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welcome to "american morning." >> good morning to you, and to you. it is a busy week. breaking news. freedom coming for two u.s. hikers held priter in in iran. they could be out with the half hour. right to mohammed jamjoon covering this. what's the latest? >> reporter: well, ali, we've heard from a lawyer from the the two detained hikers tells us a second judge in iran has signed the paperwork, the bail paperwork for josh fattal and shane bauer. the lawyer says now he can take that paperwork and start the procedures to free them. he expects they will be free with the half hour. also, iranian news agency saying they will be handed over to swiss embassy officials in about half an hour from now. ali? >> we've had false starts on this the last couple of weeks. the idea here, of course, it's through the judiciaries, any likely to stop this as far as you can see? >> reporter: ali, i apologize. having a little problem hearing you. we've heard in the last few weeks, wrangling going on between the judiciary and the president, mahmoud ahmadinejad. essentially ahmadinejad gave an interview the hikers would be released with a matter of days. the hard-liners came out and said we're the final arbiters. we'll release them when the time is right and made it clear it's the judiciary there, the judge, able to have the final say. this speaks to the tension in iran between the judiciary and between ahmadinejad. and the fact that ahmadinejad made the statement before going to the unga, before going to new york and couldn't get the hikers to new york before he went seemed to indicate the hard-liners were trying to diminish the stature of ahmadinejad. he couldn't have a big victory so he could look magnanimous in front of the world stage in new york. they're indicating they are going to be released today. we don't know all the behind the scenes wrangling going on, but speculation they're involved in trying to release the hikers and possibly could come here because sarah shourd released, revealed the amanis paid the bail for sarah shourd and speculation they might be involved in paying the bail for the two hikers who might be released today. a lot of details to be sorted out. speculation growing they will be released today. the iranians are saying speculation is high they will come to amman once released. >> you didn't hear the question but answered a exactly what i asked. we'll keep a close eye what's gone og an the minute the hikers are released we will bring you that as breaking news right here on cnn. and the white house. president obama meets face-to-face with palestinian president abbas. a push to stop the palestinian for applying for statehood on friday. instead, trying to steer them back to the bargaining table with israel. richard roth is with us. good morning, richard. >> reporter: good morning. well, the united states says there's been a seismic change in the world since the last general assembly high-level debate. that's certainly so in north africa. sweeping change from tunisia to egypt. turmoil in syria and yemen. president obama is going to address probably those changes. u.s. documents saying that the united states has helped change the course of action here at united nations with more of a spirit of cooperation, and a white house strategic communications director says the focus is also, of course, going to be on the middle east with the u.s. president set to meet the palestinian leader later today. >> at the end of the day, peace is going to have to be made between the parties, that it can't be imposed from the outside. that it can't be accomplished through actions of the united nations. >> this is the first day of the general assembly debate. the u.s. president always speaks second after brazil. this time, the first time a woman president will speak first leading brazil. it should be a very interesting day in the news of those possible hiker releases. president ahmadinejad speak tomorrow but will be in the building later today and not attending the u.s. president's address in the morning here at the u.n. christine? >> richard roth. thank you so much, richard. it is the dawning of a new day in libya. you're going to see it in a second. there it is. that new red, black and green flag of the north african nation now has its place in the row of flags at the united nations. libya's new interim prime minister, expecting to have a new government in place with ten days. [ chanting ] and that's what freedom looks and sounds like. cnn cameras capturing the people of libya celebrating wildly at the national transitional council troops rolled into the city yesterday. one of the last strongholds of the ousted dictator moammar gadhafi. a major setback to peace efforts in afghanistan. officials say the former president and chief peace negotiator was killed by a suicide attacker with a bomb hidden in his turban. they say rabanni was assassinated in his home by a man posing as a taliban peace envoy. the afghan president hamid karzai calls his death a tragic loss. he cut short his trip to the u.n. meeting in new york to return to afghanistan. waiting to die. a georgia death row inmate is set to be executed. troy davis convicted of shooting and killing an off-duty police officer more than 20 years ago, but he will be killed by the state under a huge cloud of doubt with supporters around the world still insisting they have the wrong guy. david mattingly has the latest from atlanta. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. at this hour supporters of troy davis saying anyone with the power needs to act now to stop this execution. [ chanting ] their last means of legal recourse seemingly exhausting. there may be little more to do but shout their frustrations and pray. meanwhile, the prosecutor who sent davis to death row for the. >> moderator:er of savannah police officer mark macphail broke years of silence calling it unfair and unjust. >> we have felt we were ethically bound to maintain our silence, and express our opinions and judgements on the facts in court, which is where we have. and every place where we have, we've won. >> reporter: now retired, he believes his witnesses who testified against davis 20 years ago and later changed their stories or recanted did so under pressure from davis' supporters and failed to appear credible, he says, in the eyes of the court. >> it has been a delay throughout. the longer the delea, the more time they have to create not honest doubt, real doubt, but the appearance of doubt. >> reporter: the georgia board of pardons and parole again refused to stop davis' execution saying its decision was based on the totality of the information presented in this case. davis supporters say race was a factor. >> this is jim crow in a new error. there's just too much doubt for this execution to continue. >> reporter: this is davis' fourth appointment with execution. another last-minute delay seems far less likely this time. families are davis and officer macphail both prepare for the end. >> it's like reliving a nightmare over and over, but the thing tab is, we have to stay strong in our faith. >> we have lived this for 22 years. we know what the truth is, and for someone to ludicrously say that he is a victim, we are victims. look at us. we have put up with this stuff for 22 years and it's time for justice today. >> reporter: and that execution now scheduled to happen in just under 13 hours. christine? >> david mattingly, thanks, david. dramatic new video of friday's deadly plane crash at an air show in reno, nevada. in it you can clearly see the plane slam into the ground and literally shatter. >> oh, no. oh, no. oh, my god. >> 11 people died including the pilot when he lost control of his vintage p-51 mustang crashing it straight into the ground. ray wilson was at the event with his two son. one shot the video you're looking at. he suggested it could have been a lot worse and that the pilot was a hero. >> anytime you see a plane in an air race go skyward you know something is wrong. as it's in the air, it actually works its way back behind the grandstands, which just never happens at an event like that, and because of that, when he comes down, his momentum is moving away from the grandstand, and so that the massive debris that you see out into the tarmac, you know, had he crashed where, you know, coming out of the race towards the stand, that would have come into the stands and we would be talking about mass casualties. >> and the cause of the crash is still not known. investigators are focused on part of the tail that appeared to fall off before the crash. that new video will obviously help them come to some conclusions. new this morning, a dispute over how much to spend on disaster relief threatening to trigger, yes, a gft shutdown. senate majority leader harry reade sayi reid saying it could happen at the end of the month. because of the hurricane and the people in texas dealing with devastating wildfires. >> -- heard the reports that senator mcconnell said there will be no shutdown. i am not that sure. i'm not that sure, because the tea party-driven house of representatives has been so unreasonable in the past, i don't know why they should suddenly be reasonable. >> the republican-controlled house votes today on a short-term bill to fund government agencies through mid-november. that bill campaigns a lot less money for fema and the army corps of engineers for a disaster response than a bill that passed the democratically controlled senate last week. and according to their attorneys, invoking their fifth amendment rights and not testify before congress this friday. they received a $555 million loan back in 2009 and the company filed for bankruptcy earlier this month. days later the fbi searched their offices, although it's unclear exactly why they're investigating. a cup of coffee and a muffin's may run you, what? $4? no. turns out