suzanne malveaux. i want to get you up to speed for wednesday, august 31st. firefighters are calling in air tankers to battle wildfires outside of dallas. more than two dozen homes have burned in palo pinto county and firefighters say the fire is 25% contained. several hundred people had to pack up and run as fires spread. texas is in the middle of an epic drought and heat wave that is dragging all summer long. >> reporter: more than 100 homes are in jeopardy and those who lost their homes are devastated. >> it happened so quickly and i was thinking not again. >> this time it happened like, now. before we knew it was coming, it was taking time. >> a brush fire overran several homes and this church in oklahoma city. crews say the fire, it is contained, but they're working hard today to make sure it doesn't flare up again. irene, long gone, but folks are still feeling miserable in parts of the northeast. forecasters say the pasaeic river in new jersey has peaked but it probably won't fall below flood stage well friday. 43 people have died from this terrible storm. more than 2.5 million customers up and down the east coast still don't have power and some people are cut off by irene, have some more pressing problems. >> we're in need of medical supplies. we have food and we have drinkable water. there's no running water because there's no power and all the waters run on electric pumps. homeland security secretary janet napolitano and fema director fugate will be there today. amazing pictures, unbelievable, people on the connecticut coast get a look at their beach houses and the damage really stunning. irene ripped some houses in half, others were knocked off their foundations. 25 homes in the close knit beach community are a total loss. we've got an eye on tropical storm katia. it is gatheringing speed in the far eastern atlantic. winds are right now at 65 miles an hour. forecasters predict that katia will grow into a major hurricane this weekend. still too early to say why this storm is headed. not only is the syrian government gunning down protesters in the street but a new report says it is torturing some of the protesters. am naesy international says investigators have documented 55 cases. they found burns, blunt force wounds, whip marks and slashs. some victims were boys as young as 13, one gruesome finding, amnesty international found three victims showed signs of genital mutilation. president obama is calling on congress to renew a bill to repair and rebuild the nation's highways. the white house says almost 1 million american jobs are going to get lost, if congress refuses to extend highway construction projects. money is going to run out at the end of september. >> if we allow the transportation bill to expire, over 4,000 workers will be immediately furloughed without pay. if it's delayed for just ten days, it will lose nearly $1 billion in highway funding. that's money we can never get back, and if it's delayed even longer, almost 1 million workers could lose their jobs over the course of the next year. >> house republicans are offering a new highway bill, but democrats say that it cuts funding levels by a third. well a father who tossed his 7-year-old son off a southern california boat says he and the boy were just horsing around, but passengers saw things a little differently. they say that slone briles hit the boy because he wouldn't stop crying. he was arrested and out on bond today. it is no secret tiger woods' game is off, he has fallen out of golf's top 20 rankings for the first time since 1997. woods blames injuries which caught him off of the coast for the pga tour. he has an interview with cnn. >> unfortunately i haven't played too much and when i did play i haven't played too well. i think the best finish i've had is at the masters this year but other than that, i really haven't played a lot. here's your chance to talk back and one of the big stories of the day, today's question, is it time for a third party candidate to get into the race for the white house? carol costello joins us from new york. a lot of people think washington is broken, maybe we need to change the system all together. >> right, shake things up, right? so are american voters waiting for perot, as in ross perot, as in third party candidate perot? i'm talking metaphorically? remember in the 1992 chain perot shook things up? he could say the party be damned? who could forget he characterized nafta, the trade agreement who some said sent jobs to other countries. >> we'll going to get a bubble surge and a giant sucking sound vacuum in industrial mexico, in what used to be industrial america. >> it split the republican vote putting democrat bill clinton in the white house. what would it look like if sarah palin ran as an independent or michael bloomberg decided to give it a go? i'm not spouting nonsense here. some yearn for a third party. look at a website calls americans elect, asking people to name and fight for third party candidates, even democratic political annal james carver said it is ripe for a third party candidate. do we need a third party candidate in 2012? facebook.com/carolcnn, i'll read your comments later this hour. >> carol seems like we talk every season whether or not a third party. i was back in college taking class, jesse jackson was talking about the possibility of a third party years later, the same discussion. i think people really, they're waiting for somebody to come along and shake it up a little. >> i know, with the perennial third party candidate, ralph nader, i don't think he's giving it a go this time around but who knows? >> we'll be following closely, thank you, carol. a run down of some of the stories we're covering. beach homes cut in half, falling into the ocean. we're going to show you what hurricane irene left behind in this connecticut town that was hit really hard. and a man sees his home being burglarized while flying over it in a plane. then cnn takes an in-depth look at the rising cost of college tuition, what one recent college grad thinks about higher education, now that she is deep in debt. and later we'll find out how a man working in his garden, okay, you got to see this, ends up with a pair of shears stuck in his head. >> felt up there, i sort of pulled on it just a little and seemed real solid so i just left it alone and realized that it was the clipper. it's salonpas. this is the relief i've been looking for. salonpas has 2 powerful pain fighting ingredients that work for up to 12 hours. and my pharmacist told me it's the only otc pain patch approved for sale using the same rigorous clinical testing that's required for prescription pain medications. proven. powerful. safe. salonpas. the authentic, the rare, the hard to define. to those always searching for what's pure and what's real from we who believe we know just how you feel. haagen-dazs. good gravy, bill. our insurance company doesn't have anything like it. magnificent, isn't it? with progressive, it's easy to cover all of your favorite rides. progressive has truck insurance? number one in truck and motorcycle. is that a golf cart? yep. we also cover rvs, boats, atvs. anything else i can help you with? can i take a ride? you need a ticket -- i'm first! and that's by the water slide. okay. no running. oh, dear. save on all your rides. now, that's progressive. call or click today. for a lot of folks along the east coast, the scope of hurricane irene is just starting to sink in, almost 3 million people are still without power, entire towns are cut off by the floodwaters. the death toll from the weekend storm is still climbing, it's now at least 43, one of the hardest hit areas is in east haven, connecticut, where irene's storm surge tossed homes around just like toys. cnn's alina cho has more on the damage there. >> the whole first floor is gone, this is the second floor actually. and -- >> reporter: this is the second floor? >> reporter: the living room, kitchen, rooms that were once one floor up in dino brainard's home are now hugging the beach at ground level. homes sheared in half by what many here call the perfect storm. >> it's eerie. you come back and it's almost like it's so surreal. >> reporter: like this scene, people enjoying their summer, just feet away from total devastation. these are the pilars on which the homes were built to protect them. this is what's left after irene. one resident told me it's as if one picked up their home, threw it and stomped on it. all of the homes flattered and reduced to rubble. >> we believe that we have 25 homes that are a total loss, and maybe another 20 that are uninhabitable. >> reporter: adding to the heartbroke, coalsy beach is tight knit and many families have owned their homes for generations, like jim delucia. >> we got a little water in here, now that's very unusual. >> reporter: 65 of his 70 summers have been spent here. delucia says with all the beach erosion over the years, owning a home on this stretch of beach is like playing russian roulette. >> it wasn't a question of if, it was a question of when. >> roberta sabeau ignored the mandatory evacuation order. what did you see? >> i saw the house coming down and coming at me. >> reporter: her home was spared but for dino bainerd and his family there's little to salvage. yet for him, leaving the area is not an option. >> i would not let this stop me from coming back. >> reporter: when you hear the name irene now? >> that won't be any of the names of my daughters or pets. >> alina