a police officer stopped to help a guy with a flat tire. steve: what? peter: he nearly gets flattened himself. steve: here it comes again. peter: we'll show it again. our slogan this hour comes from dee jacobson in st. paul, minnesota. you had me at good morning because at "fox & friends" you complete me. [captioning made possible by fox news channel] captioned by the national captioning institute -- www.ncicap.org -- steve: hi, everybody. welcome aboard. it is friday. it's going to be a beautiful day in new york city. peter johnson jr. is in today for brian. peter: thank you for having me. gretchen: very nice to have you all week. peter: i appreciate it my honor. gretchen: huge news coming out of the other side of the world. the commander of the taliban confirming the top terror leader has been killed in pakistan. sources say a c.i.a. missile strike killed baitullah mehsud, the leader of the pakistani taliban. he's considered pakistan's public enemy number one. his sources are believed to be behind a number of terror attacks, including the assassination of former prime minister benazir bhutto. a new prediction about when u.s. troops will leave afghanistan. the man said to become the senior advisor predicts the u.s. will be fighting in the country for two more years. at that point he says troops will either turn power over to an improved afghan force or, quote, lose and go home. meantime, a report on the war is due out in eye few weeks which may -- a few weeks which may lead to a request for additional u.s. forces. an accused killer in his own words. we warn you. this video is disturbing. the lone gunman who murdered three women in a pennsylvania gym recorded this video. in the video which was posted last year on youtube, he ranted about. >> my objective is to be able to emotionally connect with people. because when i'm 10 to 20 years older than she is, she has to feel good about this thing. gretchen: three women were killed, nine wounded when he opened fire on an aerobics class. we're also learning that he bought guns from the same online dealer who sold weapons -- uh-oh -- to the virginia tech shooter. new information on the two american journalists just released from north korea. lisa ling says her sister laura and euna lee did cross into north korean territory. she says they were only there for about 30 seconds before authorities arrested them. >> i know that laura has experienced a lot over the last four and a half months that she hasn't been able to dievulge or tell us. we just haven't had enough time with her. but i can tell that she has gone through a lot. gretchen: and coming up next hour, we will hear directly from lisa ling. she will join us live with new information on her sister's time in captivity. his movies helped define a generation but we're sad to report that legendary writer-director john hughes has died of a heart attack while on a trip to new york. >> buehler. buehler? buehler? >> hughes wrote the 1980's classic you saw there including the hugely popular "16 candles," "pretty in pink" and "home alone." john hughes. steve: i sat next to him at a world premiere of a movie once. my son peter and i. and peter was in second or third grade. and john hughes watched my son during the entire movie to see his reaction to see whether or not kids would think it was funny. peter: what a brilliant guy. that's one of the favorite movies in our house, that "ferris buehler." gretchen: great movie. let's talk about what's going on at these town halls. people are coming out enforce and they're angry. there's accusations flying from both sides of the fence. are people being bussed in? are there plants in the audience? that's what the democrats are saying. and now they're toughening up the senators and the members of congress who may hold these town halls when they go home for recess. they held a private meeting on capitol hill yesterday with david axelrod, who's one of obama's top people, to basically school them on how to cope with these protests. steve: and at the axelrod meeting, a deputy chief of staff for the white house, jim mussina, told meez democrat senators in the white house -- he said, quote, if you get hit, we punch back twice as hard. it kind of sounds like that chicago politics we've been hearing all along. but what they're really upset about at the white house is the fact that the right and those who are opposed to the president's health care initiative have been so successful in, you know, going to these things and turning them into events where they wind up getting televised and then we start talking about how there is opposition to the president's health care plan. peter: and apparently no so coincidentally the afl/cio announced yesterday that they are going to mobilize labor activists to attend town hall meetings in 50 congressional districts this month to counter the opposition to the health care reform. so if you're attending these town hall meetings, anticipate buses full of labor activists, as they're called, who will be attending. coincidentally to discuss. gretchen: the interesting thing will be to see how many of these town hall meetings actually happen now, because some members of congress have now said, look, we're going to hold conference call town hall meetings over the telephone now. some, at least one, says that he fears for his life at these town hall meetings. but also, maybe they don't want to get themselves into exactly what we've been seeing at some of these events so will they actually continue to hold these events? that, to me is very important today that could insight people to get even more angry. steve: so people were angry last night in tampa. and the town hall turned violent. apparently one congresswoman was trying to talk and the crowd was yelling about tyranny, tell the truth, read the bill, 40 million illegal, stuff like that. also in st. louis, south st. louis county, there was another town hall. remember in missouri, what was it, 10 days ago? members of the staff turned ugly. last night in st. louis, six people at a town hall were arrested. it's interesting. an organization which is for the changes in health care called health care for america now sent out a four-page memo and effectively it kind of dovetails with what axlerod said or axlerod's assistant, the deputy chief of staff, said we'll hit them back twice as hard. this memo from this outfit says if right-wingers yell at officials, left wingers need to coordinate with congress people. we need to provide them cover. peter, you touched on it a moment