the justice department paid five to six times that. the agency provided people at that washington gathering $16 for muffins. for one muffin. $8 for a cup of coffee or tea. just for one cup of coffee. oh, and a snack break -- >> $32 for everybody? >> no. that's $32 a head for a little popcorn i think and maybe a soda. >> where did the muffin come from? >> that's the question. a very smart subcontractor, vendor, who knew the government would just pay it and not ask any questions. >> a muffin made by the gods. >> this is after the department issued new guideline on wasteful spending because it served employees $5 swedish meatballs in the past. >> even i couldn't get to that. crazy. >> trying to think, a captive audience, charge you a lot. why doesn't government use its incredible purchasing power to negotiate prices for everything from muffins to prescription drugs? just wondering. >> i get my coffee from a little machine over there. you know how much i pay? goose eggs. >> those trying to raise taxes, why couldn't the government do more with the money we already give them? apples and oranges or muffins and oranges. >> i'm hoping those muffins were good. >> must have been amazing. coming up on "american morning," he left his heart in san francisco, but this morning tony bennett has other people questioning another part of his anatomy after shocking comments about the 9/11 attacks. and more serious, troy davis about to be executed. our "talk back" question this morning is it time to rethink the death penalty? and bill clinton with kind words for two republican presidential candidates. are we witnessing the return of civility in politics? carol's going to laugh the next two minutes as we take a break. it is 14 after the hour. you're watching "american morning." lorie sweetener with b vitamins, the first and only one to help support a healthy metabolism. three smart new ways to sweeten. same great taste. new splenda® essentials™. whose non-stop day starts with back pain... and a choice. take advil now and maybe up to four in a day. or choose aleve and two pills for a day free of pain. way to go, coach. ♪ way to go, coach. my grocery bill isn't wasteful spending. my heart medication isn't some political game. our retirement isn't a simple budget line item. i worked hard. i paid into my medicare. and i earned my social security. now, instead of cutting waste and loopholes, washington wants to cut our benefits. that wasn't the agreement. join the members of aarp and tell washington to stop cuts to our medicare and social security benefits. ♪ hush, little baby ♪ don't you cry ♪ soon the sun ♪ is going to shine ♪ [ male announcer ] toyota presents the prius family. ♪ walk if i want, talk if i want ♪ [ male announcer ] there's the original one... the bigger one... the smaller one... and the one that plugs in. they're all a little different, just like us. i tell you what i can spend. i do my best to make it work. i'm back on the road safely. and i saved you money on brakes. that's personal pricing. 18 minutes after the hour. we're following breaking news out of iran. the pending release of two american hikers. their lawyer says the court paperwork has been taken care of. our producer in tehran now reporting he just saw two diplomatic vehicles enter the prison compound where the hikers are being held. they could be free with minutes. we will let you know as soon as it happens. we've gat producer in tehran. we've got a reporter mohammed jamjoon in amman. very involved in trying to secure the release of these hikers. this has been a long, long story we're following. we'll let you know as soon as these two hikers are released if they are released. >> haven't seen freedom since july 1, 2009. a real ordeal for all of them. tone bennett hitting sour notes during an appearance on howard stern's radio show. promoting a new album, but the conversation took a sharp turn when stern asked limb about the 9/11 terror attack. bennett made it clear whom he thought was to blame. >> they flew the plane by, but we caused it. >> why, because -- >> we were bombing them and they told us to stop. said, what are you doing? and they came on stronger, and -- come on. we're going to have to retaliate. no, no, no. give them four times as much. >> the 85-year-old bennett apologized for these remarks saying there's no excuse for terrorism and the murder of nearly 3,000 innocent victims. >> now's your chance to "talk back" on one of the big questions of the morning. is it time to rethink the death penalty? troy davis, is convicted cop killer will die tonight, despite this rally and assertions of davis' innocence from amnesty international to the pope to president jimmy carter. whether you agree with them is up to you, but davis' case aside, american juries seem increasingly reluctant to see any inmate put to death. since the 1990s, the be in of executions in america has significantly declined, from 98 executions in 1999 to 46 executions last year. that