech on thursday. also today, he will be talking about jobs at an event in detroit. pushing european markets down overnight, u.s. jobs report, also a local election loss for german chancellor angela merkel, mounting pressure on her and other eu leaders over the financial bailout of greece. some concern over european markets are likely to have an affect this week on the markets as well. postmaster general told the paper that the postal service may need to be completely shut down by this winter unless congress takes emergency action to help the agency's finances. starbucks ceo howard schultz getting more politically involved. town hall, to talk about the partisan gridlock in washington and took out full-page ads in various national newspapers over the weekend with his new open letter criticizing lawmakers and their lack of leadership of this country. "american morning" back after a quick break. my subaru saved my life. i won't ever forget that. love. it's what makes a subaru, a subaru. it's schwab at your fingertips wherever, whenever you want. one log in lets you monitor all of your balances and transfer between accounts, so your money can move as fast as you do. check out your portfolio, track the market with live updates. and execute trades anywhere and anytime the inspiration hits you. even deposit checks right from your phone. just take a picture, hit deposit and you're done. open an account today and put schwab mobile to work for you. demint is in demand. the south carolina republican and tea partier becoming something of a firebrand this morning. six republican hopefuls for president coming to his presidential forum today. the question this morning, is demint the new presidential king maker on this "american morning"? good morning to you. it is monday, september 5th. i hope you're preparing for your barbecue and not off to work this morning. welcome to "american morning." i'm carol costello. >> you may need to bring an umbrella to your barbecue, depending where you live. critical fire danger in texas. strong winds spawned by tropical storm lee are whipping up more wildfires. a fire near austin has burned 14,000 acres and is threatening 1,000 homes. in east texas, a mother and her 18-month-old child died when their mobile home burned. libyan rebel fighters may be itching to attack progadhafi forces in the town of banni walid, one of gadhafi's last strongholds. libya's new leaders have given gadhafi loyalists until saturday to surrender or face military action. but there are indications opposition forces may strike before that deadline. now it's no longer a tropical storm. but lee is still packing plenty of rain. just about a foot of rain fell in louisiana and mississippi over the weekend. and there's more in store as lee moves slowly to the north and east. rob marciano is at the extreme weather center. good morning, rob. >> doing a little more than spoiling beach plans for the florida panhandle. a tornado watch has been posted or extended for most of alabama, florida panhandle, georgia and eastern mississippi. the center of what's left of lee is mou moving across southern mississippi and becoming what we call extra tropical, which means it's getting involved and stretching out. as it does so, more people will be affected by this, and more people will get some rainfall, potentially flooding rainfall. up into the tennessee valley. and across the northeast could see one to three or more inches of rainfall over the next three days. they don't need it, obviously, with leftovers of irene. hurricane katia will probably become a hurricane 3. we anticipate it now to make a sharp turn. one of the coolest labor days you've had in years. temperatures won't get out of the 60s in some spots. fall just around the corner. >> that sounds nice, though. that's good for badmitton and softball games at the picnics. >> i was just thinking of that. excellent badminton weather. >> i love that game. president obama's jobs speech happens thursday. >> expected to cover tax relief, assistance for the long-term unemployed and infrastructure investments. will rebuilding roads, bridges and parks really help to put americans back to work? here is athena jones. >> reporter: with unemployment stuck above 9% and no jobs added in august, president obama is under pressure to come up with a plan to jump-start hiring. he has long argued that infrastructure spending has created jobs. >> we could be rebuilding roads and bridges and schools and parks all across america right now. we could put hundreds of thousands of folks to work right now. >> reporter: america's schools could benefit. the american society of civil engineers gave public school facilities a d in their most recent report. baltimore is one city that could gain. here at samuel collidge taylor elementary school, the boiler and windows need to be replaced. many of the air conditioners and electric sockets don't work about the water fountains have been sealed to prevent