cho joins us from east haven, connecticut. good to see you. obviously when you take a look at the pictures it's unbelievable, reminds me of the devastation of hurricane katrina. do we know if people are still without power, without electricity? >> reporter: yes, many of them are, suzanne. as a matter of fact nearly a quarter million residents in connecticut are still without power, a quarter of the residents in east haven, so if you're talking about a population of about 30,000, 7,500 residents just in this small area alone are still without power, but as you can see, it's just utter devastation here. it's really surreal to walk around this area, i must tell you. you know, you'll see walls torn down and desks and photos intact, but many of the homes just flattened and so many lives ruined here because there are so many wonderful memories, generations of families have lived in this area. suzanne? >> alina, is it possible for the photographer to pan over and show us what you're looking at there? >> reporter: sure, in fact we can show you over here, this is dino brainerd's home, he was featured in the piece. the home is sitting at a 45-degree angle. people refer to this house as a tilted dollhouse now. i talked about it in the piece but to explain further this is the living room and back over here this is the kitchen. these were originally on the second floor of the house. they're now as you can see after the storm on ground level, hugging the beach and it's just extraordinary. i just almost couldn't believe it when i first saw it, but what is more extraordinary to see, suzanne is a lot of the residents, most of the residents told me they do plan to come back, they do plan to rebuilt, that's how much they love being right here on the water. >> do all of the houses look like that along the coast, along that section? are there any houses that were spared? >> reporter: you know there were. there were a few houses that were spared and i'm not sure if you can see back a couple of homes down, but there is a home right there that was built on concrete pillars. as you can see that home is still standing but if you look at the top deck there's damage there. truly as you walk down the beach here, i don't believe any of the homes were spared in terms of damage and many of them sadly suzanne were destroyed. >> alina thank you so much. in vermont, hundreds of people are still trapped in their homes after flooding caused by hurricane irene washed away the roads and the bridges but they are making some progress. on monday, highway crews began working on makeshift roads to about a dozen towns that are cut off. vermont's governor says some 263 roads and bridges were severely damaged or destroyed and many parts of the state are still under flood watches and warnings. vermont's national guard trucks are just now reaching some of those who were stranded two days now after the hurricane hit. time to go across country for affiliate, the stories affiliates are covering an arkansas man wanted to take pictures of his home from a plane saw something pretty interesting, steven lynn saw a couple of men trying to rip off his house so lynn called 911 and followed the burglars from above. the two men are now facing charges. a lakeville, minnesota, man, accused of abon donning his 11-year-old son is now under arrest. steve cross's home was about to be foreclosed on, when he left a note with his child telling him to move in with the neighbors. cross was found working at a deli in california. it's not quite snakes in the plain but close enough, screeners at miami's international airport said a man tried to get through security with seven snakes and three turtles wrapped inside his pants. yeah, that's right. u.s. fish and wildlife officers took custody of the animals and they have arrested that passenger. go to college, get a degree? yeah, you think it's good advice but also pretty expensive, so is that degree really even worth the price? we'll find out from a young woman with a dream job and also mountain of debt. plus we'll tell you which college degrees give you the most bang for your buck, the top three highest paying degrees, that when we come back. what do we have? all four of us, together? 24. he's low fat, too, and has 5 grams of sugars. i'll believe it when i--- [ both ] oooooh... what's shakin'? [ female announcer ] as you get older, protein is an important part of staying active and strong. new ensure high protein... fifty percent of your daily value of protein. low fat and five grams of sugars. see? he's a good egg. [ major nutrition ] new ensure high protein. ensure! nutrition in charge! if you want to get the biggest return on your tuition dollars you might want to major in engineering. those are the top paying cleng degree college degrees. the highest is petroleum engineering. the highest is $157,000 a year, not bad, followed by aerospace and chemical engineering, salaries about $108,000. so whether you're saving for your college, kids' college tuition, cosigning a loan, paying off debt, the cost of college is skyrocketing. cnn is taking an in-depth look at higher education and the high price of a college degree now. for a lot of young people it means graduating from school with mountains of student loan debt. here is our senior correspondent allan chernoff. >> a growing number of americans are starting their careers deeply in debt as a result of the money they had to bar row to pay for education. for many education loans have become a de facto mortgage that could take decades to pay off. rebecca belante has made it to new york city working in fashion for retail giant j. crew. >> accomplished, definitely, a very good word to describe how i feel. >> reporter: accomplishing her dream has been costly. to earn her masters in fashion design at drexler university she had to take on student loans from the federal government and private lenders, even with help from her parents, the three-year program left her with debt approaching six figures. >> i have some really dark moments about it for sure. it's overwhelming, extreme, a lot of money and i have to try to ultimately stay positive to know that i will get through it and i will make it work. >> reporter: the working world often requires ambitious, responsible americans like rebecca to assume mountains of debt to gain the education their careers demand. that debtload for students at graduation is $27,000 on average, adding education loans their parents take on, the figure jumps to $34,000, pile all those loans together, and student loan debt now exceeds credit card debt. >> student loan debt is having an impact on how people live their lives, and causing delays in getting married, buying a car, buying a house, having children, saving for retirement. >> good boy. >> reporter: it squeezes rebecca's lifestyle. she lives in a small manhattan studio, watches her spending and is sure to pay her credit card bills in full each month. how long do you think it might be before you actually can pay it all off? >> well, i would say 25 years, 25 to 30 years. there are repayment plans that let you say it takes that long, that's what i thought about when i was doing it. >> reporter: student loans are rebecca's educational mortgage. rebecca doesn't regret it. borrowing was the only way to achieve her career dream. we're giving you a chance to choose the news, check 22360 to vote for the story you'd like to see in the next hour. first call it the smell of success, a grocery store in brooklyn is bumping up business by pumping artificial food smells into the air. probably the world's most famous penguin, happy feet on his way home to antartica. third you know him from "the big lebowski" and "true grit" now jeff bridges trying his hand at music, listen to some of his original songs. vote by text 22360, 1 for smell of, 2 for happy feet heads home and 3 for actors new album, jeff bridges. the wildsfir getting worse and in neighboring oklahoma a fast moving wildfire threatens neighborhoods in oklahoma city. this church is one of the buildings that has burned to the ground. we'll get an update. [ carrie ] i remember my very first year as a teacher, setting that goal to become a principal. but, i have to support my family, so how do i go back to school? university of phoenix made it doable. a lot of my instructors were principals in my district. i wouldn't be where i am without that degree. my name is dr. carrie buck. i helped turn an at-risk school into an award winning school, and i am a phoenix. [ male announcer ] find your program at phoenix.edu. oh, we call it the bundler. let's say you need home and auto insurance. you give us your information once, online... [ whirring and beeping ] [ ding! ] and we give you a discount on both. great! did i mention no hands in the bundler? bundling and saving made easy. now, that's progressive. call or click today. there's another way litter box dust:e purina tidy cats. our premium litters now work harder to help neutralize odors in multiple cat homes. purina tidy cats. keep your home smelling like home. [ male announcer ] they'll see you...before you see them. cops are cracking down on drinking and riding. drive sober, or get pulled over. 