have another discussion about this. >> disgraceful this last week. >> thanks, buddy. look forward to seeing you once again. thanks for being with us. we'll look forward to seeing you again here on "rick's list" at 3:00, 4:00, and 8:00. here's wolf blitzer in "the situation room". >> bill clinton points a finger at the person he says flaked out in the mid-east peace process. and the former president warns democrats not to play games and answer as personal health question that a lot of people are asking right now. plus, defeat for lady gaga. another gay-rights activist, the senate fails to move forward with legislation that would end, don't ask, don't tell. what do opponents of the military policy do now? and a new lightning rod of the

tea party politics movement fights a group that says she's a crook. we're investigating the allegations against christine o'donnell. i'm wolf blitzer. you're in "the situation room." a warning today from israel's chief, that a new round of violence could explode. i spoke today with a veteran of middle east diplomacy. the former president of the united states bill clinton holding the conference in new york city. we covered a wide range of topics. first, listen to his take on whether the israelis and palestinians are finally ready to give peace a chance. >> you're hosting here during this current cgi on the middle east. i know you worked really hard and we discussed this in cape town, south africa recently, if

there's any hope for an israeli-palestinian deal. you're going to meet with the president and palestinian prime minister. do you think this is doable in the next year, real clee, or is this just false? a false hope? >> no. i think it's imminently doable. i was always expected that in this period, the israelis and palestinians would make an agreement, number one, because everyone knows it was a really bad move not to do it ten years ago. >> they had that moment. >> and arafat flaked out. they didn't do it. they made a mistake, i think they know t and secondly, both sides are generally worried about what is going to happen if they pass up another opportunity. and, thirdly, for the first time we got real support among the arab states who want an economic

and security deal. >> but they are not showing it publicly? >> no. they want it. they've offered this peace plan and a partnership athey and the pushing for it and they did k not do it unless there's peace in a stall stin general state. i thing them both to be reconciled with israel. so i think this whole thing is slightly more likely than not to happen. now, there's a lot of slips along the way. the enormous pressure to resume settlement building. but that's a really short-term deal. if they make a deal on the territory, how much of the west bank, the palestinian state gets, what kind of land swap is there? then all of the settlement difficulties will be, you know, resolved by the agreement. >> have you seen these reports, speaking of settlements in israel today, that if the israelis would continue their

freeze on the west bank settlement, if the u.s. convicted the spy, jonathan, who you dealt with at the y river plantation. >> no, i haven't. but they really wanted him out of there and the cia really didn't want him to get out of there because the cia believes that they never expressed any remorse for what he did. and they believe that we shouldn't establish a principle of differential treatment. so there's a big dispute. i'm not going to get into that. whatever the president and those people decide, the people who are charged with advising him decide, you know, i'll support him on it. i'd like to talk about why we're going to have this session here. just very briefly. because i think it's important that our fellow americans understand this. >> on the middle east? >> yes, on the middle east and the citizens around the world who watch cnn. let's assume, and this is what we're going to do for this.

we make an agreement. >> who makes an agreement? >> the u.s. brokers? >> the u.s. brokers, an agreement made in good faith by the israelis and the palestinians and they are determined to keep it and let's assume the israelis have to move somewhere between 55 and 80,000 settlers out of the west bank, depending on what the territory line looks like. and they go about it -- about doing it. we know that there will be enemies to peace. there will be people who try to undermine the new palestinian state and in fact they may be subject to more physical attacks than the izzy sraelis are as a result of this agreement. no one, including me, wish to be on record inadvertently saying anything that makes the job of the palestinians, the israelis, secretary of state harder. >> we don't want to do that.

we're not negotiators. it doesn't count what we think about the settlements or anything else. what we are going to do is say, let's assume they make an agreement. what can our numbers do to make it take hold? what can we do to mato move palestinians out of the agreement? >> but i do. i'll be surprised if they don't. they have two reasons. one, i think habas and with the support of fayad are more clear headed than yas sar arafat was at that point in his life. >> do you have confidence that they can deliver? >> i know that netanyahu can deliver. it may cost him his coalition. lieberman and his crew will have a decision to make.

but they trust him on security and they will vote with him in the to ratify an agreement. that's why i think we can get one. but be that as it may, if they get it, we've got to make it work. how do we make it work for ordinary people? is there something -- we clearly have to help the palestinians grow more and more broadly. we have to help the palestinians that might pour out of the camps to help them make a living. will there be any adverse consequences to displace the israelis? let's assume they make a deal and then ask what we can do to make it hold. >> stand by for much more of my wide-ranging interview with former president bill clinton. much more of the interview coming up.

meanwhile, a controversial legacy of the clinton administration still in tact as of right now. that would be the don't ask, don't tell ban on gays serving openly in the mail tear. a defense bill that cluds repealing the ban failed to move forward in the senate today. the vote? 64-43. that's four votes short of the 60 needed to stop republicans from blocking debate. it's disappointing awill try to lift the ban. it brought one u.s. senator close to tears. listen. >> at the very end of the show we're saying, american soldier, by toby keith. i don't know if you know that song. but it's a beautiful song. and i'll always have this from doing the tours and seeing the soldiers with arms around each other, i don't do this for the

money. i got pill fr bills i can't pay. and then at the end of the show the general came up and gave this beautiful frame with an american flag that had flown over the base. and he gave it to every member of our troop. and when he gave it to me, he said, al, keep telling those don't ask, don't tell jokes. i think you may have some fans up there. and he pointed at those women. and later those women came up to me and said, we're gay. all right. let's bring in our senior congressional correspondent, da dana bash. fearing it could disrupt military unity, discipline, allowing gays to serve openly in

the military, tell us why the republicans were successful politically this time. >> they were successful because republican leaders were able to convince all republicans that they should stand firm and block this bill from coming forward by making the argument that democrats were just playing politics, by playing at tlear base a more constituency. perhaps the most powerful argument that they are making is democrats are not allowing republicans to have full and fair debate, allowing them to change this bill once it is there. and susan collins, who agrees with al franken, supports repealing the don't ask, don't tell policy blocks the bill. >> i think we should welcome the service of these individuals who are willing and capable of serving their country. but i cannot vote to proceed to

this bill under a situation that is going to shut down the debate and preclude republican amendments. >> now, the democratic response to that is essentially, wolf, give me a break. they say that republicans would have eventually had ample time to change this bill. the animosity here is so thick between these two parties right now. you can really feel it hanging in the air. it's quite remarkable, wolf. >> there was another issue that came up, a dream act. part of immigration reform. what happened? >> that's right. democrats vowed that they were going to offer an amendment, which allows young illegal immigrants, if they are serving in the military, another issue that republicans were pointing to and they say, democrats just want to apease scott brown

pointed to why he voted with his party to block them from coming to the floor. >> dana bash on capitol hill for us, thanks. she'll continue to watch all of the activities there. a fierce new military offensive against al qaeda is launched. did the government of yemen take action? also, is sarah palin positioning herself as a de facto leader of the tea party? they are standing by with the strategy session. and special military forces tracking and fighting a powerful enemy. the weather. ♪ [ male announcer ] every business day, bank of america lends billions of dollars, to individuals, institutions, schools, organizations and businesses. ♪ working to set opportunity in motion.

