"situation room" starts now. thanks very much, brooke. happening now, republicans pouncing on president obama and a horrible new unemployment report. this hour, the numbers and the politics and what it all means for millions of americans who need a job now. plus, i'll talk to a republican congressman who plans to boycott the president's big jobs speech before a joint session of congress next week. also, a new worldwide travel alert as we approach the tenth anniversary of 9/11. national security insiders tell us what they know about the risk of a terror attack. revenge, as far as al qaeda is concerned on that momentous day. and a statue honoring one of the most important figures in american history, made in china. controversy surrounding the dr. martin luther king memorial. i'm wolf blitzer, you're in "the situation room." it's a big fat zero, and it's a bright red circle around the unemployment mess in this country right now. the government reports today that no new jobs were created in the united states in august. it's the first time in nearly a year there hasn't been a monthly net jobs gain. the unemployment rate held steady at 9.1%. but stock traders were spooked. prices plunged at the opening bell and respond to the jobs report. all three indices were way down at the end of trading with the dow plunging more than 253 points. the republican presidential candidates are being tough on president obama over the new jobs report. >> this is an extraordinary land, and i watch washington right now and it break misheart because the people there don't understand how america works. obama is not working. and he has disappointed the american people and this morning, very bad news. did you see the numbers that came out on job growth? look, there is zero faith in barack obama because he's created zero jobs last month. >> the jobs report comes out today, you know. zero, goose egg. that's where this country is. we're totally stalled out, we're totally in neutral. we've got people suffering out there. moms and dads living on the edge, trying to cover for their families. we can do better than that. we're the greatest nation that ever was. >> texas governor rick perry issued a statement saying, and i'm reading part of it now, the poor national jobs picture stands in stark contrast to texas's pro jobs limited government fpolicies. this from congresswoman michele bachmann. mr. president, we gave you $2.4 trillion in new spending and the american people got nothing in return. let's bring in our chief political analyst gloria borger. it's not surprising what the presidential candidates are saying. they're calling president obama president zero for that matter as well. >> it's predictable, an easy political shot, but they're preaching to the choir out there with the american public. take a look at some of our new polls. we asked the question, is the economy in a recession? 8 out of 10 people, fully 82% say of course, yes, we are in a recession. we also asked the question, how are things going in this country today. 7 out of 10 said badly. so if you're a presidential candidate, you're campaigning against an incumbent, unemployment, 9.1%, what would you be saying out there in the campaign trail? it's the kind of things, by the way, that barack obama used to say about george w. bush. >> how much bres pr es sure does this put on the president as he gets ready for his big speech? >> a tremendous amount of pressure. the president has to go to the american people and say look, we are trying to do something. as you know, wolf, there are a bunch of economists out there who say there isn't actually that much the government can do, but a president can't take to the bully pulpit and say by the way, there's nothing i can do. i think he's actually ratcheted up the stakes tremendously by asking to address a joint session of congress. what kind of stimulus package is he going to propose. is it going to be larger than he knows he can get through the republican-led congress or is it going to be more bipartisan in nature with things that he knows republicans will agree to? we'll have to see. >> but even while the republicans, the candidates are really hammering the president over this whole jobs issue, they are beginning one by one to start laying out their own plans. >> they are. and i think that it's -- since they've said to the president of the united states, you need to lay out a plan, they have to lay out a plan. so what we heard from john huntsman, who released a plan earlier this week, it called for serious tax reform, which "the wall street journal" wrote an editorial about i is aing it was quite a good start, a very good plan. we're going to hear from mitt romney on tuesday, and then wolf, we hear from the president on thursday. what's been interesting about this debate so far on the debt ceiling is that it's been mostly a congressional washington debate. now it's time for the republican presidential candidates to weigh in and try to lead on where we go from here and that's exactly what we're seeing. >> gloria, thanks very much. president obama left the white house for camp david earlier today without saying anything about the new jobs report. let's bring in our congressional correspondent kate baldwin. the republicans, including the house speaker, john boehner, they are responding. >> they absolutely are. john baner is in his district, in his home state, speaking at the opening of a small business there. and you can be sure a small business that republicans say that they are out trying to protect, talking about jobs earlier today. house speaker john boehner responded, reacted with some very strong words to these terrible august jobs numbers. i'll read you a statement in part. he says, private sector job growth continues to be undermined