about his advice for perry and the state of the race right now. also, we're learning the back story behind ron paul's drama. he's getting flak for an answer to a health care question. turns out the scenario is similar to a real life death in his political family. and president obama's attempt to promote green jobs turns into a bigger embarrassment. first, the company he visited went bankrupt, now, it's been raided by the fbi and u.s. taxpayers may be on the hook for hundreds of millions of dollars. i'm wolf blitzer. you're in "the situation room." -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com right now, republican, rick perry, is trying to cover a lot of bases and burr niche his status as the front-runner. he's been reaching out to voters in a battleground state. a sign of confidence that his rivals are trying hard to tear down. jim acosta is covering perry's campaign in depth. he's joining us from richmond, virginia with the latest. >> wolf, the texas governor is not just running as a front-runn front-runner. he is running as a nominee and the rest of the world, all they could do is watch as rick rolls. >> governor of texas, rick perry. >> primaries, what primaries? rick perry is already running in virginia, a state that's much more crucial to the general election than to the republican nomination. >> i know it is time for a change in this country. when i'm talking about change, i'm not talking about the rhetoric of change. i'm talking about a record of change and i've got that record. >> perry gave two speeches in virginia. one to christian conservative students at liberty university, another to republicans in richmond. at both events, perry barely mentioned his competition. he's not even worried about his dinner date with donald trump. >> i got to think donald's got some advice for me. >> it seems as if you're already looking past the primaries and to the general election. aren't you being a tad overconfident? >> i ups who the opposition is in this election cycle and there are seven other individuals on that stage who are quite capable. >> michele bachmann is trying to change the game, hitting the texas governor on his order for schoolgirls on the hpv vaccine, but the attack blew up in bachmann's face after she claimed it could cause major health problems. >> she told me her little daughter took that injection and suffered from mental retardation there after. it can have very dangerous side effects. >> the american academy of paid yatices slammed the comments saying there is no scientific validity to this statement. >> do you think that was irresponsible? >> i think that was a statement, no truth and basis in fact and look, i hate cancer. that's what this has always been about. >> perry's teen appeal is a winner with young people in this state. >> it's possible i walked away with a candidate. >> but also lost a walk away with some endorsements, like that of the popular governor, who's starting to hint at a decision. >> no one had balance budgets and fiscally responsible will make the best candidate. >> how about a perry-mcdonald ticket? too soon? >> that is thinking too far ahead. >> now, in just the last few minutes, wolf, we did receive a statement from the bachmann campaign responding to perry's comments on this controversy. it says the truth is, governor perry imposed his power and imposing mandatory vaccine on 12-year-old girls and crony capitali capitalism. back to perry's strategy as running at a front-runner that was the knock against mitt romney not too long ago when he was running against president obama more than the rest of the fie field. >> jim acosta covering the perry campaign for us. by the way, i'll be speaking with donald trump ahead this hour in "the situation room" buff before his big dinner with rick perry. meanwhile, perry and other republicans say they have new proof that voters are turning against president obama and his democratic party. an issue republican victories and special consciousal elections in new york and nevada. is it a sign of what's to come in the 2012 election? kate bolduan is looking into last night's results. what are you finding out, kate? >> i'll tell you, this is another special election gaining national attention. last time it was republicans on the defense after a bruising loss. this time, it's democrats facing the fallout. >> members are here -- >> a congressional seat long held by democrats including anthony weiner, chuck schumer and geraldine ferrari would be solid blue. turner winning a big upset in new york's ninth district has national republicans jumping on the victory and another republican win in nevada's second congressional district, declaring it a message to president obama. >> this is a referendum on the obama administration, foreign policy, their spending policy, economic policy and the fact there's no jobs. >> democrats admit it was a tough loss and are trying to tamp down predictions of a fallout. >> we've got to get this solved. i think it is a message to both republicans and democrats. >> i wouldn't call this a referendum, but i think it's a wake-up call that the american people want to get to work and find solutions to the problems we're facing that the same old same old isn't going to be the case. >> still, the men in charge of getting democrats elected is down playing these elections, calling them battles in a long war. >> they're not predictive of what's going to happen at the end of the day. nor are they predictive of a national mud. they are predictive of what is happening in a single district based on a set of circumstances on a particular date. >> maybe so, but stew rothenburg warns it could mean trouble ahead. >> well, it's dangerous to assume that this result says something about 2012. it's probably even more dangerous. in fact, silly, to assume it's i have relevant. this isn't about new york nine. this is about the president and democratic party. >> interestingly, we're told that a focus of the house democrats closed door meeting today was the special election losses though outside the meeting and despite the embarrassing losses the house campaign on stuck by his statements saying he believes the house is in play for 2012 and is hopeful that democrats will take back the house in 2012. >> thanks very much. let's turn to president obama right now. he's busy juggling his short-term and long-term efforts to win a second term. he traveled to north carolina today to sell his jobs plan and himself to voters who will help decide his fate on election day of next year. brianna keilar has been traveling with the president. >> wolf, president