23 more deaths reported in syria. a day after president obama and several u.s. allies finally called on president obama bashar al assad to step aside. arwa damon is covering this story. another friday, a day of prayer, but it was a day of brutal violence as well, arwa. >> that's right, wolf. and it would seem some pretty dramatic footage emerging from damascus. in the center of the city and in the clip that emerged on youtube, we could not independently verify its awe tenitiesty. you can hear the fear in the people's voices on the recording. now, we spoke to an eyewitness, a person who said he was at that demonstration and just as they were leaving the mosque, he said security forces began firing op them from all sides. people scattered into the alley ways. some of them stood their ground and tried to use rocks to keep their security forces away. in the southern province and a number of towns there, again, the very same scenario unfolded. the people who were wounded were being treated in the secret clinics. the security forces they fear will pick them up from the hospitals they want themselves. and even though all of this unfolded during the day. at night, wolf, nighttime demonstrations still going on. people still taking to the streets. we just received an update from one of the activist networks again rrting gunfire, loud explosions being heard in areas in damascus itself. >> arwa, the whole day after the president of the united states, the leaders of several european country, canada, they came out and said that bashar al assad must step aside. is there any indication at all in syria, in damascus that he's listening to them? that he's ready to go? >> we's probably listening but he's probably not doing anything. the government is aware the international community is still fairly divided over this issue. and for it to be able to put enough pressure on him where that would even be something that perhaps he and his government would contemplate they would have to puch up a much stronger international consensus. they were saying it actually helped boost their morale and they're saying it also made them realize listening to the debate the h the international community wasn't going to come in militarily. they do appreciate the pressure, by say at the end of the day, they're going to bring down the demonstrators. >> if you want to check out what i wrote on my blog, i write about syria. on this day after the president of the united states said he must go. a feignful end to a painful week. dow jones industrials closing down more than 172 points after a volatile day and a late selloff. all major indices down. the dow has lost more than 10% of its value. the s&p has lost 13% of its value. the nasdaq has tumbled 15%. cnn's with. it was a roh, rough week. >> everybody is a exhausted here on exalt. you saw all the selling happen. investors don't want to hold their stocks through the weekend. everyone is worried about a negative surprise. this has really been a market driven by every news headline that came out. any gains that happen, we did see some earlier today, they're really aren't sticking. traders are saying there's nothing out there to support the market. one trader telling me, wolf, give me a reason to buy and he says i just don't see any positive reason to do so. wolf? >> so what are we bracing for for next week. what are the traders saying? >> the second quarter estimate showed very slow growth in the u.s. there's a lot of signs showing that growth is slow, not expanding. first quarter sg dp was revised lower. that's almost no growth in this country. ged chairman ben bernanke heads to jackson hole, wyoming. we're going to really be listening to what he has to say. at last year's conference he hinted at a new round of federal stimulus. the big question this year, of course, are we going to see a repeat performance. will he hint at any stimulus measures, anything that the fed can do at this point to come to the rescue of the economy 1234. >>. >> all right, alison, thanks very much. you'll see my in depth interview with president obama. he talks at length about jobs, the pressure on his re-electioned by, he warns the texas governor rick perry to watch what he says. tomorrow night, 6:00 p.m. eastern only here on cnn. president obama isn't the only person raising red flags about rick perry's comments. less than a week after the texas governor formally announced his presidential bid, some mainstream republicans are venting their concerns about him in public, even more so in private. today, one former bush administration bounced on perry's suggestion that the federal reserve chairman balanced budget committing treason if me pumped more money into the economy and helped president obama get re-elected. bruce bartlett spoke on cnn's "american morning." >> rick perry is an idiot and i don't think anybody would disagree with that. but the thing is that the politics of the fed itself are really a more serious problem. >> let's bring in athena jones. she's been look into statements about global warming causing a bit of an uproar. what are you finding out? >> we, that's right, wolf. 9 texas governor rick perry has been making news nearly every day since he entered the race. so we thought today we would take a closer look at one of his statements. this time it's about the cost of efforts to slow