far as when she's going to make a decision about when she's going to run for president, because we're all happening in september or august. she's given us a time line of when she's going to make that decision. >> she sure knows how to work the media, doesn't she? >> she sure does. suzanne malveaux, you're the political guerrero. tell her we need to know right now. get her to fess up. >> we'll get the scoop. >> you always do. i want to get you up to speed for this thursday, july 14th. libyan troops ambush a cnn troop. they were covering a five-hour fire fight and suddenly guns were aimed at them. >> wait.

wait. >> bullets kept flying as our team sped away. >> okay. we're leaving this area. there's gunfire all around us and we believe that gadhafi forces are doing a round about movements so we are rushing out of this area. >> this reminds us just how dangerous and desperate the life has become for the libyan people. we're going to talk to ben live from libya later. india police say it is going to take more to pinpoint who is behind the triple bomb blast in mumbai. it killed 18 people. no intelligence is pointing to anything imminent. for now the minister says anything hostile to india is

suspect. don't give it another shot. today, the president, congressional leaders have been going back and forth on a debt ceiling increase for about a week now. the deadline is august 2nd. otherwise the u.s. may not be able to pay its bills. so far, little to show but ex as sper rags. eric cantor and then walked out of the talks. we're going to talk to the policy as well as the personality clash in a moment. well, americans have a personal credit score and governments have a debt rating. moodys, one of three debt rating agencies is reviewing the u.s. rating for a possible downgrade. governments with lower ratings, just like people with lower credit scores, pay higher interest rates. a section of a suspension bridge collapses in china. and a tour bus goes down with it. chinese news agencies say one person was killed. 22 hurt. a huge slab of concrete highway broke away from the suspension

wires. the bridge is relatively new, just 12 years old. rupert murdoch sends his regrets to the british parliament. he can't make it on tuesday. lawmakers want murdoch to testify about phone hacking and alleged police bribery by his london papers. parliament issues a summons but murdoch is not a british citizen. it's not clear that he can be forced to appear. u.s. women's soccer team going to play for the world cup title this weekend. america beat 3-1. we'll talk live with abby wambach in just a bit. the debt ceiling debate is dramatic enough and then there's the human drama playing out. the two sides go back to the table today after tensions escalated between president

obama and house majority leader eric cantor. that happened during the talks yesterday. can for says that the president got agitated after he proposed a short-term agreement to raise the debt ceiling. that's something that the president doesn't want to do. the president said eric, don't call my bluff. african for pressed the issue, he says president obama shoved back from the table and said, i'll see you tomorrow and walked out. so how is it that this republican, eric cantor, ends up being the one going toe to toe with the president in this debate? joining us to talk about that is one of the best there in the washington post. good to see you. you write that can for -- what can for really wants is power here, that he's prepared to risk the full faith and credit of the united states to get it. is that really true? is that happening, do you think? >> well, all the other possibilities seem to have been ruled out here and, you know, can for had a quote in his high school year book nearly 30 years ago that said, i want what i

want when i want it. and he's had a remarkable rise to power here and in large part he's done that by harnessing the power of the tee party movement. he's much closer to these guys than john boehner is. there's been a long standing power struggle between these two men. boehner has been working quite diligently and in good faith with the white house to strike a deal and pretty much every step along the way can for has undermined it. we're now at a point where can for is saying that not any sort of debt limit increase could get through the house. so he may have pushed the tiger of the tea party too far here. >> how much of an influence is the tea party here? >> it's enormous because, look, there's three entities here. there's the white house, the senate, and there's the house and the tea party members, or those who are sympathetic to the tea party, really control this. and they are dominant within

that caucus. nobody wants to go up against them. they are fearful of that. in fact, john boehner starts to talk about a grand bargain. he immediately gets undercut by can for and his -- the next in line, kevin mccarthy. so we've really reached almost sort of a leaderless position here, that even if the leaders wanted to strike a deal, they may not have the ability to do it because of his very angry rank and file. >> and perhaps this shouldn't come as a surprise to anybody. i interviewed can for in may. listen to this. >> the winning issue in the midterm election was that the country began to see a republican majority that was actually interested in solving problems and delivering results. so we put a plan on the table to address the fiscal imbalance in washington and to get our fiscal house in order and we also say, we've got a vision for how we're going to grow the country again so we can see small businesses finally beginning to create jobs, something that i know that

a lot of americans are waiting for. >> as the pitbull of the party, is he getting a wink and a nod from the gop or is this a guy going rogue? >> he's going rogue from the leadership but in the sense that he has a large amount of the caucus behind him. his people say that he's merely reflecting the interest of his caucus, his republican members. now, that's true but there is a question of leadership here and i certainly john boehner is saying, mitch mcconnell saying, look, if we don't raise this debt limit, things are going to get a whole lot worse and mcconnell is already talking about, as you know, sort of punting off this decision that will do nothing. they have to make the decision between not getting exactly what they wanted or getting nothing at all and so far a lot of people are willing to say, okay, we'll take nothing. we'll see what happens and try our luck with this default, with this failure to meet the debt limit. >> and obviously can for is the

one in the room there. is there anybody else that can be in that room with the president and resolve the stalemate or is it really can for over obama? >> that's the primary drama here. you have other players now. there is still boehner. mitch mcconnell is desperately looking for a way out. he sees it as destroying the republican brand and you have other players like rob portman trying to talk some sense into their colleagues in the house and say, let's avoid this cam lamb tea and live to fight another way and resolve this. >> we've got all of this political drama but no plan to raise the debt limit and also cut spending. here's a quick reminder of the plans under consideration. president obama wants the so-called grand bargain, $4 trillion threw savings and spending cuts and potentially raising taxes. republicans oppose any tax hikes. senator mitch mcconnell has

suggested a fall back plan that would give the president the authority to raise the debt limit to keep the country from defaulting on its bills. and now we have congressman can for, he's proposed a short-term hike in the debt ceiling. president obama has already said no to that proposal. well, here's a rundown on some of the other stories that we're covering first. how a lower bond rating will affect your child's college fund and education. that is up next. then, an accused child molester watching child porn in jail and a sheriff can't do anything about it. >> make no mistake, i don't like it. but it is not my choice whether to do it or not to do it. there's no question that i don't like it. it's no question that this makes me grind my teeth. later, why the british hacking scandal matters here. u.s. legislatures demand a review of rupert murdoch's media

empire. also, i talk to the woman who scored the winning goal for the u.s. in the world cup semifinals. 25 grams of protein. what do we have? all four of us, together? 24. he's low fat, too, and has 5 grams of sugars. i'll believe it when i--- [ both ] oooooh... what's shakin'? [ female announcer ] as you get older, protein is an important part of staying active and strong. new ensure high protein... fifty percent of your daily value of protein. low fat and five grams of sugars. see? he's a good egg. [ major nutrition ] new ensure high protein. ensure! nutrition in charge!

