we have breaking news you'll be following and other stuffs. >> thanks so much. see you over the weekend as well. breaking news from studio 7. i'm fredricka whitfield in for suzanne malveaux. two explosions have rocked central oslo in the last hour wounding at least eight people. reports from norway say govrt buildings were targeted, one houses the prime minister's office and most of the windows were blown out. reuters reports a mangled car outside one building suggesting a possible car bomb. reuters reports the prime minister is safe. cnn is following the developments for you from london. what more do we know about how this happened and why? >> reporter: the information is still trickling in from oslo at this point. the police have issued a stam saying that there are deaths and injuries. that's all they're saying right now. they're not saying what may have caused this explosion or explosions at this time. according to the state television, the norwegian state television one person is confirmed dead. that is unconfirmed by cnn independently, but according to norwegian state television, one person is dead. some eight are injured including two or three with serious wounds. looking at the footage coming out from central oslo, the downtown capital, some describe it as anw war zone. whatever caused this explosion was powerful enough to shatter the windows of several buildings including the office of the prime minister and you were saying the prime minister, as we understand, is safe right now. many are just saying that oslo is a relatively safe city, relatively safe capital city. things like this don't happen there very often. norway is a country that is relatively calm and quiet. many residents in that area are just shocked. some say they felt the explosion about a mile, a kilometer away, and that's how powerful it was. >> this is a global city. one that is considered one of great harmony. this city is the largest city there in norway. do people or are people there saying in way there have been any troubles, have there been any complaints about anything that might have preceded this? >> reporter: at this point, you know what? i was looking through some of the feeds that are coming in and even some of the discussions happening online in the social media as well. no one is saying that they're -- they're worried if this could have been a terrorist attack, but the question is why would it be? norway is a relatively -- it's like swits up lazerland. a neutral country. what links they had to afghanistan or iraq or any soldiers or troops they have there. that's all speculation right now. we don't know if it was an intentional explosion or if it was something that was a complete accident such as a gas explosion. police are not releasing any information right now. again, whatever it was was powerful enough. interesting to note, though, i heard on one of the other reports that this is a time when many people actually take vacations in oslo, so they're away from the city center and along the coastal areas. so perhaps that was a good thing. this could have been much worse had it been at the height of rush hour or the height of the time when people are actually in the city. >> thanks so much. we'll continue to allow you to do some more reporting on that and touch base with you momentarily. a lot of images you're seeing were shot by this person i'm talking to. christian, you were rolling as you were walking around to get a handle about what happened. what was your first experience with this explosion? where were you? >> sure, sure. well, at the time of the explosion i was working at a nearby building right next door almost. maybe 100 yards or so. i felt an incredible force, an incredible explosion, and the entire building was shaking. at first my immediate response was earthquake, but earthquakes rarely happen in norway, at least in oslo. after three or four seconds the shaking stopped and i realized this was a major explosion. i looked outside a window, and i saw that several windows in the nearby buildings were shattered. the alarm went off approximate in my building, and we evacuated the shbuilding. when i walked outside, glass was everywhere. glass was falling down from the buildings, to one lady injured on the ground was being attended to. people were shocked and confused. right after that i was just surveying the area, and i had noticed a building right next to the government building was on fire. there was thick smoke coming from that building. i did not see the government building itself, but i'm -- from what i'm hear obviously it has been affected as well. >> so christian, describe for me the streets and the buildings there. just looking at your images there, it's downtown and very congested. the buildings are very much close together. at about this time of day when this explosion happened, even given this is vacation time and a lot of people may be out of the city, would there be a lot of traffic on the street, a lot of foot traffic on the street? >> well, there certainly is traffic on the street. like you say, some are vacationing now. a lot people aren't works, but there's a lot of tourists here and there were a certain number of people on the streets. so i can't really say much more than that about that. >> okay. all right. christian, thanks so much, and thanks for your perspective. keep us posted on what you may learn there on the ground there in downtown oslo, norway. it was his picture that's helping you to get a better view about the chaos that ensued following those what appear to be two explosions take place right downtown and rights near government buildings. still unclear what may have caused these explosions, but already reportedly many injuries and possibly at least one death. we'll keep you posted on that. in the meantime, back in this country the big concern is the debl ceiling. president obama is at university of maryland right now. let's listen in. >> the worst financial crisis and the worst recession we've seen since the great depression. although some progress has been made, there's no doubt that this economy has not recovered as fast as it needs to. the truth is it's going to take more time because a lot of problems that we're facing right n now, slow job growth, stagnant wages, those were there even before the recession hit. for a decade the average wage to average income of the american worker had flat lined. those at the very top saw their incomes going up 50%, 100%, but those in the middle, the vast majority of americans, they had been struggling to keep up before the recession hit. so these challenges weren't caused overnight and won't be solved overlight. as john f. kennedy once said, our problems are man made. therefore, they can be solved by man. in the united states we control our own destiny. the question we have to answer, though, is where do we want to go? what's our vision for the future, and how do we get there? in the short term i've been urging congress to pass some proposals that would give the economy an immediate boost, and these are proposals by the way that traditionally have had support in both parties. i want to extend the tax relief we put in place back in december for middle class families so you have more money in your paychecks next year. if you have more money in your paychecks next year, you're more plik likely to spend it. that means small businesses and medium-sized businesses and large businesses will have more customers and they're in a position to hire. i want to give an opportunity to all those construction workers out there that lost their jobs when the housing bubble went bust. we could put them to work giving loans to private companies that want to repair our roads and our bridges and our airports. rebuilding our infrastructure, putting americans to work doing the work that needs to be done. we have workers in need of a job in a country that's in need of rebuilding. if we put those two things together, we can make real progress. i want to cut red tape that stops too many inventors and entrepreneurs that turns new ideas into thriving businesses. i want congress to send me trade deals that would allow our businesses to sell more products in countries in asia and south america that are stamped with the words "made in america." ne these are some things we could be doing right now. there are proposals in congress right in and out as we speak, and congress needs to act now. but i also believe that over the long term the strength of our economy is going to depend on how we deal with the accumulated debt and deficits that have built