400,000 since april. that is too high. economists say to make a dent in the unemployment rate. federal authorities have charged a young massachusetts physics grad in a terror plot. agents say rezwan ferdaus planned to use remote control airlines to hit the u.s. capitol and the pentagon. they would have been filled with a plastic explosive. the fbi says that they arrested him, he's an american citizen, after a lengthy undercover operation. john mccain leading a delegation of republican senators on a trip to libya today. the group has been meeting with libya's national transition council, the rebel leaders that drove moammar gadhafi from power. a spokesman says the council knows gadhafi's general location. senator mccain talked to cnn from tripoli. >> i think that the people of libya, the ones that i've talked to, would like to catch him alive. they would like to see him on trial for the horrendous crimes that he has committed. every few days they come across another grave. some of them with hundreds of bodies in it. there's no doubt that this guy was hated by the people of libya and i think they would like to see him brought to justice more than they would like to see him dead. >> gadhafi is facing a long list of war crimes charges. if captured, he would go before the international criminal court in the hague. >> the paramedics that rushed to michael jackson's home the day he died are expected on the stand today. court gets under way in about 45 minutes or so. jackson's doctor, conrad murray, is on trial for jackson's death and prosecutors say he gave jackson an overdose of anesthesia and other drugs. our cnn's dr. sanjay gupta explains what the defense strategy is. >> they may think after conrad murray left the room, that michael jackson had in fact been feigning sleep or plays possum. he got out of bed and went and took more tablets. took eight of these 2 milligram tablets of that and injected more propofol into his system. and then went back to bed. they say that michael jackson actually self-administered the anti-anxiety medication and propofol after feigning sleep in front of dr. conrad murray. >> along with paramedics, jackson's chef and security chief are expected to testify today. we'll have portions of that live on cnn. in italy lawyers for american amanda knox are giving final arguments at her appeals trial. she's expected to address the jury on saturday. a verdict could come as soon as monday. knox and her boyfriend were convicted of slitting her roommate's throat in what prosecutors describe as part ritual. no evidence convicts them to the crime their lawyers say. legal experts say it could take months to extradite george wright to the united states. he escaped prison in 1970. two years later wright allegedly hijacked a delta flight, flew to algeria and vanished. on monday after 41 years on the run, police arrested him in portugal. wright was in prison for killing new jersey gas station owner walter patterson in 1962. the victim's daughter wants him back behind bars. >> it was initial shock and then i get upset about things and then after thinking about it, it was more like a weight had been lifted. >> police found wright living in a picturesque village in portugal living a normal life with a wife and two kids. food inspectors are fanning out to make sure that supermarkets have pulled bad cantaloupe. melons from a colorado farm are contaminated with what is called listeria. it's a bacteria that has now killed 13 people. 72 people have gotten sick across 18 states. experts think that more people are going to get sick. it can take up to three weeks for listeria symptoms to even show up. to sports, four teams, three amazing games, two playoff spots on the line. closing day for major league baseball season. it was a rather wild one. in the american league, the tampa bay rays were in the hole. they won the game in dramatic fashion. the red sox completed historic september collapse with a loss to the orioles and will sit out the playoffs. in the national league, the atlanta braves were up eight games at the beginning of the month and lost last night in a 13 inning nail biter. that combined with st. louis win put the cardinals in the playoffs. more details now on one of the big stories of the day. the involuntary manslaughter trial of michael jackson's doctor. the third day of testimony gets under way this hour. we expect to hear more about dr. conrad murray's actions the morning that jackson died. cnn's ted rowlands is outside of the courthouse in los angeles. give us a sense, a preview, of who is scheduled to testify today and what are they likely to talk about? >> reporter: well, it's a big day for prosecutors. they'll start with the first person other than conrad murray to see michael jackson unresponsive. he was the first one to walk into the room and he was the run th one taking directions from murray. prosecutors will lay the groundwork to set the scene for jurors but also to basically critique murray's actions specifically. murray asked alvarez to call 911 but it was only after he asked alvarez to help him gather bottles of propofol. very damning because it looks to consciousness of guilt on murray's standpoint. once 911 was called, murray was performing cpr on a bed instead of a flat surface which is normally the protocol. he asked alvarez if he knew cpr and also going to the prosecution's theory that murray was just in over his head all of the way through this whole process and that he was incompetent. this is a theme they hammered out in their opening statements. alv alvarez will help with that. the defense will try to hammer away at alvarez. then it goes to the chef. this is the woman that the only prosecution witness really that has any sense of time. every other witness says this was so chaotic, i have no idea what time it was, the chef, however, knew exactly what time it was because she was waiting to deliver a smoothie if you will, a fruit drink to michael jackson. she said she kept looking at her watch so prosecutors will use her to time stamp all of the things going on in the house. they're using phone records but they'll also use this chef. it will be compelling. they may get to the first responders today, the ambulance folks, the emts depending on how long the other witnesses go. >> we heard emotional testimony yesterday about jackson's children that they were crying and