[ male announcer ] want to pump up your gas mileage? come to meineke for our free fuel-efficiency check and you'll say...my money. my choice. my meineke. some of the stories that our affiliates are covering from around the country, the owner could face 39 days in jail the and rip up the garden and face penalties. she refused and was charged with a misdemeanor. >> >> not like obnoxious or like a blade in the neighborhood. we didn't think people would care very much. >> suitable means common. you can look all throughout the

city and you'll never find another vegetable garden that consumes the entire front yard. >> now she has a court gate and has set up a blog to fight the city. well, caught off the shores of galveston, texas, a 9 foot bull shark. a man celebrated at his bachelor party and went shark fishing and caught it in the gulf of mexico. and the san diego zoo gave its three polar bears a special treat. 18 tons of snow. boy, they had fun making the snow angels. it's nice. and soccer, the most popular sport in the world, right? but rarely are americans gathered around the tv screen. well, that all changed with one game and one goal, the u.s. women's team was facing elimination, down to its final minute of play against brazil when abby wambach scored a miraculous header.

fast forward wednesday, the header was a go ahead goal against france. u.s. won 3-1 and is going to face japan on sunday in the world cup final. abby joins us on the phone from germany. everybody is gathering around the team and the sports bar. did you ever think it would have that kind of impact? >> you know, it's pretty amazing how much support we've femt and have received back home. we've seen some of the video, the footage of people reacting to not just brazil's goal but to yesterday's match. we really want to make everybody back home proud. we're going to keep this thing going. we have this huge game on sunday and if we can all play well and keep giving our most and leave everything on the field, hopefully we'll come home as world cup champs.

>> and just to show you how popular you guys have become, the award show changed a category the last second added your header against brazil to the best play category. i want you to listen to how this came about. >> the past few weeks, the votes have gone down to 14 amazing plays and then there was a in the world cup as well. they don't do that at the oscar's. don't just add a thing. >> and the fans have decided that the espy goes to abby wambach. >> abby, when you heard that, what did you think? >> that's awesome. that's actually the first time i've heard it because we've been traveling. we just left and now we're here in frankfurt. it's so honoring and humbling to even be honored and put up for an espy but to actually win it,

some say maybe it was perfect timing for us we believe it's our destiny. we're going to keep it going but honestly i'm so impressed and i couldn't be more proud to be a part of this team. >> we're proud of you as well. you talk about destiny. let's talk about sunday. u.s. versus japan. what do you think you need to win that game? >> well, japan's a great team. they are so possession or yenltded and so technical on the ball. they are going to keep a lot of the possession of the game. we have to be patient. we're going to get chances and have moments where we can score goals and i think physically we're going to be able to dominate them. so if we can take care of the chances that we get, put away goals early on, it's going to be an amazing day to be an american and hopefully we can be crowned world champs. >> an amazing day for everybody. tell us about your own career. there's been ups and downs, including the game-winning goal in the 2004 olympics.

in the 2008 you had a broken leg. you're 31 years old. do you think there's another shot at this, the u.s. world cup in four years? what do you see? >> it's a good question but right now my focus is here. i'm, you know, this team is special and this team i can't put my finger on what makes this team so special but the fact is, we just don't give up. we're not quitter. we won't give up for the entire 90 minutes that we play on sunday. i think we can do this. i know that the players on my team, the coaches, the staff, we've all put so much time and effort into training and preparing for this. we're not going to let it go lightly. it's going to be a great match. i can't wait to start it and hopefully to see that we're champs at the end. >> and we can't wait to watch. we want you to join us on monday after that goal and the game as world cup champs. abby, thanks so much for joining us today. good luck this weekend.

again, world cup finals on sunday 2:45 eastern time. we'll be watching and rooting for the team. three great stories. this is your chance to air the news. first, banning churches in china. a crackdown on christianity in the state. what it means for believers. second n. a country racked by protests, homemade guns are making their way on to the streets of egypt. third, a science lab in the arctic. a team of researchers dig below the ice to crack the secrets of the ocean. so you can vote by texting 22360. winning story will air in the next hour. making it hard to breathe, i thought those days might be over. so my doctor prescribed symbicort. it helps significantly improve my lung function, starting within 5 minutes. symbicort doesn't replace a rescue inhaler for sudden symptoms.

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new yorkers turn out by the thousands for last night's funeral. the little boy who went missing and was found dead. his body dismemerred. he disappeared on monday on his way home from camp. the surveillance video is the last time he was seen alive. he was supposed to have been meeting his mother. the video later showed him talking to a stranger identified as lady erin. >> >> along 18th avenue where he encountered erin and asked him for directions. it was happenstance and a terrible fate for this young

boy. >> police have charged erin with murder. officers found human remains in erin's freezer and in a trash bin two miles from his apartment. the remains were wrapped inside of a plastic bar gauge bag inside of a suitcase. he told police he killed the boy in a panic after seeing the child's missing face on a poster. the green light to watch child porn in jail? how is this even possible. komo reports it's because he's his own attorney. >> reporter: there are two sides to mark gilbert. he comes and goes from the outfit of a jailed inmate but behind his back is the briefcase of a lawyer. gilbert has chosen to act as his own attorney. >> i'm asking both copies of the hard drives as well as the copies of the videotapes be

released. >> reporter: he's accused of luring young boys to his home, raping them, and videotaping them and now he's able to see them inside the jail. we're talking about boxes of videotapes. more than 100 dvds, about 28 hours of pornography. some of them the very same material he's accused of making. >> make no mistake, i don't like it. but it is not my choice whether to do it or not to do it. there's no question that i don't like it. there's no question that this makes me grind my teeth. >> reporter: the sheriff said the state supreme court ruled that defense attorneys have the right to see all of the evidence against their client, including child pornography. since he is his own attorney, he gets total access to it. if not, there's a risk of a mistrial. >> we had like to facilitate this even though we don't think it's a good idea. >> reporter: so he can watch it all day? >> yes, sir. >> reporter: there is

precautions taken at the jail. they are both taken to a private interview room where they can watch for as long as they want. child advocates say the fact that these videos are being viewed again, especially by the alleged perpetrator, victimizes them all over again. >> we don't like it. we have to do it. the fix here is to change the law. >> so can anything be done about this? sunny hostin is a legal contributor on trutv. it's absolutely disgusting when you look at this and hear this story and you got to wonder if anything can be done about this. >> changing the law would be a long time coming. there are certain pieces in play that it shouldn't be happening. they are going to be in the interview room by themselves.