by the triple threat of higher taxes, more failed stimulus spending, and excessive federal regulations. together, these washington policies have created a fog of uncertainty that's left small businesses unable to hire and american families worried about their future. now, as you know, all eyes will be on president obama and his jobs plan that is set to be unveiled in a joint session of congress on thursday. but boehner is pushing his own jobs plan at the very same time, especially in light of the new jobs numbers. the focus of this jobs plan is in large part proposals republicans have supported before, offering tax breaks for employers which they say will help businesses hire new workers. also eliminating some labor regulations, as well as eliminating some environmental requirements, set by the epa. republicans call them job destroying rules. democrats disagree, not surprisingly, and say the rules and standards will save lives. well, preemptively, the president today, wolf, announced he's putting one of those new regular laces by the epa on hold, a plan to tighten air standards. speaker boehner in another statement applauded the move but says more needs to be done. i think bottom line, it still remains a big question and it will be no surprise to you how congressional republicans, democrats and the white house are going to be able to reach agreement on any of these issues when they're still so far apart on how best to fix the problem. rolf? >> by the way, i was a little surprised before the president boarded marine one to fly up to camp david for the weekend he didn't stop and make a statement on this latest jobs report. he usually does make a statement, but this time he decided, i guess, he's going to wait until thursday night to make his big statement about the jobs. kate, thanks very much. meanwhile, new word that president obama is backing down from the controversial new set of rules to cut smog levels. it's a sign of pressure he's feeling to sai jobs. enormous pressure. but with this new move, he's managed to tick off at least part of his political base. brian todd is joining us now to talk about this part of the story. >> he is angering his political base. move on is wondering now if it can have work now for president obama's reelection. this is a very incendiary issue. no one is saying a whole lot about the timing of this, but it came just hours after the dismal jobs announcement by the labor department. the obama administration has long been trying to tighten the standards for ozone in the air. that's similar to smog, as we have just been reporting. the president just hours after the jobs announcement said they were going to at least temporarily halt the implementation of these tighter standards for clean air, the ozone national ambient air quality standards. members of the industry and some republicans in congress are hailing this, saying that this is going to save some jobs and this might, at least, stop the bleeding as far as the loss of jobs. big business and industry had been complaining that the cost of implementing those standards would be so high that it would cost them tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of jobs. but environmental advocates and health care advocates are furious with this. here's a statement with the head of the american lung association. he says in a statement, the administration's final decision not to enact a more protective ozone health standard is jeopardizing the health of millions of americans, which is inexcusable. now, some environmental activists say that increasing those standards, those clean air standards would save about 4,300 lives per year, prevent 7,000 hospital visits per year. so again, the president in a real vice grip with this issue. but for now, they rear halting the implementation of these clean air standards. >> yeah, not an easy decision. rejecting, overruling lisa jackson the head of the environmental protection agency saying we're not going to implement these regulations, these rules right now. they'll have to wait for perhaps better economic times. brian, thanks very much. as president obama prepares for his big jobs speech next week, one republican member of congress is actually planning a boycott. i'll ask him about that and if he really meant to call the president idiotic. and a storm that could drench once again new orleans. stay with us here in "the situation room." to help eliminae litter box dust: purina tidy cats. our premium litters now work harder to help neutralize odors in multiple cat homes. purina tidy cats. keep your home smelling like home. exclusive to the military. and commitment is not limited to one's military oath. the same set of values that drive our nation's military are the ones we used to build usaa bank. from free checking to credit cards to loans, our commitment to the military, veterans, and their families is without equal. ♪ visit us online to learn what makes our bank so different. usaa. we know what it means to serve. [ male announcer ] they'll see you...before you see them. cops are cracking down on drinking and riding. drive sober, or get pulled over. who need cops are cracking down on drinking and riding. imagine... one scooter or power chair that could improve your mobility and your life. one medicare benefit that, with private insurance, may entitle you to pay little to nothing to own it. one company that can make it all happen ... your power chair will be paid in full. the scooter store. hi i'm doug harrison. we're experts at getting you the power chair or scooter you need. i didn't pay a penny out of pocket for my power chair. with help from the scooter store, medicare and my insurance covered it all. call the scooter store for free information today. an important story we're following