obama won north carolina by just three tenths of a percentage point last election and even though white house officials insist this was not a campaign stop, this was his third visit to swing states he's hoping to hold on to next year. president obama took his message to the tar heel state. >> hello, north carolina! >> the sights and sounds of the campaign stop, a friendly crowd of thousands at north carolina state university. even an old slogan with a new twist aimed at republicans. >> there may be people whose refrain is no, we can't, but i believe, yes, we can. >> those no, we can't people the president is talking about are house republicans. he's urging them to swallow his plan whole and is prepared to slam them. >> they don't want to pass it because it would give me a win. give me a win? give me a break. that's exactly what folks are fed up the washington. >> it's quite the role reversal. the president is trying to play hardball. house republicans down right obstinate during the debt ceiling negotiations are now calling for comp mice. rhett sant to be drawn into another bruising battle. >> i hope he'll listen to our ideas and work with us. to find common ground, to get our economy moving and create jobs again. >> that common ground is actually the bulk of the president's jobs plan. the expansion of a payroll tax cut for employees and cutting payroll taxes for employers in half. the very tax cut obama highlighted in his visit to this raleigh manufacturing facility. >> there anything you can do to help us? >> but republicans oppose infrastructure spending the president wants and tax increases on wealthier americans as well as hedge fund managers, oil and gas companies and corporate jet owners that mr. obama has proposed to pay for the bill. there's a political calculation president obama and his advisers are making. his ratings are at a low, take a look at congress's. they're 15% and that, the white house feels, gives them some leverage over house republicans they didn't have before the bruising debt ceiling battle. >> brianna keilar, traveling with the president. thank you. meanwhile, it turns out a hypothetical debate question hit ron paul closer to home than we realized at the time. we're taking a closer look into the death of a former staffer and how it relates to his views on health care and the government and i'll ask donald trump what advice he has for rick perry and whether he still flirting with a presidential bid himself. noodles. let's see...south western vegetables...60 calories. ya' know those jeans look nice. they do? 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[ bell dings ] [ car door closes ] ♪ are you okay? yeah, i'm okay. and the truck? i got good news for you, kid. you're getting a new truck. what do you mean? i mean it's gonna cost more to fix than it's worth. besides, the truck's older than you. grab your stuff out of the truck and meet me up front. ♪ ♪ just fix it. ♪ jack cafferty's here with the "cafferty file." >> it had to be a tough morning to wake up in the white house today. democrats suffering two stunning losses in special elections. in both cases, the republican winners tied their opponents right to president obama and his economic policies. the most crushing loss right here in new york city. democrats lost a seat of disgraced congressman anthony weiner, a seat that's been in democratic hands since 1923. the district covers parts of brooklyn and queens. heavily jewish, democratic, p prounion and blue collar. if that doesn't send the democratic party into panic mode, it ought to. the results in brooklyn call into question whether obama could carry florida, a kishl to his re-election. republican p bob turner is a retired cable tv executive who has never served office. i work for cable tv executives and i wouldn't work for them for most of anything. he defeated david weprin, with two decades of service. democrats even sent in form er president clinton to campaign. in nevada, my home state, the democrat was trounced in a special election there and these twin losses are only the latest in a string of bad news for president obama. a new poll shows mr. obama getting the highest disapproval rating of his presidency. 55%. as for the jobs plan, it's looking unlikely it's going to get much traction if congress and if the upcoming election is all about jobs in the economy, the president's campaign could be doomed. the congressional budget office is out with a report saying the economy will grow slower than anticipated and that unemployment will stay close to 9% right through the end of 2012. so, here's the question. should president obama consider not running for re-election? go to cnn.com/caffertyfile. or go to our post on "the situation room's" facebook page. would you vote for cable tv executives for public office? >> i've been working for cable tv, basic cable, for 21 years now and i got to tell you, i love these cable xwis. they pay the bills. they're terrific. you and i, we're basic cable. think about it. >> well, the advertisers pay the bills. these executives run the place. >> they're good guys. most of them are very decent, hard working americans. you would vote for them. >> absolutely not. >> thank you. let's move on to some other news we're following. two days after our ground breaking tea party debate in tampa, ron paul still getting heat about the answer he gave me to one of my questions. we have some new information to put the republican's views on health care into some con tect. for that, we asked brian todd to do some checking. >> ron paul stuck to his position, but didn't bring up a very personal story. a story of a close aide he lost three years ago. it was one of the most pointed moments in the early debate season. wolf blitzer asked republican presidential ron paul, a staunch opponent of a government role in health care, what should happen to a 30-year-old man who can afford insurance chooses not to buy it, then becomes cats troughically ill. >> he needs intensive care for six months. who pays? >> that's what freedom is all about. this whole idea that you have to take care of anybody. >> asked if society should let the man die. paul said no, in his e appearance, churches, family, friends would help. it's a circumstance he knows intimately. in 2008, paul's former campaign chairman, who paul says talked him into running for president that year, died of pneumonia. he had no insurance. friends and relatives say a preexisting condition made it impossible for him to get coverage. >> did you want to help him at the time? >> absolutely. a close friend of min mine. he had worked with