he is not alone. he has a defense investigator with him. certainly there are jail guards there observing the entire thing. these are not pornographic materials that the other inmates are able to see but short of changing the law, really there isn't anything that can can be done because is he representing himself and that's a sixth amendment constitutional right. you have the right to counsel. you have the right to represent yourself if you choose to. there are a limited exceptions to that and certainly you have the right to know what evidence is going to be presented against you and you can confront witnesses and confront evidence. so while it makes us all feel uncomfortable, right, this is something that i don't think the law ever intended to happen. it's there because it protects our fundamental constitutional rights. >> sunny, you said you talk about intent. don't judges have the option of denying prisoners the right of serving as their own attorney here? isn't there something in that that he can reverse his opinion now? >> it's a very -- there are very limited exceptions when that sort of thing happens.

again, you have the right to counsel and you have the right to represent yourself. that's a constitutional right. and i think the only reason that this is happening is because he has decided to represent himself. often times judges give you standby counsel because really there is this old saying that only a fool represents himself. he should have a lawyer representing him but since he's chosen to represent himself, which is his fundamental right, sometimes judges do have stand-by counsel to help out and to shield against this sort of thing. the judge certainly can limit some of his access to evidence but i think that's already been done because of the circumstances under which he's going to be allowed to view. >> sunny, we know that there have been cases of those that have been able to go through their own materials. but this seems like this is kind of an extraordinarily rare circumstance. have you heard of anything like this before where they are reviewing and pornography. >> no, i haven't.

i've tried cases where people have represented themselves and they have the right to look at all of the evidence. they have the right to look at the evidence that they are going to put forth against them. but in this case, this sort of a perfect storm. i've never seen anything like this where you have someone accused of child rape and molestation, seeing over again the victim my zags of his victims. so really a very horrible set of circumstances and i feel very rare this is not something that the law contemplated. >> and sunny, just a last question, do you think those families of the victims of the children, do they have any recourse here? is there anything that they can do? >> i don't think so. i don't think so. and it's unfortunate but hopefully they will have their day in court. my understanding is that while he's representing himself, he's not going to be allowed to directly cross-examine these poor victims and the judge is going to protect them in that regard. in terms of any other legal recourse, i don't think so. >> a very disturbing case. appreciate it, sunny.

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here's some of the stories that we're working on. chaos as our cnn crew is fired on by gadhafi fighters and then why minnesota's government shut down. and in eight minutes, justin timberlake is asked to put his money where his mouth is to go on a date with a marine in the name of patriotism. the u.s. government is putting on notice. moodys is threatening to downgrade the nation's credit rating because of the debt crisis. alison is at the new york stock exchange to explain this and how dire is this warning? what does this mean for us? >> it's a huge concern, especially when you consider

moodys is not the first to fire off this warning shot. s&p did the same. these are top credit ratings. as far as moodys, we're reviewing the government bond rating and it may downgrade it if the debt ceiling is not in time. moodys is on the verge of cutting our nation's credit score. this could send a message that investing in the u.s. is not as safe as it once was and this is kind of stunning when you think about it. because right now the u.s. rating is as high as it gets. suzanne? >> so, alison, what does it mean for the economy? >> well, it's interesting because fed chief ben bernanke talks directly about the consequences. he used words like catastrophic and dire and crisis. who can blame them when you look at the possible effects of a lower credit rating and a default. federal borrowing rates could rise. stocks would drop. it could disrupt financial markets and we don't want to go anywhere close to that because who can forget what happened a

couple of years ago when the economy didn't get what it needed. the dow plunged 777 points when congress didn't pass the first $700 billion stimulus plan. gosh, that event would seem like a drop in the bucket next to a default or to a downgrade. suzanne? >> that's a big deal. alison, it's been really hot. really, really hot this summer. what if your favorite drink disappeared from the stores. here's what is happening in minnesota. their budget crisis might actually turn into a beer emergency for some folks. a beer emergency. because the state has shut down and nobody is there to renew the permits and blue moon, you name them, so, you know, that's what they are dealing with there. you might have to switch to buzz wiser. i don't know what you drink. what do you drink? >> i'll go right to the hard stuff. to tequila.

>> oh, geez, that's not supposed to be the solution here. go to the hard stuff. we'll see what happens. we will see what happens. but that's just one of the many things that we're looking at when we talk about this economic crisis that is turning into a beer emergency. alison, don't do that hard stuff. >> all right. okay. here's a reminder to vote for the story you'd like to see. you can cast your vote by texting 22360. text 1 for crack down on china, homemade guns flooding on to the streets of cairo, text 2. or 3 for the science lab where top of the world researchers are going to air in the next hour. >> she is a martial arts he can pert in the military. she could be justin timberlake's next date. jeanne moos will have that story. hey can i play with the toys ?

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so just how patriotic is

justin timberlake? one fan is making the star prove his love for country with the provocative proposal. jeanne moos reports. >> reporter: this female marine is asking justin timberlake out on a date hoping he'll take his on advice. >> do it for your country. >> reporter: that's what timberlake told his co-star after a male marine in afghanist afghanistan tilted his shades and asked mila out. >> i want to take a moment out of my day to invite you on november 18th in north carolina with yours truly. take a second, think about it, get back to me. >> reporter: chances are the last time mila was asked out on a semimanufacture blind date is when cnn wolf blitzer invited her to the white house correspondents dinner and wolf is more famous than sergeant scott moore, the sergeant has

justin timberlake on his side during a fox news interview. >> this needs to go down. this needs to happen. do it for your country. >> okay. i'll do it for you. >> reporter: do you do it for your country, justin timberlake, because now this marine wants you. >> justin, want to call out my girl mila, well i'm going to call you out and ask you to come to marine corps ball with me on november 12th in washington, d.c. >> reporter: kelsey is the only female marine at the martial arts center for excellence. she's an instructor with a black belt who sometimes does cage fights. kelsey a fan of timberlake. she got the idea of inviting him to the marine corps ball after seeing him so enthusiastically telling mila to go. her friends set up a facebook page called, let's get justin timberlake to the marine corps ball with kelsey, complete with an array of photos so impressive, well, how could timberlake tell her to go jump

in a lake or even a river. >> and if you can't go, all i have to say is, cry me a river. ♪ cry me a river ♪ cry me a river >> hey, the corporal has a tattoo, too. that's just the one that we could see. when we asked the friend that helped set up the facebook page whether kelsey could kick timberlake's butt if he turned her down, she said, oh, yeah, for sure. this marine isn't looking for a few good men. just one. >> do it for your country. >> jean me moose, cnn, new york. >> hit me up. >> i can't wait to see how that turns out. sarah palin takes aim at president obama. that's next on our political ticker up next. [ male announcer ] introducing the ultimate business phone --