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, nosebleed, and sore throat. i tossed t allergy symptoms out of my party. [ man ] omnaris. ask your doctor. battling nasal allergy symptoms? omnaris combats the cause. get omnaris for only $11 at omnaris.com. here's a run down of some of the stories we're working on. another storm is spinning toward the united states. how much of a threat is tropical storm katia to the east coast. a man gardening in his yard has a freak accident. how this one ended. and later nic robertson finds zoo animals abandoned in their cages in libya. there's no letup in the destructive wildfires happening in texas, oklahoma and other parts of the southwest. there's a fast moving fire in oklahoma city, already destroyed two homes and a church, a huge blaze about 50 miles west of dallas ft. worth burned more than two dozen homes and other buildings to the ground. right now, there is no stopping it. here's reporter stephanie lusaro with ktvt. >> reporter: there's a lot of heartbroken families, 30 families lost their homes yesterday and overnight it seemed like the fire settled down at least that's what fire officials told us but right now we're watching as flames start to flare up again. more than 100 homes are in jeopardy today and those who lost their homes yesterday are devastated. >> it happened so quickly and i was thinking not again. >> this time it happened like, now. before we knew it was coming, it was taking time. >> reporter: the winds are expected to top out 25-mile-per-hour gusts. firefighters would like to prevent a repeat of yesterday but it's just going to be tough, because the terrain here in north texas is so dry, we're in the midst of a serious drought, and there's no rain in the forecast for today or tomorrow. the winds are expected to kick up and we're also experiencing a lot of embers here in the area. live in palo pinto county, stephanie lucero. in the tropics, days after irene forecasters are tracking tropical storm katia. we check in with rob marciano. tell me this is not happening, really, really? >> not only do we have to deal with katia but potentially another system closer to home. >> hitting the u.s.? >> potentially. tropical storm katia, 65-mile-an-hour winds, it's been organizing in the past day, increasing in intensity up until the last advisory where it's been held below tropical storm strength but it's pretty far away from the lee ward islands, about 1,000 miles from the land mass. that's the the good news. the bad news it's heading in our direction. it does become a tropical, a hurricane strength 1, category 2 on friday, category 3 over the weekend and maybe making a northerly jog, couple decent cold fronts coming away from the u.s., it may steer it away from the u.s. but it's way too early. be on your guard east coast for the potential of katia. this thing getting into the gulf of mexico this ek would understand. some of the models taking it away from etexas, some of it bringing it spin sunday, monday or tuesday as a stronger storm, maybe even a hurricane potentially across the northern gulf coast. too early to tell on this one but it's close, you got to keep it here, we'll give you updates throughout the day today and tomorrow. a reminder to vote for choose the news, text 22360, text one for the smell of success, a grocery store in brooklyn lures in customers pumping fake food smells into the air, text two for happy feet heads home, new zealand's popular penguin heads back to antartica or actor turned musician oscar winner jeff bridges hoping to take his box office success to the billboard charts with a country western record, winning story airs in the next hour. this is the warping your mother tolls you don't run with scissors but never imagined what would happen if you fell on a pair of pruning shears face first. we'll have the story of a man who did and he lived to laugh about it. you got to see this to believe it. or hires another employee, it's not just good for business -- it's good for the entire community. at bank of america, we know the impact that local businesses have on communities, so we're helping them with advice from local business experts and extending $18 billion in credit last year. that's how we're helping set opportunity in motion. try capzasin-hp. it penetrates deep to block pain signals for hours of relief. capzasin-hp. take the pain out of arthritis. all right, talk to freak accidents, an arizona man is recovering after he was impaled by a pair of pruning shears that went through his eye socket. this is unbelievable, not only did he survive, he still has his eyesight. reporter barbara grehalva of affiliate kold has the unbelievable story. >> and when i felt up there, i sort of pulled on it just a little and it seemed real solid so i just left it alone and realized that it was the slipper. >> reporter: 86-year-old leroy luetscher fell onto the handle of his clippers that looked like a lot like these, went through his right eye socket. >> i saw the instrument in his face and i just said, "leroy, honey, what have you done?" i was just shocked. >> reporter: she wasn't the only one. one of luetscher's surgeons joined at the news conference. >> this was pretty dramatic, and you know, you just didn't understand what you were looking at. >> reporter: university medical center had assembled a trauma team. >> what we found was it was in his neck. and it was close to his carotid artery. >> it was excruciating. i can't tell you how much it hurt. >> it was rock solid in his face, making a second incision underneath his gumline, opening up his sinus, and we were able to visualize the handle, and we were able to loosen it up enough to where we could slide it out carefully, so he had lost his orbital rim, and floor and they were completely obliterated. we were able to remove some of the bony segments and reconstruct using a titanium mettle mesh plate. >> reporter: amazingly luetscher's eyeball was pushed up and back and doctors couldn't tell if it was in one piece. it was. >> i can cover my eye and i can see all of you as good as this eye. >> reporter: luetscher has double vision doctors say they can correct. luetscher can't speak highly enough about his care and the miracle. >> i thank my lucky stars that i'm here. >> well that's unbelievable. he is one lucky guy, i tell you. and this interesting footnote, some of the doctors who treated him also treated congressman gabrielle giffords and other victims of that tucson shooting. way to go with those doctors as well. got to congratulate them, excellent job. he has only been an official candidate for weeks now but rick perry already has a big lead in the race for the white house. so what are the other candidates doing to knock him off the top spot? we'll look at the cnn political ticker. medicare supplement insurance card, too. youut turning that accepts medicare. and best of all, these plans are... the only medicare supplement plans endorsed by aarp. when they told me these plans were endorsed by aarp... i had only one thing to say... sign me up. call the number on your screen now... and find out about an aarp medicare supplement insurance plan. you'll get this free information kit... and guide to understanding medicare, to help you choose the plan that's right for you. as with all medicare supplement plans, you can keep your own doctor and hospital that accepts medicare, get help paying for what medicare doesn't... and save up to thousands of dollars. call this toll-free number now. rick perry is making big strides in the race for the white house, our brianna keilar, best team on television live from the political desk in washington, the perry folks, more good news for them. >> reporter: good news for them in a new poll out today, quinnipiac university poll rick perry, the new republican presidential field with 24%, mitt romney with 18% and the three republicans behind them, sarah palin, breanna keilecom m 11%, 10% and 9% respectively ron paul. take sarah palin out of it and rick perry leads more. pretty good news there for the perry folks, as we start things out, suzanne. >> brianna tell us about the musical chairs with the plans for the candidates, i understand romney, palin, all of them? >> reporter: we've kind of got the ultimate schedule shuffle going on. cnn first reported that mitt romney was going to be going to a tea party express rally, this is how he was going to be spending labor day, he would be in manchester, new hampshire. well a change now, he's actually going to catch up with the tea party express events over the weekend on sunday, instead he'll be in concord, new hampshire, for a rally there and then spending monday in south carolina at a conservative forum hosted by conservative king maker senator jim demint. he wasn't initially planning on going to this event in the very important first in the south primary state of south carolina but now he is going. guess who be spending labor day in manchester at the sea party express rally? >> tell us. >> reporter: sarah palin and still keeping people guessing is she going to be running? she hasn't said yet. we know the drop dead deadline is here at the end of the month in september but she's had a lot of visits to iowa and new hampshire, making people wonder quite a bit. >> we're all wondering a bit. i liked what shannon travis said the drama of it all. lots of drama there. all right, brianna thanks. kids leaving for college this week, taking the big step toward independence, it includes financially as well. en kren takes cnn looks at the cost of education. felicia looks at teaching kids valuable money lessons. parents and grandparents shove the kids off, hope they do a good job and know how to manage their money but that's a tough job these days. >> it is and not something you can