ago with the organized unions that apparently have been enlisted to help out. because apparently a number of people reported that members of seiu, a service employees international union, were at both the town halls yesterday in tampa and also in st. louis. and there's an interesting confluence here. a former union official from seiu, a man by the name of patrick gaspard these days is the white house political director. so there you've got the guy with deep union ties who is now the political director at the white house. and also, we understand that a number of people are saying, yes, the union is out in force because they're trying to counter people who are against the health care initiative. gretchen: i guess we shouldn't be surprised. you got one side who believes one way and another side who believes another so they are going to come out in force. i'm not surprised necessarily by that reaction. what i would like to see is that these things do not turn violent. i think there's a really important message to be heard here and that's the american voice so let's just hope that these events can stay civil, both sides. yeah, come to the event. let's have an interesting debate. let everyone have free speech. peter: absolutely. gretchen: but let's not insight all of this violence. peter: there's agreement on the couch that there shouldn't be violence and all americans agree there shouldn't be violence on any issue in this country involving political discussion. but i think the point that steve mentioned in terms of the seiu, that's a union with about two million members. i think it represents about a million health care members in the united states. and you mentioned patrick gasparz. he's a friend of mine. he is a brilliant guy, a very decent guy and a good family guy. but i think it's important to understand that there is a confluence between the white house policy and the labor activism here that's going on at this point. so, you see, organizing for america which is the website and front organization, the political organization, for the president, which is an arm of the d.n.c., sending out e-mails containing a statement from the president asking people to attend these town hall meetings to commit to this and to commit to the movement as he speaks of it. steve: and you know what, peter? this union has been in action in concert with obama before. because during the campaign they were enlisted to go out and campaign for the president. peter: and this is very effective. the health care workers. they've got a long history in the united states. but i think people are understanding that there is a connection between this white house and organized labor. and we haven't seen that in a long time, really since f.d.r. and the new deal, though he was often fighting with certain labor leaders as well. steve: more coming on this. peter: it's interesting. gretchen: let's talk a little bit about an editorial written today in the "new york times." if you read it very carefully, the accusation within is that america has not yet been able to get over the whole issue of race. and quite frankly if you read between the lines he's saying, i think, that some americans are still racist and that that's why they don't like the obama health care plan. this line jumped at me. many people hoped last year's election would mark the end of the angry white voter era in america. indeed voters who can be swayed by appeals to racial and cultural fear are a declining share of the electorate. i'm not so sure that the health care reform has anything to do with race. i think it has to do with people's personal choice and their fear that that may be taken away. peter: you're right, gretchen. but unfortunately it's even more than between the lines. it's on the lines. mr. krugman in today's "new york times" says, "people are reacting less to what mr. obama is doing or even to what they've heard about what he's doing than to who he is, the driving force behind the town hall mobs is the same cultural and racial anxiety that's behind the berser movement." so if europosed to health care reform, you obviously have cultural and racial anxiety. if europosed to the health care reform that president obama is talking about and that the democratic congress is trying to put together, then obviously you have a racial problem with this president. that is incredible. and you talk about hate speech. that is hate spheech. steve: sure. peter: that is destructive. that pits people against each other in a way that you were talking about that we don't need in this country. steve: sure. gretchen: and i fear that. peter: that stirs it up. that is just really incredible. steve: and mr. krugman write that right now the right has been very effective in getting people passionate on this. and the left, supporters of mr. obama, have not because perhaps according to, in mr. krugman's words, he's essentially not living up to what he promised. anyway, neil cavuto kind of summed the whole thing up. is it about race or is it about something else? listen to this. >> i take issue not with the color of this president's skin but maybe the thickness of it and the thickness of all of those around him. especially those hell bent on health care their way or the highway. this isn't about red or blue but seeing things in black and white. because this isn't democrat or republican. this is us. after all, we pay the bills. pay us some respect. steve: couldn't say it better. peter: the past two or three weeks has been intense national debate on this issue that we're engaged in this kind of mccarthyism that if europosed to national health care reform by president obama, then you're a racist. gretchen: we will continue to debate this throughout the day for the next three hours. also coming up, the aarp supporting health care reform. and that has some of its members, retired folks, outraged. two of them so mad they're tearing up their membership cards after 11 years with the program. they join us live next. peter: and talk about a close call. an officer helping a driver change a flat tire -- nearly flattened himself when another tire flew by at 60 miles per hour. steve: you don't see that every day. this is my verizon small business specialist, tom. now, i know the catering business but when i walked in here i wasn't sure what i needed. i'm not sure what i need. tom showed me how to use mifi to get my whole team working online, on location. i was like, "woah". woah ! only verizon wireless has small business specialists in every store to help you do business better. you're like my secret ingredient. come in today and connect up to five devices on one 3g connection. now only $99.99 into an incredibly strong, healthy cat.he has blossomed... his coat is incredibly shiny and soft and very thick. everybody thinks he's the most handsome cat they've ever seen. 