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republican mitt romney on the campaign trail today. jim acosta, part of the best political team on television, live from the political desk in washington. hi, jim. what's going on? jim, can you hear us? >> hi, suzanne. yes. the debt ceiling talks are definitely going to be the hot topic out on the campaign trail today. mitt romney has town halls up in new hampshire today and we expect him to be asked about that. it would be a big surprise if he's not asked about that. and, you know, the democrats have accused mitt romney of staying quiet on the issue. david axelrod made that much of

a statement yesterday in a tweet. the pawlenty campaign also poked him on the subject. the romney campaign has put out a statement, that it would reduce the government to bring the debt under control and does not favor tax increases in order to bring the debt under control as part of any debt ceiling agreement. mitt romney was asked about that today. and ron paul, he has a brand-new tv ad that has come out. eats going to be airing this ad in the important early voting states and the texas congressman and tea party favorite has the ad -- it's essentially called compromises and it really takes aim at budget deals that were cut in the past. basically saying that democrats have raised taxes as part of these compromised deals to bring down the budget deficit in the past and how that's been bad for the country. >> i understand that sarah palin

has jumped into the debt limit debate as well going after the president on this. >> she has. >> what is she saying? >> she brought back, suzanne, a familiar catch phrase of hers, as you remember she got into hot water for that phrase, don't retreat, reload. well, on a fox news program last night, she was asked about the debt ceiling talks and she said basically we cannot default but we cannot afford to retreat either. now is not the time to retreat. it's the time to reload and reload with reality. so despite the uproar over that retreat and reload comment that she made in the past, she sort of double downed on it last night and brought it back in the context of these debt talks, suzanne. >> what's with all of the gun talk? the gun analogy there? for hunting? what do we make of that? >> she's a mama grizzly and that's part of her alaska lure. she likes to talk about her

hunting experience and gun references are not out of character for sarah palin. but it's interesting that she's made these comments in the past. you remember the gabrielle giffords shooting in tucson and all of the heat that she took because of the references and talking about going after congressional districts where democrats -- there was a big controversy surrounding all of that. she went back to that phrase yolg last night and talking about these debt ceiling talks. and, you know, this issue is certainly going to be as it is here in washington out on the campaign trail for all of these gop candidates. conservative republicans want to hear what they all have to say on the issue. >> jim askos sta, thanks. >> you bet. for the latest political news, go to cnnpolitics.com. you can cast your vote by texting 22360. text 1 for a crackdown on christian churches in china. 2, for homemade guns flooding into the streets of cairo.

or, 3, for the science lab at the top of the world as researchers probe the arctic sea. the winning story is going to air in the next hour. the news corp hacking controversy is getting uglier. u.s. lawmakers called for their own investigation into the workings of rupert murdoch's media empire. you can compare rates side by side, so you get the same coverage, often for less. wow! that is huge! [ disco playing ] and this is to remind you that you could save hundreds! yeah, that'll certainly stick with me. we'll take it. go, big money! i mean, go. it's your break, honey. same coverage, more savings. now, that's progressive. call or click today.

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the news corp hacking scandal is crossing the pond. now a group of concerned lawmakers is asking for an investigation into claims that one of rupert murdoch's papers tried to hack the phones of 9/11 victims. brian todd reports on what that could mean for murdoch's media empire. >> as he faces the investigative

news in britain, critical mass to look into murdoch's companies in the u.s. several lawmakers are calling for investigations into whether murdoch's tabloids hacked the phones of americans. powerful senator jay rockefeller is leading that charge. he's especially concerned over reports that 9/11 victims' phones were rockefeller is lead charge. he is concerned over reports that 9/11 victims were hacked, and his bet is that they will catch criminal stuff. >> you know the federal agencies will be going after this very hard, and we will, too. i mean, this is a -- it's really repugnant, you know, that one man can control so many. >> do you have specific information that americans -- that 9/11 victims had their phones hacked? >> we will find out. >> two victims of 9/11 families

are participating. the daily mirror asserted appear new york private investigator said he was asked by news of the world journalists to hack victim's phones but turned down the job. it's not clear if the journalists were after phone records of american or british victims or both. owner of some of the london papers are based in the united states. "the wall street journal," "the snoe new york post," and fox news. >> what kind of public backlash could there be against murdoch? >> we know him through fox news, the wall street journal and the new york post and all the tv stations he owns in this

country. so he has plenty of enemies in this country, and this could be -- i stress the could be, the moment when they get a lot more ammunition to use against him. >> we contacted news corporation to ask if they would respond to the calls to the investigation and if they could shed any light on the attempt to hack americans, and a spokesman there would not comment. a cnn crew in the line of fire. >> there's gun fire all around us and we believe kgadhafi's forces -- >> that's straight ahead. hey, the new guy is loaded with protein! really? 25 grams of protein. what do we have? all four of us, together? 24.