up over the last decade. and that's what the discussion in washington is about right now. now, i know it's hard to keep up with the different plans and the press conferences and the back and forth between the parties, but here's what it all boils down to. it's not that complicated. for a decade we have been spending more money than we take in. the last time the budget was balanced was under a democratic president, bill clinton. [ applause ] and a series of decisions were ma made, whether it was cutting taxes or engaging in two wars or a prescription drug benefit for seniors that weren't paid for and then a financial crisis on top of that, recovery act to try to pull us out of a great depression, all those things contributed to this accumulated debt. regardless of what you feel about the particular policies -- some of you may have supported the wars or opposed the wars, some of you may have agreed with the recovery acts. some of you may be opposed to it. regardless of your views on these various actions that were taken, the fact is they all cost money. the result is that there's simply too much debt on america's credit card. neither party is blameless for the decisions that led to this problem, but both parties have a responsibility to solve it. if we don't solve it, every american will suffer. businesses will be left likely to invest and hire in america. interest rates will rise for people who need money to buy a home or a car or go to college. we won't have enough money to invest in things like education and clean energy or protect important programs like medicare because we'll be paying more and more interest on this national debt. that money just flowing overseas instead of being spent here on the things that we need. now, the one thing we can't do, cannot do is decide that we are not going to pay the bills the previous congresses have racked up. that's what this whole issue of raising the debt ceiling is all about. basically there's some people out there that argue we won't raise the debt ceiling anymore, and the problem is effectively what that is saying is we're not going to pay some of our bills. well, the united states of america doesn't run out without paying the tab. we pay our bills. we meet our obligations. we have never defaulted our debt. we're not going to do it now. but even if we raise the debt ceiling, this debate shouldn't be just about avoiding some kind of crisis, particularly a crisis manufactured in washington. this is a rare opportunity for both parties to come together and choose a path where we stop putting so much debt on our credit card. we start paying it down a little bit. that's what we've been trying to do. so for my part i've already said that i'm willing to cut a historic amount of government spending in order to reduce the deficit. i'm willing to cut spending on domestic programs, taking them to the lowest level since dwight eisenhower. i'm willing to cut defense spending at the pentagon by hundreds of billions of dollars. i'm willing to take on -- i'm willing to take on the rising costs of health care programs like medicare and medicaid so that these programs will be there for the next generation. forfo for folks living longer. we have to make sure that these programs, which are the crown jewels of our social safety net, that sort of mixed metaphors there. that those are there for the future. some of these cuts will just eliminate wasteful spending, weapons we don't need and fraud and abuse in our health care system. i want to be honest. i've agreed to also target some programs that i actually think are worthwhile. they're cuts that some people in my own party aren't too happy about, and frankly i wouldn't make them if money wasn't so tight. but it's just like a family. if you've got to tighten your belts, you make some choices. now, here's the thing, though. here's what the argument is about. we can't just close our deficit with spending cuts alone. if we take that route, it means that seniors would have to pay a lot more for medicare, or students would have to pay a lot more for student loans. it means that laid-off workers may not be able to count on temporary assistance or training to help them get a new job. it means we have to make devastating cuts in education and medical research and clean energy research. just at a time when gas prices are killing people at the pump. so if we only did it with cuts, if we did not get any revenue to help close this gap between how much money is coming in and how much money is going out, then a lot of ordinary people would be h hurt and the country as a whole would be hurt. that doesn't make any sense. it's not fair. that's why i said if we're going to reduce our deficit, then the wealthiest americans and the biggest corporations should do their part as well. [ applause ] before we stop funding clean energy research, let's ask oil companies and corporate jet owners to give up the tax breaks that other companies don't get. these are special tax breaks. before we ask college students to pay more for their education, let's ask hedge fund managers to stop paying taxes that are lower on their rates than their secretaries. before we ask seniors to pay more for medicare let's ask people like me to give up tax breaks that we don't need and we weren't even asking for. i want everyone to have a chance to become a millionaire. i think the free market system is the greatest wealth generator we've ever known. this isn't about punishing wealth. this is about asking people who have benefitted the most over the last decade to share in the sacrifice. i think -- [ applause ] i think these patriotic americans are willing to pitch in if they're asked because they know middle class families shouldn't have to pick up the whole tab for closing the deficit. this idea of balance, this idea of shared sacrifice of a deficit plan that includes tough spending cuts but also includes tax reform that raising more revenue, this isn't just my position, this isn't just the democratic position. this isn't some wild-eyed socialist position. this is a position that's being taken by people of both parties and no party. this is the decision taken by warren buffett, somebody who knows about business and knows a little something about being wealthy. a position that's been taken by every democratic and republican president who signed major deficit deals in the past, from ronald reagan to bill clinton. i was pleased to see this week that it was a position taken by democrats and republicans in the senate. so we can pass a balanced plan like this. it's not going to make everybody happy. in fact, it will make everybody sbha unhappy. the easiest thing for a politician to do is to give you more stuff and ask less in return. it's a lot harder to say, we got to cut back on what you're getting, and you have to pay a little more. that's never fun. we can do it in a balanced way that doesn't hurt anybody badly. that doesn't put the burden just on one group. so we can solve our dif sit probl deficit problem, and i'm willing to sign a plan that has tough choices i wouldn't normally make. there's lots of democrats and republicans who want to do the same thing. the only people we have left to convince are some folks in the house of representatives. we're going to keep working on that, because i still believe we can do what you sent us here to do. in 2010 americans chose a divided government. but they didn't choose a dysfunctional government. [ applause ] there will be time for political campaigni campaigning with points. it should be about doing what's right for the country, for everybody. you expect us to work together and expect him to compromise and do whatever you have to do in order to get by and raise your families. you're meeting your responsibiliti responsibilities, and it's time for nose in washington to do the same thing. i expect to make that happen in the coming days. thank you, everybody. i'll take some questions. all right. so the way this works is you put up your hand, and i call on you. but i am going to go girl, boy, girl, boy to make sure that it's even and fair. all right? i'm going to start with you right there. yes. hold on. we have a mike here. introduce yourself, if you don't mind. >> hello, mr. president. >> hi. >> my name is amanda kanitz, and i'm a big fan from iowa originally. >> nice. >> yes. i'm an atheist, and in zaneville, ohio in 2008 you asserted that no organization receiving taxpayer funds would be able to discriminate in hiring or firing based on a person's religion. you have not resended this executive order. in a