start any time -- ever too soon really. suzanne, sally mae survey says the average college student has about $842 credit card debt with 40% having a credit card, 87% using a debit card and 37% having both of them. to avoid more debt after graduation, before you sign a credit card application, lynnette calfani cox offer of zero debt for college grads says check out the interest rate and watch out for fees and charges. the card act limits issues credit cards to those under 21 without a co-signer unless they can show proof of income to cover the credit obligations. before you sign them up for a card make sure you want to take on the responsibility and be aware of the terms on the card as well, suzanne, because ultimately as a co-signer you are responsible for them. >> it's one thing to get a card but how do you teach your child or your grandchild how to use that card properly? >> yeah, i mean this is about real responsibility and understanding what that means, so it begins by teaching kids that a credit card is not free money. it's not like you don't owe money at the end of the month. consider putting a spending limit on the card or maybe saying it can only be used in an emergency. cox says to be specific with kids on how you expect to use the credit card and cox recommends statements should be mailed to the parents or track the online statements to stay on top of how and where the card is being used. >> all right, felicia, we'll take a quick break and when we come back felicia will tell you more on how to teach your children about money well before it's time to go to college. woman: downloading music can be expensive. so to save money, i trained my dog and this cockatoo to play all the hits of the '80's woman: hit it, mr. butters. ♪ ♪ take on me... ♪ ....take on me ♪ take me on... anncr: there's an easier way to save. get online. go to geico.com get a quote. 15 minutes could save you 15% or more on car insurance. cnn is taking an in-depth look at higher education as well as its high costs. we're back with felicia taylor. felicia, you say it's never too early to start teaching kids some valuable money lessons as they head back to school. i guess folks need to be taught really early, right? >> absolutely. like i said it's never too soon to start, suzanne. the ceo of junior achievement financial literacy organization for students say it's essential for kids to know that credit is not a blank check and these things cost money at the end of every month. start with younger children giving them a small allowance so they understand the responsibility of having money and managing it to some extent. janet bodner of kiplinger for elementary and middle school a good amount is equal to half of your child's age but only if it fits into the family's budget. and be a role model with your own finances, it gives them a better understanding of the real cost of credit. suzanne? >> all right, felicia, thank you. we've got news that could affect the future of your cell phone service, the proposed merger between at&t and t-mobile, it's actually hit a road block. we have just learned that the justice department has filed an anti-trust lawsuit to block this merger. the government says this deal would lead to higher prices, fewer choices, less quality wireless service for all of us, it would create the largest wireless company in the country. at&t says the merger is going to help speed up the expansion of the 4g network. sprint, some smaller carriers complain it's going to hurt competition. you've been weighing in on today's talk back question. carol costello is in new york with your responses. carol, love the outfit, first of all, the color there. really, really good color. good choice. >> i know. right back at you, suzanne. let me tell you. today's talk back question, is it time for a third party candidate in 2012. karla, yeah, john huntsman, he was the governor of utah, has business, as well as international experience, it may be just the ticket for many independent voters out there. dennis, yes, obama isn'ting it it for most. we need a moderate. devon, yes, adding a third party could go a long way toward the polarizati polarization. this one from ray, yes, only if they're wearing purple. he didn't specify you or me. >> it's the new black, all the rage here. if it was you or me. >> purple is the new black, all the rage here. you have to check out the next story. i don't know. i don't think that you need a new outfit, but if you needed a new outfit and you can get it for free, there's an offer here that you can't refuse. leave your maun stae at home and show up in your undies. they were able to pick out pants and a shirt if they showed up in their undies. they just showed up. could you do it? >> no! >> what if you were not on tv, would you do it? >> no. no. those are some really brave people -- >> i don't even wear a bikini! are you crazy? >> you could have a t-shirt, you know, the briefs and everything, and you could -- >> it didn't look that way, suzanne. >> yeah, that's true. it did not. did not look that way. crazy and interesting story, and we love that one. carol, we'll talk to you in a bit. >> i have to go now. we're letting you choose the news. you text "1" for the smell of success. there's a grocery store luring in customers by pumping in fake food smells into the air, and then "2" for the penguin heading back to the antarctica, and then "3," actor turned musician, and jeff bridges hoping to take his box office success to the music charts. winning story will air in the next hour. cops are cracking down on drinking and riding. drive sober, or get pulled over. the authentic, the rare, the hard to define. to those always searching for what's pure and what's real from we who believe we know just how you feel. haagen-dazs. really? 25 grams of protein. what do we have? all four of us, together? 24. he's low fat, too, and has 5 grams of sugars. i'll believe it when i--- [ both ] oooooh... what's shakin'? [ female announcer ] as you get older, protein is an important part of staying active and strong. new ensure high protein... fifty percent of your daily value of protein. low fat and five grams of sugars. see? he's a good egg. [ major nutrition ] new ensure high protein. ensure! nutrition in charge! matter which position i am in i wake up feeling good. it fits you so perfectly... it fits you. you wake up and you're revived and rejuvenated. it's just like wow! tempur-pedic the most highly recommended bed in america. tempur-pedic is rated #1 in comfort. sleep satisfaction. and back support. it fits the curvature of your body but you don't sink in and it is firm. proprietary tempur material suppresses motion transfer. this means that when you get in or out of bed, you won't disturb your partner. that's amazing. that's amazing. tempur-pedic, the most highly recommended bed in america. call the number on there's still time to choose the news. text 22360 for the story you want to see. test "1" for the smell of success. a grocery store in brooklyn is bumping up sales by bumping in smells. text "2" for happy feet returning to antarctica, and then "3," actor's new album. the winning story airs next hour. cnn's nic robertson is in tripoli with new information. i understand gadhafi's family. first, reports of animals left behind from the tripoli zoo. we were told it had been under renovation for the last three years and there were not any animals here. i can see a big vulture up there. a huge bird of pray. as i am looking at it, we hear a lion roaring. an eerie feeling because you don't know what you will run into. we're following the sound of the roaring. there he is. there he is. a tiger. he sees us. just looking at him, you can see how thin he is and the way he's walking, the back thighs are so thin. and then we see the lions. the male skinny, and the deep scar on his head. there's no one to tell us how often they are being fed, and how much they are getting fed. we don't know if there is a vet to look after them. all we have seen is the food left by the giant tortoises. the lions looking like they are not getting enough to eat. the zoo keeper just arrived. i will ask him about the animals. how are you? fine. >> reporter: what about the animals? are they getting enough food, the lions and tigers? >> he tells me for seven days the animals got nothing. they are trying to feed all the animals. the big cats only half the food they need and the biggest problem is water. he takes us to see the hippos. of all the animals, they seem the most foreloan. the keeper tells us he tried to get more water in here, and laid the plastic pipe on the floor right in the tank here, but it didn't work. and they just left with that rank water, and even they don't seem to want to go into it. struggling to keep up, and so many animals to feed. hyenas, and bears, and deering, but it's the big cats they can't feed enough. >> our nic robertson is live for us. nic, we will talk about a couple things. first of all, your story about the animals there. why isn't there enough food for the animals, first of all? >> well, the whole system to take care of them is broken down. the gadhafi regime is gone, and the way the city works there's no food coming into the city, and the big cats eat meat. there was a big bear as well, and they can't get enough. and the water shortage in tripoli, about 60% of the population without water, and there's no water at the zoo, and the animals need it because they're in the heat and dehydrating. >> since