that they were trying to be comforted here and there were efforts to revive jackson. i imagine this is going to be pretty tough for the family to sit through today. >> reporter: we'll get more of that. one of the things that alvarez testified to in the preliminary hearing is murray told alvarez to call prince, michael jackson's oldest son, up to the room. he'll detail that. and then this chef also details the children. she did in the preliminary hearing what they were doing and how she helped shield them from michael jackson. yesterday was talk of michael jackson's daughter curled up in a ball in the house. the family has already arrived. mr. and mrs. jackson have arrived and it will be tough day for them as well in court as it was yesterday. >> we don't expect the children are going to be there, do we, ted? >> reporter: no. they're on the witness list but there's no indication that either side is going to call them. they really don't bring anything to the case. it doesn't look like either side would dare bring one of those children in because jurors could easily turn on whoever makes a child get up on the stand. >> all right. ted rowlands, thank you. we'll follow all of that as the testimony is live. we'll bring that to you. here's your chance to talk back on one of the big stories of the day. today's question is herman cain fair when he says that african-americans were brainwashed? carol costello has more from new york. this is very, very controversial. we heard him talk to wolf yesterday about this because he believes that all african-americans are just voting democratic and in his view it's brainwashing. >> absolutely. you're going to hear it for yourself in just a minute. republican presidential contender herman cain hit a nerve. >> why is the republican party basically poisoned for so many african-americans? >> because many african-americans have been brainwashed into not being open-minded, not even considering a conservative point of view. i have received some of that same vitrial. >> rowland martin called the remarks stupid. martin says there hasn't been any real effort on the part of this year's republican candidates to actually reach out to the black community. historically african-americans don't fully embrace or did not fully embrace the democratic party until the 1960s when a democratic president pushed through the civil rights act. today according to james peterson from lehigh university, when republicans talk about cutting things like entitlements and being tough on immigration, african-americans see a subtle form of racism there. it's a complicated issue. the talk back issue, was herman cain fair when he said african-american voters are brainwashed? go to facebook.com/carolcnn. >> i think you'll get a lot of responses on that one, carol. a lot of frustrated -- we'll see what happens but i guarantee you will get responses on that one. all right. thanks. here's a rundown of some of the stories we're covering first. what should you look out for when buying a cantaloupe? we'll talk to an expert about protecting yourself from the listeria outbreak. and a man is charged with planning to pack these model airplanes with explosives and fly them into government buildings. find out how the fbi found out about this alleged plot. then, more details from the moments before michael jackson died. they are revealed on the stand. and later, sneakers that promise to firm up your butt there but now the government says reebox was deceiving its customers. [ male announcer ] this is lara. her morning begins with arthritis pain. that's a coffee and two pills. the afternoon tour begins with more pain and more pills. the evening guests arrive. back to sore knees. back to more pills. the day is done but hang on... her doctor recommended aleve. just 2 pills can keep arthritis pain away all day with fewer pills than tylenol. this is lara who chose 2 aleve and fewer pills for a day free of pain. and get the all day pain relief of aleve in liquid gels. they can end up with shaving irritation. ♪ get gillette irritation defense shave gel and gillette fusion proglide razor to help defend against five signs of shaving irritation. ♪ try gillette fusion proglide and the irritation defense line. help defend your skin. ♪ 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. the fda is trying to make sure that you and your local grocery store have gotten rid of cantaloupe linked to the deadly listeria outbreak. health officials are double-checking stores for any contaminated fruit. the bacteria is blamed for at least 13 deaths. that's the most fatalities from illnesses caused by tainted food in a decade. authorities have traced the listeria outbreak to cantaloupes grown in colorado. it has now spread to 18 states. joining us to explain what listeria is and how you can protect yourself is dr. david achison. he's a former chief medical officer with the fda and, doctor, thank you for joining us. let's start with the basics here. we're not talking hift e ining we're talking listeria. what is it? >> it's a bacteria that gets on the surface of foods and can get inside foods and it can grow in your refrigerator and if you're a high-risk person if you are pregnant or elderly and immune compromised, you're a serious risk of major health consequences if you get exposed to it. >> what are symptoms? how would you know that you actually have been exposed to this bacteria? >> let's divide that into two parts. first, the two high risk groups are pregnant women and elderly immune compromised. if you are pregnant, you could have little symptom. flu-type feelings. minor fever. don't feel right. it doesn't do much to impact the mom but it can be devastating to the baby particularly if you are in the second or third trimester of pregnancy. there are symptoms that are minor. if you had exposure and you have a bit of flu-like illness, get yourself to the doctor. if you are elderly or immune compromised, the systems are more profound. fever, feeling really unwell. it can infect the brain so you get headaches, youan adversion to light. get yourself to a physician. >> this is treatable? >> it is absolutely treatable. if you get in early, it responds to antibiotics and it's treatable. having said that unfortunately it does have a pretty high mortality rate. people do die from this because they don't get in early enough and get on some treatment. it's