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with an average finance savings around $5,600. we're just getting this in from our white house correspondent suzanne malveaux. she has confirmed now that the white house economic adviser larry summers will be leaving after this election in november. in fact, suzanne is on the north lawn of the white house right now. she has some details for us. what exactly are you learning for us? >> reporter: we know from a senior white house administration official that larry summers will be leaving shortly from the white house. we don't have an exact timetable. the white house official who i've been speaking with is not describing this as a shakeup but a national evolution of an

economic team that has been with the president through tough, tough times. larry summers was an advisor to the president. we have a very short statement from the white house and then we expect to have a statement from the president that is more complete later this afternoon. but as a senior official describes it, last fall the president asked larry to stay through 2010 in order to see through the passage of financial reform and continue the implementation of the economic recovery program. this announcement is part of a long-standing plan to return to harvard. this comes at a time when there's a lot of frustration among the american people. we've seen some pretty pointed questions fr questions to the president. he raised a few eyebrows saying,

well, people will be making decisions based on their family circumstances, those kinds of things. it was asked again of robert gibbs in the briefing whether or not he had confidence in his economic team and robert gibbs saying yes, he did. but at the same time giving leeway, an opening, that there's a natural process in which people in the administration will perhaps choose to leave at their own choosing and that is what is happening here. larry summers really a force to be reckoned with but comes at a time when people are looking for better solutions in this economic crisis. it also comes at a time, as you know, when some other key playe players economic team have left recently. christina romer and peter orszag. tim kn timothy geithner would be the only one from the original team

staying on. this is very significant when you look at how he's going to deal with the economic crisis, wolf. >> former harvard professor and deputy treasurer during the clinton administration, larry summers will be leaving the obama administration. already. thanks very much. we'll continue to watch the stories and the ramifications of what it could mean. north korea, meanwhile, could be on the verge of a power shift. the controversial front man, kim jong-il, is getting ready to hand it over to his youngest son. let's talk about that with tran townsend. fran, if there's a new leader in north korea, does that open up the door, a chance for a new dialogue between the u.s. and north korea? >> well, i don't think it will be -- yeah, it may be a chance,

wolf, over the long term. but let's be honest, things don't happen quickly. the system remains very opaque and kim jong-un will have to bring people along with him from the ruling party. and so he will be very constrained in any policy changes that he wants to make. again, wolf, we've got to remember, he's unlikely to have any opening while his father remains in power until he formally succeeds him. >> one other question. yemen right now, the government seems to be taking action against al qaeda-related organizations there. i assume the u.s. has been encouraging the government of yemen to do so. but give us the background. what is going on? >> talking to folks in washington and in the counterterrorism community, john brennan met with the president in the u.n. general assembly meetings earlier this week,

insisting that they step up the counterterrorism game. the beacher behind the encouragement of not only the ft. hood shooter remains at large in yemen. they are asking for additional weapons and support. a lot at stake for them to be successful. >> a significant development in the war on terror. all right. thanks very much, fran, for that. >> sure, wolf. >> a major glitch on the media site twitter. with what happened. and more of my interview with former president bill clinton. you're going to want to hear what he says president obama needs to do right now to turn the economy around.

monitoring the other stories in "the situation room." we'll start with twitter, there are security flaws and hundreds of thousands of users, researcher at one security firm says, when users would mouse over a ling on twitter, potentially dangerous content that didn't click on it, the accounts of several users appear to have concluded white house

press secretary robert gibbs. and there's more grim news. the labor department says 27 states reported higher unemployment rates in august. the national unemployment rate is 9.6%. several states have higher rates of joblessness. including nevada at 14.4. in california at 12.4%. >> that's followed by the hottest senate harry reid describes fellow democrat kristin gillibrand reportedly made her a spokesperson who says nice things and made a joke. saying an article on the hill. as gillibrand recently came in third on the hill's 50 most.

>> thank you very much for that. bill clinton's global influence on display right now. the former president at the helm. i'll ask him. officials at a california city are arrested and authorities are calling the example of corruption on steroids. down the hill? man: all right. we were actually thinking, maybe... we're going to hike up here, so we'll catch up with you guys.

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a decade after bill clinton left the white house, he's a powerful influence around the world and everything from politics to disaster relief to peace making. more now of my interview with the former president. he's now hosting the annual clinton global initiative meeting here in new york. >> this is the sixth cgi that you've hosted. did you see the piece saying it's really become much more important than the annual united nations general assembly? >> i haven't. >> it's really amazing what you've accomplished over these six years. what are you proudest of? >> thank you. i think i'm more proud of the phenomena than any other specific thing. i'm proud that we prove there was a hunger all over the world and without regard to income,

religion, to go to a meeting where you actually talk about the real challenges but then you had to do something about them so that now we have raised over $60 billion worth of commitments, already helped over 300 million people because people were dying to be asked to do something and to be given enough information and enough contacts and partners to do something effective. that's what i'm most proud of. there's a global network of duers. >> do you ever think of how many lives you may have saved? >> uh-huh. all the time. you have 75 million people doing more maternal health, 10 million people who have microcredit, loans for small and medium-sized businesses that would not have

been available without it. you have people that have really changed lives. so, yeah, i think about it all the time. i am very, very grateful. 20 more million people getting clean water. water born illnesses kill millions of people a year. so, yes, i think about it. >> there was a u.n. study that came out about a decade ago that said several goals to be accomplished by 2015, which is only five years, if that, down the road, including that. includi includi including poverty and hunger rates. do you think that is going to happen? >> i think some will be achieved and some will not. some countries will surprise everybody by achieving them all. it will be uneven because the development goals who are always dependent on more than donors.

