people watch the values -- the stock values crumble while i think about our own sense of values tumbling because this will define who we are. this is a defining moment for us and there's lots to distract us. and there are serious issues, people's livelihoods. not to dismiss the hardships that are happening in the western world, but this is outrageous. this is just -- it can't be happening. it must be stopped. >> you can find out how you can make a difference to help victims of the famine, just visit our page. with that, we're crossing the top of the hour. time to say hello to fredricka whitfield. busy day in politics. >> i know. we're going to have a very busy afternoon. politics kind of leading the charge on all that. let's get straight to it. extremely busy in the world of politics.

two major stories happening right now. one in iowa where republican presidential candidates are taking part in the state's critical straw poll. and then in south carolina, texas governor rick perry is about to throw his hat into the ring. we'll have live coverage of that big announcement. first we begin with breaking news this hour out of pakistan. an intense search is under way for an american kidnapped from his home in lahore. the victim is identified as warren weinstein, a development expert, who works for a u.s.-based consulting firm. reza sayah is live from islamabad. what more have you learned about this kidnapping? >> reporter: well, fredricka, if you look at the details of how this kidnapping went down, i think it's clear that it was a very intricate and well-coordinated plot. police say it happened around 3:15 a.m. saturday morning, eight to ten assailants were involved in this kidnapping, according to police.

it is the month of ramadan, a lot of muslims fasting in pakistan. police say at that hour, warren weinstein's three security guards and his driver were getting ready to do a prefast meal in their front yard when they heard a knock at the front gate. three men were offering food. that turned out to be a ploy for these man to get in. they were the assailants. they forced their way in. investigators say in the meantime, other assailants -- at least five of them, scaled the walls of the home, managed to tie up warren weinstein's security guards, duct-taped their mouths, pistol-whipped his driver and forced him to take him to warren weinstein's room and eventually left with him. neighbors are saying the assailants left with at least two vehicles. weinstein, an employee of the virginia-based development company j.e. austin, there's a lot of western development

companies doing important work when it comes to social and economic development here in pakistan, that's the type of work, fredricka, that warren weinstein was involved in. so important work in pakistan. but at this hour, he's missing, the victim of what appears to be a very intricate kidnapping plot. >> who would be leading this search? pakistani authorities, would they be international intelligence authorities? how does this work? >> reporter: at this point, based on what we know, it's pakistani security agencies, police and investigators. the u.s. embassy is obviously involved. they're aware of this kidnapping. police tell us at this point no one has claimed any responsibility for this kidnapping. no group hascome come forward with any demands. a lot of people are inclined to think islamist militants are involved in kidnappings in pakistan. but most of the time, it's criminal gangs who are looking to make some fast cash by making -- coming off with a

ransom. but at this point, it's not clear who is involved in this kidnapping. >> reza sayah, thanks so much, from lahore, pakistan. appreciate that. right here in the u.s. now, the presidential playing field may take a dramatic turn today as iowa holds its critical ames straw poll. the poll is a key test of a candidate's strength in the nation's first caucus state. and then the results can either make or break a campaign. voting is under way right now. the best political team on television is on the ground there in iowa, among them paul steinhaus steinhauser. why is this poll so important, beyond what i mentioned, iowa being the first caucus state? >> reporter: yeah, it's called almost the unofficial race for the white house on the republican side. it really can break a campaign, while it may not anoint a nominee, it rarely does, some of the candidates who finish lower down here may drop out. we saw that four years ago. tommy thompson of wisconsin did

not do well here. he dropped out of the race for the nomination the next day. as you said, it really is a key test of a campaign's organizational strength, grassroots effort because the campaigns can bring their supporters here to vote. it's a key test of how they can do here in iowa, fred. >> what is the atmosphere there like? >> reporter: here's how it goes right now. right behind our bus is the coliseum, the hilton coliseum where the candidates will speak and where the voting take place. but all the action is right around the coliseum. we were walking around earlier. we saw a bunch of volunteers for michele bachmann wearing their orange t-shirt, they were milling around. bachmann and all the other candidates have tents here surrounding the coliseum where they provide music, entertainment. we went over to tim pawlenty's tent, a couple of hundred yards away from where we are. he has a band playing there, there are festivities, there's food. it's a party atmosphere. one other thing about the straw poll here, all the money go towards the gop here in iowa. so it's a fund-raiser in a way as well.