a nasty illness. >> we have a cantaloupe here. you know what's surprising is this has such a thick skin but most people would be surprised to learn that you really should wash this outside and wash it thoroughly before you cut into it. what's the best way to protect yourself from food-borne illness when it comes to cantaloupe and other vegetables, fruits? >> great question. it's an important one in this context. number one, look at those cantaloupes that you purchase at the supermarket. are they bruised or damaged or have holes? that's important. bugs on the surface can get inside the cantaloupe. we love that sweet, juicy meat for ourselves so do bacteria. they love growing inside the cantaloupe. if it's damaged, don't purchase it. once you get it home and you're ready to consume it, scrub it under controlledcold running water. when you chop it up and cut it up on a clean cutting board. don't mix it up with your raw poultry or raw fish. get it in the refrigerator and consume it within 24 to 48 hours. that's the best way to try to safeguard against a problem. >> all right, doctor. thank you so much. we appreciate it. >> pleasure. thank you. >> thanks. the listeria outbreak in cantaloupe is the latest high profile case of illnesses that are linked to tainted food. we've also had recalls recently of ground beef and ground turkey. over the past few years we've seen huge recalls of eggs, peanut butter and spinach. attorney bill marler is with the food safety law firm that represents people suing over outbreaks from tainted food. he joins us from seattle. thanks for joining us. first of all, is there something that is broken in the food system? >> i think, you know, as the doctor said, listeria is a very difficult bacteria to deal with. it's a real problem for industry. if they're not on top of things it can get into the food supply and your refrigerator and sicken and kill. with the food safety modernization act passed last year, all of us in food safety both from the industry side and consumer side are really hopeful that we're going to see a downturn in food-borne illness. a lot of that work still needs to be done and a lot of it needs to be funded so i think time will tell. >> bill, the fact that this happened so rarely when we talk about the serious situation, should we take comfort for the most part that we feel safe with the foods that we eat? >> well, if you're a betting person, i suppose. cdc says 48 million americans are sickened every year from a food-borne illness. there are 3,000 deaths. it's estimated to cost the u.s. economy about $150 billion a year. so it's a big problem that requires an investment and requires our diligence. >> all right. sounds like it's still a very serious problem. we appreciate your insights there. thank you. >> thank you very much. reebox claims that some shoes can make your bottom just a little bit firmer. let's see if you bought those shoes, you may want to get your money back. we'll tell you why. we're watching a big rebound on wall street today. carter evans is at the new york stock exchange. what are we seeing right now? >> reporter: we got good numbers. we're off our highs but things are keeping -- we're holding for good numbers right now. here's what's going on. let's talk about the numbers that we're getting in today and the reports that we're getting in today. we got a report in on our gross domestic product showing that our economy grew 1.3% in the most recent quarter. it's more than expected. we also found out the unemployment claims last week fell a lot more than expected. down below that 400,000 mark. we've only seen that twice in the last five months or so. that's good news as well. we did find out just a little while ago that pending home sales are on the decline. they fell in august by a little more than 1% but most of that due to hurricane irene. >> all right. are you ready for this story? are you ready for this one? >> i love it. i love it. >> you've been warned. those reebox shoes supposed to firm up your butt, a waste of money. do you have a pair of those by the way? i got to ask you that first of all, carter? >> reporter: i don't. i don't. my wife has a pair. not of this particular brand but another brand but here's the deal. easy tone and run tone shoes by reebox. the federal trade commission says the advertisements are deceptive. reebox is claiming and you look at one of the commercials right now, reebox claim they tone your butt and your thighs more than other shoes. other ads were more specific saying it gave your butt 28% more strength. i'm not exactly sure how they measured that. >> we're not going to get into how they measured that. but your wife maybe should get that refund, huh? >> reporter: i'm sorry. i couldn't hear you. let me explain to you what the option is here if you are trying to get money back. you definitely can. you head to the ftc's website. here's the thing. it's not really clear how much you'll get back. they have a $25 million fund for this set up right now. it really depends on how many people file claims as far as getting money back you just head to the ftc website. what reebox says about this, we stand by our claims. these shoes do strengthen your butt and thighs but we settled to avoid a long lawsuit. >> all right. fair enough, carter. we'll see if your wife gets the refund or not. thanks. here's your chance to choose what story you would like to see. florida's invasive reptiles. the exotic pet trade is bringing a lot of creatures to the united states that are not from here and they are being let loose. we'll tell you about how it is impacting the environment. text 2 for france's post-it wars. we'll show you the art work. and text 3 for cuba cars for sales. cubans can't buy and sell cars freely. we'll tell you what happens to those classic 1950s buicks. you can vote by texting 22360. winning story is going to air next hour. the fbi says that it foiled a terror plot aimed at blowing up the pentagon and the capitol. model airplanes were part of that plot. we'll go live to washington to find out how the attacks were going to be carried out. 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. that's why we extended $7.8 billion to small businesses across the country so far this year. because the more we help them, the more we help make opportunity possible. 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