and when we haven't met them, they should be modified and we should keep them. it keeps us focused on the big stuff. >> i was shocked the other day and i think you probably were, too. when the new poverty numbers, in the united states came out. we're not talking about asia or south africa. we're talking about the united states much america. 14% of the u.s. population now living in poverty. >> i don't see how we can be surprised. you've got 40% of america eligible for food stamps? >> 40 million americans. 45 million americans. >> which is like 15, 16% of our people eligible for food stamps. well, there are more eligible. that many are drawing it. >> right. >> no, it didn't surprise me because, just look at the facts.

in the eight years that i was president, we had $22.7 million jobs and about eight million people move from poverty into the middle class. all of those numbers went way down. then in the next eight years, before the financial meltdown, we only produced 2.5 million jobs, not enough to keep up with new entrance into the workforce. and income started dropping and poverty went up again before this meltdown and it hit people like a ton of bricks. >> because these numbers are the highest since 1994. it really doesn't surprise me it could have been worse because we don't have enough employment and we've followed policies that were absolutely designed to increase inequality. i mean, if you have no jobs and

double the debt of the country and an enormous percent of it goes to tax cuts for middle income like you and me and how do health care costs going up and housing costs go up? real income has to go down. poverty has to go up. we can turn it around again but i'm not surprised. >> bill clinton, he's trying to channel his kbloeb balance initiative to help some of the neediest people right here in the united states as well. he tells me how he's personally trying to fight record poverty in america. much more of my interview coming up. standby to see a rescue from a river. you'll find out how it all turned out. the smell of home made chili

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years of public service but remains his focus on the fight for the poor. we spoke about that during my one on one interview with the former president. >> explain to me how the clinton global initiative can reduce poverty in the united states. >> that's interesting. we asked people that. >> that's why i'm asking that question. >> we are officperfectly well a with the u.s. as big as we are, if the private sector or the government are a partnership for the government gave tax credits, the private sector would. we'll start with a small example. last year was a tough summer for our young people because a lot of them could not get summer jobs for those that needed it for family income or to pay for college. so we have one commitment this year that promises to hire 200 young people for after-school

jobs and summer jobs to make these buildings in upper manhattan more efficient. they might be putting in new lighting or new windows or just painting the tar roofs white instead of black. but the point is, they can lower the utility bills a lot, save a lot of energy and provide jobs for people. now, this is a model that could easily be adopted in every other urban area in america and it's not very expensive. it's the kind of thing that any state in the country -- >> so this is a new priority for clinton global initiative and creating jobs not only in pakistan and haiti but here in the united states? >> yes. we talked earlier today about closing landfills. if america -- last year we had a commitment that we would highlight the progress of this

year. and create bio gas out of the organic in the landfill. it created an enormous amount of jobs in america if the mayors of the country would support the federal government and private developers say, we're going to close every landfill in america and put people to work recycling the materials and creating energy out of the landfills and giving the land back to developers or schools or whatever, playgrounds. >> i asked clinton about the economic policy and whether the current president has lost his mojo. much more of my interview with former president clinton coming up. we have new information about the president and his approval rating. his approval rating was at 65% and disapproval rating was 20%. but that has gradually eroded since then. now our brand-new poll of poll

shows that it's holding at a rather low 46%. that's a low for him. and his disapproval rating is 49%. quite a change over these many months. we're following other top stories, including a dramatic rescue from a sinking boat. that's coming up. and the district attorney calls it, and i'm quoting it, corruption on steroids.

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mary snow is back. what else is going snon. >> two georgia men are suing a bishop. they claim he sexually abused them and other young male church member employees. long's spokesperson says we deny the allegations and it's very unfortunate that someone has take then course of action. our law firm will be able to respond once attorneys have an

opportunity to review the lawsuit. the website says he grew a congregation from 300 members to 25,000. hip-hop singer wyclef jean has dropped his bid to be haiti's president. there were questions about whether he lived in haiti for five consecutive years. he says he will now focus on his music. watch this dramatic video. a helicopter rescue on a river. firefighters tried to spend hours getting this man to shore. they had no luck. the man initially refused to abandon his boat but then the rescuer managed to grab him moments before the boat sank. thankfully he's safe. >> that was a dramatic rescue. thanks very much, mary snow. the president is about to

lose another member of his economic team. stand by for the new shakeup over at the white house. what it would mean for the president and his team. and sarah palin's widening of the political influence beyond the republican party. i'm ahmed mady and i'm a homebuilder. my father brought me up to give back to society... felicia jackson promised her late sister that she would take care of her children. but she needed help. i used my american express open card to get half a million points to buy building materials to help build the jackson family a new home. well, i know if my dad was still around,

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agreement to hold the debate in wung of the hottest u.s. senate races in the nation. i'll be the moderator of that debate. we can now announce that republican christine o'donnell and democrat chris will face off on october 13th. please be sure to join the candidates and me on october 13th. it will air live right here on cnn. looking forward to that. sarah palin is raving about the tea party movement in a dramatic new web video. listen to this. >> it's not a top down action. it's forcing both parties to change the way that they are doing business. who can argue of movement that is about the people? government is supposed to be working for the people. that is what this movement is about. this party that we tall the tea party is the future of politics

and i am proud to be here today. >> let's talk about that and more in our strategy session. joining us is our political contributors. the republican strategist, mary madeleine. is sarah palin positioning herself now as the leader of the tea party movement? >> i think the tea party people say that the movement, if you will, that the philosophy that she best represents their views. some 52% of unaffiliated voters. but i think the very nature of the tea party movement, if you will, is not one that is going to give itself over to being organized in that party way. there's sort of -- they are anti-party and organization but she's been so far the most articulate and best voice for them. >> paul, your former boss, the former president bill clinton, part of the interview we'll run

in the next hour, he says the democrats, the president, they should not be cute in discussing the tea party. they have to deal with these issues and the anger that is out there. what say you? >> i think he's right. we should not demonize the tea party candidates but we should not patronize them either. they want to privatized veteran benefits, for goodness sakes. there's a chance they might try to inflict those ideas. and i think what sarah is trying to do is get a little attention here, maybe too much attention going. maybe she can see christine o'donnell from her front porch. but watch that video. i have. there's not substance in it.

