thank you for waking up with us. i'm live in new york. let's start in texas, shall we? it's a dry, scorched burning place this morning. its wildfire problems are getting worse. more than 60 new fires broke out over the weekend. the biggest and maybe the most dangerous is the one you're looking at in bastrop county, 30 miles from downtown usa. p let's go to atlanta and check in with rob marciano. we're going to get to chris welch who's in texas just a bit. i wanted to talk to you first about the dry conditions in texas and if they're going to get any relief from mother nature. >> we don't see a whole lot coming down the pipe there, carol, and what's the good news today, is that lee, or what's left over of lee is pulling off towards the north and east and that really, the past two days, has what's been causing the biggest problem ironically. we were hoping to get lee's moisture over there. it didn't. it missed it to the east. it got the back side, the wrap around dry air winds that only made the conditions worse yesterday. so today, we don't have critical fire danger, we don't have red flag warning that's up. that's the good news. the winds will be lighter. it's not going to be any more moisture. and it's not -- definitely not going to rain, but the winds will be lighter and the temperatures will be a little cooler. i tell you, what from the firefighters that i've talked to over years of covering fires like this, they'll take cooler winds, cooler temperatures, and they'll certainly take lighter winds. they don't necessarily need a complete dumping of rain from a tropical system to get a handle on this fire. so the hope is today they do that. chris welch i believe is on the line with us via phone. what can you tell us as far as the latest stats of fire, ac rage, containment. >> we're still hearing about 25,000 acres so far. we got a new number, i guess that number was updated yesterday afternoon. we, of course, expect that number to go up. we were hearing yesterday for most of the day, 300 homes had been destroyed so far. now we're hearing that number is closer to 500. i believe the number they gave us now is 476 homes destroyed. i can tell you where we're standing right now it's still dark, the sun hasn't come up here, but you can see this massive orange glow and firefighters -- we're told firefighters have been working throughout the night. they've got about 250 firefighters that are working to battle this fire right now. we're also hearing word this morning that governor rick perry, who cut his campaign trail trip short yesterday to come back to the state to tend to this stuff, he'll be holding a -- he's going to fly over this morning at 8:00 a.m. local, 9:00 a.m. eastern. after that do another press briefing. we hope to hear more from him later today. we will get you new pictures to you as soon as we can. >> what's been the strategy for today and going forward with the firefighters told you as far as what the plan of containment is with these residents being so close? >> given the fact that yesterday, winds actually picked up a little bit more than they anticipated, the fire started posing more of a threat than they anticipated as well. so they hoped to do more of a ground fight with this, but yesterday that was not possible. they were dropping buckets of water and retardant from blackhawk helicopters, not doing much in the way of ground because it's just too dangerous to send crews that close to these flames when the winds are so bad and, you know, the humidity level is so low. it's dry out here. that had been the plan yesterday. once daylight comes today, they're going to do a briefing with the emergency crews and they hope to, you know, figure out if they'll be able to do something different today. >> chris welch for us live from the fire lines in bastrop county, texas, outside of austin. carol, no rain there. the rains from what's left over of lee continues to move off the east coast, we'll be watching that for potential flooding for the areas that got hit by irene. and hurricane katia is now a category 3 storm, with winds of 125 miles an hour. we do not expect landfall in the u.s., but it already affecting the east coast with big waves and the winds with this large storm will get to parts of eastern new england, but thankfully no direct hit expected. >> yeah. it's already raining here in new york too. rob marciano and chris welch, many thanks to both of you. the fires in texas meant governor rick perry had to break away from the presidential trail. you heard chris mention that. perry missed yesterday's palmetto freedom forum in south carolina. senator jim demint, congressman steve king of iowa and a princeton law professor hosted. demint is one of the tea party's biggest champions on capitol hill. the three hosts asked the republican candidates about the constitution, role of government and their positions on various issues. here's a sample. >> what would you change about our foreign policy? >> a lot. first i would have one. >> i happen to believe that this information is weakening america militarily. this is not what americans want. the world is not safer. >> the constitution does not specifically enumb rate nor does it give to the federal government the role and duty to super intend over education that historically has been held by the parents. >> liberty and rights don't have anything to do with entitlements. entitlements means you can take someone else's money and the government there is to redistribute it. >> he's the most effective food stamp president in american history. >> okay. you saw michele bachmann there. there's been a shakeup inside her campaign. her campaign manager is moving into an advisory roll. ed rollins had a stroke more than a year ago and doesn't have the endurance for the long daily grind of a white house bid. bachmann's campaign manager is quitting over what he calls strategic differences. those people clearly don't like the way president obama is handling the economy, nearly do 65% of americans in a recent cnn orc international poll which means the pressure is on to deliver with obama's big speech on jobs later this week. yesterday, president obama gave a sort of preview to a pro-union crowd in detroit. >> we've got roads and bridges across this country that need