down climate change. rick perry is not afraid to say what's on his mind. he's bashed federal reserve chairman ben bernanke. >> printing more money to play politics at this particular time in american history is almost treacherous, or treasonous. >> he's also criticized steps to reduce global warming. >> the cost to the country and to the world of implementing these andy corbin programs is in the billions, if if not trillions of dollars at the end of the day. >> perry said global warming is a theory that hasn't been proven. his doubts about global warming aren't new. in his book "fed up" he called the science of climate change a contrived phony mess. and he isn't alone. the percentage of americans who believe the earth is getting warmer has fallen since 2008. but leaving aside arguments about whether global warming exist, and the majority of experts believe it does, how true is perry's statement about the cost to the nation about efforts to combat it. fro opponents of measures to reduce greenhouse gases has it wrong. >> the reality is we should be investing millions of dollars, but we're not. >> in fact, the impact on federal tax players is minimal. lawmakers have not passed national comprehensive climate change legislation. the obama administration has set new fuel efficiency standards for vehicle, but auto makers have years to comply. companies may eventually invest billions of dollars developing technology to meet new standards. and households may spend more on energy efficient cars or see higher electric bills as plants dut emissions, but some argue the higher costs are worth it. >> suppose we are spending billions on anti-carbon approaches. that doesn't mean it's a bad idea. if indeed the science is compelling, as most scientists believe, then billions might be a good investment. >> now, governor perry's doubts about global warming put him at odds with gop rivals like nit romney and john huntsman who both fwlooef the earth is getting warmer. i reached out to rick perry to see what he's basing his remarks on, but i didn't hear back. >> if you get anything, let us know. athena jones reporting. we'll talk more about rick perry in our "strategy session." we'll discuss whether democrats would love to see him face president obama next fall. stand by for that. plus, local governments are trying to crack down on criminal flash mobs. we're going to show you what they're up against. and an 82-year-old grandma becomes the face of foreclosure. says she's been treated unfairly and she's now fighting back. the eagle flies at dawn. the monkey eats custard. price-line ne-go-ti-a-tor. so, you've been double crossed by other travel sites and now you want to try the real deal. yes, is it true that name your own price... ...got even easier? 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[ female announcer ] nourish plus. only from aveeno. law enforcement officials are reporting that a flash mob quickly gathered to rob a convenience store. it's a growing problem from law enforcement across the country. what are you learning? it's unclear if there's a copycat effect. but they're posing a challenge. it comes on the hill of a flash mob in maryland. in this case, police say they can't use social media to plan this since many had just gotten off a bus returning from a county fair. but in other city, there has been organizing on special media that's led to violence. one professor specializing in youth crimes say police are in unchartered territory and he says not helping matters is the fact that there's a generational gap. >> the police can close that gap, but the reality is a lot of police departments are i laing off and letting officers go. and the reality is the people who are let go are the younger officers who might be more inclined to engage in social media and have a better understanding of social media. i think there's an internal problem of police developing the personal capacity to monitor and respond to social media. to try to get an understanding of the problem, 106 retailers, it found found that 1 out of 10 reported being victims of flash mob tactics. >> thank you. now to an enormous foreclosure problem in the united states. sadly, americans get booted from their homes every day. but what if authorities tried to evict a feisty 82-year-old woman who refused to budge. cnn national correspondent susan candiotti is following this dramatic showdown in new york. >> we want justice for our people! >> honk your horns! >> early friday, supporters rallied outside the home of a woman whose only home she's known since 1969. >> it means everything. i have put everything into this house. all these years. >> she ran into trouble in the mid 1990s when she refinanced in order to raise cash to fight for custody of her great granddaughter, she was hoping to cash out $10,000. >> when they turned and gave the check to me, i almost passed out. $1,176.51. >> far less than the $10,000 she expected. she still has a copy of that tech czech. >> the next day, i went to the district attorney because i didn't know what to do. >> the lender turned out to be shady, but she could not have the loan rescinded. after a long legal battle, her home was sold at an auction three years ago. the new owner wants her out. >> i have no intention of leaving. if they break in and take me, i won't resist. >> cnn was inside ward's