in terms of ideas, guess what? zero, nothing. the tea party has ideas. i don't agree with them. >> is she getting a little jealous, do you think, of christinemary, is she not arcti lating them? >> well, talk about running on nothing, the polls have told the democrats not to run on any obama initiative, because not one of them is supported by a majority opinion, and don't even say the s-word and don't run with obama, and the only health care that his signature issue that is run by ads that have voted against them, and every democrat who voted against won his primary and they have nothing to run on, so they distort the tea party philosophy, and the positions of these candidates, and it is falling on deaf ears, and people are not listening to the spin anymore. they know what they want and they want to reduce the spending

and to freeze it, reduce it and roll back health care and have fewer services, lower taxes. that is what this is about, and every tea party person, and lots of conservative democrats stand for that and those conservative democrats will be re-elected. >> in mary's response she had about ten issues, and i don't agree with them, but she is brimming ideas. we can have debate about the ideas. and the second showing she was the mama bear, and if she were any lighter, she would be helium, and she does not want to get into the meat of the ideas. that is what politics is about. >> you know what i love about james and paul and these old clinton guys, the harder it is, and the less they have to defend the funnier they get. they should all be stand-ups, because think have best lines when they are in the worst

positions. >> and that excerpt from the interview with bill clinton will be in the next hour, and you will enjoy that, mary, as someone who has watched bill clinton for a long time. let me get your thoughts on the house leader or the house majority leader steny hower had to say. he said that the house will stay in session next week before they go on the break to start allowing all of the candidates to campaign, and all of the members of the house of representatives to go back to their districts and campaign, but realistically, paul, is anything going to be accomplished between now and november 2nd? >> well, my hope and i have talked to sources on the hill, and they hope to bring up and pass a small business bill that president obama and democrats support. and mary has a great point the democrats should stand for something, and standing up for small business other than shipping the jobs overseas is a

good start. so there is some discussion that this may or may not happen, but i am hopeful that, we can use this in exchange for cutting tacks for millionaires and billionaires. this is a good clean fight. republicans want to cut the taxes for millionaires and not the democrats, so that is why god created two parties. >> clear difference on the issue, mary? >> wolf, the first congress in 30 years that has not done its number one job, pass a budget. it has not passed a continuing resolution. it would be the first congress in 40 years to get out this early. why? because they don't want to go home to talk to any town hall forums and they want to go home the hide out in the basement? have this fight, and we want to have the fight, because the president every time he brings it up loses another democrat in the senate which is what is going the make the difference. no tax increases in a recession, and no responsible democrat is going to vote for any tax increase in a recession. >> mary matalin and paul begala,

thank you. and stick around for the rest of the interview. mary any notes on your palm? >> i have a new manicure and that is all i need. >> well, former president bill clinton is weighing in on issue one, the ailing economy and jobs. does he see the light at the end of the tunnel? that interview is coming up. and the military elite, why the weather is one of the most important fights. don't worry about that. i switched to sprint's $69.99 plan, so i wasn't charged extra. [ buzzes ] okay, i just got your breakup e-mail. e-mails are unlimited, too. and look -- i just changed my facebook status to "single." but internet's also unlimited. [ cellphone buzzing ] deaf, hard-of-hearing and people with speech disabilities, access www.sprintrelay.com. yeah.

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they are a part of a unique special operations force critical to the survival of the u.s. troops in iraq and afghanistan, but as cnn meteorologist rob marciano explains, it is not just the enemy they are up against, but also the weather. >> reporter: they are just like any other soldier showing off their guns. >> it is what the guys like to use when they are in the south enafghanistan where there is wide open spaces and they need to reach out to touch somebody. what does this have to do with weather? >> you have to be alive to report the weather. >> reporter: good point. these guys are part of a elite operation, operation weather in saudi. >> what you do and i do is the same, but the ap 34riication pl

different. >> reporter: yeah, much different and it is environmental recon commando style, and today is rapids training day, and get a fully loaded c-130 on the ground and off load it. this is the tenth combat weather squadron, and dirt bikes and humvees and atvs and when they need to get out in a hostile environment, they do it on the back of a plane and do it in a hurry. >> this is not what i went to school with. >> reporter: no, sir, and on the ground they go the work. the main objective for the group

is to gather information and you have to get out there and get out there quickly and set up whatever equipment you are using to take your data observations. >> temperature 23. >> temp, 23, celsius. >> reporter: sergeant everett carson has been deployed eight times. >> 80, copy. >> reporter: and most have served multiple tours and all of them including sergeant bryce howser has his experience. >> it is our job to let the birds know what to expect and i let them know what flight pass to take and they were in to get the two wounded guys off of the lz. this is m-4. >> reporter: the lieutenant commands them and knows how important it is to keep the forces on mission. >> early on in the iraq campaign, we had guys in northern iraq taking weather observations and passing them back to 16 aircraft which were about to deliver 1,000 paratroopers. weather cleared up for a brief period of time and 1,000 guys exited the aircraft and landed in a place called bashir airfield and off they went.

>> reporter: so don't refer to them as just the weathermen. >> to be called just a weatherman gets under your skin, but once you are put in a situation when the weather is on the line, they realize, hey, this guy is not just a weather guy, but he is a special operations weather man, and he is a soldier. >> reporter: rob marciano, cnn. you are in "the situation room." happening now, former president bill clinton is fighting for embattled democrats ahead of an election that could cost the party control of congress. this hour, advice to candidates and president obama and plus the warning of the tea party movement. also, eight city officials are arrested, accused of what a prosecutor calls corruption on steroids. did they use their community's treasury as a personal piggy bank? and a prominent mega church rocked by a lawsuit against the pastor accusing him of sexual abuse, and this hour, the church is responding. we want to welcome in our

viewers from the united states and around the world. i'm wolf blitzer, and you are in i'm wolf blitzer, and you are in "the situation room." -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com we begin with president obama's approval rating sagging and voters feeling strongly anti-incumbent, bill clinton may be democrats best weapon. the former president has campaigned in no fewer than eight states in the last month alone. he is trying to help the party maintain control of the senate where 38 seats are up for grabs and also in the house where they have a 77-seat majority. the battles are so close, that the whip durbin says that the senate will adjourn a week early so that members can go home to fight to save their seats. mr. clinton has some strong opinions about the momentum of the tea party movement whose candidates have scored victories in senate races from alaska all of the way to delaware. bill clinton and i spoke about that and much more today here in new york.