you have been reporting on the zoo, you have new information about the gadhafi family. what do we know good gadhafi's family, perhaps even their locations? >> reporter: well, saide gadhafi has e-mailed me about wanting to reach out -- >> that is one of gadhafi's sons? >> reporter: yes, one of his sons said he wanted to come to the capitol to negotiate, and would they give him safe passage to come, and i asked the council, and he said he's safe, we'll take care of him, but we will put him on trial. when i went back to him, i said it seems they're ready to negotiate, and he said he is not going to negotiate because it's clear what will happen to him, he will be taken into custody, and he said he is not about to surrender right now. the gadhafi family saying they will not surrender to the transitional national council, and this is when the council has told the government forces, put down your weapons, it's time to talk. suzanne? >> a good connection when you have gadhafi's sons texting or e-mailing you. is he revealing where his father might be, moammar gadhafi? >> reporter: he is not. not even revealing his own locations. there are clues where it might be, and it's fairly far north in the country. i don't think that you can take things entirely at their face value when somebody says that they might be somewhere, and that perhaps just means that that's the place you want to think they are at, and they could be somewhere entirely different. i am caution about what i read in the e-mails. what is being said about the negotiations ties up collectly with what the national transitional council is also saying, suzanne. >> thank you very much. top of the hour. i am suzanne malveaux. want to get you up to speed. texas getting air support as they battle a big wildfire. flames rolled over 3,500 acre and two dozen homes just outside texas. crews in the city are watching a smoldering brush fire there. this is the second time this year that wildfire has hit the possum lake community in texas. >> it happened so quickly, i was thinking not again. >> this time it happened like, now, and before we knew it was coming and it was taking time. >> extreme drought has parched much of texas. the state has temperatures near or above 100 degrees for most of the summer. hurricane irene long gone, but the tremendous impact of the storm is still being felt today. 43 deaths are now tied to irene. 1.5 million homes and businesses, an updated number, still don't have electricity. irene will rank as one of the costliest hurricanes in u.s. history. stretches of the northeast from new jersey to vermont still dealing with floods from irene. now, forecasters are saying that the river in new jersey has now crested. washed out roads have trapped a cnn ireporter. >> it took out our entire road. we ain't getting out of here anytime soon. we were bad preparers. >> i have been talking with the ireporter, and we'll talk in just a few minutes to get the take on all of this. >> and we have an eye on tropical storm katia. right now, top winds are at 65 miles per hour. forecasters predict that katia will grow into a major hurricane this weekend, and still too early to say where this storm is headed. libyan rebels say they have moammar gadhafi's hometown surrounded, and giving gadhafi's men until saturday to surrender or face attack. rebels say they have 10,000 fighters on the outskirts of sirte and are taunting gadhafi who remains a fugitive, on the run. >> where are you now? >> the rebels say that they are open to negotiations before saturday if gadhafi's fighters want to talk. libya's capital, tripoli, a city home to about million people, humanitarian crisis may be taking shape. the united nations says two thirds of the people in tripoli don't have drinking water or sanitation. the libyan forces sabotaged the stations. the dicey security situation is making getting it back online a slow process. not only is the syrian government gunning down protesters in the street, a new report says that it is torturing at least some of the protesters. amnesty international says investigators documented 55 cases, and burns, slashes, whip forces, and some victims were boys as young as 13. we will talk more about syria in about 15 minutes or so. a father who tossed his 7-year-old son off a southern california boat says he and the boy were just horsing around, but passengers saw things differently. they claim he hit the boy and threw him overboard because he would not stop crying. sheriff deputies arrested the father on child endangerment charges and is he is out on bond today. it's no secret. tiger woods is off his game a bit. he has fallen out of golf's top 20 rankings for the first time since 1997. he says injuries kept him off for most of the summer, and he talks with fredric raricka whit. >> i think the best finish i had was at the masters this year, and other than that i have not played a lot. breaking news here i want to give you. we understand that president obama is going to be addressing a joint session of congress on september 7th. that is when he is actually going to be outlining his jobs program. he is going to be talking to the joint session of congress as well as to the nation. this is something that has been in the works that he has been planning. there have been a lot of taesz as to when and where and how that is going to take place, but clearly the president wanting to convey that he is on top of the unemployment situation, the economic crisis that we are in, that he has a plan that he is going to be putting forward, and that is going to happen on september 7th. that is the breaking news that we are getting at this moment. now on to texas, and the latest on the wildfire that has driven hundreds of people from their homes near dallas, ft. worth. more than two dozen homes have burned to the ground. kerie smith is on the phone with us now. she is going to give us an update on how big this fire is, and what is being done to try and get a handle on this. can you give us a sense, first of all, what are folks dealing with where you are right now? >> caller: where i am at right now the fire has grown to 5,130 acres. the increase in acreage is partly due to it becoming daylight and we're able to see, and that's up from 3,500 acres overnight. this is the fifth set of fires the area has seen in the year, and so they are not unfamiliar with what is happening, and they are also scared it will turn into something like it did earlier in the year. today we have the forest services, about 100 folks, water tenders and dozer, and they'll bring in heavy aircraft later in the day once the winds die down just a touch. hopefully we can -- >> it's a little difficult to hear you but we will try to continue with the interview. can you give us a sense of whether or not there are man u mandatory evacuations, if people had to leave their homes, or what should people do in that area? >> caller: there were evacuations last night and going into today. the exact number is not known at the moment, but the last count was 125 homes had been evacuated. the best thing to do is keep up-to-date with what is going on locally. they don't foresee anymore evacuations at the current time, and that is depending on the conditions and if they change. >> we will pay close attention to see how people do, how those folks do. again, it's a massive fire spreading in that area, and there are some evacuations taking place as officials gear up for a really tough time there in texas. here's your chance to "talk back." today's question, is it time for a third party candidate to get in the race for the white house? carol costello joins us from new york. hi, carol. >> hi, suzanne. why think i will get a single person saying no, but here we go. are american voters waiting for perot, as in ross parot. remember how he shook things up. he could say things and the party be dammed. who could forget how he characterized nafta. >> we're going to get a bubble surge building in industrial mexico, and then we're going to have a giant sucking sound vacuum of what used to be industrial america. >> comments like that ended up splitting the republican vote and putting democrat, bill clinton in the white house. what would 2012 look like if sarah palin ran has an independent. new york city mayor, bloomberg decided to give it ago. some earn for a third-party candidate. there's a website called americans elect, and it's asking for people to name and fight for third party candidates. even democratic political animal james carvel says it. i will read your xhepts later this hour. >> a lot of folks think washington is broken and the two-party system is not working anymore. you need to be to shake it up a bit. >> many of our facebook friends say because of the extremes are at work in the republican primary, and they vote for a certain kind of candidate, where independent candidate may be good on down the line. i don't know. >> thank you, carol. >> sure. here are stories on the rundown. homeowners taken by boat from their homes. we'll have a live report from little falls. with the skyrocketing cost with college and the job market, is college worth the money? we'll crunch those numbers. >> and syrians taken to the streets in protest for months, but the leader still in power. we will explain the key reasons why. later, the story of a young woman forced by moammar gadhafi to be an executioner. >> reporter: she admits she murdered 11 rebels, all prisoners of the gadhafi regime. >> translator: they