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we have breaking news here in the trial of roger clemens. we're learning the judge presiding over clemens' perjury trial declared a mistrial in this case. it's over evidence revealed to the jury that the judge believed would prejudice against the jury in the former baseball star. well, the judge has concluded that the evidence has, and is declaring a mistrial. roger clemens testified before congress three years ago denying that he ever used ever used

performance enhancing drugs. his attorney was questioning whether the hearing into the allegations of drug use exceeded congress's authority, whether or not that was even legitimate here. prosecutors are arguing that congress did in fact have a legitimate interest in regulating steroids in baseball because it relates to the u.s. drug policy, but all of this now in question. this case in this trial against former baseball great, roger clemens, because the judge has now claimed a mistrial over evidence that was revealed to the jury. big questions in terms of whether or not this even moves forward. we will have more on this as the details warrant. civilians have been getting beatings in one report, and our

reporter went to investigate this but he and his crew got caught up in a fire fight. >> reporter: this is how our day started. ambushed by gadhafi loyalists. get down! get down! we're leaving this area because there's gun fire all around us, and we believe gadhafi forces are doing a round about movement, so we are rushing out of this area. >> are you all right, guys? >> reporter: everybody is fine. we are going as fast as we can. we can't tell -- -- is the other car behind us. >> yes. >> reporter: there's a lot of

gun fire. it's continuing to come through. gadhafi forces apparently have -- we were in the town just the other day, and the rebels took it on the 6th of july, and there has been talk they have been gathering up forces, and it looks like the counter attack is going on right now. but the coalition on this day was lightly defended at best. we came back to the check point about halfway between the town that is apparently fallen, and we have been told we need to go back further, and you can see the traffic is only going back in one direction, nothing that way. >> they're running away with their weapons, this man shouts. he is fleeing with his wife and six children.

>> reporter: this is the result of the people not being ready, he says. they abandoned their positions. they should be there all the time. we were treated to a house where we found a group of fighters preparing their weapons for a counter attack. all of their weapons were captured from the enemy. one of the fighters did not want to appear on camera because he has relatives in triply, but told me fighters were careless. what he said is what happened today is nobody was watching the front, and if they had they would have seen the libyan army was moving forward. cars and pick ups full of fighters gathered by the roadside. the plan says, the commander said, is to stop the gadhafi forces and push them back.

part of the plan was to pound the loyalists with rockets, and then move forward could goaleash, but rockets came coming in, as well as the occasional incoming bullet. nearly 30 rebel fighters were wounded in the battle, at least eight were killed. all to regain control of a town they captured the week before. >> ben is going to join us live from libya in just a few minutes from now to talk about being caught in the deadly battle. it's the top of the hour. i am suzanne malveaux. we want to get you up to speed.

murdoch said he could not make the hearing. parliament plans to issue a formal summons, but it's not clear that murdoch can be forced to testify because he's not a british citizen. india says did not see it coming. there was no intelligence a terror attack was imminent. the three bombs that exploded in mumbai yesterday killed 18 people. investigators still don't know who is behind the explosions. >> the fact that the street blast took place within minutes of each other separated by perhaps eight to ten minutes shows that it was a coordinated terror attack. the credit rating agency said it is considering a downgrade. it's concerned that debt ceiling talks haven't produced a deal yet. the president and congressional leaders need an agreement by august 2nd, or the u.s. risks

defaulting on its bills. both sides will meet again today, the sixth time since last thursday. things got a bit hot yesterday. the president told house majority leader, eric cantor, don't call my bluff, and he abruptly left the room. >> reporter: the president told the entire group that this is exactly what americans think of as washington at its worst, washington catering to the base and politics and putting their own political future ahead of doing important things and taking on the big issues. i do have it confirmed that this president really did say, you know, with my presidency at stake, i will not yield on this issue. a section of a suspension bridge collapses in china and a tour bus goes down with it. one person killed and 22 hurt. a huge slap of concrete highway broke away from the suspension

wires. the bridge is relatively new, just 12 years old. >> the nominees are -- >> 19 emmy nominations for "mad men," the amc drama led all series in the 2011:00 emmy announcements today. find a complete list of emmy nominations at cnn.com. and u.s. beat trance 3-1 to earn a spot in the championship game. the americans play japan on sunday. >> you know, it's pretty amazing how much support we felt and we received from back home. we have seen some of the videos and footage of people reacting to not just the brazil goal but

yesterday's match. we really want to make everybody back home proud and so we will keep this thing going. we have a huge game on sunday. if we can all play well and keep giving our most and leave everything on the field hopefully we will come home as world cup champs. libya's war may no longer be front page news, but cnn is on the frontlines there and has not left. battles are raging between government troops and rebel forces. and cnn is giving reports of rebel troops beating saw silens. our crew got caught and was among those ambushed. >> reporter: we're leaving this area because there's gun fire all around us. we're rushing out of this area. we're happy to report that the

crew is safe. ben waederman joins us live from the town of sau taun. glad you are okay and glad to see the crew is all right as well. what happened there. can you tell us what that was like? >> reporter: yeah, well, we were coming on to this town which we heard according to the human rights watch organization, there had been abuses by rebel fighters, and that's why we went there. but the problem is in this part of libya, there's little in the way of communication. cell phone systems don't work. you go along and ask at every check point what is going on. we got to the check point and there were two teenage boys with rifles there and said gadhafi forces entered the town, which on the 6th of july had fallen to rebels, so we went to an adjacent hill to see what was

going on in the town, and when they got to the top of the hill they saw two car fulls of soldiers, and then they came and we ran from the area. we drove up to it and had no idea that was about to happen. >> ben, if you could, remind our viewers what is taking place on the ground. a lot of people have not been paying attention. what is it like for the libyan people? >> reporter: well, it's been difficult. for instance, in this town itself, it was coming under intense rocket bomardment for months and months. a previous crew led by nick robinson, they clocked 60 rocket attacks on this town alone in one day. now the situation has improved. they have been able to push the

libyan army forces well away. it's about a 45-minute drive from here. they have been pushed gradually away from the area, and they are getting closer and closer to triply. the closer they get, the stiffer the resistance there they are encountering. there's no indication that somehow there will be a break through soon and the rebels will be in trip aly. >> why is the story so important where you are on the ground now facing potential danger again? >> reporter: this is just a continuation of this series of arab revolts that we have seen since the beginning of the year. of course this is one revolt that has taken a lot longer than elsewhere. there's a lot at play here.

there is on the one hand, many libyans who are tired of 42 years of rule by moammar gadhafi, but moammar gadhafi has proven to be far more capable and working through the situation. it was thought when we came in here on the 22nd of february that it was a matter of weeks before he fell, but he has put up quite a fight. he has a lot of resources. let's not forget that libya is an oil-rich country. he has lots of money. over the years, he has been able to accumulate a lot of weapons, and so a fight that everybody thought would take weeks is taking months and months and months. suzanne? >> we appreciate the work that you do and the sacrifice you make to bring us that story. thank you, ben. here is a rundown of some of the stories we're covering over the next hour. they're calling it carmageddon, how shutting down a major highway will shake up the

car-loving town. and then foreclosures drop, but it's not a good sign. also, when it comes to the debt crisis, who's telling the truth and who's pants are on fire. the truth-o-meter puts politician's statements to the test. and then budget battle and the jobs crisis. later who is rupert murdoch, and how did he come to own so much? >> he understands how to use the power of the media to shape the political views of the country, and doing so to affect elections. for the efficient absorption my body needs. citracal. for the efficient absorption my body needs. you know, the ones find a who do a super job? superpages.com®. for local maps, reviews and videos &

