host: meanwhile, former president bill clinton is in north korea this morning. it was a trip not announced in advance, as he tries to bring home those two american journalists. his wife is in kenya this week. at the white house, president obama meets with robert gates this afternoon. among the issues, the possibility of additional troops moving into afghanistan. it is tuesday, august 4. it is also the president s 48 birthday. we will begin by talking about taxes, the deficit, and the u.s. economy. what are the headlines that we want to bring to your attention? this front-page of the hill newspaper. airports that the obama administration on monday quickly shot down a trial balloon that opened the possibility of new taxes on middle-class up for the nba came under heavy fire from labor unions, liberal leaders, and republicans. the press secretary robert gibbs scramble to backtrack on the idea. we will show you later on what he said to reporters at the what does. inside, the re