brought one person in at a time, and they said shoot him, she tells us. [ oswald ] there's a lot of discussion going on about the development of natural gas, whether it can be done safely and responsibly. at exxonmobil we know the answer is yes. when we design any well, the groundwater's protected by multiple layers of steel and cement. most wells are over a mile and a half deep so there's a tremendous amount of protective rock between the fracking operation and the groundwater. natural gas is critical to our future. at exxonmobil we recognize the challenges and how important it is to do this right. we're getting more information about president obama's address to the joint session of congress to take place on september 7th. the president sending a letter to members of congress. in that letter he says to house republicans, i respectfully request the opportunity to address a joint session of congress on september 7th, 2011, at 8:00 p.m. it's my intention to layout a series of bipartisan proposals that congress can take immediate to continue to rebuilt the american economy. again, the president sending that official letter to members of congress to say that he wants to talk to the american people as well as to them about a way forward in making sure there are jobs that are created. a lot of folks who are suffering and the president putting forward that plan. this after an incredible debate over the debt and the debt deal and a lot of partisan politics playing out, a lot of folks feeling like washington is broken. the president will address those folks in washington as well as the rest of us on september 7th. we're now giving you a chance to choose the news. text 22360 to vote for the story you would like to see in the next hour in the "cnn newsroom." first, call it the smell of success. a grocery store of brooklyn bumping up business by bumping artificial food smells in the air. second, the world's most famous penguin, happy feet on his way to antarctica. but will he make it on his own? and third, you know him from movies like "true grit," and no jeff bridges trying his hand at music. you can vote by texting "1" for the smell of success, and "2" for happy feet heads home, or "3" for oscar winner turned musician. the winning story will air at the end of the hour. along the east coast, there is stunning destruction for folks not used to a hurricane. irene's impact will last for months, if not years. most of the worst damage is from the flooding, days after the storm. entire towns are still cut off by high water. cnn's chris knolls is with us from new jersey. what is happening there from where you are? what is the situation? are folks still trapped? >> reporter: many folks are just evacuated from their homes. we think, suzanne, all those who had been trapped in nearby patterson have now been taken safely away from their homes. as you mentioned, the storm hit a few days ago. the real flooding began here last night as the passaic river and several others in the area crested. they are cresting now double over their normal flood stage. just an absolutely amazing situation. the water shows no signs of receding anytime soon, and it will be measured in inches rather than feet. it will not be down, it looks like, until friday morning. and those out of their homes will not be back in them until this weekend. >> are there still folks who are actually trapped? >> reporter: say it again. i am sorry, suzanne. >> sure. are there still folks who are trapped? >> reporter: we're checking that out. i am sorry. the folks that have been evacuated -- i should have said the folks that were trapped were evacuated last night. but there are still 1,300 away from their homes and waiting to get back in. once they return home they will find homes filled with water, and basements and boilers all that stuff will have to be tossed. it's going to be a messy and long cleanup. >> i know it's going to be a long cleanup. any sense of how long it will take before people can get back to their homes and assess and figure out what they lost and what it will take to get their homes dried out, or is it a complete wash? >> reporter: i think those folks are going to be into their homes this weekend. speaking of personal experience from this storm, our home was flooded in westchester county. the water is gone, but try finding a contractor now, try getting a hold of somebody from the insurance company. all of these things take time, and for the folks here at little falls and in new jersey it will be a while before they get that relief. >> chris, yeah, we have seen that before from hurricane katrina. we appreciate it, chris. it takes a long time to rebuild. it's that time of year when students are heading off to college, and cnn is taking an in depth look at higher education. tuition is up as well as enrollment. and unemployment at 9%, and college grads have fewer opportunities after their degrees, and so what do they do? everybody is asking the question whether or not college is still worth the money? >> that's the $24,000 question, because $24,000 is the amount of average loan debt in the u.s. people were asked what they thought of college in tums of value and payoff, and they found interesting stuff. this survey was conducted yerl you are this year, and when people were asked if they thought college was a good value, a majority said it was either a fair or poor value, and 57% there with 40% saying it was a good or excellent value. and then 75% of over 2,000 americans surveyed said college was too expensive and placed a burden on american families. despite the fact that most people do not think college is a great value, and despite the fact they do think it's too expensive, 94% of parents said my kid is still going. 86% of graduates felt it was a good value. so there's a perception still that it's something most people should do. >> my senior -- niece is a senior in high school, and there's a debate, but she's going to college. she's going to college. >> that's what my mom told me. if you look at the unemployment rate and you compare how people with college debraegrees are fag compared to high school diplomas. for people with a college degree, ages 25 and older, you are looking at unemployment at 4.6%, and check out the spread here. for people with just a high school diploma, 10.3%. people who had a college degree were unemployed for around 18.4 weeks on average. people who just had a high school diploma, 27.5 weeks on average. all of the research suggests a college degree or trade degree, some sort of higher education is still worth it, though it makes sense why people are asking the question if college is worth it with unemployment so high and student loan debt always on the up and up. >> thank you, and we appreciate it. keeping a close eye as well as on the white house briefing, and it has not started yet there. we see the podium, but we will bring it to you after the break. 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. we have the two-minute warnings for the white house briefing, and sometimes two-minute warnings can be longer. we'll bring it to you as soon as it starts. we will keep a close eye on the podium. we will bring it to you as soon as we can. of course -- >> you have seen youtube videos like this before in egypt and libya and intunisia where governments are forming, but there is from syria where protests have not worked out and the situation is growing bloodier. a human rights group said 2,000 people have been killed since march. and we can't confirm those numbers. joining me now is our reporter. we see syria erupting, bloody streets. why isn't this working? >> one word. the military. the military is standing by the regime. it's a minority sect, and that's important. those presidential guards and military commanders standing by the government are from that same sect. going down meaning the whole regime goes down and that sect becomes the target for reprisals possibly, and certainly pushed away from power and has to stand down. the fight for this is a fight for survival, and that's what makes this up rising different. in egypt, the military did not shoot on its own people. in tunisia, it was the same. in syria, it's different. that being said the pressure being applied on the resegime i starting to make a difference. >> hold on to that, and let's go briefly to the white house. the spokesperson is talking about the president's aim of going before congress and unveiling an economic plan to create jobs. >> there was significant things we could do if we work together in washington, and that requires working with congress. he believes if members of congress, while they have been on their recess, have been hearing the same things from regular americans that he heard when he was on his bus tour, and then they will come back with a sense of urgency, and a focus and determination to do the kinds of bipartisan things that we can do right now to increase growth and increase job creation. so he believes that the venue is appropriate because of the actions that need to be taken. >> the timing of the speech, did he choose -- >> no, there were a lot of considerations. once you want to do a speech to congress and you have to deal with congressional schedules and there are many other factors here, and one debate of many that is on one channel on many was not enough reason not to have this speech at the time that we decided to have it. >> reporter: can you check with [ inaudible ]. >> we make consultations all