home mid morning. >> the marshal will not be taking any action today. >> after the closed-door meeting, cnn caught up exclusively with the owner. he told us he's considering a pro proposal to hand the property over to a nonprofit that would allow ward to stay in her home. >> we try to cork out as much as we could. >> you couldn't come to a resolution upstairs? >> i do not get a chance to talk to her. >> i hope so. >> do you have an objection to her staying in the house? >> ward, the proud granddaughter oof a slave is safe from eviction for a few more weeks, but after that, her fate depends on whether her lawyers can strike a deal with the owner. >> yes, it will be hard. but justice is going to be done. and soon. dignity for all. they're trying to take away our digni dignity, but they'll never take awe way my dignity. >> she's currently living in a building behind all this fencing and chicken wire and she has a lot of sup poerts. politicians say often an r african-american women are the targets of predatory lending. cnn money could not reach those involved in this deal. they're said to be back in business. wolf? >> all right, good luck. we'll see what happens. keep us up to speed. so much is the richest member of congress worth? we're going to show you a new list of the wealthiest lawmakers here in washington and we'll break it down by party. and after 18 years in prison, the men dubbed the memphis three, they are now free. we're going to tell you about the dramatic events that led to their release. 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[ female announcer ] introducing onstar fmv. get it installed on your car at best buy or visit onstar.com for more stores. three men known as the west memphis three are free after 18 years in prison. barry snow is monitoring that in "the situation room" right now. what do you have, mary? >> the three men walked out of the prison a short time ago to the cheers of the supportive crowd. two were sentenced to life sen sense and one was convicted to death. the case drew national attention with many people believing they were innocent. many said they were on course to win the right to new trials this year. we'll have much more on this story at the top of the hour. >> 69 people died on an island where young people were gathered if for a summer camp. family members are being shown the location where each victim was found after the attack. federal authorities arrested two pennsylvania men charged with making threats to former alaska governor sarah palin, her family and her lawyer. they're john christie and son 22-year-old craig christie. they're accused of calling palin's attorney more than 400 times this month and leaving profanity-laced threats involving sexual assault, kidnapping and death. and members of two basketball teams are attempting to mend fences. according to a statement from georgetown, coach john thompson iii and two players many et with the members of the chinese team. rueters can quoting a top chinese foreign ministry official as saying, quote, the skies have cleared. not sure about the bruises, though, wolf. we'll see you in the rematch. this weekend. >> in the republican presidential race, the former u.s. ambassador to china also has tough comments and even for his former bos, president obama. piers morgan asked huntsman about the showdown over raising the get limit and the tea party's refusal to compromise. >> i thought it was a height of irresponsibility, the height of irresponsibility where 25% of the gdp, the united states of america that has never defaulted before, just let it go over a cliff. you can imagine what the marketplace would have done in response. the mark place is trashing everybody right now. assets are under water. 401(k)s, retirement, you can only imagine what this country would look like today if we had defaulted. it was complete lunacy. >> do you have sympathy for barack obama who's been a friend of years personally? really usual refusing to compromise? >> he pinted me, and i stood up and took the appointment to serve my country. he had 2 1/2 years to get this country right, to do the most important thing demanded by the american people. fix the economy, create an fortunate that is conducive to job growth and he's failed us. i'll be speaking with piers. eel talk about his famous interview with christine o'donnell. she's making harsh accusations about him, explaining why she walked out of her interview with piers. piers will be here to respond. stand by for that. >> many lawmakers are experiencing that firsthand right now. lisa sylvester gives us a taste of the anger that's out there. lisa? >> wolf, this has been a brutal month for the economy. unemployment is above 9%. people have watched their retirement accounts plummet in value. constituents want their lawmakers to know they are mad. >> i want to see you working together. that means kras, republican, that means two parties, however you may call them. >> how can you stand here in front of all of us and take a pledge not to raise taxes? >> and they are angry. >> people who can afford! >> across the country, people are mad. mad at politicians for ignoring them and mad at politicians for ignoring each other. representative brett upton of michigan had his town meeting repeatedly interrupted. angry constituents parked themselves outside of their office. they