time of economic hardship when it's difficult for a person to get a job based on her skills, what would you say to a woman who has been denied employment because of her religion or lack of religious beliefs by a taxpayer-funded organization. >> well, this is a very difficult issue, but a more narrow one than i think might be implied. it's very straightforward that people shouldn't be discriminated against for gender, sexual orientation, and reported information. what happened is there has been a carveout dating back to president clinton's presidency for religious organizations in their hiring for particular purposes, and this is always a tricky part of the first person. on the one hand the first am amendment ensures they're freedom of religion. on the other hand we want to make sure that religion bodies are abiding by general laws. and so where this issue has come up is in fairly narrow circumstances where, for example, you've got a faith-based organization that's providing certain services. they consider part of their mission to be promoting their religious views, but they may have a day care center associated with the organization, or they may be running a food pantry. the question is does a jewish organization have to hire a non-jewish person as part of that organization. now, i think that the balance we tried to strike is to say that if you are offering -- if you have set up a nonprofit that is disassociated from your core religious functions and is out there in the public doing all kinds of work, then you have to abide generally with the nondiscrimination hiring practices. if on the other hand it is closer to your core functions as a synagogue or mosque or a church, then there may more leeway to hire somebody that is a believer of that particular religious faith. it doesn't satisfy everybody. i will tell you that a lot of faith-based organizations think that we are too restrictive in how we define those issues. there are others like you who think we're not restrictive enough. i think we've struck the right balance so far, but this is something that we continue to be in dialogue with faith-based organizations about to try to make sure that they're hiring practices are as open and inclusive as possible. thank you. yes, sir. back here. hold on a second. we've got a mike. >> yes. most of the american people on your side about a balanced approach, what we also know is most of the budget cuts are going to be in the out years, so the question is, why push so hard for a big settlement now when if you push hard and let the american people vote in 2012 and get ready of these hooligans in the house, we might actually have a reasonable settlement, maybe more like a one-to-one relationship instead of three-to-one or worse. >> you know, the challenge i have in these negotiations is whether i like it or not, i've got to get the debt ceiling limit raised. well, i'll answer that question later, but i want to make sure that everybody understands defaulting is not an option. there's some on either side that have suggested that somehow we could manage our way through, but i just want everybody to be clear. the united states government sends out about 70 million checks every month. we have to refinance bonds that we've issued, essentially ious to investors. we do that every week. if suddenly investors -- by the way, a lot of those investors are americans who have treasury bills, pension funds, et cetera. if suddenly they started thinking that we might not pay them back on time, at the very least, at the bare minimum, they would hire -- they would charge a much higher interest rate to allow the united states to borrow money. and if interest rate costs go up for the united states, they're probably going to go up for everybody. so it would be indirect tax on every single one of you, your credit card interest rates would go up, your mortgage interest would go up, your student loan interest would potentially go up. and ironically the costs of servicing our deficit would go up, which means it would actually potentially be worse for our deficit if we had default. it could also plunge us back into the kind of recession we had back in 2008 and '09. so it is not an option for us to default. my challenge, then, is i've got to get something passed. i've got to get 218 votes in the house of representatives. now, the gentleman asked about the 14th amendment. there is a provision in our constitution that speaks to making sure that the the united states meets its obligations, and there have been some suggestions that a president could use that language to basically ignore this debt ceiling rule, which is a statutory rule. it's not a constitutional rule. i have talked to my lawyers. they don't -- they do not -- they're not persuaded that that is a winning argument. so the challenge for me is to make sure that we do not default, but to do so in a way that is as balanced as possible and gets us at least a -- a down payment on solving this problem. now, we're not going to solve the entire debt and deficit in the next ten days. so there's still going to be more work to do after this. what we're doing is to try to make sure that any deal that we strike protects our core commitments to medicare and medicaid recipients, to senior citizens, to veterans. we want to make sure that student loans remain affordable. we want to make sure that poor kids can still get a checkup and that food stamps are still available for folks desperately in need. we want to make sure that unemployment insurance continues for those who are out there looking for work. so they're going to be a certain set of equities that we're not willing to sacrifice. and i've said we have to have revenue as part of the package. i'm sympathetic to your view if i could and it would mean all these conversations over the next three weeks i could have been spending time with malia and sasha instead. that's not how our democracy works. as i said, americans made a decision about divided government. i'll make a case as to why we have a better vision for the country. in the meantime we have a responsibility to do our job, but it was an excellent question. thank you. all right. young lady right here in the front. hold on. let's get you a mike so we can hear you. stand up. what's your name? >> my name is -- i have two questions. obviously, you've had a successful presidency. >> that's not obvious to everyone, honey, but i appreciate -- i appreciate you thinking that it is. >> i think it's successful. that's all that matters. is there anything you regret or would have done differently? my second question is can i shake your hand? >> yes, i'm come and shake your hand. i promise i will. do i have any major regrets? you know, when i think about this all the time, i'm constantly rerunning in my head did we make the right move here? could we have done more there? i think overall in an extremely difficult situation we've made good choices. we've made good decisions. now, we've been con strained even when we had a democratic congress because the way the senate works these days is you've got to get essentially 60 votes in order to get anything through the senate. frank remembers this, because we got a lotd of good stuff out of the house that never survived in the senate. so because of what's -- the rules of the filibuster in the senate, it meant that on he economic policy i might have done some things more aggressively if i could have convinced more republicans in the senate to go along. i do think that in the first year right after, you know, we found out that, you know, 4 million people had lost their jobs before i was sworn in, i think that i could have told the american people more clearly how tough this was going to be. how deep and long-lasting this recession was going to be. that's always a balance for the president. on the one hand you want to project confidence and optimism. remember in that first year people weren't sure whether the banking system was going to melt down and whether, you know, we were going to go into a great depression. so it was important for me to let the american people know we're going to be all right. we're going to be able to get through this. on the other hand, i think maybe people's expectations were that somehow we were going to be able to solve this in a year. and we knew pretty soon after i took office that this was going to last for a while, because historically when you have recessions that arise out of financial crises, they last a lot longer than the usual business cycle recessions. beyond that, i also think that, you know, over