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thoughts, apparently from news corp chairman, murdoch. well, now news corp subsidy airy news international tells cnn, both murdoch and his son, james, will be there. former news of the world editor, rebecca brooks, will also testify. also, following the developing story, roger clemens, former baseball great, a mistrial now. the judge presiding over the trial declared a mistrial over evidence that he believed edpreg

dissed the jury. he has been charged with lying and making those denials under oath. his attorney, clemens' attorney questioned from the very beginning whether or not that hearing into allegations of his drug use exceeded congress's authority. prosecutors said, no, congress has a legitimate interest in regulating steroids in baseball because it relates to the u.s. drug policy. all of this in question whether or not any of this will move forward, because the judge presiding over clemens' trial has now declared a mistrial. we will follow this as it continues to develop. we have three great stories, but only one will air. this is your chance to choose the news. first, banning churches in china. what it means for believers. and then second, homemade

guns making their way on tto eg. and then oceans. text "1" for churches in china, "2" for homemade guns in egypt, and then "3" for the arctic. the road warriors are dreading the traffic jams expected this weekend. because you have a 10-mile stretch of the 405 freeway that will be shut down, and they're calling this thing carmageddon, and ironically the closedown is designed to reduce the traffic congestion. crews plan to widen the way. getting stuck in carmageddon, it will be a nightmare for a lot of folks, but comedians, looks like they are getting the last laugh.

>> some of the local news stations here are trying to help commute with alternate roots. >> try the scenic route like pacific coast highway, and once you hit the canyon, hike up the santa monica mountains, and simply cross the 300-foot canyon and repel down. now take the l.a. river, and it will take you to the 27 and back to the 101 freeway. it's as simple as that. >> very simple. >> not so simple. for a look at just how bad things could be for l.a. drivers this weekends, we want to bring in chad meyers . you have to admit, that was funny. >> yeah. >> nobody will be laughing this weekend. >> no. all that is on 405, it will be

closed. the mayors are saying, don't come here. and remember the show "chips," and eric sai eric estrada was bt of retirement to tell people how bad it's going to be. >> i am here with real motorcycle officers, the stretch of the 405 freeway will be shut down as part of a major project. plan ahead and avoid the area, or just stay home. >> he's back. i love it. >> you see the two guys on the motorcycle running through there. let's describe why this is so bad. 500,000 cars use this stretch of the freeway on any given weekend. it goes from north to south, from the san fernando valley

across and into basically santa monica. even the santa monica pier, if you have an address up to the north, they will give you free rides all weekend because you tried so hard to get there. they get 60,000 to 80,000 people as well. now, this is the problem. all the lanes here are doing well. there is a bridge up to the north. ma hullen drive bridge, and they are widening it. take a look. it's not that old of a bridge, and they will take it down and fix the lane and try to widen the entire freeway here. that's the good news after monday because it this will all be done. the bad news, from the 101, you will have to take the ventura highway, and you will have to go away from all the roads, and go from there all the way to the hollywood freeway, and then down into the harbor freeway, and

then to rosa parks, and then the santa monica freeway, and then finally back to i-10 and back to the 405. you will be on a 32-minute tour of l.a. it's not going to go well for many people. rather than going over the mountains into santa monica, you will have to go east all the way down to the hollywood, and back over to the harbor and down across santa monica, and back down to here. the best advice i can give you as a weather man, because this is what we give in a snowstorm, make sure your car is is full of gas today, because you have no idea how long it will take to go from point a to point b. there's only one lane to go from the 405 to the ventura freeway. you have all the cars trying to get to one lane. they are thinking backups to be 30 to 50 miles long.

you don't want to be in there with an empty tank. >> weather man and traffic reporter, now, and how about that. >> yeah, on the 6s. journalists now caught in the middle. >> wait! wait! >> reporter: we're leaving this area, because they're gun fire all around us. >> public attention faded, but we will put libya's civil war back in sharp focus. ople's winn, so you'll know what price to name. *á with new hotel bid alerts, from priceline.

following developing stories here, breaking news, the judge

presiding over roger clemens' perjury trial has declared a mistrial in this case. i want to go to sonny hausin, and she joins us from new york. explain to us what this means. is there any recourse? do they take it further? is this just over and done with? >> it's not over and done with. i have reached out to my contacts at the u.s. attorney office in d.c., and it's the office that i used to prosecute cases for and i have not heard about back with next steps. it's possible after a mistrial to prosecute somebody again. what happened here, and this is a blow to the prosecution, as judge reggie walton, a federal judge, and he has been an assistant united states attorney, and he was also a defense attorney. very well respected judge. i have appeared in front of him. he ruled that certain evidence could not come in in the state's case in chief, and it could come

in in rebuttal, and that evidence was a video that showed representative comings, a democrat out of maryland in the 2008 congressional hearing talking about a deposition from the wife of a former yankee player, andy pettitte. andy pettitte was going to be one of the witnesses in this case against roger clemens, because he testified that roger clemens told him that he did use steroids, and apparently some of the statements came in in the government's case in chief, and that would have violated judge walton's order, and the judge declared a mistrial. >> so sonny what happens next? >> well, again, it's a mistrial, so it's back to square one. the government can prosecute roger clemens again. double jeopardy has not attached because the case did not go all the way to verdict. i don't know what the plans are at the u.s. attorney's office

yet. they have not issued a press release in terms of next steps. i have reached out and i hope to hear from them shortly. at this point, there's a mistrial, and it's possible roger clemens could be tried again. >> thank you, sonny, for breaking it down. appreciate it. >> thank you. it's a tragedy when we get something as terrible as war, but almost four months after the u.s. involvement in libya, the war has been mostly out of the headlines. on this show, we're not going to let it happen. we are going beyond the headlines of what the people in libya are enduring in their fight against the dictator. you have been in a situation like that. >> yeah, it's terrifying. >> when you see that, what does that tell you about the state on the ground, what is taking place, what the libyan people are facing? >> well, what it shows is the