>> so the pressure is really on some candidates in particular. who really needs to do well in order to stay in this? >> reporter: let's start with tim pawlenty. we were just talking about him, the former minnesota governor. i think he needs a very strong showing here to show his campaign is still viable. he's not doing that well in the polls. his campaign is known as having good organizational strength. another person who needs to do well here, rick santorum. he's the former senator from pennsylvania. he said to candy crowley yesterday if he doesn't finish in the top five, that may be it for him. a strong showing is very important. >> meantime, sarah palin not on the ballot there, neither is the texas governor perry. but somehow their names are still being talked about quite extensively. >> reporter: oh, yeah, they're stealing the spotlight. the spotlight is supposed to be right here on the people who are actually candidates. but rick perry in south carolina, he's going to

officially announce he's running for president. that's why we have our jim acosta down there. as you also mentioned, sarah palin, the former alaska governor, we don't know if she's a candidate or not. she says she'll decide by september. but she was here in des moines yesterday. she got a lot more attention yesterday than any of the announced candidates because it's sarah palin. >> paul, appreciate that. again, straw poll results, that comes tonight. join cnn in the "newsroom," a special report, the iowa straw poll with don lemon and candy crowley and 7:00 p.m. this evening. later on this hour, we'll tell you how sarah palin stole the spotlight even further in iowa even though she is not on the straw poll ballot as paul was underscoring there. and we'll go live to charleston, south carolina, where texas governor rick perry is preparing to make that announcement of his presidential bid.

it was a strong message, police fanning out across the streets of philadelphia. why did they take 50 teens into custody shortly after 9:00 p.m. friday? the answer and a live report straight ahead. at if we designed an electric motorcycle? what if we turned trash into surfboards? whatever your what if is, the new sprint biz 360 has custom solutions to make it happen, including mobile payment processing, instant hot spots, and 4g devices like the motorola photon. so let's all keep asking the big what ifs. sprint business specialists can help you find the answers. sprint. america's favorite 4g network. trouble hearing on the phone? visit sprintrelay.com.

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extended curfew is kicking in. it's just about to start. we have police ready to go. police and volunteers are here to help patrol the streets. anyone under the age of 18 has to be off the streets by 9:00 or they will be in big trouble. there have been a number of incidents, eight of them in the last 20 months. and police are tired of the havoc that they're creating. we're about to talk to the police commissioner about why he thinks this extended curfew is going to make a difference. >> i think it sends a very strong message to children and parents that we're serious about this. we cannot have any kind of attacks or the kind of nonsense we've experienced over the last couple of weeks in center city or any other part of our city. >> reporter: among the volunteers out this friday night is tyrone wuertz. you were in jail, interesting story, for 36 years. got out, minding your own business at home. why are you getting involved to come out and help? >> well, i'm a citizen of the

city and i'm concerned about the city and the youth. and i wanted to give my time to try to make a difference in the world. >> reporter: it's 9:00. that extended curfew is now in place. it is under way and so far it is quiet. now, police have been out here for at least an hour. we'll see how the rest of the night goes. it didn't take long before dozens of juveniles were taken into custody. >> they will be with us until the parent comes and gets them. >> reporter: if they don't, parents could also be in trouble. all part of an ongoing effort to keep streets safe and kids on the right track. >> and susan now joining us from love park in the center city of philadelphia. so how did it go throughout the evening? >> reporter: it worked. mainly because there wasn't any trouble. and that's thanks mostly due to the strong police presence that was out here and also help they had from volunteers who came out and stood alongside police on the streets here. the question, of course, is

whether they can keep this up tonight and after that whether people will keep getting the message or is this just a lot of publicity this weekend and will they fall back into bad habits once again as the days go on? >> i was wondering, how long is this ordinance to be enforced? >> reporter: well, they hope as long as they can get it to work. they picked up 50 kids last night. the thing is, none of them were allowed to leave that police station until someone came and picked them up. and in each and every case, a parent or guardian did. if they didn't, those parents could have been reported and investigated for child neglect. if these same kids get in trouble again, then they could be fined, the parents could be fined for up to $500. so police are keeping an eye on all these things. they're also trying to give alternative things for the teenagers to do so that they don't get into trouble and give them mentors so it's a holistic approach police are trying to use.

>> a big undertaking, susan candiotti, thanks so much. we're going to be talking legal cases straight ahead. polygamous sect leader warren jeffs was sentenced to life in prison this week. he fired all of his attorneys and represented himself. but does that mean that there are grounds for an appeal? our legal guys weigh in next. ♪