possible lead poisoning from old pipes. problems persist city wide even though the state spends millions to update schools each year. >> we are a school system that has a $2 billion plus backlog due to trem endous negative ove the decade. we're trying to give our students great science labs, great media labs. the basics, which is the ability to feel conducive to learning is something we are trying to address. >> it's hard to keep them focused. sometimes you see them and they're just starting to slump on the desk, because they're hot. >> reporter: while the need may be clear, there's debate over whether this kind of spending creates jobs. the economic policy institute wants to see a $50 billion federal program to repair schools, which they say would create half a million jobs. >> the repair costs are tremendous. so, getting an infusion of money from the federal government could put people to work. >> reporter: critics say federal spending on infrastructure has a minimal effect on job creation. >> we wouldn't see this new jobs report coming out, saying zero jobs was created in august. >> reporter: a debate that's unlikely to go away. athena jones, cnn, washington. we know that infrastructure spending creates jobs. one of the criticisms is that it's temporary, those jobs eventually go away and how much money does it cost to create one of those jobs? and you'll hear critics say we did a big infrastructure. i went and visited road projects across the country. now those are done. what's the next phase? can the president get support to do it again? >> we'll hear what he has to say in his big jobs speech. you can see his speech this thursday to a joint session of congress at 7:00 pm eastern here on cnn. >> you got to love the idea of fix i fixing up some of these old schools. >> can you imagine, no air conditioning? >> everybody can get behind, right? six of the top gop hopefuls for president will be in south carolina this afternoon. mitt romney will be among them. he has been cozying up to the tea party lately. at least introducing himself to the tea party lately. he was in new hampshire this weekend. >> that's right. he cleared his schedule to be part of tea party king maker jim demint's forum today. paul steinhauser joins us from columbia, south carolina, this morning. tell us how the forum works. >> here is how it works. six candidates and they are -- let's go through them really quick. michele bachmann, congresswoman from minnesota, her man cain, radio talk show host. ron paul, the congressman from texas, newt gingrich, the former house speaker, texas governor rick perry and mitt romney, who will make his second bid for republican nomination. i just ran into jim demint, the republican senator here. i ran into him at breakfast and he was telling me the format. all six candidates right off the bat and then it is one at a time. this is not a debate. 20 minutes of questioning for each candidate. demint will be one of three people questioning them. jim demint is very, very influential and very popular among tea party activists. i think that's one of the reasons you're seeing all six candidates here in south carolina. >> he's the guy that's into pledges. >> capping ballots? >> that was his baby. and most of the canndidates hav signed up for that. you know what? here is another reason you know this is a big deal today. we brought the cnn express. it's got to be a big deal if we brought the bus. we'll have coverage of that. >> we bring the big guns, the bus and steinhauser and john king. whoa! >> john king, yes. steinhauser, i'm the warm-up act. >> thank you, paul. >> you'll be able to see it from 3:00 till 5:20 pm. john king will anchor it. cnn is the national broadcaster of the forum. labor day is what is really running through the opinion pages today. who really are we honoring on labor day? wanted to show you this op-ed in the washington post. workers are now taking second place to investors. quote, let's get it over with and rename the holiday capital day. we may still celebrate labor day, but our culture has given up on honoring workers as the real creators of wealth and their honest toil. also going on to say they wonder if the day itself will eventually disappear from the calendar. in an op-ed for bloomberg, writing about the vanishing full-time worker and shift to temporary workforce. there's one factor that should be getting more attention. u.s. companies don't want to hire people. employees come with a host of costs and liabilities. when there's work, it makes sense to find a way to get it done without putting someone, person, on the payroll. they're awarded for their flexibility of a con continuing ent contin gechlt nt. you have to convince the company it's worth hiring someone. >> employers are taking a hit, right? james hoffa, the head of the teamsters came out and said hey, all of you employers, who are sitting on mounds of money and not employing people, you're unpatriotic. >> that