rebuilding. we've got private companies with the equipment and the manpower to do the building. we've got more than 1 million unemployed construction workers ready to get dirty right now. >> when president obama lays out his new jobs plan to a joint session of congress on thursday, cnn will, of course, carry it live. don't miss our special coverage beginning at 6:00 p.m. eastern. the president told that detroit crowd that he would defend organized labor and restore the middle class. teamster's president james hoffa went one step farther. listen. >> president obama, this is your army. we are ready to march and president obama, we want one thing -- jobs, jobs, jobs! >> okay. he said something else that's riled up the political pundits across america. we're going to talk more about hoffa's speech in our political ticker with jim farley in a few minutes. jerry lewis wasn't there this time but the 46th annual muscular dystrophy telethon he devoted so much of his life to went on. ♪ i come to you with open arms >> that was celine deon doing her steve perry impression. md officials say the telethon raised more than $61 million. that's the best it's done since 2008. this time, the telethon wasn't really a telethon. it lasted only six hours. sitting at your computer all day can cause all kinds of stress on your eyes and neck. now, inventors have come up with a way to make sure you are sitting up straight all the time. it doesn't involve your mother. but first, it's time for our quote of the day. this is the quote. you are the only folks keeping the barbarians in the gates. end quote. comes from a politician, high-powered one, and it's not jimmy hoffa. we'll tell you who said it and what they were talking about in 90 seconds. ed our room right? 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[ female announcer ] find the tide that's right for you at tide.com. it is ten minutes past the hour. this is your "am: wake up call." let's get back to the quote of the day, shall we? the quote is, you are the only folks keeping the barbarians in the gates. end quote. that was vice president joe biden in ohio saying organized labor is under assault. here he is getting all fired up. >> you are the only folks keeping the barbarians in the gates. you are the only nongovernmental power. the only nongovernmental power. the only one that has the power and the capacity to stop this onslaught. >> he's talking about a new gop backed law, restricting collective bargaining rights for public employees. unions will try to overturn that ohio law, sb 5, they'll try to overturn that law in november. time for a check on the world markets. they took quite a tumble earlier, so let's go to kristie lu stout live in hong kong. why? >> hey there, carol. markets in europe they are rebounding. modest gains i'm talking about. providing at least some relief after monday's steep fall. now that said, analysts say that high volatility is likely to remain until there's a lasting solution to the european debt crisis. those debt woes are also driving the asian markets today. and also worries about the strength of the u.s. economy also hurting share prices here. markets here extended monday's sharp declines with banking and energy companies all leading the way. carol? >> okay. let's talk about something, i don't know if it's more pleasant but certainly is interesting, this invention to make sure you keep your posture while working at your computer. >> yeah. i overheard you earlier comparing it to bringing your mom to work. there is a lot of that in here. there's a high tech computer monitor designed to help your health at work called thor go sensor. it detects a range of moments in front of the computer screen like how you're sitting and how many times you're linking your eyes and tells you if you're sitting in the optimal ergonomic zone. it can reprimand you for bad posture and tell you when you need a break. this computer monitor will go on sale in europe starting in december. what do you think? >> do you think people will buy that? >> do you know what, i think there would be a number of buyers in asia. i don't know -- in the u.s. i'm not sure. but i have a gut sense that people here in asia would be curious about this thing. even though it does seem more annoying than informative. >> i was going to say, i think i would punch it after a while. thank you. >> especially if it involves pop-ups. right? >> exactly. christi lu stout, thank you. james hoffa know house to energy a pro-union crowd. see what got them fired up in detroit and a tea party appearance just before president obama. it's 13 minutes past the hour. at exxon and mobil, we engineer smart gasoline that works at the molecular level to help your engine run more smoothly by helping remove deposits and cleaning up intake valves. so when you fill up at an exxon or mobil station, you can rest assured we help your engine run more smoothly while leaving behind cleaner emissions. it's how we make gasoline work harder for you. exxon and mobil. 14 minutes past the hour. welcome back. it's time now for our political ticker. president obama getting warmed up for his big, big speech on jobs on thursday night. we got a preview of that speech as he spoke to a union crowd in detroit. listen. >> there is work to be done and there are workers ready to do it. labor is on board, business is on board. we just need congress to get on board. >> tim farley, host of "morning briefing" on sirius joins me live from washington. the president was fired up, but i understand before the speech senator carl levin handed president obama a speech by harry truman, sort of a "give them hell" kind of speech and i don't know that president obama delivered that in detroit, but some might say he came closer. >> that was seemingly the attempt, al this i find it ironic harry truman was the one who had the army take over the railroads when the union was on strike and that was a different part of the truman presidency. there seems to be a push, carol, for president obama to fight. indeed the "l.a. times" has a poll that indicates although people would like to see congress do something about jobs, as we approach the big speech by the president this week, there's also a sense they don't want him to compromise at all. they want him to stick to his guns