>> reporter: are the democrats underestimating the tea party movement? >> i don't know. i think that it would be a mistake -- i think that what we should say is that those tea parti partiers, and 20% of them said they would vote for democrats if there were no tea partyiers on the ballot. in the purest form, they are saying they have been let down by big business and big government, and i have been let down because the big banks were bailed out and nobody helped me, and the government bailed them out and they are fine and have a job and making mortgage payments and have an ability to send their kids to college. i want reform in both. but the funders of the tea party movement tend to be pretty far right extremists who want their goal list to destroy the power of government the mediate the power of corporations. i don't really think that's the

sustainable position. my advice for the democrats is don't play games. make this about the american people. tell them what we need to do, and what you would do about it and ask them if they think you are more likely to do it than the opponent. play it straight. if they have a tea party opponent who says something weird like the guy from alaska who says that unemployment compensation is unconstitutional or the man from arkansas running for senator who says we should have a across the board 23% income tax which would raise taxes for 85% of americans, or the guy who says that the u.n. plot to take away the sovereignty away from them, but, they should not be cute. the american people are scared, and they want to know where we are going. s and the throw them out after

21 months. and say, no, no give us two years and it is half as much time as you gave them. throw us out. you have to i is a, thrsis a -- to say, throw us out if it is not better. then what you will do. treat the american people with respect and tell them what you are going to do and ask them what they are going to do. if it is a choice, we can win, but if it is a referendum, it is no good. >> more with the interview with bill clinton on the economy and much more, but there is breaking news over at the white house where a top adviser to the president has just announced he is getting ready to leave. i don't know if it has been a formal announcement, but the white house correspondent suzanne malveaux is joining us with more details. what do we know about larry summers and his decision. >> reporter: well, wolf, it is official with the white house putting out a statement in the last ten or 15 minutes or so. it is larry summers leaving his position as director of national

economic council and he is a big personality and big stature and formidable force in the economic team and one of the top advisers to the president, and he used to serve as the chief economist for president clinton and he was the president of harvard university, and that is where he is going back to teach. president obama sent out a statement flattering him saying that over the past two years he has helped to guide us over the depths of the worst recession since the 1930s to renewed growth. while we have a lot of work to repair the recession, we are better path thanks in no small measure to larry's wise counsel. and larry believed that you should be friendly to wall street and business and he was resonant about the amount of stimulus to be pumped into the economy and he clashed with the members.

but the timing is important, because we saw a time yesterday when a lot of people quite frustrated with the obama administration and the president over the economic situation that we are all in at this time, so there is a change here. the white house is not describing this shake-up, but a natural evolution, but clearly, there needs to be some change here. what we are seeing just in the last three months or so, you had peter orszag, the director of mb who has left, and christine roamer, and the head of the economic council of advisers and who is left? austan goolsbee who is replacing roamer, and one of the most powerful members of the treasury replacing timothy geithner, this is a new team and lit feel differently and obviously the administration is trying to respond to what we are saying and that is that we need to change this situation, and turn this economic mess around. >> suzanne malveaux with that breaking news, thank you very much. let's go in depth with our

political analyst gloria borger. three members of the senior economic team gone or about to be gone, and is this an opportunity for the president, gloria? >> well, in a way, it is -- first of all, wolf, it is to be expected. you know, you have covered the white house and i know folks s the white house and these jobs are a burn-out job. and you can measure a year in the white house in dog years so it is not a surprise that larry summers is leaving. but as suzanne said, he did clash with a lot of folks. he was a forceful personality, but it is an opportunity in a way for the white house. i clearly think they see it that way which is a way for them to integrate new policy, new economic policy, as they head into the next two years. even into the midterm election with the person that they are going to choose to replace larry summers. we don't know who that is yet, but i would not be surprised with its new economic team if the white house is trying to

send a signal to the american public that they are listening to their concerns, and that they're focusing like a laser as bill clinton would say on economic policy. >> we will start a series tomorrow, gloria, here in "the situation room." i will be speaking with top business leaders to get their thoughts on where are the economy needs to go, and what needs to be done. donald trump will be joining me here in new york tomorrow in "the situation room." >> he has been critical. >> i will be looking forward to hearing what he has to say about jobs and the economy, but let's get back to what the former president bill clinton told me, and you heard what he said about the tea party. >> yeah. >> and is there a difference between what bill clinton is saying the tea party and what president obama is saying? >> yeah, you know, there is a big difference, because president obama doesn't really talk about the tea party, wolf. when you talk to folks at the white house, it is very clear they don't want to give the tea party movement anymore oxygen than they have to before the midterm elections, so you can understand why he is not out

there talking about it a lot, but bill clinton is very clever as we all know, he is a great politician. he had a great way of dealing with it without saying there are a lot of cooky ideas from the people out there, and started to talk about the far-out ideas from the candidates out there, and he was smart in the way he separated the funders of the tea party, the people who are interested in corporate special interest, and the big money folks from the people who are actually members of the tea party movement, whom he said are scared and anxious, and democrats, he said ought to listen to them. the people. not the funders, but the people. it is clear he wanted to turn the funders into just another bunch of republican fat cats. very smart. >> very smart, indeed. thank you, gloria, very much. as i say, more of the interview with my former president coming up. he says he has lost 24 pounds

and reversing the heart disease and he is not exercising as much as he used to. how is he doing it? he spills the secrets to me in more of the one-on-one interview with the president. you want to hear about his diet right now. and critics accuse her of using campaign funds for personal expenses like rent and food and bowling. now the controversial senatorial candidate lands a counterbunch. and first lady michelle obama is about to take the campaign trail by storm. new details coming in at cnn.com/politics. e's new steame. it's time to savor. everyday i eat your soups, i save a lot of money. that's great. so, your rich and hearty soups have made me, rich and hearty. that's funny. i'm hearty because of your juicy steak, your potatoes... you're really, rich and happy. [ male announcer ] progresso. you gotta taste this soup.