the first two years i was so focused on policy and getting the policy right that sometimes i forgot part of my job is explaining to the american people why we're doing this policy and where we're going. so i think a lot of people started trying to figure out, well, how do all these pieces fit together? the auto industry has been saved, and that was a good thing. that saved a million jobs, but people weren't sure how did that relate to our housing strategy or how did that relate to health care? so i think that was something that i could have done better. that's just two items on what i'm sure are a very long list of things that i could do better. but having said that, the basic thrust of my first two and a half years have been entirely consistent with what i said i was going to do during the campaign, because what i promised was that not only were we going to deal with the immediate crisis, i said we were going to start laying the foundation for us to solve some of these long-term problems. so when we changed, for example, the student loan program to take billions of dollars that were going to the banks as middlemen in the student loan program and redirected them so that students, millions more students would benefit from things like pell grants, that was in pursuit of this larger goal that we have to once again be the nation that has the highest percentage of college grade wauates and we ha the best skilled work force because that's what it takes to win the future. when we initiated health care reform it was based longt-term assessment if we don't get control of health care costs and stop sending people to the emergency room for expensive care but instead make sure they have adequate coverage so they get regular checkups and avoid preventible diseases like diabetes, unless we do that we're going to go broke just on health care spending. when we made the biggest investment in clean energy in our history over the last two and a half years, it's because of my belief that we have to free ourselves from the lock grip that oil has on our economic well-being and our security. and so i'm going to keep on pushing for those things that position us to be the most competitive, the most productive nation on earth in the 21st century. i think on that front we have been very successful. all right. let me see. this gentleman right here in the blue shirt. >> mr. president, good to meet you. my name is steve. i'm a doctoral student here. >> president barack obama there in college park, maryland at the university of maryland answering questions there from the student body and perhaps an instructor or two, a professor or two. his last question being asked to him about regrets over the last two years of his presidency. he brought it right back to the budget deficit and talked about being able to better explain policy. he's underscoring and taking this opportunity to underscore that he says we can pass a balanced plan. it won't make everyone happy, but he said, quote, neither party is blameless. both parties have the responsibility to solve it. we're going to continue to monitor that development there at the university of maryland. the president speaking to the student 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invited over to this party? man 1: only if he's ready to rock! ♪ sfx: guitar and trumpet jam vo: geico. 15 minutes could save you 15% or more on car insurance. this past year alone there was a 93% increase in cyber attacks. in financial transactions... on devices... in social interactions... and applications in the cloud. some companies are worried. some, not so much. thanks to a network that secures it all and knows what to keep in, and what to keep out. outsmart the threats. see how at cisco.com cisco. welcome back. we continue to watch this breaking story out of oslo, noshway. an explosion and perhaps two taking place right in downtown oslo. we understand at least eight are reported injured and possibly one death. this taking place right next to and close to the prime minister's office where we also understand the prime minister is okay. however, it's still unclear exactly what may have sparked this explosion or explosions. joining us right now is john larson with the norwegian red cross. give me an idea of how the red cross is able to help. >> well, this has made a huge impact on the city center, so we have immediately set down a crisis team from the norwegian red cross branch in oslo. we are now in dialogue with the oslo city council and oslo police offering first aiders, more rescue teams, ambulance, and possible caretakers because it's many, many people wandering around in the streets right now. >> have you been to the scene of this explosion? >> no, i have not been able to do so because there's a crisis team. >> what are first responders informing you about in terms of how people are able to get some me need and what people are doing? >> so far it seems like the national rescue teams have done a very good job. we saw immediately caretakers involved, ambulances that were quickly on the spot and reports from hospitals. we do not have any requests from hospitals, but we are offering our services both at the hospitals and in the streets of oslo at that. >> some of the members we heard earlier that possibly eight people injured, maybe even one death. are those numbers corresponding with what you know? >> i can only tell you what's reported in the norwegian national media. unfortunately, it's not up to me confirm any deaths or injuries. >> okay. john larson, thanks so much for the norwegian red cross. seeing a map right there. downtown oslo, a very concentrated area, the biggest city in all of norway, and now this tragedy taking place with possibly two explosions. at least one, but possibly two explosions taking place causing many injuries there. still unclear exactly what may have caused this. other stories we continue to follow here. the pentagon is set to certify the repeal of don't ask don't tell today. that means military leaders have concluded open service by gays and lesbians will not harm military readiness. president obama as commander in chief must also certify the repeal roll back of the law when it becomes final 60 days after that. news corp. executive james murdoch says he did not lie to parliament, but two former "news of the world" editors said he did. he said he did not know the tabloid routinely used phone hacking to get scoops. rather, he thought it was the work of a rouge reporter. the editors say they told murdoch about an e-mail indicating the practice had deep roots at "the news of the world." >> clearly james murdoch has questions to answer in parliament, and i'm sure he will do that. clearly, news international has big issues to deal with and a mess to clear up. that has to be done by the management of that company. in the end the management of a company must be an issue for the shareholders of that company. the government wants to see this sorted out. in falls river, massachusetts, two public pool workers and their supervisor had been forced out of their jobs. a woman drown in the pool at the end of june. her body stayed in the water for four days before anyone realized that it was actually there. investigators say that's because the water was so murky. they plan to enact new water clarity requirements nationwide. a 14-year-old san diego native is on trial in mexico. police say he worked as a hitman for a mexican drug cartel n. a videoed confession he admits beheading four people. >> because he's only 14 the maximum sentence the boy can get under mexican law is three years. still not clear when or if nfl players will vote on a new ten-year labor contract. nfl owners have overwhelmingly approved the agreement, but tweets from players point to trouble. one says owners tried to slip things into the contract that weren't part of the deal. another tweet says, quote, it's not over, people. >> hopefully we can all work quickly, expeditiously and get this agreement done. it is time to get back to football. that is what everybody here wants to do. >> the labor dispute will cost at least one game. the preseason hall of fame game on august 7th has now been canceled. they came up short against japan, but three of the women from the u.s. world cup soccer team are thinking long-term goals. hope solo, abby wambach and alex morgan have signed a deal with the bank of america and promote a charity involved with the chicago marathon. it's sponsored by bank of america. we'll be right back with more "the newsroom" right after this. a and make it happen. i'm janet long