confusion going on there, and the lack of clarity. there are frontlines, but they are so fluid that they are not set frontlines. this town that ben was in, it's 100 mill meters of tripoli. so the gadhafi forces came back in. i cannot tell you how close that was for those guys. you could hear the bullets crack, and those bullets are right on top of you. in '04 in iraq, we were in the same situation and we had two people killed. brave reporting by ben and mary and alex. i am just glad they're safe. it does show the lack of preparedness and training and weaponry for the rebels, but they are getting closer to tripoli. >> do we have any sense of

gadhafi' power? is he in power or in charge? who is running the country now? >> he is, he and his sons are still running the country, and they are still in tripoli, and obviously controlling the military, and the military is going back and forth with the rebels. in the last few weeks, there have been a lot of reports going out to various countries, and feeling out the possibility of what if moammar gadhafi left, and what if he did this or looking for an end game. on friday, the -- tomorrow the libyan contact group is meeting in turkey, the 40 nations will be -- secretary clinton will be there and have another conversation about what is going on. >> why is it different in libya? why is it not a situation where they were able to get rid of the guy? >> the big difference is gadhafi has a military prepared to fire on his own people. they were the big differences in

the other two countries, where the military was not going to shoot the people. that makes all the difference. in egypt, the popular up rising. it was people power. in this situation, gadhafi is saying go in there and kill people. >> we will keep a close eye. we will always keep a close eye on this -- four months now and the conflict continues. a very dangerous situation on the ground, as we saw the libyan people as well as our own ben wedeman. >> we will take the story from the white house to our house. what it means for the typical american family. and transfer between accounts, so your money can move as fast as you do. check out your portfolio, track the market with live updates. and execute trades anywhere and anytime the inspiration hits you. even deposit checks right from your phone. just take a picture, hit deposit and you're done. open an account today and put schwab mobile to work for you.

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the top boss from ge criticizing for not hiring. could your social security check be held up if congress does not compromise on the debt ceiling? and then point man on jobs discusses some of the reasons why poppy harlow sat down to

talk jobs and the economy. so poppy, tell us what did he say on the impact on the job market if we don't see an agreement on the debt ceiling? >> yeah, this is a man that runs a multinational huge multi-multibillion dollar companies. 60% of their employees are outside the u.s., and about 40% here. we spent a day yesterday touring a factory in south carolina with him. i asked him what happened if lawmakers in washington cannot come to a consensus by august 2nd. he said it matters so much more to small businesses in america that employ half of all americans than it does to big businesses like his. here is his answer. >> i would ask people to not think about ge so much, think about small business person who creates a lot of jobs in this country. they are petrified. >> what are they scared of?

>> what happens if the government doesn't roll over it's debt? why would you invest into that? if the budget means, super high tax rates, again, that to me is the piece missing. there has been bad new business generation, and small businesses are hurt, and guys like us that have a global footprint, we willpower through this. >> the impact he thinks it will have on mom and pop small businesses, bottom line when it comes to small business, there is no confidence. they are not going to hire. the whole debt ceiling debate, the longer it lasts the longer it will be able to get confidence in our country's ability to pay. >> did he have any recommendations for how to create jobs? >> he did. he is the head of the president's jobs counsel, and that is there job to make recommendations.

they came out last month and made five recommendations, anything from increased training for skilled labor to putting the $2 million american construction workers out of work back to work on the big infrastructure projects. do you push back and say there are changes you need to make immediately to put americans back to work now and not in a year or two. >> what we wanted to do was start with things that could be implemented. visitor visas. we have not eight-week cycle and our competitors have a one-week cycle. we lose half of the market share with people coming to the country. the market share responds very quickly, and we hire more people in the travel and leisure industry. you can argue maybe that's not as sexy as a factory or engineering job, but it's a job. >> spend more money and increase

our economy, and suzanne, he said finally, you have to cut the red tape, the unnecessary regulation. sounds a lot like most business leaders. he thinks that will happen, and he is hopeful before the 2012 election to help put folks back to work, but a lot more interviewing with him right here on cnn money. he is the president's right hand man on jobs, suzanne. >> appreciate it. the debt limit debate is producing high stakes, and what would a failure to raise the debt limit mean for your finances? tom foreman explains. >> we're all hearing about trillions of dollars of government spending. it's hard to keep track of. it's easier to think of in terms of your own home. fundamentally what you have to be aware of is if we went into default, the concern is it would upset the value of the dollar and interest rates, which, as you know, can affect almost

anything. it's just a theory. we have never been here before. this is what people are talking about. for example, the value of your home. interest rates could rise and that could mean that you pay more for your mortgage, depending on the value of your house and where you are buying it and what kind of mortgage you get. the cost of buying a car could rise. gas prices could increase, because the prices are increasing everywhere. plus, the roads could be in poor quality, because if the government is having trouble paying for everything, they will not be able to do certain things. and then dad, let's say he has a job and has a chance of becoming unemployed obviously, if his employer gets in trouble with money. he could be losing money in his retirement accounts, and if he is trying to run his own business he could have a hard time getting a loan, because money tightens up in a circumstance lake this. and what about mom. if she works for the government, she could end up furloughed, and credit card rates rise as well.

and what about the daughter? her salary could be wind up being delayed and get get ious from the government, until they work out the problems. and think of this. all the private contractors who supply things and services for her to do her job and for all sorts of government offices might lay off people, because those services and things may be something the government cannot afford. and then going to college, student loans could be harder to obtain. there could be restrictions on financial aid he has not seen before. grandma could evened up with social security delays, and retirement reduced. and here is the trick in all of this. you may note that many elements are also being talked about in trying to control the budget. so one way or the other, we could be seeing elements of many of these things. that's why so many people here in washington feel like homeowners across the country,

average citizens are really between a rock and hard place. >> still, time to vote for choose the news story. text to 22360. text "1" for a crack down on church in china. "2" for guns in cairo. "3" for a arctic lab. there's another way to help eliminate litter box dust: purina tidy cats. tidy cats premium line of litters now works harder on dust. and our improved formulas neutralize odors better than ever in multiple-cat homes. so it's easier to keep your house smelling just the way you want it. purina tidy cats. keep your home smelling like home.

admirers of the late former first lady, betty ford, honored her. ted, give us a sense of i imagine a lot of people have come out to pay their respect. >> reporter: yeah, a lot of folks here in grand rapids, obviously touched by the ford family over the years.