washington post-op-ed was interesting, too. it went on to say even your tax -- human labor is taxed at a higher rate than moving money around. think about what they're saying about the importance of us and the hour you spend working or taking money and making more money out of it, investing. >> when you get right down to it, and think of it, you think does my employer think of me as an interchangeable part? if my employer thinks that way, what benefit is it for me to do a good job of that employer, when i know he's going to get rid of me when something cheaper comes down the line. >> we're just human capital. >> stop it! i refuse to think of it that way. george lee andrews bids farewell to phantom of the opera, ending a 23-year run with the broadway show. he'll join us next on this "american morning." there's a guy that kept a job. it's 43 minutes past the hour. we welcome back to "american morning." it is the end of an era on broadway. after 23 years and more than 9,300 performances, actor george lee andrews exits phantom of the opera. >> on saturday, he perform ed fr the last time after thousands of times, here to reflect on his record-breaking run on broadway. george lee andrews joins us now. you never get up that early, i take it. >> no. that was my friend, david cryer. we both left together. we have to hug each other a little bit. >> it will make you really put one foot in front of the other sw go go to work when you see for 23 years you've been doing this job. >> a great thrill every time. >> let's look at the number of perform as, 9,382 performances, through 12 different phantoms, some 14 million people came through the theater during your time on stage. >> yeah. >> how did you keep yourself sane all that time? >> it's a technique. well, you have to keep yourself sane. you have to go to work every night and do my job. people say how do you keep it interesting? are you bored? i walk out on the broadway stage and the phantom of the opera, arguably the greatest broadway musical of all time. and i face 1,600 people. it's a huge thrill. how could i be anything other than thrilled? >> come on. have you ever forgotten your lines? >> oh, sure. oh, yeah. that's terrible. >> that's impossible. what happens? >> you break out in a sweat. all of a sudden you have a film of sweat all over you. it's crazy. you stand there and try sometimes you break into gibberish, make up a line or two. >> what's your favorite part of the show? >> my favorite part of the show is there's a sept ed. we come in and sing together. it becomes a duet called the manager's scene. goes on. people keep coming in, joining this until the end of the scene. it builds and builds and builds until the end of the scene seven singers are down on the edge of the stage, blasting away this wonderful music, this wonderful andrew lloyd weber music. that's always my favorite part of the show. it's just great. >> going back to the forgetting of the lines, because i find this fascinating. you basically say the same lines for every performance, right? >> yes. >> we're talking over 9,000 performances. so what happens? your mind suddenly blanks out? >> yeah. >> after so many times of saying the same thing over and over, night after night? >> it's really a matter of concentration. you're playing a role. you have to stay concentrated in that role and you have to train yourself to do that. there are times -- i remember some time along the way when my son was playing soccer and i was coaching. i would be standing on stage and all of a sudden i was realizing i was trying to figure out what i was going to take the boys through in the soccer coach iin thing that evening or the next morning. and i just stopped myself and say, no, you know. no. back to this. back to this play. >> must separate job and life. >> yes. and i realized then that, no, i couldn't do that at all. when i'm doing the play, i simply have to do the play. at one time my daughter was in the audience, seeing me do another part. i've actually played other parts. it's 9,000 some performances and other parts, too. >> the same show? >> yeah. >> it's interesting who will be taking over this role. >> yes. >> tell us about that. >> i just mentioning my daughter. and it made my mind go when i was playing the auctioneer and stood there with a blank and made up some words but her husband -- they've been married ten years -- no, they've been married five years, together ten years. they're having a baby. his agents -- he's an actor, wonderful actor. his agents got him an audition for my part. i was actually on vacation and came back and he told me this and we laughed about it. >> your son-in-law is going to take over your part? >> yeah. he auditioned, went through the whole call back process and got the part. >> fantastic. at least it's still in the family. >> still in the family. >> better say the names of your other two granddaughters. >> you mean harper and sasha? >> yes. >> good morning, dears. >> they're