me for 12 years. we knew he was having a struggle paying his bills. >> schneider's bills totalled more than $400,000 according to an aide for paul. the aide says paul's staff raised more than 50,000, but the rest of the bill was passed to the estate. analysts don't see this case holding paul politically. >> i think the story, who ron paul really is as opposed to the politicians who say one thing and do another. he knows what he believes. he takes stands that sometimes can look really difficult. >> some might be surprised that you don't take this more personally given the experience that you had. >> how could i take it in my personally because he was a friend. and did what i could, but it is something that you know, so unfortunate. it was a tough time for all of us. campaign hadn't quite finished when he got deathly ill and i had known him for so many years. >> ron paul made very clear that schneider was cared if. colleagues say he spent several weeks in the hospital. when i asked that he really beliefs that churches would take on the burden, paul said not today because government has run up the cost. >> the group is now trying to use this for political gain. >> a group called protect your care. it's launched a new ad called let him die. a take off of your question to ron paul and the audience's answer. we have to reiterate, paul said no. it was a audience who said yes. very controversial there. it says, would mitt romney let him die? there's a lot of traction. >> not everyone in the audience. there were a few scattered yes comments that came out. but when i heard your report just now, the whole notion of this individual couldn't get health insurance because he had a preexisting condition, the law, you can't get help for health insurance. did you get into that? >> we talked about this, he is not waivering from his position. the government should have no role in this. churches, charities, friends, relatives have to take up the mantle here. churches, families and friends can't come up with that one. >> thanks for that report. will rick perry be hired by the american people as the next president of the united states? i'll ask the corporate giant himself. we're talking about donald trump. he's meeting with governor perry over the next couple of hours. plus, three-time schedule for execution. three times delayed. just ahead, what's behind the final push to save the life of the convicted cop killer? one-hundred-nineteen mal] data points. this is what we can gather from an ordinary crash test dummy. two million data points. this is what we can gather from a lexus crash test genius. [ engine revving ] when you pursue industry-leading safety, you don't just engineer breakthroughs in simulation technology, you engineer amazing. ♪ you engineer amazing. naturals from delicious, real ingredients with no artificial flavors or preservatives. naturals from purina cat chow. share a better life. i'm wolf blitzer. here are some stories we're working on for our next hour. a solar giant once given a loan with your money and hailed by president obama as a symbol of green jobs now bankrupt. why the white house could now be in some hot water. also, an esteemed american diplomat seeks the release of a jailed american in cuba, but comes home empty handed. my interview with bill richardson. we'll speak live. and the next chapter in space flight. nasa announces the most powerful rocket ever. stand by. you're in "the situation room." rick perry is about to meet with a controversial and looming presence over this white house campaign. we're talking about the real estate mogul, donald trump. after flirting with his own presidential bid, trump says he has a thing or two to tell the gop front-runner and joining us from new york, donald trump. donald, thanks very much for joining us. you're getting ready to meet with governor rick perry in a little while. want to give us a little advance? what are you going to tell him? >> i don't know how you found that out, but i am going to be meeting with him. he's coming to trump tower, then we're going to dinner at john george. i look forward to meeting him. >> have you ever met him before? >> no, i've spoken to him numerous times. >> how did this meeting come about? >> i think very mutual. i have great respect for really a number of people and people looking to run for office and we had a big win. a good friend of mine, bob turner. i was very happy to have helped anymore new york. we can soon call him congressman turner. not since 1922 has a republican won in that district, so that was a big win and a lot of the republican candidates for president have been calling. as you know, i was number one in the polls including when i decided not to run as a republican and a lot of people have been calling and asking for different things, including support. >> the keywords, as a republican. which obviously opens the door maybe running as a third party independent type of candidate. there's been a lot of murmuring about this. is that anything you're considering seriously? >> i've always said i was the republican. i view it two ways. one, if if republicans choose the wrong candidate, which is a possibility, and if the economy continues to be bad, which i think it probably will, because our leadership is not doing its job, i would consider certainly doing it as an independent, but if they picked a right candidate, i'd be very, very happy to back the right candidate. >> well, what do you think of these eight republican candidates? i moderated this debate the other night. >> what i think is you did a great job as the moderator. i did watch every minute of it even though it was on at the same time as the miss universe pageant, which i own. i did watch miss universe, but i had a little bit of a delay system. it was live in brazil. it also did very well. there's just too many candidates. the stage is loaded up with people and some of the people really whether you like them or not, they have no chance of winning. i won't mention who, but there are kapds up there who don't have a chance of winning and you wanted to hear from the ones that have that chance. the old story is you never really know. you have to play it out because can come from nowhere and become the candidate. >> because a lot of people think it's a race between romney, perry, maybe michele bachmann. is that your sense? >> it's looking that way and that seems to be the thinking and the way the polls are. i think it is different than the last time around where others are leading and john mccain ended up being the candidate. i think maybe this is going to be a different s