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>> christine o'donnell is adamantly denying allegations she misused funds from a past race. they are addressing the controversy and so her brand new campaign counsel who gave an exclusive interview to cnn. brian todd is joining us live from wilmington, delaware, with the latest. brian? >> wolf, christine o'donnell has recruited this high pf h-powere lawyer to deal with the issue of misusing campaign funds. he is counterpunching hard right now while o'donnell is taking the high road. >> reporter: swarmed bied a misers, christine o'donnell chastised reporters who want to know about the finances, and she says she will address that on one occasion. >> if you will back up and let me talk to the voters i came to

she. >> reporter: she told us she did not misuse campaign funds and then i asked her about specific charges from the 2008 senate campaign were used for her personal expenses. rent, food, even a bowling outing. mrs. o'donnell, would you talk about the specific question on the $20,000? >> no truth to it. over overly a statement. no truth to it, i assure you, brian. >> reporter: those allegations come from the watchdog group citizens for ethics in washington which filed a complaint in state and federal officials about o'donnell's expenses. they scite information from a former campaign aid. >> she has broken the law and needs to account for it. >> reporter: the punch comes from new campaign counsel cleeta wilson and she says that o'donnell spent that money on personal items a at time last

year and early this year that critics say she didn't have a campaign. >> well, she did have a campaign, because she had gone from running in 2008 to running in 2010. she was already running. christine has run for federal office i think three times at least. and so, she moved from one campaign to another. and frankly, the campaign headquarters was her home. that is not unusual. >> reporter: mitchell says that the claims are proof that she is a partisan liberal leaning group only going after certain people, and i asked michael mycoff if he senses any thing out of the allegations? >> well, the allegations have the been raised throughout the campaign by the castle campaign and it is awfully difficult to prove the allegations quickly

enough to affect election, other than a shift in public opinion. >> reporter: micoff says that public opinion can shift quickly, because he points out that o'donnell was trailing until the last few days when she swept in front of him. and literally, he says, anything can happen between o'donnell and chris coons. >> has chris coons had anything at all to say about o'donnell's financial situation? >> i asked a campaign aid for coons about that this afternoon and he said, no, we will not weigh in on this at all and focus in on the issues that the campaign finances are for her to deal with and they have emphatically said they have no contact with this group crew, and no allegations for them. >> and we will be moderating a debate october 14th in delaware between these two senate candidates a and that debate

will originate in the university of delaware and lit ait will ai right here on cnn, and christine o'donnell, and chris coons, together n the cnn university of de d debate. money in the bank is a powerful asset of any campaign, and the democratic party has more of it. they show that their three campaign parties brought in $26.7 million last month and they spent more than $25 million of it and have more than $75 million on hand. the republican party numbers are substantially lower. with about $20.6 million raised last month and more than $14 million spent just under $55 million cash on hand. money and politics. for more political news we check in with cnn's deputy political director paul stein howser, and mark preston who are over at the cnnpolitics.com desk. first to you, paul. what do you have? >> well, six weeks to the

elections of the midterm elections of 2010 and it seems like the 2012 battle for the gop presidential nominations are under way. tonight, tim pawlenty has endorsed 30 republican candidates in new hampshire and wolf, earlier today, i learned that he is going to new hampshire to campaign the gubernatorial candidate up there. and also in massachusetts mitt romney and also the governor from mississippi haley barbour, and they all may want to run for the presidential nomination, and of course, new hampshire is a very important state in politics. what have you got, mark? >> well, there is grumbling that michelle obama was not doing enough for democrats, but this just in, expect her on the campaign trail. she will campaign for at least nine democratic candidates and couple of democratic committees and including the democratic national committee and she will travel to five states starting october 15th, and wrap it up on

the 27th for an event for barbara boxer who is caught in a very difficult re-election campaign with carly fiorina, and michelle obama's favorability rating is 62%. and sarah palin's is 38%, and the president's is 53%. but why is she important on campaign trail? because 69% of women have a favorable opinion of michelle obama, and 58% of independent voters think very highly of her. and wolf, let me be one of the first to congratulate you on this debate in delaware. cnn, of course, will be co-moderating this debate with chris coons and christine o'donne o'donnell. originating from the university of delaware and you will be there with nancy carbijanian and very big news and debate and i can't wait to see it. >> thank you, guys. our viewers will look forward to it as well. a check on the top stories

is coming up next. later, has president obama lost the mojo? it is a question i put to former president bill clinton, and his answer. you will want to hear it coming up. plus, shocking allegations against a prominent pastor. we will have the report. lots of news happening today in "the situation room." >> i am going to set you free. (announcer) everything you need to stretch out on long trips. residence inn. you struggle to control your blood sugar. you exercise and eat right, but your blood sugar may still be high, and you need extra help. ask your doctor about onglyza, a once daily medicine used with diet and exercise to control high blood sugar in adults with type 2 diabetes. adding onglyza to your current oral medicine may help reduce after meal blood sugar spikes and may help reduce high morning blood sugar. [ male announcer ] onglyza should not be used to treat type 1 diabetes or diabetic ketoacidosis. tell your doctor if you have a history

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two georgia men are accusing a well known atlanta pastor of sexually abusing them and other male church members in overnight trips. the allegations are levelled in two lawsuits. ed lavandara is joining us with more details. what do we know, ed? >> well, wolf, this is a story that is starting to develop here in the state of georgia. these two young men 20 and 21, and maurice robertson and anthony flag were members of the church and very close to bishop eddie long and according to the lawsuits filed this afternoon in state of georgia what they accused the bishop of according to the lawsuit is that using coercion and manipulation to engage these young men into sexual acts, including oral sex as well. these areal agations that are very shocking to say the least to bishop eddie long considering that the bishop is the leader of

a very powerful church, a mega church here in atlanta area, and some 25,000 members. bishop eddie long is an international tell van gel list, and a few years ago, in fact, when coretta scott king passed away, her funeral was held his church and he shared the stage with three former presidents. these are stunning allegations leveled at against him at this point. we reached out to the the spokesperson who told us this afternoon they categorically deny these allegations and find it unfortunate that someone has gone down the path. their attorneys are reviewing the allegations at this point and will provide further comment later. this isificant because bishop long is a critic of gay

marriage, and so -- >> i want to clarify, anti-gay marriage or pro-gay marriage? >> anti-gay marriage. and very vocal and holding rallies about it in the past as well, so clearly, this is the allegations leveled against him with what these two men are accusing him of improper sexual relationships with him will be shocking to those who follow him closely. >> shocking indeed. thank you, ed. troubling new unemployment data and one thing that bill clinton says that president obama can do right now to help. more of my interview with the former president up next. plus, officials accused of using the city treasury as a city bank. and details of what a prosecutor is calling corruption on steroids.