right now. a u.s. democrat tor for an american agency that steers civilian humanitarian aid around the world is now imprisoned in cuba. has been for some time. his wife is very worried for his own welfare. she spoke to jill dougherty in an exclusive interview. >> judy gross last saw her husband alan in a cuban court nearly sick months ago. she said that husband of 41 years has gone from a vigorous 62-year-old to a gaunt, pale old man. how concerned are you about his health? >> very, very concerned. he's so frail. and now he's lost over 100 pounds. and when i saw him, i could see his bones sticking out. >> alan gross is an international development worker. the state department says in cuba, he was providing internet equipment to the island's jewish community. a cuban court found him guilty of trying to subvert the cuban government and sentenced him to 15 years in prison. >> i respect the kovsovereignty cuba. i have learned from my parents and through experience that respect is something someone must have in order to receive. >> judy gross reads from a statement that her husband wrote by hand and delivered to a havana court in marge. >> is that what he sounds like? >> oh, yeah. yeah. it's very outgoing, very confident. very moral, very ethical. >> alan gross loves music. >> so these are jumt instrumein ecollected? >> some of them, not all of them. >> and there were times early on that judy hoped music would help him through his ordeal. >> when he was in prison, he actually played instruments with his guards? >> once or twice, i think it was the warden of the prison, who i think was a musician gave him an instrument. >> in early august, the cuban court turned down her husband's last appeal. she's ask president raul castro and the cuban government to release him on humanitarian grounds. >> one of my biggest fears is that i'm going to get a call from my attorney saying alan had a heart attack or something happened to him. i don't know if i eel ever see him again. i don't know if he'll set foot on u.s. soil. >> by the way, alan gross' imprisonment is clearly affecting relations between the obama administration and the cuban government. that relationship potentially could have been improving, not so fast anymore. the state department saying there will be no progress, repeat, no progress in improving u.s. cuban relations until alan gross is released. priegt n right now, one state is threatening chaos in the presidential primary calendar. and the italian prime minister caught on tape using profanity to describe his own country. 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[ crunching, sipping ] be happy. be healthy. can i try yours? lisa sylvester is monitoring the top stories in "the situation room" right now. a monkey wrench in the republican presidential contest? what's going on. >> that's right. arizona's governor could i think isle handedly disrupt the gop's carefully plotted primary schedule. jan brewer must decide if she'll move arizona's primary up a month to january 31 to give arizona more influence in the republican presidential race. such a move would shake up primary calendars for other states. the deadline for that decision is tomorrow. the co-chairs of congress' super committee on the debt crisis have announced dates for their first meeting and first hearing. the first full meeting is set for thursday morning, september 8. the initial hearing will follow five days later, september 13. the committee was formed last month to find $1.5 trillion in savings over the next decade as a condition to raising the debt ceiling. the prince william maco the pima county sheriff's department is catching heat for offering up a gun in a raffle. it's similar to one in a mass shooting that left six people dead and gabrielle giffords wounded. the move is being called insensitive. and controversy around sylvio berlusconi using salty language to describe his country. he said he's frustrated with investigations of him and he's eager to leave the country. he used exploetives to describe his country and the criminal inquiries. in separate cases he's fighting accusations of abuse of power and sex charges. that's pretty rare where you have somebody actually criticizing their own country. not something you see every day. >> he was speaking in italian. so i wonder if the italian exploe expletive deleted is the same as the english expletive deleted. >> i'm sure our viewers will start tweeting you. thanks very much. one republican lawmaker is refusing to hear what the president of the united states has to say about jobs. i'll talk to congressman joe walsh of illinois and ask him about his decision to boycott the president's speech before a joint session of congress thursday night. and i'll ask him why he is calling the president, in his word, idiotic. and sarah palin is the newest target of dick cheney. the former vice president has been letting the barbs fly as of late. is anyone safe? tinted moisturizersiant 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. 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[ male announcer ] if you can't afford your medication, astrazeneca may be able to help. >> when president obama talks about america's job crisis before a joint session of congress next thursday, at least one seat in the chamber will be empty. and joining us now, republican joe walsh of illinois. thank you very much for coming in. >> thank you, golf. good to be with you. >> you caused somewhat of a stir, which is not necessarily always what you want to do, but you've been doing it lately. you decided you don't want to be here in washington thursday night when the president addresses a joint session of congress. some are suggesting this is disrespectful to the president of the united states. why did you make th