and i formed my toffee company through legalzoom. i never really thought i would make money doing what i love. [ shapiro ] we created legalzoom to help people start their business and launch their dreams. go to legalzoom.com today and make your business dream a reality. at legalzoom.com we put the law on your side. liberty crown area is closed. rob marciano is tracking the deadly heat wave. >> it has been a long one. it really encompassed many parts of the country. and it's beginning to threaten the east coast and focus on that. and now the thunderstorms are rolling through chicago, and rolling through southern michigan as well. the focus and the core that shifted to the i-95 corridor, this is the area throughout the day today, we will continue. >> right now, it's 97 degrees in new york city. you couple that with a 76-degree dew point, and you have a temperature in new york city that feels like it's 111 degrees, and that's what it feels like in the shade. it feels like 112 right now in baltimore, and 112 in d.c., and 103 in boston. even boston on the bay there in the harbor, you would think it would be cool, but it's not. 106 was the high yesterday in ft. smith, arkansas. but syracuse, new york, seeing a record high yesterday. with the heat wave, we have not been talking about record highs, because it's all about been the humidity. now, we are seeing numbers like 102 in toledo. as a reminder, those temperatures are measured in something like that, and they don't include humidity. you get out in the blazing sunshine today with the heat index, it really feels like 130, and more like 140. absolutely miserable. just to drive the point home here, here is a chart that highlights the weather-related fatalities here. over the last ten years, the average number of deaths from heat alone is 170. that's more than hurricanes and tornados and even more than floods. if you are weak or ailing, it takes a toll on you, and if the power goes out, you can see that today, brownouts, and in chicago in 1995, where hundreds died. >> yeah, it helps underscore the importance of staying cool the best you can. take advantage of every measure available. a young comics devastating car crash, accomplishing an extraordinary things in this week's human factor. >> will carter always loved making people laugh, and when he was a child he dreamed of becoming a comedian. if you would of asked him at 17 his biggest obstacle is fear of failing. >> driving home one night, i said, oh, my goodness, does he have a future? >> do you need somebody to pick you up tonight? >> robert can give me a drive home. >> after years of therapy, will did recover, but he lost his independence, he could drive, meaning he had to depend on parents to give him rides and put his dreams on hold. >> there's no energy in this world like being on stage. will did not give up, he was determined to overcome his brain injury, with the electronic driving coach. it helps to cue will so he doesn't get distracted. and a driving instructor, and will has learned to drive again. >> i tended to be a day dreamer, and get distracted by my own thoughts. that's why it's great to have it in the car cueing me, the device, or michelle. >> today he is driving alone with just the device at his side. >> it's often that we have to have that independence, for me to be able to have control of my life, to feel like an adult. >> and he is back on stage performing standup comedy, and going to graduate school to share with others the joy of making people laugh. >> dr. sanjay gupta, cnn. a look now at other stories we're covering. cross-country, a giant sinkhole in leesburg, florida, getting bigger by the day. now there's concern it could swallow the entire neighborhood. the hole already destroyed one business. it opened up last month as a 60-foot hole, and it could start growing again this weekend. you can find the annual comic-con is under way. america's first lady is pitching in and helping some of the country's neediest veterans. the project is part of an upcoming episode, by the way, of the tv show, "extreme makeover: home edition." almost tastes like one of jack's cereals. fiber one. uh, forgot jack's cereal. 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[ 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. a network of possibilities. in here, the planned combination of at&t and t-mobile would deliver our next generation mobile broadband experience to 55 million more americans, many in small towns and rural communities, giving them a new choice. we'll deliver better service, with thousands of new cell sites... for greater access to all the things you want, whenever you want them. it's the at&t network... and what's possible in here is almost impossible to say. top of the hour, and i am fredricka whitfield. we're following breaking news, one, perhaps two bombs, rocked government buildings in central norway. norway's leader is safe. one person has been killed and several were wounded. christian aglan is a norwegian, and he captured some of the dramatic images you have now. he is joining me on the phone. describe what you are seeing? >> right now, i am on one of the main streets in downtown oslo. most of the areas have been blocked off. obviously a lot of people are anxious. we have a lot of questions and we need to get answers. >> what is in the vicinity of where the explosions took place? >> sure. it's a tightly packed area, a lot of building in the area. i believe there are several, several government or just justice buildings in the area. in the addition to the building that i was in which is the headquarters of fiji where i work, it's actually right next door, maybe less than 100 yards away, when the explosion went off i was sitting at my desk and the entire building was shaking very, very hard. it felt like an earthquake. and then the alarms went off in the building and we evacuated, and i came outside and there was shattered glass everywhere. and there was a lady on the ground, obviously injured. people are just shocked. and that's the state we're in right now. it's bitter shock, but at the same time i just want to say that despite the strategy, we are all going to get through this together, and say to the rest of the world this is not a way to communicate anything, whether it's political. it's tragic for all of humanity. >> it's unclear whether it was a bomb or intentional or whether it was some kind of explosion rooted by some accident, gas explosion or etc. is there anything that is being said by eyewitness accounts or officials to make you believe it was one over the other? >> well, from a what i have seen, it has -- the police have confirmed it's a bomb. there have been rumors about two bombs, but that's not confirmed from what i know. casualties have been reported including a lot of injuries. >> all right. >> i can also add to that that this explosion was very powerful. i have not been in an explosion before, but the windows several blocks away had been shattered. >> one or two explosions? >> some people -- i think there were rumors about two, but from what i know, it's one, and i only heard one. we will stick with that for now. >> thank you so much for your information. of course for your images, too, and putting us on the ground and getting an idea of what is taking place in downtown oslo, norway. and back in this country, the intense heat wave will peak, and the weekend a bit cooler, but only by a bit. extreme humidity will make it feel so hot that any prolonged outdoor activity could lead to heat stroke, and that follows indoors when there's no air-conditioning. >> i have an automatic fan that consist of a piece of paper, something just fanning myself. >> i don't have air-conditioning and don't want it. >> you don't want it? >> no, i don't. >> you have a fan in there? >> i will be outside and i will go inside when i go to sleep. >> washington's all-time record high of 106 may happen today, and it could feel like 125 to 130 degrees today. still not clear or if nfl players will vote on a new 10-year labor contract. nfl owners overwhelmingly approved the agreement, but tweets from players point to troubles. one said owners tried to slip things into the contract that were not part of the deal, and another tweet, quote, it's not over, people. >> hopefully we can all work quickly, exspa dishiously and get the agreement done. it's time to get back to football. that's what everybody here wants to do. >> the labor dispute will cost at least one game. the pre-season hall of fame game on august 7th have been cancelled. murdoch says he did not lie to