couldn't get a meeting with him. >> among the protesters, steve similar co. >> it's an associates degree. i cannot find a job. i am -- i'm at a loss that our government and our officials are not standing up for them like we had asked. >> this is a town hall meeting. >> it's not just congressional lawmakers getting hit with criticism. president obama is not winning any popularity contests on talk radio host neal boortz's show. >> he's clearly grasping at straws. >> only after he spends a couple day, a week or so in martha's vineyard. then he'll have his plan for jobs. >> i think people are really fearful and fear is driving a lot of anger at washington. they're worried about the dmur of middle class jobs and retirement. and they don't see anyone in washington taking the future of the middle class and what keeps them up at night seriously. three out of four think they act like spoiled children. >> that same poll shows president obama's approval rating is 45%. congress's overall approval rating is just 14%. that is the lowest in history. >> thank you. a dramatic turn in libya's civil war. we're getting a live report coming in from the frontlines with rebel troops advancing on a key oil refining. stand by. >> a shocking suicide attack on a crowded mosque in pakistan. 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[ female announcer ] nourish plus. only from aveeno. for softer, stronger... ... hair with life. discover customersl are getting five percent cashback bonus at the pump... and at many of the places their summer plans take them. it pays to switch, it pays to discover. handle more than 165 billion letters and packages a year. that's about 34 million pounds of mail every day. ever wonder what this costs you as a taxpayer? millions? tens of millions? hundreds of millions? not a single cent. the united states postal service doesn't run on your tax dollars. it's funded solely by stamps and postage. brought to you by the men and women of the american postal workers union. ♪ an explosion ripped through friday's prayers in act stan today. the suicide bomber striking in the courtyard of a mosque. it happened in the northwestern tribal region in the words of one witness, dead bodies were everywhere. >> police say a teenage suicide bomber carried out this attack. they say he was no more than 16, 17 years old. this is one of those attacks that drives home that no target is free. the video of the the aftermath showed an awful scene, debris, shoes, bloodied victims staggering away from the scene, looking for help. at a nearby hospital, there were more victims, sometimes sharing one hospital bed because there simply wasn't enough room to treat everyone. no group claimed responsibility for this attack. but two important things to look at, the timing of the location of this attack. right in the middle of prayers, a time when mosques are often packed. and then you look at the location, the district jest west of pashawar, a region that's been hit hard by militancy, but because of thepakistani taliban area. wolf? this is cnn breaking news. it's happening in libya right now. let's bring in barbara starr. we're getting new information on what's happening potentially towards the libyan leader moammar gadhafi. >> officials are now telling cnn they believe it's very possible that gadhafi is making preparations for what they call a last stand in libya. of course, everyone is watching around the clock to see if he finally packs up and goes. but u.s. officials are telling us they believe he might be preparing for a last sand from his last strong hold which, of course, is tripoli. the last major area loyal to him where he has significant numbers of fighters. what would a last stand look like? officials don't know what he's up to. could he fire more scud missiles? of course on sunday, he fired one. would he launch an allout military assault on civilians in tripoli. does he still even have enough fighters loyal to him including the african mercenaries to do his bidding. right now they ear watching two things. they're worried now of this possibility that he's making preparations for what they're calling a last stand. wolf? >> barbara, thanks very much. a lot more coming up right at the top of the hour. stand by for that. meanwhile, some republicans are wondering hopefully if rick perry is too risky to run against president obama. we're going to talk about that in today's strategy session. we'll also discuss new criticism of president obama's health care law. one republican candidate says he would be dead if it had been in effect when he was diagnosed with cancer subpoena what if we designed an electric motorcycle? what if we turned trash into surfboards? whatever your what if is, the new sprint biz 360 has custom solutions to make it happen, including mobile payment processing, instant hot spots, and 4g devices like the motorola photon. so let's all keep asking the big what ifs. sprint business specialists can help you find the answers. sprint. america's favorite 4g network. trouble hearing on the phone? visit sprintrelay.com. 