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new details are revealing a grimmer picture of the u.s. unemployment. labor department announcing today that the jobless rate rose in 27 states in august and almost double the 14 states that saw unemployment rise in july. former president bill clinton had some advise for president obama as our interview continued. >> reporter: a few quick questions and answers on domestic issues right now. what is the single most important thing that president obama can do to turn the economy around? >> i think the quickest thing he

can do is to recognize the stunning report that just came out last week. i mean, with the unemployment rate came out and said that went to 9.6 because of the census workers laid off, but buried in that rate was the stunning finding that for the first time since world war ii we are coming out of recession where posted job openings, that is they will hire us tomorrow, you and me, posted job openings are are going up twice as fast as job hires. because a little bit of the huge number of americans living in homes worthless than their mortgage, so they cannot move and mostly because of the skills mismatch. i think that the quickest thing that you could do is to transfer the discretionary training money to states and local demt depar

to train people for those jobs. that is what is happening in michael thurman -- >> so you see light at the end of the tunnel? >> yes. first of all, look at the facts here, according to the report, now, these are the jobs that are posted all over america, and i will hire you tomorrow, and if we were filling those jobs, and if we had been since last june filling the same rates as in the early months of my presidency and every other previous recession, there would be 5 million more workers at work and unemployment at 6.9. that is the quickest thing and then create more jobs in small business and manufacturing and clean energy and we have to find ways to get the banks to loan money, because they have 1.8 trillion in cash uncommitted to loans, and to resolve whatever

doubts the corporations have about investing the 1.6 trillion they have in cash. >> it is easier said than done, but the president will have to show leadership, and here is the question, has he lost his mojo? >> no, no, no. no. there argument, the republican argument is that he had 21 months to get us out of the hole, and we are not in the hole, so we should put them back in. our argument should be two-fold. and they have a rnlg laer argument which is that all of the strategy, the stimulus, is the student loan program, the financial oversight bill, and the health care bill are part of some vast conspiracy to have government choke off our life. but, our argument should be two-fold. we should say, that they have dug this hole over eight years and we had big problems before the financial meltdown. they want you to throw us out over after 21 months, and put them back in so they can do what

they were doing before. they promise, and they have been honest, and i will give the republicans credit. they promise to repeal financial oversight, and repeal the student loan reform, which is the best thing to get kids into colleges and stay there, and they want to repeal health care and not improve it which is crazy, because the system they advocate with the health insurance companies running it gave the health insurance a 26% insurance companies 26% increase in profits and taking us to the highest in health care ever, and we are spending the most in a country with highest infant mortality rate. and so the democrats need to say, give us two more years and if it is not better, vote against us all. you gave them eight years to dig the hole. give us four to get out of it. if it ist not better, throw us

out, but for goodness sakes don't bring back the shovel brigade, and then they should pivot to saying what should we do now? we need more jobs, more financing, more training. here is what our position is, compare it with theirs, and in other words, if this election is a choice about the future, we have a chance to do quite well. if it is a referendum on people's frustration, it is a bad deal for us. >> the former president is here in new york for the sixth annual meeting of the clinton global initiative which he started back in 2005 and cnn's mary snow is joining us. mary, this is an eclectic gathering that comes together every year in new york. >> it really is. from the presidents to the pop stars and it is a chance to brainstorm and also make deals. we have heard president clinton explain it, but you don't see the end result, and today, we got a chance to do just that. >> reporter: to get an idea of what is done at the clinton global initiative, meet jacob

weiss who runs a african nonprofit agency, and he is here with nba star dikembe mutombo. among the crowd of 1,300 people, former secretary of state madeleine albright, barbra streisand, and eric schmidt, and dozens of current and former heads of state and leaders and nonprofit groups all brought together by former president bill clinton. this is the sixth year, and the president pounced $67 million to date to help the lives of 28 million people. >> reducing the illness due to dirty water and increasing access to education, i hope you have an idea of what is most needed in the places that you

care most about. >> everyone has a name tag on and you can literally walk up to anyone that you want and introduce yourself and start to tell them what you are doing. >> reporter: for lief, it is about the ubuntu educational initiative he runs in african. he helps 27,000 people with the goal of having them at the end college and he opened up a new community center. you have people here to help you fund it? >> yes, fund it. >> reporter: and as a result? >> if we opened it two days ago. >> reporter: and along with speaking investments the other focus is on education where lief's program is highlighted and jeff ki canon shares the story. in another room, there is a

women empowerment seminar, and she is putting stainless steel sinks in the kitchens to help families. she now funds collarships for the workers, and she says that her goal is to invest in 10,000 women globally. >> investing in women, especially by giving them opportunities to be more economically independent has an effect on all of society. >> reporter: now the clinton global initiatives runs through thursday and president obama and first lady michelle obama will also be in attendance. >> it is an amazing amount of work that is done through an eclectic crowd. >> ey it is. >> and the president loses 24 pounds. how did he do it? he will tell us his secret.

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mary is back monitoring other top stories in "the situation room." what else is going on, mary? >> well, wolf, the supreme court has denied the appeal of a virginia woman to halt an execution. theresa lewis has pleaded guilty to her part of the murders of her husband and stepson in their home. but lewis and her lawyers argue thae shoo has an iq that is borderline retarded and could not commit the crime alone. but it was denied and the death by lethal injection should continue saturday night. and the final vote for "don't ask, don't tell" is four short of the 60 votes needed to overcome republican opposition. the democrats are accusing the gop of stalling on the defense bill while democrats are saying they are using this bill to force through provisions like "don't ask, don't tell." a group of scientists are

warning against building highways through the serengeti, and they say that the proposed road would cause disaster and disrupt the migration of thousands of zebras and wild beasts and the president has said he is a conservation ally and he won't allow something to be built to ruin the ecosystem. finally, bedbugs are popping up all over the country, and experts are gathering to attend a bedbug summit outside of chicago. on display are all products aimed at attacking the bedbugs from steamers to pest control. they say that the most bedbug infested cities are new york, philadelphia and detroit. ohio though is the top bedbug infested state which is probably not the best one to have on the list. >> so are they saying to not leave your suitcase near the bed? >> there are some things that they have covers for the suitcases. >> and so you don't bring the

bedbugs back to your home after you stay in a hotel. >> yes, unless you want to crawl out of your skin. >> thank you, mary. we are following other top stories including a city rocked by the arrest of eight former and current officials charged with corruption on a stunning scale. we created purina one with smartblend. new, delicious shredded morsels and crunchy bites, with real meat, wholesome grains and antioxidants, for strong muscles, vital energy, a healthy immune system, and a real difference in your dog. purina one improved with smartblend. discover what one can do. everyday i eat your soups, i save a lot of money. that's great. so, your rich and hearty soups have made me, rich and hearty. that's funny. i'm hearty because of your juicy steak, your potatoes... you're really, rich and happy. [ male announcer ] progresso. you gotta taste this soup. you're really, rich and happy.