the time with networks about the timing of speeches. >> reporter: do you yield, alison? are you concerned, as you know it's at the reagan facility. any concern of upsetting nancy reagan? >> i think the sponsors of the debate control with the timing of it they can make a decision based on how they want to handle this. there are many opportunities for the public to hear the president speak, to watch this debate, in one of many, and we will let that sort itself out. >> reporter: two questions on the speech. the president said yesterday in a radio interview that the government took take steps to have up to 1 million jobs. >> if you look at the full quotation and the context of the comment by the president he was speaking about economic models, economic analysis and models that say -- i am not an economists, but every 1% of growth equals this many numbers of jobs, and so that was not a reference to his proposal. i will leave the details and the projections of added growth and job creation to the speech itself and to the analysis afterwards. that was more reference to general economic analysis. it says if you take measures to increase economic growth, by this percentage it will result in this many jobs? >> the president has referenced -- >> the president made clear his commitment to present to the so-called super committee, special committee, joint committee in congress that is going to deal with further deficit and debt reduction. his own specific and detailed proposals. he will do that. he will certainly put the need for jobs, job creation and economic growth within the context of an overall long-term plan for dealing with growing our economy and getting our fiscal house in order. the speech tomorrow, or rather next week will focus on the immediate need to create jobs and super economic growth. it will -- there will be many elements of it and i don't want to over preview it here, but the committee meets for the first time the following week, i believe, and next week he will focus on jobs and growth. >> so it will not layout -- >> again, i will not get into the specifics. it will be a significant speech with many elements to it. but i don't want -- i want to be clear that the president is focused very much on steps we can take together, congress, the administration, to grow the economy and create jobs at this important time in the american economy. >> on housing, is the white house working on a new proposal at this point? >> as you know, restoring the health of the housing market after its dramatic collapse is an important goal and it's not an easy task. we have been committed since the day this president was sworn into office into making measures and steps that will help us do that, and we continue to look at new ideas for house to do that, and there are many measures that we have taken that resulted in many, many families staying in their homes to restructure their mortgages and allow themselves to stay in their homes. that's important and we will continue to look at measures most recently overt summer. as you know the president put forward an initiative of an expended plan for foreclosed homes. we continue to look at ideas. >> the unemployment and the state's help, those things are incremental, and for hamp, that served millions fewer than the administration said they would, how imperative is it to help those millions of people who are under water on their home loans to refinance? >> the president, as i said, continues to be focused on the issue. it's not an easy task. over 670,000 homeowners obtained permanent modifications to their mortgages under the program you referenced. and 25,000 to 30,000 more homeowners are obtaining permanent modifications each month. when you combine that with the assistance of provided through hud and the private sector. we will continue the look at measures and to take steps that can improve the prospects for homeowners and to allow them to stay in their homes, and, again, including evidence of the fact that we are constantly looking for new ideas on this issue are the two measures i just referenced. >> sounds very decoupled from jobs and it's something of a lesser priority -- >> these are all priorities. the housing challenge that we ten to face is part of the economic challenge that we face. there's no question. he is focused on that as part of his overall highest priority, which is the economy and jobs. yes? >> reporter: the 9/11 report card being released virtually as we speak, three of the big concerns it addresses, intel showing of coordination, particularly the dni, and communications and three, the real issues from 9/11 itself, and given ten years later, as we approach the anniversary, what happened? what -- >> well, i have not spent a lot of time on this. i think it was just today that it came out. but if you look at the number of recommendations the commission made and the number it filled, it's a high percentage. some of them are very technical. the answers to which i would defer you to the department of homeland security. we could be intensely focused on taking the fight to al qaeda and the terrorists who threaten the united states and protecting the homeland and the record that this administration has in those tasks is one worth reviewing. which doesn't mean that we don't constantly look for ways to improve. >> september 11th, the 10-year anniversary, a report that came out on intelligence regarding that, and it has been ten years now since the war in afghanistan began after the september 11th attacks, and we take a look at what is going on there. i will be heading to afghanistan next week to find out the training of the afghan troops and are they prepared to take over once the u.s. troops have gone home? i will be reporting live from afghanistan starting on friday, september 9th, through the weekend of september 11th. libyan rebels say time is running out for moammar gadhafi. they expect his regime to crumb you will within a week. they have set their sights on his hometown of sirte. and the humanitarian crisis is growing in syria. each day more chilling stories are uncovered that demonstrate the horror of gadhafi's regime. arwa damon met one woman that was raped by gadhafi forces and also was forced to kill. >> she is 19 with soft features and full lips, and became an executioner for moammar gadhafi. she was recalling the face of one of the men that she shot dead. she now lies in a hospital bed with an armed rebel guard out front. she doesn't want us to show her face. she admits she murdered 11 rebels all prisoners of the gadhafi reseam. they brought in one person at a time and said shoot him, she tells us. there was somebody on either side of me and one behind. they all said if you don't shoot, we will shoot you. she spokes haltingly, often fall into a silence. i would turn my said away and shoot, and then i saw the blood dripping, and it kept flooding. she said she was forcibly taken from her mother who is battling cancer. she was trained here at the female military academy from handling weapons. some of the other women at the academy were regime supporters. she said she was n the, but she couldn't leave. my brother came and tried to get me out, she says. she was threatened and told to leave. she says her commander kept her here at the headquarters of a brigade. she says as the up rising began in february, she was brought to see the commander of the brigade. he raped her. i screamed, she tells us. it happened twice. again, at the hands of two other commanders. she says all the women were raped, but they were forbidden to speak about it. as the rebels closed in on tripoli, she was assigned to the neighborhood where some of the heaviest fighting was taking place. it was there, she says, that she was forced to be an executioner. she finally escaped jumping from a second story window as a fire fight erupted. although they plan to put her on trial, many of them pity her. one says she was speechless when she first heard about her case. you think i get anger from her, i feel she is innocent. maybe she has no -- real sb intention to kill. all i want is to go home, she says, i want my mother. >> that is something a lot of people in vermont never thought they would see, record flooding from tropical storm irene cut off entire towns. we will speak with one of our ireporters who is standed. ♪ there's another way to minimize litter box odor: purina tidy cats. our premium litters now work harder to help neutralize odors in multiple cat homes. purina tidy cats. keep your home smelling like home. [ doorbell rings ] hello there. i'm here to pick up helen. ah. mom? he's here. nice wheels. oh, thanks. keeps me young. hello there, handsome. your dinner's in the microwave, dear. ♪ where do you want to go? just drive. [ engine revs, tires screech ] mom? ♪ but afraid you can't afford it? well, look how much insurance many people can get through selectquote for less than a dollar a day. selectquote found, rich, 37, a $500,000 policy for under $18 a month. even though dave, 43, takes meds to control his blood pressure, selectquote got him a $500,000 policy for under $28 a month. ellen, 47, got a $250,000 policy for under $20 a month. all it takes is a phone call. your personal selectquote agent will answer all your questions ... and impartially shop the highly rated term life companies selectquote represents for your best rates. give your family the security it needs at a price you can afford. call this number or go to selectquote dot com. selectquote. we