decline seems at odds with the strong feelings many americans still have about the death penalty. witness the republican debate. >> your state has executed 234 death row inmates, more than any other governor in modern times. [ applause ] have you -- have you struggled to sleep at night with the idea that any one of those might have been innocent? >> no, sir, i've never struggled with that at all. i think americans understand justice. >> that's texas, but 16 other states do not have the death penalty. as for why juries seem loathed to impose a death sentence? that's unclear, but maybe it's because more than 130 people have been released from death row with evidence of their innocence since 1973. many juries now prefer another option. life without the possibility of parole. so the "talk back" question for you this morning -- is it time to rethink the death penalty? facebook.com/americanmorning. facebook.com/americanmorning. i'll read your responses later this hour. >> eager to hear the responses from viewers on that. a shocking political development. a prominent democrat has actually said something nice about two republican candidates for president, and it happened right here on cnn. >> i need a drink! >> this is really crazy. former president bill clinton, in "the situation room" with wolf blitzer, semi-endorsing jon huntsman. behold credibility. >> you'd be happier if romney or huntsman got the nomination than rick perry. >> they'll both lose if anybody this i've endorsed them. i'm just saying that i appreciate the fact that they are trying to navigate a landscape that bears almost no relationship to what's produced successful economies in the world, and had are lots of countries now doing better than we are in some areas, because of the very ideas that apparently you have to support to get the nomination. if you're anti-government guy you've got to say every tax is bad, every regulation is bad, every program is bad. first it's factually not true and distorting our policy. >> president clinton says there's a serious lack of debate about climate change in this country and he calls that really tragic. he, of course, is here as part of the clinton global initiative which takes place when the u.n. general assembly is in new york and a number of conferences this week, climate change has been an issue with europeans hammering hard on americans saying it has become trendy now, they say. trendy in the united states to say that you're anti-science or somehow reject the science of climate change. they find that quite fascinating. >> trendy? it's political. and many, frankly, don't believe in global warming in this country rcht to a lot of europeans, that's surprising we're still debating that. >> and alarming, they would say. ahead on "american morning," japan bracing for another deadly disaster. a typhoon slams ashore overnight. a live report from tokyo. it's 23 minutes after the hour. so who ordered the cereal that can help lower cholesterol and who ordered the yummy cereal? yummy. [ woman ] lower cholesterol. [ man 2 ] yummy. i got that wrong didn't i? [ male announcer ] want great taste and whole grain oats that can help lower cholesterol? honey nut cheerios. were back. "minding your business" your business. uncertainty about greece and the fed zapping what was a three-digit, triple digit rally on wall street. the dow barely squeezing oun a gain, the nasdaq and s&p were down. futures up. as i mentioned, we'll learn today of the fed after its meeting unveiling a short-term stimulus to boost the economy. reviving a program known as "operation twist." it's goal, keep long-term interests rate down to fuel the recovery. the international monetary fund raising a red flag. the group in a report released prior to this week's meeting warns "the global economy is in a dangerous new phase" and expects the world's economy to slow in the next two years. forecast growth in the u.s. just 1.5%. that's not enough to pull down the unimploemt rate. word of another shutdown on capitol hill. how much to spend on federal disaster funding and could hold up the approval of a short-term spending bill to keep the government running into next month. news we all want to hear. right? jobs. gm adding 6,400 at plants here in the u.s. all part of a new labor agreement with the new united otter workers union, raising the pay for entry level positions and boosts profit sharing for all gm workers. and charging the gambling site full tilt poker costing investor more than $440 million. that site has been shut down. "american morning" will be right back after this quick break. [ woman ] jogging stroller, you've been stuck in the garage, while i took refuge from the pollen that made me sneeze. but with 24-hour zyrtec®, i get prescription strength relief from my worst allergy symptoms. so lily and i are back on the road again. with zyrtec®, i can love the air®. good morning. we're crossing the half hour. we have breaking news for you. two ameri