not going to be happy if i'm leaving phantom. >> but they got to hear their grandfather say their names on tv. that's cool. george lee andrews, congratulations. great run. >> thank you. >> can't wait to see what's up next. still to come on "american morning," it's weakened to a tropical depression. lee is still soaking the south with heavy rain and flooding. we'll tell you about it it, next. naturals from purina cat chow. delicious, real ingredients with no artificial flavors or preservatives. naturals from purina cat chow. share a better life. look better and feel softer. how 'bout we start with the guaranteed low price on the carpet... the pad, and installation. let's get peace of mind for a lifetime. it all adds up to better carpet at a better price and a great-looking room transformed. more saving. more doing. that's the power of the home depot. get 10% off or 24 months special financing on your first purchase of $599 or more when you open a new home depot credit card account. nine minutes until the top of the hour. we asked you to talk back on one of the big stories of the day. the question for you this morning, do unions help or hurt america? this from johnny. unions were useful at one time many years ago. now they are what drives our jobs overseas. why would any company want to pay 20 bucks plus an hour for an unskilled worker to do some simple task over and over on an assembly line when they can have the same work done overseas for a fraction of the cost? from dominic, every single working person owes a debt of gratitude to unions. because of them, we have things like minimum wage, mandatory breaks, 40-hour workweeks, overtime pay, holiday pay and many other benefits that all workers deserve. if it wasn't for unions, kids would still be working 15-hour days for pennies and no bathroom breaks. from naomi, unions used to help workers. now they only help themselves. they're all about political power now and they become bigger bullies than employers ever were. please continue the conversation. facebook.com/americanmorning. >> people are really fired up about it. interesting. >> controversial topic. >> we'll have more for you in two minutes. so your money can move as fast as you do. check out your portfolio, track the market with live updates. and execute trades anywhere and anytime the inspiration hits you. even deposit checks right from your phone. just take a picture, hit deposit and you're done. open an account today and put schwab mobile to work for you. ♪ i look all tough and uncaring. but when i see an rv roll in with a big family... well, it fills my heart. but, as affordable as it is, it just makes sense to get everybody up and go on a vacation together. whoa, i didn't mean all of us. [ boy ] it's surprising just how affordable an rv vacation can be. see for yourself at gorving.com and get a free video. or visit an rv dealer. go affordably. go rving. it's about 56 minutes past the hour. let's go to rob marciano with the weather in the extreme weather center with more on lee. hi there, rob. >> good morning again, guys. we are looking at this tornado watch. if we could turn the audio off in the studio, that would be great. tornado watch. in fact, until 4:00 this afternoon and we've seen a bunch of rain moving on the east side. the west side obviously not seeing any rain. winds gusting to 20 to 30 miles an hour. the fire threat will be serious today, if not critical with the bone-dry conditions across texas and the winds, quite frankly, being exacerbated by what's leftover with lee. rainfall, there you go. i've seen reports of 14 inches across southwestern parts of mississippi. there are the leftovers of it. we do anticipate it moving up to the north and east and potential for floods exist. we have flood watches posted from the gulf coast all the way up to canada because of leftovers from irene. obviously, still saturation there in some rivers still near their flood stages. couple of inches of rain not what they need here over the next two to three days. strong front slowly moving east, not only bringing rain across the east coast the next couple of days, but really, really cool, fall-like air across the western two-thirds of the country. certainly beginning to feel a little more like fall there. still hurricane season. that front will help in regards to pushing hurricane katia, now a category 2 storm, out to sea. it will get close to the u.s. we will see big surf across the beaches. even today from the carolina coastline up across new england's beaches. be aware of that, if you are making it out to the coastline on this labor day. not the best beach weather for everybody. if you're heading that way, be careful. big waves because of katia. >> thank you, rob marciano. happy labor day. >> thank you. back at you. >> zain verjee will tell us about the wayward penguin known as happy feet back in the antarctic waters this morning. he became an instant celebrity after coming ashore