shop. you save. ♪ hey, gramps, what do you got in there? well, a trout lure, a set of dentures, broadway albums. you know -- stuff. yeah. about that. that big wheel behind us... yeah? he's got a flat-screen, swivel chairs, and a fridge. oh. hey, man! can we come over tonight? it's surprising just how affordable an rv vacation can be. visit gorving.com and get a free video. or see an rv dealer. go affordably. go rving. can you imagine being stranded by floodwaters with no way out. one of our ireporters is stuck in her hometown of vermont after tropical storm irene drenched the state. >> it took out our entire road. we're not getting out of here anytime soon. we were bad preparers. >> peggy is with us on the phone. i understand that you are there, and your home still has a generator, but there are a lot of people that are coming to your house that you are helping them out and you are all essentially stranded at the top of the mountain? >> caller: yes, actually we're able to drive down most of the road, but the road connected to the main road has been wiped out by the flooding. the house is situated around the river, which is the one that overflowed and really took out much of the roads and access to the roads within our area. and it's the same thing happening in every stall town in our area. >> peggy, i understand that your house is the central location for the neighborhood, right? there are other folks that don't have electricity or a backup generator. are you feeding folks? are they communicating and are you able to talk to folks from your house? >> caller: yes, we have several homes that have generators, and many do not. we're taking turns at people's homes, and putting our food supply together and making great dinners, and keeping each other happy and figuring out how long it might take for us. we're very optimistic that we're getting help now and seeing some things happen. thankfully the weather has been beautiful. >> how are you getting help. how are people getting to you to get supplies and that type of thing? >> caller: we're in a small town and we have a lot of atvs and off-road vehicles that have been able to maneuver some of the roads, and the first two days we were not able to. we have a bunch of local people working hard and bringing out their backhoes and putting in dirt so they can get their atvs around. we had a chance to get medication and medical supplies back to us yesterday. so that's good. people are very resilient and out there doing all they can and staying up at night and getting the roads done as much as they can until we can get the roadwork people here. >> we wish you the best and wish all of your neighbors to stay safe. you are having good dinner together, and that's good you can all take care of each other during this difficult time. thank you for joining us and talking with us. crews are working hard to get the power back on, but still about 1.8 million folks don't have electricity because of the hurricane. for some it's more than just an inconvenience. a reporter looks at how people in one massachusetts town are coping. >> reporter: these are the stories of some of the powerful people living in the now dark houses on chestnut street. without electricity on days on end the consequences could be deadly for the 17-year-old, but a year ago her dad bought a sen rater for no particular reason and kept it in the garage, and it saved his daughter's life. >> we hooked it up to the refrigerator, and it keeps it gold. >> i sell real estate, the closings that were supposed to happen, and you can't wire the transfers, and you can't do a walk through because there's no electricity in the house. >> i moved over with her. >> reporter: she says her food was melting and she packed it up and took it here. she was thankful to seaver risen. >> the poor guy got out and he was shellshocked, because he said i am not the guy to fix this, i'm the scout. >> there are some power crews across the northeast that are making some progress. the number of people still without electricity is down about 1 million from yesterday. our "talk back" question of the day, do we need a third-party candidate in 2012? we will read through some responses after the break. if you are not happy with the city you live in, listen up, these are the world's most liverable cities. coming in at number three, vancouver a vancouver, canada, and vienna, austria. >> what other "negotiating" skills do you have? > i'm a fifth-degree black belt. >> as am i. > i'm fluent in 37 languages. >> (indistinct clicking) > and i'm a master of disguise >> as am i. > as am i. >> as am i. > as am i. >> well played naomi pryce. the economists has ranked these cities as the most liverable in the world. vancouver, canada, third, and vienna, austria, number two, and what is number one? melbourne, australia. by the way, no american cities made the top ten list. that's too bad. you have been weighing in on today's "talk back" question, and carol costello is in new york with your responses. hey, carol, what are folks saying? >> they have a lot to say as usual. is it time for a third party candidate in 2012? this from rusty, yes, a third party would shake up the status quo and force the others to genuinely work to help americans rather than work for the political party. and this from ellen, no, they can't win. what we need to do is make sure that two-party system we have works better with rigorous debate. and this from nicole, third party, no, and they would be just as unwilling compromise. a third party doesn't necessarily mean a centrist party. and it would be nice if there was somebody with common sense and not extremely right or left actually working for the people and not for the next election. pleas please, keep the conversation going. >> i think a lot of folks just want things to work, right, carol? >> i think that's an impossible dream, but, yes, you're right. >> you told us what you wanted to see, and your choose the news story is just moments away. gas and bloating. with three strains of good bacteria to help balance your colon. you had me at "probiotic." [ female announcer ] phillips' colon health. when i got my medicare card, i realized i needed an aarp... medicare supplement insurance card, too. medicare is one of the great things about turning 65, but it doesn't cover everything. in fact, it only pays up to 80% of your part b expenses. if you're already on or eligible for medicare, call now to find out how an aarp... medicare supplement insurance plan, insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company, helps cover some of the medical expenses... not paid by medicare part b. that can save you from paying up to thousands of dollars... out of your own pocket. these are the only medicare supplement insurance plans... exclusively endorsed by aarp. when you call now, you'll get this free information kit... with all you need to enroll. put their trust in aarp medicare supplement insurance. plus you'll get this free guide to understanding medicare. the prices are competitive. i can keep my own doctor. and i don't need a referral to see a specialist. call now to get a free information kit. plus you'll get this free guide to understanding medicare. and the advantages don't end there. choose from a range of medicare supplement plans... that are all competitively priced. we have a plan for almost everyone, so you can find one that fits your needs and budget. with all medicare supplement plans, there are virtually no claim forms to fill out. plus you can keep your own doctor and hospital that accepts medicare. and best of all, these plans are... the only medicare supplement plans endorsed by aarp. when they told me these plans were endorsed by aarp... i had only one thing to say... sign me up. call the number on your screen now... and find out about an aarp medicare supplement insurance plan. you'll get this free information kit... and guide to understanding medicare, to help you choose the plan that's right for you. as with all medicare supplement plans, you can keep your own doctor and hospital that accepts medicare, get help paying for what medicare doesn't... and save up to thousands of dollars. call this toll-free number now. you told us what you wanted to see, and we're listening. a grocery store gets a head up on the competition by dragging in the customers by the nose. >> if you are passing the sour pickled, it smells good. >> about 75% of what we sense as taste actually comes from our sense of smell. it's a pretty important detail when it comes to selling food. the folks here at net cost market figured out a way to actually boost that scent, and here it is. >> i don't eat a lot of product. they cannot attract me by a package, so the scent attracts me. that's why i brought this. >> five machines mounted on the walls throughout the store, and pump out artificial scents like bread, chocolate, bacon and grapefruit. >> reporter: we asked one of the producers if we could blindfold her and take her through the store and see what she can sense. she has no idea where we're going -- >> i smell meat. i just got a whiff of meat. >> that's amazing. that's exactly where we are. and, again, there is the device. something changed? >> yeah, are we in the bakery or dessert aisle? >> yes. yum. >> bakery smells different, you know. >> does it make you want to buy more things? >> yes. >> you want to buy everything? >> the company has stores in new york and pennsylvania, and already has plans to install the ma