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an unbelievable story of city officials allegedly abusing their power. current and former officials of a county in california were rounded up accused of misappropriating millions of dollars. joining us is ted rowlands with

the details on this. the details are amazing and shocking and a city manager who made more than $1 million? >> yeah, when you add in the benefits that he awarded himself over $1 million a year, and this is basically according to the prosecutors here in this case basically doing it underneath the radar and shifting money around. basically, getting paid by different avenues. they are claiming, the los angeles county district attorney's office that this city manager, and his name is robert rizzo who was taken away in handcuffs today and the city councilors in the small city of belle outside of los angeles have been bilking taxpayers for years without them knowing it. today, they handed down an indictment of 53 counts against riz sew and the others, and they say that rizzo was the ring leader. >> rizzo, acting as the unelected and unaccountable czar of the city of belle secretly

set his own salary. he misappropriated substantial pay and benefits by increasing each of them through a series of actions that no one approved of and few, if anyone, knew about. >> reporter: now, the district attorney's office here in los angeles, wolf, is asking that rizzo who is in jail right now as we speak and will appear in court tomorrow will held on $3.2 million in bail, and they say if he does come up with that money, they want an investigation into how he came up with the money, because basically, they are going to challenge him all of the way here and try to keep him in jail as this process unfolds. it is, as you mentioned, an amazing story. it took place in belle, and the amazing facts of what these guys were making and then today, basically after this investigation came through, the details of how they pulled it off in front of taxpayers' eyes. >> i also understand that belle

officials were allowed the use unused vacation days to make more money. what is that about? >> yeah, basically part of the scheme. they awarded themselves a few of them, the city manager, included, in excess of 100 days of vacation a year, and then they would basically sell them become to the taxpayers and then they would profit from that. in belle today when the word came down that the indictments had come down and the folks had been arrested eight in all, as you can imagine, people were celebrating. here is a sample of that. >> todayt daday is not a sad d belle, it is a great day. because from the very beginning i felt in my heart that this was criminal. and this is the outcome. i am very happy with the outcome that these folks end up in jail, and then, you know, we will be good. you know, we will be okay. and we will start to heal.

>> now, we should note, wolf, for people following the story, the police chief in this city of bell was making in excess of $450,000 a year which is of course raising a lot of eyebrows, but he was not indicted today and the reason being, according to the prosecutors he did not try to hide his income and merely paid a lot of money, and that in the state of california even if you are a public official is not illegal. so they say that he has done nothing wrong. a lot of people though especially the folks on the police force starting salary is $33,000 a year are very upset with him as well. >> this story has caused concern not only in california but around the country. thank you, ted, very, very much. how many people in their 60s can say they weigh what they did in high school? the former bill clinton can say that right now. he tells me how he lost 24 pounds by changing his diet and he goes into detail.

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more now on the interview with former president bill clinton. we concluded with the subject that seems to be on so many people's minds right now, his dramatic weight loss. my last question, and it comes to me as a lot of my followers on twitter sent me this question, they wanted me to ask you a variation of this question, how did you lose so much weight? what kind of diet are you on? >> well, the short answer is, i went on essential a plant-based diet. i live on beans, legumes, vegetables, fruit. i drink a protein supplement every morning. no dairy. i drink almond milk mixed in with fruit and a protein powder.

so i get the protein for the day when i start the day out. and it changed my whole metabolism and i lost 24 pounds and i got back basically to what i weighed in high school. but i did it for a different reason. i mean, i wanted to lose a little weight. i never dreamed this would happen. i did it because after i had this stent put in, i realize even though it happens quite often after you have bypass, you lose the veins because they're thinner and weaker than arteries. the truth is, it clogged up, which means that the cholesterol was still causing buildup in my vein that was part of my bypass. thank god i can take the stents. i don't want it to happen again. i did all this research. i saw that 82% of the people since 1986 who have gone on a plant-based, no dairy, no meat, no chicken or turkey.

i eat very little fish. once in a while. not often. if you can do that, 80% of people have begun to heal themselves. their arterial blockage clears up. this movement has been led by carl eckenstein at the cleveland clinic. the doctors campbell, father and son, who wrote "the china study" and a handful of others. but we now have 24 years of evidence. i thought, since i need to lose a little weight for chelsea's wedding, i'll become part of the experiment. i'll see if i have have a self-clearing mechanism. we'll see. >> i hope you're healthy for many years and get to see grandchildren for many years. >> that's really the big deal, you know, hillary and i, we're happy, we love our son-in-law, we admire him but, we'd like to be around if there's grandkids, we want to be there to do our

part. >> mr. president, good luck. >> thanks for what you're doing. >> thank you. >> thanks. >> a major league trip up to the ballpark. you won't want to miss this most unusual moment. that story straight haeahead. sure i'd like to diversify my workforce,

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the e-class. see your authorized mercedes-benz dealer for exceptional offers through mercedes-benz financial. ♪ through mercedes-benz financial. save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance?really was abe lincoln honest? mary: does this dress make my backside look big? abe: perhaps... save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance?really host: is having a snowball fight with pitching great randy johnson a bad idea? man: yeah, i'm thinking maybe this was a bad idea. dramatic deals in the world of sports that have nothing do with the sport itself. cnn's jeanne moos reports on the most unusual matchups. >> reporter: when a guy in red

spandex took to the field. it took a left fielder to take him out. watch this move. >> oh, tripping. >> reporter: atlanta's matt diaz cut to the chase with fancy footwork that earned him a standing ovation. >> that was sweet. that was sweet. >> reporter: even from rival philly fame. it could have been worse, el earlier at the stadium, a fan got tazed for running on the field. managed to elude his would-be captors and finally a police officer brought down the 17-year-old with a taser. about 30 seconds after he was tazed, had was up and walked with under his own power. none lasted as long as drew barrymore in "fever pitch." the outfielder didn't lift a finger to stop her on her way to her boyfriend. then the mascot on mascot. at the ohio state/ohio

university game the other day, lucas the bobcat ran at rival mascot brutus and tackled hill, losing his head in the process. >> it was an adrenaline rush, that's for hour. >> reporter: that's the aggressor who then assaulted brutus again in the end zone. turns out 19-year-old branden hannon had been planning this for years. >> honest to god, that was the whole reason i tried out to be the mascot. >> reporter: he was fired as mascot and banned from ohio university athletics. normally, mascots do silly things like dance to lady gaga. and flirt with the ump. but it was more than a love tap seven years ago when an italian sausage got whacked with a bat by a pittsburgh player, randy block was the sausage. >> it wasn't that big of a blow, it's just because i'm so small. >> reporter: the batter randell simon, was fined, suspended three d