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[ male announcer ] chevrolet is honored to celebrate the unveiling of the washington, d.c., martin luther king jr. memorial. take your seat at the table on august 28th. >> let's get to our strategy session. let's talk first about rick perry for a moment. bruce bartlet who worked on the first bush administration. he reacted to the governor rick perry's comments about ben bernanke being treasonous if he printed more money. this is what he said. >> rick perry is an idiot and i don't think anybody would disagree with that. of. >> anybody disagree with that? >> i do disagree with that. i mean, we all know there's no love lost between the bushies and perry's folks. >> whoo i is that? >> because there's a lot of reasons, but it goes -- you know, all the way back when reagan was president and h.w. was vice president, i worked for lee atwater, we used to say the lowest ranking person on the reagan staff thought they outranked the vice president of the united states and they did. perry was lieutenant when bush was governor. bush drove the deal. just a bunch of type-a texans. >> oh, absolutely. i think if they had their choice, the belief is that both of them absolutely cannot appeal to those independent voters. when governor perry makes these kinds of comments, the problem is he does not come across as a strong economic person. he needs to be mindful of the voters. >> even some moderate republicans, peter king of long island, congressman from suburban philadelphia and chicago, they're saying maybe this guy is too radical to appeal to independent moderate republican voters. >> he got his economic training at texas a&m. >> actually he got it in austin, university of texas. nice try, rich. >> but he's been in the race for less than a week. and for somehow suddenly everybody fob thinking he's down stairs rehearsing his acceptance speech is silly. either he'll figure out what it takes to run for president or like a lot of people who have been very pop familiar statewide races, they'll find that the national stage is a little too broad. >> her main cain who is another presidential candidate -- >> did you say candidate? go ahead. >> he speaks lyingly of you. he said this about health care reform law. it's now the law of the land. listen to what herman cain said. >> if obama care had been implemented when i caught cancer, i would be dead and here's why. i was able to go to the doctors that i wanted to go to. as fast as they could do the tests. i didn't have to wait six months like you do in other countries. in order to get a cat scan. and sometimes people die before they get the cat scan. >> there's a lot of money in president obama's health care plan when it comes to mental issues. he might want to take advantage of that. >> where they have socialized medicine, you do have to wait to get a cat skin or mri. >> right, in other countries. this is what happened when you don't read. he's shown his failure to read many thing, whether it's afghan poli policy, but also the health plan. >> if every presidential candidate including the current president had to depend over hyper bollic statement they made on the campaign trail we would never have a president. 6 it's harder being president than a candidate. we have such a vast health care system that it's unfair to compare, you know, u.k. or even canada with the -- what's available here. and frankly, there are a lot of health care planses that make you go to the doctor they want you to go to also. >> right now. the current system that he's proud of, absolutely. >> because i'm sure he had good health chair. he was an executive at godfather's pizza. >> i'm sure his healthcare plan was a lot better than the employees, absolutely. >> and democrats said if you like your current health care plan, you can keep your health care plan, you're not going to have to change it once the new law went into effect. >> speaking of people who went into the mental health care business, you think that's true. >> why do you think it's not true? >> i a not an economist, but i do know this -- once you sit down the road towards single-payer -- >> but it's not. >> it will be once we set down that road. >> wow, i'm sure unions and progressives are happy to hear rich call it single-payer when it's not. >> it will be. >> let me know when that happens. >> if it will be if the democrats have a lop side mad jorty in the house and senate and there's a democratic president and enough to beat a filibuster, you think it's going to happen? >> over time, that's what it's going to end up being. they'll do it by fiat. >> it's not going to be single payer. that's not what was passed, that's not the case. wishful thinking, wake up, it's not going to happen. >> we'll see. >> moammar gadhafi may be waiting to make his last man. now almost two decades later, they are free. we're going to take you to the scene of their emotional release. ♪ [ male announcer ] they'll see you...before you see them. cops are cracking down on drinking and riding. drive sober, or get pulled over. discover aveeno positively radiant tinted moisturizers with scientifically proven soy complex and natural minerals. give you sheer coverage instantly, then go on to even skin tone in four weeks. aveeno tinted moisturizers. then go on to even skin tone in four weeks. or creates another laptop bag 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. >> per here's a look at this hour's hot shots. members of the international religious movement gather on a mountain to perform ritual dance dances. in switzerland, people drive on an annual meeting of am