parliament, but two former news of the world editors suggests he did. he said he did not know they used tapping to get scoops, and he thought it was the work of a rogue reporter. >> clearly james murdoch has got questions to answer in parliament, and i am sure that he will do that, and clearly news international has got some big issues to deal with and a mess to clear up. >> the los angeles times reports the man arrested for beating a man with a bat last spring was not voovinvolved in the attack. santa clara county paramedic was jumped at the giants and dodgers game, and the beating was so brutal it left him in a coma for weeks. he is still not out of the woods, and he had emergency surgery this week because of a fluid buildup on his brain. president obama and john boehner are working behind the scenes at a wide-reaching deal. boehner meets with the former republican caucus today, and many remain skeptical about tax increases. and president obama takes his case for reducing the deficit directly to the public, in a town hall meeting at the university of maryland. he called for a balanced approach of spending cuts and taxes. >> if we only did it with cuts and did not get any revenue to help close the gap between how much money is coming in and how much money is going out, then a lot of ordinary people would be hurt and a country as a whole would be hurt, and that doesn't make any sense. it's not fair. and that's why i have said, if we are going to reduce our deficit, then the wealthiest americans and the biggest corporations should do their part as well. >> for many republicans the big sticking point are taxes and some are not willing to compromise. one georgia congressman said the issue is not taxes but the cap and balance. >> this is no time to compromise. we have had years and years and years of compromise, and that led to $14 trillion in debt. if we have to get out of the mess, we have to know to what we know. the most incredible bill is now in the senate, and as your polls have known, 66% of america, a super majority of america believes this is the right way to go, which means they don't want to compromise anymore either. >> more talk today, but no action on the debt plan. americans are getting fed up. >> i blame both parties for the stalemate. >> all of the people who are responsible for this are elected to do a job. if i did my job like that, i would be fired. >> joining us again to talk about where things stand and where they go from here is cnn contributor, a senior political columnists for "newsweek" and "the daily beast." we heard that everybody has a responsibility to get this done, and in his words, saying, quote, neither party is blameless but both parties have a responsibility to solve it. you have to wonder whether he was answering a question or if he was admonishing those who are making it difficult to pass something? >> i think he was making a point. he also had a good line, i thought, and said the american people devoted for divided government and not dysfunctional government. this is a self-inflicted wound. this is something that was done 17 times under ronald reagan with divided government. it's upon the government to come upon the agreement so the american people don't wake up and find out that our interest rates have increased. it would be great if we could get folks to agree to agree on a grand bargain, whether it's the gain of six plan, do entitlement reforms, or whether it's a grand bargain that president obama and john boehner are trying to negotiate. i think that's what is incumbent in washington is to deal with the long-term problem. it's clear to put our nation on better fiscal footing, we need to get more in depth. >> is the president compromising or caving? there are a lot of players very concerned. democrats and republicans are concerned, and particularly democrats are concerned that the president may be giving up too much in order to strike a deal. >> everybody will have to give up something. that's the nature of negotiation. i think the problem we have right now is hard-core constituencies in the congress and the house who oppose any entitlement reform, which is necessary to deal with the larger problem, or any revenue increases. there are constructive compromises. people don't want to raise taxes, and tax reform that closes tax loopholes and earmarks embedded in the tax code, that would be a common sense way of moving the ball over. but some folks to the far right say that's equal to a tax increase. everybody has to be at the table and give a little bit. that's the nature of negotiation. that's what we seem time-out lost in congress in the recent year, and people are forgetting they are paid to reason together. instead, we're facing default. the real prospect of it, and that should be a serious wake-up call for people frustrated with the dysfunction in washington, d.c. >> thank you, and have a good weekend. >> thank you. here is a rundown of some of the stories we're covering. we will tell you why some nfl players don't like the deal to end the lockout. how football fans could feel the pain. and how young super stars use social media to rise. then the heat is beginning to take its toll on food crops. a air force sergeant discharged because he is gay. and tall women and cancer? 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[ male announcer ] time to check your air conditioning? come to meineke now and get a free ac system check and a free cooler with paid ac service. meineke. we have the coolest customers. more on the explosions that rocked downtown oslo, norway. one explosion or two? is there confirmation there was a bomb involved? >> well, norwegian police now confirmed it was a bomb. they say it was one explosion. at the moment the death toll stands at two with eight injured. many of those injured are believed to be in quite serious condition. there is a concern we might see the death toll rising. it sounds like it was a big attack, fredricka. one eyewitness says he was six blocks away and still heard the blasts. there are the remains of a car outside the building that houses the prime minister's office, and at the moment people believe all signs point to the fact that the blast was detonated from a car. >> what about first responders? are they able to address the needs of everybody on the ground there? have most of the injured been removed from the scene so to speak or are people being treated by nearby hospitals? >> they have now set up something near site and are treating people there. you can see passers by tending to some of those who have fallen. they were attempting to move people to hospitals, and it depends on the circumstance and the medical situation of the people caught up in that blast. as yet, the norwegian authorities are being slow with the release of the information. the information it was a bomb came from the police. they don't want to result in any more concern or panic than is already happening in the streets of oslo, fredricka. >> are they saying the proximity of the bomb? did they say it targeted a specific building or a person? >> this bomb, what we do know is that the bomb was detonated right at the center of power. this is one of the largest concentrations of power in wosl. it does appear from eyewitnesses that we have spoke to that the bomb was in front of the prime minister's office. you are hearing that from the states. that is unbelievable, and it says a lot about the security situation in norway. they are unuse to these kinds of threats. it would be unbelievable to get that close to the white house and oval office, and that close to anything here in london, but it does sound like that bomb was detonated right in front of the prime minister's office, fredricka? >> thank you so much. appreciate it. back in this country, and now we will focus on attention on the deadly heat wave moving east now, new york, washington, philadelphia, and we will find out how long this will last. it's the only complete multivitamin with ginkgo to support memory and concentration. plus it supports heart health. 