and fight. and this is a union movement, of labor that has been disappointed in some ways of this president because he has not done anything about nafta, he has also not moved forward with union voting and in some ways has been, as i say, disappointment to this group. how much he can actually depend on labor in the 2012 election remains to be seen. >> well, labor is certainly providing the fighting words for president obama. i'm sure everyone's heard by now what teamster's president james hoffa said right before president obama took to the podium. president obama was not there yet when james hoffa said this. listen. >> everybody here's got a vote. if we go back and we keep the eye on the prize, let us take these son of a -- out and give america back to america where we belong. >> now, of course, he was talking about the tea party and he -- and by taking them out, he meant voting them out. of course tea party supporters took it a whole different way. they took it in a more violent way. they've sent out this press release via e-mail asking supporters for campaign donations because of what james hoffa said. maybe this sort of stuff resonates not only with union members but for other liberals who think president obama should take off the gloves? >> yeah. and this is going to be one of the key tests of the 2012 campaign. we've seen mitt romney reaching out more to the tea party. whether or not the tea party is going to be that much of a factor in 2012, sarah palin was trying to get them not to be divided when she was appearing this weekend in new hampshire. the tea party is not on the ballot. it is a symbol, if you will, of the more right wing parts of the republican party. just as for some people, the unions might be considered part of the more left wing aspects or the more left wing side of the democratic party. so if you get the extremes playing against it, the question is who's going to play in the middle and where are the independent voters in the screaming. you have to energize your base but get those people who want something to happen in washington, d.c., and i think the battle is going to be there. but as you say, we've got some pretty exciting language going on here and we'll see if that does resonate either on the right or left. >> and just an added thought, president obama supposed to be the guy who brings the sides together. that's what he campaigned on. that's what he's been trying to do. so it's difficult for him just to abandon that all of a sudden and turn into this tough talking harry truman kind of president. >> yeah. exactly. and although the -- we've talked about the left wants a -- they want a fighter, the president, they don't want a professor in chief which is what they seem to be getting more often from this president. he also has to govern by the way. he's running for president. unlike 2008 when he was on the outside looking in, he's on the inside now and he's got to figure out what to do. the speech on thursday night, perhaps, the first step in a long series of steps to get him to re-election in 2012, at least that's what he's hoping for. >> we'll see. tim farley, thanks as always. tim farley host of "morning briefing" on sirius. libyan convoys moved through a neighboring african nation, so where's moammar gadhafi? is this part of his attempt to seek refuge outside of libya? we're digging around for answers. but first, it is september 6th and that means it's fight procrastination day. to everyone out there who likes to race deadlines, put off things until the last second, fight that urge and get it done today. it's 19 minutes past the hour. [ cherie ] i always had a job, ever since i was fourteen. i could not make working and going to school work. it was not until the university of phoenix that i was able to work full-time, be a mom, and go to school. the opportunits that i had at the university of phoenix, dealing wh profesonals teaching things that they were doing every day, got me to where i am today. i'm mayor cherie wood, i'm responsible for the largest urban renewal project in utah, and i am a phoenix. [ male announcer ] find your program at phoenix.edu. a mouthwatering combination of ingredients...e for you! i know you're gonna love. [ barks ] yes, it's new beneful healthy fiesta. made with wholesome grains, real chicken, even accents of tomato and avocado. yeah! come on! [ barking ] gotta love the protein for muscles-- whoo-hoo! and omega-rich nutrition for that shiny coat. ever think healthy could taste so good? [ woman announcing ] new beneful healthy fiesta. another healthful, flavorful beneful. 22 minutes after the hour. this is your "am: wake up call." here are three things to put on your radar today. at 8:30 eastern, mayor bloomberg of new york scheduled to give an update on the progress at ground zero as we look ahead it to marking the tenth year anniversary of the nation's tragedy. also this morning, general david petraeus will be sworn in as the new cia director. at 2:00 p.m. eastern, a hearing to discuss the u.s. postal service crisis. it may not be able to pay all of its bills at the end of the month. the postmaster general among several being called to testify at today's hearing. overnight we learned libyan convoys passed through the african nation of nige. let's bring in zain verjee. any evidence he is? >> hi, carol. that is the million dollar question and i don't have the answer. nobody does. at least nobody talking to us. what we're trying to figure out here, moving quickly, what is going on. what we do know is that there are two convoys of libyan vehicles passing through niger. that's according to the nigerian military captain and minister in the ministry of interior in niger. neither of which were authorized to speaks to the media. what we understand is one of the convoys is heading to the cap nall of niger, and the other has already reached. it is not clear who exactly is in those convoys, but there is speculation that it could be moammar gadhafi, it could be members of his family, it could be loyalists just leaving. we don't know for sure. but we're keeping our eye on it, carol. that's for sure. >> okay. talking about people still loyal to moammar gadhafi. what's going on at bani walid in libya? >> well, negotiations are going on. what an official in the t