while after they left washington they lived in california and colorado, but this is home. this is the spot where betty ford will be laid to rest next to her husband, gerald, here at the museum. that will follow a prayer service. right now inside the museum, the ford family is spending time at the casket. they will be escorting the casket over to the church. and the chainies and rumsfelds will be there, and the family will come back here for a private burial service, and betty ford will be laid to rest next to her husband, gerald, ironically on what would have been his 98th birthday here. suzanne? >> thank you very much. no debt ceiling deal, no social security checks? the president said it could happen in august. we will do a presidential fact

check in the news room.

deadlock over revolving the nation's debt crisis is prompting startling statements out of washington. we have a reporter for the "st. peter's times," and we have been putting some of the quotes through the truth-o-meter. angie, tell us about this one from president obama. he said social security and other federal checks may not go out on august 3rd if the debt kra ceiling is not increased. what do you think? >> we rated this one-half true. now, what we're talking about, it's not a traditional

government shutdown. what it means is the government can't borrow money to pay the bills that are coming in. it's a cash flow problem. the people we spoke with said social security payments could be prioritized, and probably and they were not 100% sure about this, and if the social security payments are made, other payments may not get made. there is a lot of uncertainty here. additionally, we did not find consensus on whether there is legal authority to prioritize payments, again, conflicting opinion. we're in a new situation, and many uncertainties. >> uncharted territory there. let's look at the statement from mitt romney, he says by the end of his first term, that is president obama's first term, will have added as much debt as all the prior 43 presidents combined. is that true? >> we rated this one mostly

true. the fine print is that it's a projection. there may be changes before the end of the term, and there are a few different ways to look at the numbers. we go into detail on our website. but overall, mostly true. >> and sarah palin, she says that slim jims recently costed 99 cents, and now cost $2.99. what do we know about slim jims. >> we rated this one false. basically, there has been some food inflation lately, and not quite that much. we called the slim jim company, and they said prices have not dramatically increased but there is a new larger slim jim size, and that might be the source of the confusion, the larger size costs more. >> you have had slim jims

lately? usually people weigh bread, milk, but slim jims? okay. text "1" for a crack down on christian churches in china, and "2" for homemade guns flooding to the streets in cairo or "3" a science lab at the top of the world. i'm janet long and i formed my toffee company through legalzoom. i never really thought i would make money doing what i love. [ shapiro ] we created legalzoom to help people start their business and launch their dreams. go to legalzoom.com today and make your business dream a reality. at legalzoom.com we put the law on your side.

foreclosure filings plunge almost 30% in the first half of the year, so that sounds good but it's not really all that it seems. alison kosik is at the new york stock exchange. break this down for us. i understand it's not good news. >> yeah, suzanne. you said it, the headline, it

sounds good. but read into the report and you find out why it's offering false hope. the reality is that banks, they are taking their time foreclosing on the properties, because of this robo sighting scandal. remember when banks got into trouble for foreclosure without following the proper protocol. it's taking longer to foreclose, almost a year to process the average foreclosure from the initial notice to the final sale. what you are seeing happening here is kicking the can down the road, meaning, you know, get ready to see the market flooded with yet 1 million more foreclosures. >> when is all of this going to be worked out in the housing market so it could get back to normal? >> you know, analysts are saying it could be years. the housing market, it still has not found a bottom and may not happen until the onslaught of foreclosures are worked through.

analysts say don't expect the housing market to return to normal for five years. not good. >> that's a long time. is the market reacting to any of the news? >> you know, we saw the market rally at the open. we got strong rallying from jp morgan. this is after comments from fed chief, ben bernanke. he is back on the hill testifying. he says the fed is willing to step in with more stimulus if the economy slows down. so that is why they are selling again, suzanne? >> all right. alison kosik. thank you so much. we want to turn around and bring you livehe is leaving the. this is a dramatic development. you see him there. this was after a judge declared a mistrial in the perjury case

against the baseball great, roger clemens. so it's unclear as to whether or not the prosecution tries once more again to charge him with perjury, and this all stems from originally statements that he made under oath before congress, congress that was investigating whether or not he was using steroids, and that being part of a larger issue that the congress was looking at, in terms of u.s. drug policy, and there you see him leaving the courthouse, this after the perjury trial was declared a mistrial by the judge. so still uncertain, his fate, roger clemens' fate, legally, but for now there is -- there are those charges as well as that trial no longer on the table. we will have more after the break. time for the help desk where we get answers to your financial questions. we have the executive editor the

moneywatch.com, and the manager of capital management. interesting question, carol in new york writes i have a credit card charging me annual fee of $59 and my credit is good and i make my payments on time. should i close this card and pay it off? i have another credit card that did not charge annual fee. >> before you get a credit card, we always advocate not getting a card that has a annual fee. does she have nine to 12 months of living exspaens, and the elimination of the credit card does it cut into the credit she would need in case of an emergency. if so i would not cut it off. if she does, cancel that credit card. 30% of your fico score is your

ratio. give yourself six months to recoup and re-establish the fico store. >> that's why you don't want ten credit cards and then cancel them left and right. and then linda writes. i want to retire in june 2012, and i turn 66 in november 2012. i have been delaying -- >> she could start this in november. her full retirement age doesn't occur until she turns 66 in november of 2012. i would encourage her to wait until tap into social security, and forever year he waits until age 70, her monthly benefit goes up. if she has a history of longevity in her family, she would be happy if she waits until age 70 to take the benefits, and if not wait until 66. >> that will make it easier the older you get, obviously. >> thank you so much.

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like to see. here is your choose the news winner. it's a science lab at the top of the world. researchers probing for answers in the arctic. >> reporter: a light hearted beginning to a frigid day's work. spirits are high as the team prepares to collect another piece of the ocean beneath them. helen samples out something on a custom-made bike. the bicycle lowers and raises scientific equipment in and out of the hole used to collect samples. the team inside enjoys a comfortable environment just above the freezing mark. to conduct research these scientists must understood a whole list of variables.

victoria is studying sea ice lost, and this instrument helps her map out the data. a sort of scientific snapshot of the water. each of the scientists rotates through to take samples for their particular line of research. next stop is helen, who is de y delaying an empty sillen dur into the water. >> it's a bottle that allows us to capture a particular part of water at a particular depth. the string releases the trigger and closes when you get to a certain depth that we want to be at. >> if your choice did not win or you want to check out the runners up, i will have links to them on my page at cnn.com/suzanne. harsh words and