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get a life people in the northeast. you must, must, must take care of your pets and take care of the neighbors. if they happen to forget, give them water at least. it feels like 119 in atlantic ci city. your body cannot literally cool down. if you are outside, your body cannot cool down, and it feels like 119 outside, and your body tries to perspire and it can't evaporate, and you cannot cool down. make sure -- even if you can spray it with water, you're good. here is an i-report, and don't know what to think because this horse has blinders on. i don't know if you take the blinders off, if the horse gets spooked or what. he got a little drink. and he wouldn't let any of the other horses share. when they got close, he was like, no, no, this is mine. that's what you can do for your pets and horses, and the kids as well. sprinklers are on, and firemen are opening up hydrants for the kids, and today is a dangerous day. today is a no tolerance day for pets, kids and elderly and for yourself. it's one of those days where we will lose people. we lost 22 people yesterday. >> that's incredible. >> there are many, many more people involved today, because there are millions up and down i-95. and now you are talking about hundreds of millions of people with heat indexes above 110. >> yeah, don't leave your pets orchi kids in the car. >> not even for a minute. >> thank you. if you escape the heat wave baking the rest of the country, your wallet might feel the impact. the high temperatures could scorch corn and other crops. alison, how worried are farmers about their crops? >> corn is a major concern, fredricka. we spoke with the senior economists at the farming bureau, and he said the timing of the heat wave is terrible, because corn is in the phase where the colonekernels are bei formed, and they can not be top quality. and now, irrigating the crops, and there are two key factors in play here, how long will the heat last and how dry will it get? and aggravating the situation for the corn crops, heavy rains in the spring made growing conditions for farmers, too, so you can see how it could potentially affect corn. >> it has a real ripple affect, doesn't it, because corn has many purposes? >> yeah, it's not just the corn on the cob we need to worry about, and tortilla chips, and corn oil, and even bigger concerns here is the feed for animals. corn happens to be the main ingredient for feed grain, and you add to that, dairy cows produce less milk, and all of these affect the food supply, and if the food supply is hit then prices will take a hit. >> how are the markets right now? >> we don't have any new news on wall street. we have a disappointing report card from caterpillar, and from verizon.s7 and believe it or not, that is being offset by mcdonald's. who knew the higher priced frozen drinks could impact a company. that's helping them boost their earnings for the second quarter. >> just in time for the very hot summer. thank you so much, alison kosik. we appreciate it. and then we will get reaction from a former air force major who was out and then ousted from the service. the process of allowing gays to serve openly in the military sec is that corrected to take a major step forward today. they certifying the repeal of the don't ask don't tell policy that will not harm military readiness. after that certification, there will be a 60-day waiting period before the policy is finally repealed. president clinton signed it into law in 1993, and in october of 2004, the gay activist group, the log cabin republicans sued to challenge the policy, and six years later, a federal judge ruled it was unconstitutional. in december, congress voted to repeal don't ask don't tell. so while the ban on gays in the military is ending the policy, it already cut short a lot of promising careers. one man was a major in the air force and served for 13 years, and he was forced out of the military when somebody got access to his private e-mails and revealed he was gay. >> thank you for having me today. what a historic day for all of us. >> you were discharged after somebody got into your e-mails. what does it mean to you, the repealing don't ask don't tell getting the certification today? >> it's bittersweet. i have to be honest with you. it's a historic day and a huge day and a step towards equality for gays and lesbians serving in the military. it weakened our security and harmed our defense and yesterday, five years ago was when i was thrown out, so it comes too late to help me. there are those that will benefit from the laws as well as future generations to come. >> would it inspire you to re-enlist? >> i hope to. as you said earlier, i did 13 years. my father retired as an officer in the air force as well, and i grew up in the military. this is my calling, and this is what i was born to do. i can't wait to get back in and finish my career as an officer and leader in the air force. what we need in the military is role models. officers and leaders alike, and gay and lesbians, that can serve along their counterparts equally with zero detriment to the mission. >> do you think the repeal would have inspired others that were forced out of the military because it was revealed they are gay or they decided this is not for me, do you think this may change their minds that they too may want to re-enlist? >> i think obviously it's a very personal decision. for people, such as myself, who have been thrown out fairly recently within the last few years, they may want to go back into some capacity as a guard or reserves, but the law has been in effect for 17 years, and those that were thrown out a long time ago moved forward with their lives, and for some it will be a personal decision, and for some a painful division. this law will finally strengthen our national security so we can serve openly along our counterparts. >> we don't say we are retired, right? >> not retired, just kicked out. >> okay. maybe back in, if you are really pursuing that. all the best to you. >> thank you. and now more on the breaking news out of oslo. an american who witnessed that describes the scene. the eagle flies at dawn. the monkey eats custard. price-line ne-go-ti-a-tor. so, you've been double crossed by other travel sites and now you want to try the real deal. yes, is it true that name your own price... ...got even easier? 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what was the behavior of people on the street? >> from my vantage point, like i said, it was -- the initial reaction was surprise and shock. of course being 28 stories above it, i didn't have the same -- the same connection with the emotion on the street. it was probably five minutes or so of mostly confusion, and i could not actually see for myself injured people, although certainly with a bomb or an explosion of that magnitude, there was certainly going to be injuries. there was not panic or running. and then it took five minutes or so before the emergency responders started to arrive on the scene, and they very quickly set up cordens of ambulances. i could not imagine norway even had so many ambulances. but just streams of them are arriving on the scene and being processed through, and that was due to the nature of the injuries, glass injuries. >> how long are you going to be there in oslo? >> well, we're expecting to return tomorrow. we don't -- at this point, there have not been any announced changes to our plans, and we believe the airport is open and the airport is a good 25 miles north of the center center. i am also looking down at the main strain station, and the main train station has been closed for sometime as a precaution, i believe. there has been some disruption on the roads and with public transit. i can't tell for sure what is going to be happening in the next day. >> ian dutton, thank you so much. glad you are well. thanks for sharing your story with us. all the best to of course the folks there in oslo as we look at the images -- >> our wishes as well, all the best to those who have been affected. >> we will have more after this. that's good, right? 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[ male announcer ] if you can't afford your medication, astra-zeneca may be able to help. a look at some other stories we're covering across the country. a giant sinkhole in leesburg, florida, is getting bigger by the day and now there's concern it could swallow an entire neighborhood. it opened last month as a 60-foot hole. folks in the neighborhood said it started growing again this week. the avengers and captain america, under one roof in san diego. comic-con is under way. america's first lady is pitching in and helping some of the country's neediest veterans. she was in fayetteville, north carolina, as part of a project in the upcoming television show "extreme makeover: home edition." nfl players could soon be suiting up again. league owners approved a labor and revenue sharing deal, but the players still have to give their okay. cnn's joe carter is with us to tell us what is going on now. joe? >> reporter: good afternoon, fredricka. i can tell you for certain we will not see a vote come from the players today. nfl players association president, kevin maly, made a statement that they will not speak today. many owners across the league are attending a funeral in boston. this statement which we obtained a short time ago reads in part, player leadership is discussing the most recent proposal with the nfl, which includes a settlement agreement and deal terms and the right process for addressing recertification. there will not be any more statements today, the wife of patriots owner, passed away this week. it will be a critical and busy weekend. 