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[ announcer ] it's amazing what one can do. gretchen: 17 minutes after the top of the hour. another $2 billion has been approved for cash for clunkers, but some estimate the program will burn through that money by labor day. so just how much is cash for clunkers costing the average american? let's ask a former administrator of the u.s. general services. she joins me from d.c. today. good morning to you. >> good morning, gretchen. gretchen: i know you have some concerns about the costs of this program that you believe are even more for the government than the $4,500 per car that we've been hearing that they're shelling out. tell me more. >> gretchen, it's absolutely crazy if you think about it. last night congress approved another $2 billion for a program that they really don't know yet if it's working. secretary lahood is running around town saying that it's been a great success, but we haven't seen any hard data or any facts to support that. and the government is not known for running programs efficiently or cost effectively. and i can assure you that when you look at the costs, the kinds of administrative and managerial costs that go into any program, the cost to the taxpayer is a lot more than the $4,500 they're claiming. i suspect it's a lot near tore a little over $6,000 per car, you know, averaging about $250 million in administrative and managerial costs to administer a program for a very short period of time. gretchen: and i can point to the fact that i know that when the dealers received the instructions on thousand operate cash for clunkers, the instructions were 136 pages long. you talk about saving energy in our economy or trees or anything like that, that in and of itself is ridiculous. and for anyone to even figure out the program. so your point about beaurocracy well taken. another issue you have is that you don't have to prove citizenship? you don't have to give a social security number? what does that mean? >> it means that there's a lot of potential for fraud. because what you don't have is any way of tracking who's actually getting the $4,500 trade-in subsidy. it could be illegal immigrants. it could be just folks coming over from mexico or canada who decide they want an extra $4,500 and then they take the american tataxpayers' money and go back o their own country it really is irresponsible. if you look at the 136-page report with the forms that have to be filled out, they have 78 people who are allocated only to processing the forms for the dealers. gretchen: and they've hardly accepted hardly any of them. the percentage that have gone through so far are tiny. real quick, what will happen when cash for clunkers is over? >> my concern is that it won't ever be over. it hasn't really and isn't going to give the blip to the economy that it wants simply because when you get down to it, it's money that's being spent that is going to cannibalize future sales. gretchen: exactly. >> it's like i a sugar high. you get a little up and then you crash. gretchen: medical procedures under jeopardy under the new health care plan. why you may find it tough to get things like an m.r.i. even when your doctor thinks you actually need one. and are you constantly on the go? who isn't, right? and hoping to catch some winks on your next flight? well, your pilot may be running on less sleep than you are. we'll explain. and steven tyler rocking a little too hard. he goes flying off the stage right into some fans. that coming up. how does jell-o sugar free pudding fit all that rich, chocolatey taste in 60 calories? ♪ ♪ oh, so delicious who cares? jell-o sugar free pudding. every diet needs a little wiggle room. i had a great time. me too. you know, i just got out of a bad relatio... it's okay. thanks. goodnight. goodnight. (door crashes in, alarm sounds) get out! (phone rings) hello? this is rick with broadview security. is everything all right? no, my ex-boyfriend just kicked in the front door. i'm sending help right now. thank you. (announcer) brink's home security is now broadview security. call now to install the standard system for just $99. the proven technology of a broadview security system delivers rapid response from highly-trained professionals, 24 hours a day. call now to get the $99 installation, plus a second keypad installed free. and, you could save up to 20% on your homeowner's insurance. call now-- and get the system installed for just $99. peter: good morning. some headlines. g.m. says it's in the process of building the first plug-in hybrid s.u.v. the company says it could get twice the mileage. excellent. the model will use a lithicum ion battery. it should be available to you by 2011. and from sixth place to the head of the class. west point now placing first in the new "forbes" list of top colleges. yeah. the u.s. military academy bumped princeton out of the top spot. rounding up the top three are the california institute of technology. look at that. steve: the best part about west point if you're lucky enough to get asked to go, it's free. gretchen: wow. didn't know that. are you constantly on the go and hoping to catch some winks on your next flight? well, your pilot may be running on a little less z's than you are. all right. i'm not so sure i'm going to like what i'm going to hear about this story. take it away. >> good morning, guys. gretchen, we certainly don't want to frighten our viewers. but the fact is, four of the last six commercial aviation fatal crashes involved a commuter airline. that's why c.e.o.'s of those airlines were being grilled before a senate aviation subcommittee yesterday. so we decided to investigate. take a look. >> over 3407. >> continental flight 3407 killed 50 people near buffalo, new york, in february. a commuter flight gone horribly wrong. rebecca shaw, the 24-year-old copilot, made just $16,000 a year. she commuted over 2,500 miles, taking two separate flights just to get from her home in seattle to her home base in newark, new jersey that morning to report to work. regional planes make up half of all the flights in the country. according to the f.a.a., four of the last six fatal commercial aviation crashes has involved a regional airline. fatigue, low