on a new zealand beach. zain -- i don't think they have labor day in england. she's officially working. good morning, zain. >> ever since it broke in june, i've been following this story closely. we discovered happy feet on a beach in new zealand, eaten sand and sticks, had to go for emergency surgery. i'm happy to tell you both that happy feet is now really happy. he got dropped off the boat, as you're seeing here. he actually, after the operation, had to get pushed off the boat. he actually didn't want to go. he ended up swimming in the antarctic waters. guess what, for the first couple of hours, he messed up the direction. he wasn't exactly quite sure where to go. he did have to spend two months in rehab, just getting fixed up. the other thing he got addicted to was fish milkshakes. one of the concerns i have for him out in the water like that -- there he goes. who is going to give him those fish milkshakes after all this contact with the human world. so, good news for you guys. you can actually track him. happy feet, i'm happy to report, has been fitted with a mi microchip. he can be tracked by all us humans by satellite. there's actually a website, too. you can

Related Keywords

Filming , Genre , Mecca Of Dragoncons , American Morning , Depression , Foot , Tropical Storm Lee , Parts , Carol Costello , Gulf Coast , Deluge , Christine Romans , Packing Plenty Of Rain After , Homes , East Texas , Wildfires , Estate , Dover , Fire Season , Thousands , Everybody , Labor Day , Mali , September 5th , Monday September 5th , 5 , Heavy Rain , The Storm , Tornadoes , Rainmaker , Southeast , One , Workers , Home , Oil Rig , Power Lines , Roof Off , Riding , Mobile County , Gulf Of Mexico , Alabama , Uprooted Trees , Rig Worker Holding On For Dear Life Out , Southeast Mississippi , Waves , Firefighters , Boat , Pictures , Platform , Raw Power , Biloxi , Weekend , Area , Cnn , Southern Louisiana , Most , Scene , Crown Point , Ed Lavandera , Craft , Bulk , People , Areas , Communities , Road , New Orleans , Land , Fishermen , Give , Play , John Hefeet , Problem , Thing , Wind , Surge , Waters , Sort , Intercoastal Waterways , Tributaries , Water , North , Kind , Places , Waterways , Neighborhoods , Point , Many , Concern , Dozens , Tree , Effort , Doorsteps , Flow , Lot , Thanks , Flood , Rob Marciano Tracking Extreme Weather , South , Ed Lavandera Reporting , Outside , Some , Damage , Center , Weather , Numbers , Hurricane Irene , Surge Flooding , Rob Marciano , Rainfall , Issues , Jackson , Rainfall Tallies , Pascagoula , 10 , Flooding , Number , Tornado Warnings , Least , Evacuations , Radar , Boxes , North Central , Four , Part , System , Tornado Watch , Effect , Side , Extreme Southeastern Mississippi , Gulfport , Atmosphere , Way , Winds , Help , It Kind , Forecast Track , Cold Front , Back Side , Front , Half , Moisture , Appalachians , Philadelphia , Chattanooga , 7 , Spots , World , Warnings , Red , Two , 48 , Place , Counties , Upstate New York , Forecast , Katia , New England , 2 , 100 , Bit , Things , Sea , U S , Fish Storm , Coastline , Clear , Cold Fronts , The One , Eastern Seaboard , Flooding Rains , Vermont , Got Hit Very , Fire , Mother , Danger , Households , Hundreds , Flames , Child , Bassstrop County Southeast Of Austin , A Thousand , Sparkings A 500 Acre Fire , Season , Officials , History , Blaze , 14000 , President Obama Hasn T , Plane , Person , L A One Home , Neighbors , Others , Southern California , Burn Canyon , 30 , 500 , Residents , Businesses , Recovery , Relief Center , New Jersey , Federal Financial Support , Destruction , Message , Country , Resources , Order , Consequence , North Carolina , Tab , Rebels , Towns , Damages , Moammar Gadhafi , Attack , Flight , Baneny Wall Lead , 6 Billion , China , Town , Forces , Arm , Opposition Leaders , Member , Loyalists , Indications , Force Mace , Companies , Government , Weapons , Missiles , Contracts , Documents , Rocket Launchers , Sales , Ban , Military Trade , Chinese , Tripoli , Questions , Courtroom , Appeal , Murder Conviction , Dna Evidence , Arguments , Amanda Knox , Ex Boyfriend , Libya , Exchange Student , British , Italian , 2007 , 21 , Experts , Authorities , Dominique Strauss Kahn , Court , Conviction , Testimony , Murder Weapon , Genetic Material , Paris , Judge , Case , Woman , Suit , Homecoming , Credibility , Sexual Assault , Charges , Hotel Maid , Accused Him , Sarah Palin , Tea Party , Spotlight , Troubles , She Stumping , Rape , France , Car , Rafael Nadal , Crash , Chair , Baltimore Grand Prix , His Post Match Press Conruns , 190 , Break , Tennis Super Star , Isn T , Sml , Nine , Commitment , Military , Set , Usaa Bank , Nation , Values , Exclusive , Military Oath , Ones , Families , Veterans , Checking , Credit Cards , Loans , Equal , Bank , Cereal , Cholesterol , Yummy , Announcer , Goats , Taste , Wrong Didn T , Win , Grain , Honey Nut Cheerios , Crunching , Sprint Biz 360 , Motorcycle , Surfboards , Solutions , Trash , 360 , Answers , Phone , Trouble Hearing , Devices , 4g Network , Mobile Payment , Photon 4g , Sprint Business Specialists , What Ifs , Visit Sprintrelay Com , Motorola , 4 , Explosives , Police , Public , Equipment , Container , Training Exercise Last Friday , Sky Harbor Airport , Phoenix , Doesn T , It , Passengers , Expertise , Quote , Chicago , Scare , Degree , Runway , Ottawa , Witnesses , City Officials , Battle , School Days , Aircraft , Dirt , Fuel Spill , Minor , Length , Ottawa International Airport , None , 47 , Schools , Members , District Officials , Elementary Schools , Teacher S Union , Chicago Teachers Union , Faculty , Three , 90 , United States Postal Service , Payment , Service , Winter , The New York Times , The Agency , Bills , 5 Billion , 3 5 Billion , Senator Demint , Mitt Romney Cozying , Crowd , South Carolina , New Hampshire , Tea , Congress , Labor Day Weekend , Finances , Forum , Republican , Kingmaker , Support , Paul Steinhauser , Columbia , Isn T He , Event , Race , Thinking , Elections , Cnn Express , Activists , Say , Primaries , Candidates , Coverage , John King , The American Principles Palmetto Freedom Forum , Jk Usa , Six , Mitt Romney , House Speaker , Congressman , Congresswoman , Pizza Ceo , Stab , Godfather , Ron Paul , Massachusetts , Michele Bachmann , Former , Newt Gingrich , Minnesota , Herman Cain , Nomination , State Officials , Last Night , Eedition , Tea Party Express , Ensers Doment , Rally , Time , Stuff , Christine , White House , Let S , Voting , Life , Fact , Rick Perry , Politics , Matter , Office , Haven T , Listen , Shot , Rivals , Reporter , Politician , Line , Businessman , Citizen , Inhale , Polls , Joke , Frontrunner , Name , Top , 16 , 6 , Something , Jobs Speech , Paper , Candy Crowley , Word , Me A Couple Times , Legislation , Rnc , Anything , Jobs , Administration , Leverage , Health Care , Bonus , Candidate , Plan , Celebrity , Argument , Somewhere , Someone , Career , Oxygen , Room , Somebody , Wall , Official , Description , Lone Star State , On Saturday , Tea Party Express Rally , Caucus Calendar , Strippers , Crosscountry Skiers , Applause , Economy , Recession , Rest , Georgetown , Decision , Candidacy , Declare , Buzz , Money , Eastern Time , Entirety , Tease , 00 , 20 , 3 , Broadcaster , Unions , Question , Stories , Turn , Labor Union Leaders , You , Pension Plans , Hard Working Americans , Wisconsin , War , Scott Walker , Governor , Record , Law , Ohio , Recall , State Lawmakers , Bargaining , Bill , Senate , Unions Aren T Giving Up , Petition , Leaders , Head , Union , State Lawmaker , November Ballot , Signatures , Anti Union , Labor Day Parade , Pittsburgh , Sb 5 , James Hoffa , Teamsters , , 1 , Unemployment , Corporations , Big , Patriotism , Saying , Anybody , Game , Happening , American Labor , Middle Class , Obligation , 11 , Worker , Course , Force Companies , Wages , Talk Back Question , Pensions , Critics , Wage Gap , Comments , Facebook Com Americanmorning , Iran , President , Gift , Security , Details , Action , Loved Ones , On Trial , Egypt , Company , 166 , Fuel , Pipe Dream , Soil , Natural Gas , Misperceptions , Transit Buses , Saudi Arabia , Energy Independence , Vehicles , Expedia , Community , It Work , Conversation , Natural Gas Vehicles , Vacation , Budget , Prices , Book It , Hotels , Deal , Hotel , Stitch , Hint , Uh Oh , Antoine , Anandra , Let Expedia Show Separately , Factor , Savings , Step , I Ll Be There , Green Line , Path , Don T , Family , Times Like These Stand , Strength , Ratings , Markets , Stock Markets , Business , Dow , S P 500 , Nasdaq , Detroit , Rate , Loss , Marketing , Big Speech On , European , Pressure , Bailout , Chancellor , Concerns , Debt Problems , Crv , Eu , Honda , Greece , German , 1 Million , Deaths , Window Switch , Switch Problem , Injuries , 80000 , 2006 , Ceo , Newspapers , Page , Calling , Ads , Town Hall , Starbucks , Leadership , Chairman , Black , Letter , Phone Hacking Scandal , News Corps , Murdoch , Making A Penty , James Murdoch , After The Fall , Unit , Findings , Founder , London , 3 Million , 12 5 Million , 2 5 Million , 43 Million , Hourp , Ground , Austin , Daughter , Bastrop County , President Obama Tours Flood , Acres , 18 , Hurricane , Victims , Relief Shelter , Weather Center , Storm Spinning Radar , Louisville , Amount , Apartment Complexes , Roadways , Rain Last Night , Size , Pensacola , I 10 , December Tin , Storms , Situation , Landfall , Box Area , Corridor , Tennessee Valley , I 95 , Connecticut , Seven , 95 , Five , Breathing , Flash Flood , Cat Skills , Katia A Category 2 , Rain , Can T , Guys , Hurricane Season , Aftermath , Landslides , Typhoon Talas , Japan , Typhoon Talas , 56 , 16000 , 29 , Orion Plant , On Line , Facility , Electricity , Reactors , Saturday Night , Electric Grid , 02 5 , Hosni Mubarak , Trial , Behind Closed Doors , Cairo , Clashes , Uprising , Killings , Rule , 800 , Gary Giordano , Traveling