32 of the 31 team owners voted for a new collective bargaining agreement. this is a deal that is ten years strong and long and a deal that would start football on time. >> i think we have crafted a long-term agreement that can be good for the game of football, good for the players, be good for the clubs, and most importantly good for our game and for our fans. we really are anxious to get back to football. >> reporter: the players did not receive the new proposal until late last night, and there was an immediate push back from the players to the owners. they said all along they would not be bullied into making a quick decision, and they don't respect the owners should layout a time line for when they should recertify a union. it's a ten-year deal, and a lot can change so they have to go through it with a fine-toothed comb. would you buy a brand-new house or car without making sure all the terms of the deal are in place? probably not. the players have until tuesday according to the owners. if they recertify as a union, football is on and everything is on time, and if not, we could see the pre-season have more cancelled games like the recent hall of fame game cancelled for august 7th. >> and the august 7th game is not going to happen even if the deal comes to terms on tuesday? >> reporter: no, it's not going to happen. >> incredible. thank you so much. we appreciate that update. what does height have to do with your risk of getting cancer? a large study finds a surprising connection. first, here is freemany advice from the cnn money help desk. >> time for where we get answers to your financial questions. the executive editor of cnn money.com, and thank you for being here guys. first comes from sharon in maryland. are hybrid index annuities worthwhile? at what age should i consider buying an anun tea index? >> obviously the older you are, and the more secure your income, it's more of a secure strategy. if the market gives you a 15% return, you might get a 7.5% return, and again, depending upon the terms. so ask the right questions. what are the terms of the annuity? what is the interest rate they provide? what is highly tied to the index fund? is the tied to the s&p or nasdaq? are they tied to a insurance company? asking the right questions and making that part of the overall picture in your portfolio, and can they change the bells and whistles on you? >> read the fine print. >> exactly. >> this question comes from shirley in new mexico. i am 81 years old and lost $61,000 in the recession and bailed out of my investments, accept for iras, all my money is in various cds. is it wide for me to reinvest in the market now? now she wants to maybe jump in? >> she is 81, and she has a risk tolerance that i would describe as low. i would say stick to the cds. right now there's a funny anomaly in the market where cds give you a better anomaly than bonds. the big guys can't buy cds. there's an early withdrawal penalty, but it's only two months of interest. there's a bigger lesson here, which is she is sold at the bottom. she doesn't want to deal with that sinking feeling of seeing a 50% loss in her stocks. fair enough. don't jump back in now when the prices are up only to sell again at the bottom. she learned a tough lesson, but let's leave it there and stay safe and liquid. >> if you have a question you want answered, send us an e-mail anytime at cnnhelpdesk@cnn.com. 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. ♪ 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. we continue to watch breaking developments out of oslo, norway. an explosion taking place. now it has been confirmed a bomb indeed set off an explosion there. state broadcaster stating two people are reported dead and dozens injured. still unclear who is responsible for the reported bomb there in downtown oslo. we will keep you posted throughout the afternoon. meantime, a new study says taller women may be more likely to get cancer. elizabeth cohen is here to explain why. how much of a risk are we talking? you know i don't like this. >> yeah, and it's a 5'10" woman. that's who they studied, 5'10" and taller. women 5'10" and taller are more likely to get cancer. for every four inches of height, a 16% increased chance of getting cancer. the 5'10" and faller is compared to five feet and shorter. >> why the increased risk? >> taller people when they were growing had more growth hormone, and another one is actually much simpler, taller people have more cells, and -- >> yeah, they're bigger. >> more stuff can go wrong with more. >> you can't change your height? >> no. >> what can you do? >> really, nothing you can do. should taller people get screened more? and some people have higher risk, but this is not the case. there's nothing you can do here, just appreciate how beautiful it is to be so tall. >> i am feeling so comforted. >> yeah, here i am 5'2", and telling you this. but the doctors say it's not worth getting extra screening because you are so tall. >> maybe it's better off not knowing this at all. >> that may be. >> i do like to be informed, so we appreciate that. the age of the millennium moguls. how they use media to rise. over 30 delicious flavors at about 100 calories. babe, what are you doing?! ♪ thought they were dead. 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[ male announcer ] should've used roundup. america's number one weed killer. it kills weeds to the root, so they don't come back. guaranteed. weeds won't play dead, they'll stay dead. roundup. no root. no weed. no problem. this breaking news we're following. this also in norway, unrelated as far as we know to the blast that took place in downtown oslo, now we understand in a separate incident, apparently a man fired five shots into a youth summer camp, not in downtown oslo, but somewhere nearby, and apparently the suspect was dressed in a police uniform. it's unclear how many people may have been injured. we understand that several had been injured, and it's unclear the extent of the injuries, and it's unclear if this is in any way related to the blast that took place in downtown oslo earlier today where at least two are reported dead and several others injured. we will keep you posted on the two events taking place in norway. meantime, millennials making millions. this is a story you're going to want to watch. if you are a baby boomer with a millennial kid, those that came of age at the turn of the century, get them to the television set now so they can learn how to be the newest kind of moguls. >> reporter: the most successful entertainers of the world, and they are not just leading their industry, but redefining it. and they are all under 30. they are millennial moguls, super stars with cross over talent, and carefully crafted images and media savvy. >> they know how to embrace the new form of accessibility that the consumer is getting from the artist. >> anthony selah would know. as well as the man managing lady gaga. he says young super stars owe a big thanks to facebook and twitter. >> gaga enter acts with her fans in such a loving way more than anybody. your fan will not connect to you unless they know you're real and they can reach out and touch you. >> melissa agrees. she's part of justin bieber's fan club. >> i think it's knowing who you are and knowing what you stand for, that's important. >> at the end of the day, the fan will respect, honor, and love that you stay true to your crowd. >> likewise, both say a strong support network is key. >> be sure and surround yourself with very down-to-earth grounded people who understand you still want to embrace and hold on to your moral values. >> and ultimately the young moguls call their own shots. >> i don't think it's somebody being a puppet, you and you cannot be successful and be a puppet in this day and age. because the consumer is so savvy. >> i don't feel i have to live my life based on anybody telling me what image to portray or what to do.