bibbuous cars. a girl shakes the water out of her hair in a downpour and baby flamingos are fed at the zoo. hot shots. pictures from around the world. some of the pentagon's priceyest fighter jets are on very shaky grund right now. let's go back to barbara star who is looking into the problems and the enormous cost involved. what are you finding out? >> the defense secretary knows job number one is to cut defense spending here at the pentagon and these aircraft may be first up. it's the most expensive weapons program ever, says the pentagon. $384 billion earmarked for some 3,000 f-35 stealth fighter jets. testing is resuming after a halt. they force the health fighter at $140 million. the fleet has been grounded since may after oxygen kept cutting off. with a half trillion price tag for both? you getting the combat capability that justifies that cost? >> we cannot afford aircraft that double and triple the original estimated cost. >> we have to watch it carefully. >> the f 22 has never been in combat. the f 35 may go the same way. both have serious limitations. >> these aircraft are relatively short range that means they have to be based close to the air of conflict. it was countries like china and iran building ballistic missile forces. >> a pentagon critic said the planes toor expensive and not stealthy enough. >> against some radars, it's detectible as soon as it comes over the horizon and some of the radars that are best at doing that are antiquated. >> these aircraft may be just some of the what's on the budget cutting list. all the major defense contractors in town lining up now to try and preserve their programs and they know after labor day congress comes back and the administration comes back from vacation and it's all about cutting the budget. wolf? >> all about the money. thanks very much. >> you are in "the situation room." the breaking news. we are following a chilling warning about muammar gadhafi. with rebels coming in, he may be planning a final massive military assault targles his own people. a stunning turn around in a case has three men convicted of murdering three boys walk free after serving 18 years for a crime many are convinced they did not commit. plus, the former candidate christine o'donnell and the fallout from her walk out on cnn's piers morgan. she has been buzzing about it all day and piers morgan is here to talk about it this hour. we want to welcome our viewers from the united states and around the world. you are in "the situation room" let's begin this hour with breaking news. a disturbing warning about muammar gadhafi. two u.s. officials told cnn they believe the leader could be planning for a last stand. a last stand possibly involving a final military offensive against civilians. that comes as rebel troops are making critical advances on the capital after months of near stalemate. we are on both fronts. she is in western libya and cnn international correspondent matthew chance in tripoli. sarah, what are you seeing and hearing and how close, you are with the rebel forces. how close are they to tripoli and how much trouble is ka dafy in right now? >> they are close to tripoli and only about 30 miles. it's a massive amount of fighting and only in one section of the city. the rebels say they have control of 80% of the important city and important because it is a direct supply route to the capital of tripoli. we know there major fuel shortages and it also has an oil refinery. the rebels are now in control of that oil refinery and cut it off to the regime. a big win for the rebels here in the western part of the country. there was massive fighting in the eastern section of the city. one section of the city that was very, very strong fire filt and you can understand why the forces want to keep hold of this important city. wolf? >> matthew, you necessary tripoli where the elements with gadhafi remain. what is the scene there? >> reporter: it's quiet tonight. it's an intensive air strike by war planes over the course of the last several days. earlier in the residential areas, but one of the houses said to be the house of the security chief in libya. perhaps the reason it was struck. i want to refer to the comments that you have been talking about with the u.s. officials saying gadhafi could make a last stand. something the leader has been talking about. he made addresses to thousands of supporters over the course of the past several days, telling them to be ready for a possible push against tripoli. to resist it. over the course of the last several months, residents have been armed by the authorities with assault rifles and things like that. there is a preparation here after a push, possibly in the weeks and months ahead by these rebel forces. >> have you sensed any change in the attitude towards and you other members of the international heedia who a medi might be becoming ominous for gadhafi? >> there is certainly a lot of tension in tripoli these days. that tension is mounting almost with every nato air strike. we have a time that it's palpable. generally we are being treated pretty well. generally we are getting a certain amount of information although we are kept on the close guard by the government minders. we are not given free to support in this. with these reports and with the military developments that the city has been encircled by the rebel