Companion Robyn Gardener , Disappearance , Lawyers , Aruba , Prime Suspect , Death Penalty , Ruling , Developments , 60 , Martin Savidge , Look , Evidence , Crime , Hearing , Attorneys , Security Camera Video , Compact , Islands , Hyundai Getz , Story , Back , Couple , Restaurant , Words , Photograph , Stamp , Meal , Snorkeling , 59 , Driver , Anybody Else , Trouble , Tourist , Abealing , Hyundai Goetz , Practice Run , Trace , Brakes , Mystery Intensifies , Imagine , August 2nd , Hair , Tony Ka , Tire Barriers , Nan , Brazilian , Cast Tra Knee , Men , Competitors , U S Open , Another , Friends , Both , Eight , Everyone , Spaniard , Press Conference , Eyes , Seed , Leg Cramp , Camp , Match , Leg , Players , Aid , Tennis , Serb , Novak Djokovic , Flushing Meadow , 2011 , Spot , Analysts , Announcement , Supporters , Yes , 38 , Key Party Forum , Contenders , Writer , Attempts , Washington , Roll Call , Sheer Ra Tublits , Report , Laboring , Politico , Ben Smith , Foray , Manchester , Folks , News , Presence , Perspective , Counter , Freedom , Didn T Panneder , Sound , Ear , Sben , Word For Standard Stump Speech , Departure , Tea Partiers A Nut , Whom , T Shirts , Them Nuts , 50 , Group , Comfort Level , Business Guy , Scale , Pitch , Guy , Sector , Ideology , Free Enterprise , States , Indication , Iway , Level , Speech Maker , Celeb Bri Politician , Reality Show , Public Service , Belt , Nod , Anyone , Right , Policy Positions , Voters , Process , Caucuses , Hand , Run , Running , Claim , Conservative , Test , Troublemaker , Barbs , Answer , Example , Kingmakers , Debates , Stump , Handling , Policies , Writing , Price Tag , Arrival , Taxes , Roll Backs , Regulations , Unemployment Insurance Program , Unemployment Benefits , Georgia , Middle Of The Road , The Hill , Program , Accolades , Awards , Chevy Silverado , Wrap Up , Cash , Offers , Chevy , All Star Edition Discount , Total Value , 6500 , Bucket , Louisiana , East Texas A Fire , State Highways , 1000 , Mobile Home , Convict Knox , Vice President , Michigan , Council , Campaign Trail , Afl Cio , Verdict , Vice President Biden Hitting , Heads To Cincinnati , Oscars , Eddie Murphy , 2012 , Comedian , Oscar Telecast , Reports , American Morning S , Assembly Line , General Motors , Car Market , Sonic , Gm Plant , Subcompact , Chevy Sonic , Brad , Orion , Casey Wian , 2008 , Hope , Work , Fingers , Uncertainty , Hasn T , Plant , Subcompact Car , One Big Decision , 00 Million , 500 Million , Vehicle , Chevlet Sonic Hatchback , Interior , Chevlet Sonic Set , Employees , Exterior , 1500 , Feet , Showrooms , Manufacturing System , Opportunity , Floor Space , A Million , Everything , Concrete Floor , Suppliers , Energy Efficiencies , Roof , Cars , Risk , Demands , Sense , Profit Margin , Chevrolet , 15000 , 5000 , United Auto Workers , Consumer , Trucks , Agreement , Diversification , Aen Hour , Labor Agreement , Chrysler , 14 , American Postal Workers Union , Change , Wage System , Management , Gamble , Issue , Talks , Table , Negotiations , Contract , Big Three , Auto Company Unions , Compromise , Factory Floor , Love , David Nalbandian , Ceos , Nice , 400 , Hopes , Tax Breaks , Christina , 40 , Joe , Thoughts , Education , Education Reform , Levels , Subject , Passion , Tropical Depression Lee , Sandbox , Saturating Several Southern States , Luxury Suvs , Sand , Craftsmanship , Terrain , Lexus Rx 350 , 350 , Save , Companion , Conditions , Sandals , 65 , 1 800 Sandals , Subborn Storm Soaking , Morning , Showdown , Wildfire , Texas Inferno , Earth , Rebel , Job , Assault , Strongholds , Up First , Circulation , Storm , Wind Speed , Levees , Oil Worker , Plaquemines Parish , Brunt , The Intercoastal Waterways , 15 , We Haven T , Of Lafeet , Situations , Canals , Crews Sandbagging , Doorstep , Tubes , Expense , 26000 , The Rain Drops , Sure , Chris Welch , Bastrop County Southeast Of Austin , Evacua , Idea , Update , County , Fires , Spread Out , 300 , Efforts , Fatalities , Stress , 0 , Several , Morning Briefing , Evacuation Shelters , Extent , 9 , Evacuation Orders , Children , Shelters , Safe , On Farming , Livelihood , Ranching , Texas In General , Reporting , Disaster , Bass Strop County , Times , Trains , Fire Danger , San Antonio , Dallas , Atlanta , More , Backside , Isobars , Apartment , Threat , Eastern Mississippi , Florida Panhandle , Wayne , Obviously , Marker , Cells , Eastern Front , Fort Walton Beach , 67 , Tee Yashgs , Tornado Threat , Irene , Watch Box , Prediction Center , Fronts , Northeast , Nudge Katia , Financial Federal Resources , Back To School Shopping , Fans , Signs , Stadiums , College Football , Rocky Start , West Virginia University , 50000 , University Of Michigan , Stadium , Lightning , Delay , Seat , University Of Notre Dame , 110000 , Plans , Undertaking , Gary Giordano Plan , Suspect , Robyn Gardner , Agency , Old Giordano , Jail , Practice , Baltimore Grand Brick , Helio Castroneves , Reason Kanaan , Donald , Quarters , Lefty , South Side , Champion , Andy Roddick , 2003 , Second , Quarterfinals , Heat , Julien Benito , Cramping , Spain , Oman , Floor , Grimacing , Cute , Player , Chances , Interview , Feeling , Victory Dance , Wincing , Feeling Good , City , Games , Neck , Brother In Law Is Serbian , Serbian , Pronunciati Pronunciations , Wrings , Funny , Infrastructure Spending , Proposal , Plus , 12 , Baby , Millions , Whisper , Whistle Blows , Ben Harper , Insurance Company , Policy , Responsibility , Scream , Liberty Mutual Insurance , 4g Lte Speed , Internet , Mp3 Player , Gaming Device , Verizon , Mobile Hotspot , Wifi , The Go , Ereader , 4g Lte Mobile Hotspot , 4g Lte Devices , Selection , 9 99 , 49 99 , Big Jobs Speech On Thursday , Chancellor Merkel , Ger Mank , Compacts Crv , Problems , Cnnmoney Com , Hi Honey , Chicken Noodle , Lunch Plan , Tender Chicken , Soup , Noodles , Progresso , Nope , Pot Roast , Jeans , Let S See , Huh , South Western Vegetables , Ya , Yup , Politicians , Jack Shea , Allegheny County Labor Council , Underemployed , Unemployed , Jack , Attending Today S Parade , Jim Bonner , Gloves , Big Labor Day Parade Set , Sh , Peace , Know , Programs , Ideas , They Haven T , Job Program , Jersey , 2010 , Parade , Invitation , Bipartisanship , Senator Toomey , Bargaining Table , Core , Beliefs , Elected , Working Class , 364 , Same , Benefits , Pension , Doing , All My Life , Changes , Increase , Share , Nobody , Ten , Defense , Let S Talk , Working Families , Let , Cause , Labor Movement Helping Us Out , 85 , Pittsburghers Of Public Change , Public Transportation , Infrastructure , Bridges , Highways , Transportation , Electricians , Labor Group , Streets , Ruling Class , Law Makers , District , Eye , Stonewalled Him , Joint Session Of Congress , Infrastruct E Infrastructure , Being , No Doubt , Line A , Boy , President Bush , One Termer , Statute , Mental Block On Tv , Al Qaeda , Little , Big Day , On Labor Day , 16 2 , Stage , Big Question , Gas , Toys , Price , Gallon , Promise , Campaign Promises , Gas , Information , Response , Broccoli , Gasoline , Control , Central Standard Time , Ally Bank , Kids , Goodbye , 8 , 24 7 , Whistles , Cat Meows , Acoustic Guitar Pop , Okay Ks , Discounts , Travelers , Agent , Chimes , Visit Travelers Com , 800 My Coverage , Demint In Demand , Hopefuls , Brand , Texas Still Bone Dry , The Flames , Fighters , One Of Gadhafi , Bani Walid , Gosh , Speed , Intensity , It Wasn T , Canopy , 2 1 , Tornado , Real Estate , Smidgen , Florida , Spin , Flood Warnings , Eastern Parts , Watches , Regions , Relief , Go Away , Sigh , Deficit , Ambitions , Solar Panels , Venture Capitalists , Panels , Special Needs , Bankruptcy , Eric Golub , Shouting , Liberals , Bullet Train , Alaska , Left , Special Needs Child , Beautiful , Reason , Haters , Everything Else , Meeting , Professor , Strange , Square , Senator , Debate , Party , Marco Rubio , Radio Talk Show Host , Add , Godfather S Pizza , Wasn T , Cozying , Bid , Pandering , Schedule , Entry , Campaign Officials , Orc Poll , Dynamics , Eastern , Gas Prices , Face The Nation , Plb Doubling Down , Cbs , House Republicans , Bof Energy Strategy , United States Energy Sector , Energy , Sources , Energy Solution , 79 , 1 79 , Pro Energy Policies , Gasoline Down , Drilling , Statement , Everglades , Air Quality , Demand , Approach , Round Number , Campaign Pledge , Gallon Gas , Appeals , Presidents , Don T Know , Blame , Credit , Winding Down , Regime , Opposition Forces , Saadi Gadhafi , Nic Robertson , Fighting , Sons , Cease Fire , Murder , Moderate , Roommate , Brother , Father , Italy , Stretch , Dna Analysis , Live In London , Zain Verjee , There , Prosecution , Knife , Material , First , Pieces , Victim , Clasp , Piece , Bra Strap , Videotape , Boost , Analyst , Tv , Wife , Smart Guy , Nicolas Sarkozy , 61 , One French , Accusations , Judgment , Crisis , Scenes Advisory Role , Heart , Aren T , Affair , French , He Hasn T , Dalliances , Zain , Standard , Affairs , Language , Renaissance , Allegations , Percentage , Sympathically Toward Him , Rehabilitation , Jury , Future Tofo , Presidency , Stars , Romans , Importance , Feminism , Mood , Numeral , 4 5 , Mind , Hunt , Snapshot Discount , Bonus Savings , Track , Great Driving Habits , Letters , My Ride Home , Cackling , 165 Billion , Costs , Mail , Tax Dollars , Wonder , Taxpayer , Tens , 34 Million , Postage , Women , Stamps , Forecasters , Fire Near Austin , Death , Body , Bottom , Swimming Pool , Anthony Smith , Nfl , 37 , The Help , Box Office , Movie , 5 Million , 15 Million , Awards Ceremony , 4 1 2 , Skill Set , Job Openings , Position , Improvement , Competition , Sheet , Responses , 54 , 150 , 39999 , 4 95 , 95 , 72 , Zero , 27 , 1984 , 9 1 , 80 , 19 1 , 16 7 , 14 5 , 1 3 Million , 25 , 2 Billion , 0 Billion , 50 Billion , 23 , 43 , 9300 , 14 Million , 9382 , 1600 , 9000 , 24 , 99 , 599 , 20 Bucks , Comicon , Convention , Dragoncon , Interaction ,