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we've been watching this case closely, polygamous sect leader warren jeffs sentenced to the maximum this year, life in prison, plus 20 years and a $10,000 fine for sexual assault on two underage girls who were part of his 78-wife harem. but is this the end of the story or could there be a potential reversal? let's bring in our legal guys, avery friedman in cleveland. good to see you. >> welcome back. >> thank you so much. glad to be back. and richard herman in new york, criminal defense attorney and law professor joining us from vegas. good to see you as well. >> hi, fred. >> this is really interesting because warren jeffs fired all of his attorneys along the way and seemed to be okay with whatever was to happen next. now he's been sentenced to life in prison. so, avery, does he have grounds for an appeal that he can argue still in the end even though he

fired everybody that he just had insufficient defense? >> yeah, you know, you really think about that. i want to appeal based on ineffective assistance of counsel, ineffective assistance by me. it's not going to be reversed, fredricka, because the judge was very careful in making sure that he exercised the right. you always have the right to represent yourself no matter how serious or non-serious a crime is. and in fact, this is probably the best example why you don't represent yourself. the important thing is the integrity of the record was there, it was ensured by the judge. this case will be affirmed, the convictions by a three-judge panel in texas. >> in other words, richard, the court did not fail him. and that's what the court is going to be able to establish. but even to file an appeal, doesn't he need a little assistance in order to do that? who would actually file that motion for him?

>> well, he's not going to draft it. but he'll have people draft it, fred. and in addition to the one issue avery raised, there is another, i think, substantial issue on appeal. and that is the fact that the very trial judge who tried the case was the same judge who issued a warrant which allowed all of the police to walk into the premises there, into the ranch, raid homes, take 400 people out, interview them, remove photos and tapes -- >> you're saying there's a convict of interest here? >> what i'm saying is that warrant that was issued was based on a hoax phone call. a phone call which was a joke by someone. and therefore if that warrant is found to be defect i, all the material gained from the ranch is going to be stricken from the record, it's going to be reversed and there could be a new trial. >> no. >> no on that, avery? >> no objections to it, fredricka. >> let's move on to the dominique strauss-kahn case.

we're talking about the accuser in this sexual assault criminal case is now filing a civil suit. richard, why would an accuser -- why would anyone want to potentially cloud the criminal investigation by now filing a civil matter simultaneously? >> i think the criminal investigation is hanging by a thin thread. so i think the civil attorneys are looking to push the issue on that. i think they're afraid that he's going to flee the country once the district attorney's office says we're not going to prosecute you, he's going to take off the next day. at least they want to get this record on file. they filed it in the bronx in new york which is the absolute greatest jurisdiction for plaintiffs' personal injury cases. the awards there are astronomical. that's where she lives, every right to bring it there. but one of the problems the district attorney is having is that she's doing all this for money. and when she files this lawsuit right now seeking money, it kind

of corroborates where it's at and maybe it lessens her story. >> avery, while her attorneys may think this is a great advantage to do this because the criminal case seems to be kind of crumbling, is it your belief that it will backfire? >> yeah. i mean, in several respects, number one, the fact is that if this thing is, as richard put it, hanging by a hair, he just cut the hair. the value of bringing a civil case at this juncture, i think, makes no sense. we have treaties with france. we could get him back if he takes off. but the bottom line is i think the lawyers are saying, we don't have a chance of getting any charges from the d.a., we're moving forward with the personal injury case. >> let's talk about the sweat lodge case, the case of james ray being convicted of negligent homicide, a number of people died in his so-called sweat lodge and so he says he wants a new trial. on what basis, avery?

>> well, what happened is the prosecution entered during the penalty phase an audio clip which had not been introduced at trial. the defense -- that's one of a number of arguments the defense is using to say, look, we need a new trial, that was prejudicial. the jury unloaded with nine years on this thing. they're saying that audio clip made a difference. the prosecution says, no, it was arguing this week, i don't think the judge is going to grant a new trial. although the defense will be introducing 18 witnesses during the next phase, the sentencing phase. >> richard, misconduct of the prosecutors? >> i think we're going to be welcoming the words that we hear a lot, harmless error. i think that very well may be the end result here. the other evidence was

overwhelming of guilt here. i'm surprised it was so low. i'm surprised they didn't get a clean sweep on convictions across the board for this guy. i don't think it's going anywhere on appeal. he's sweating it out right now as he should be. >> part 2, avery and richard in about 20 minutes. we're going to be talking about a number of other cases, including the manslaughter trial of michael jackson's personal physician, dr. conrad murray, still lots to be said about it as it still has yet to take off. and an american man kidnapped in a brazen raid in pakistan. now an intense manhunt is under way. to keep in balance after 50, i switched to a complete multivitamin with more. only one a day women's 50+ advantage has ginkgo for memory and concentration, plus support for bone and breast health.

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a look at our top stories right now. an intense search is under way in pakistan for a kidnapped american. the victim, warren weinstein, a developer who works for a u.s.-based firm. he was abducted from his home in lahore. pakistani police say eight to ten gunmen were involved. they gained access to weinstein's home by posing as neighbors offering food. at least 20 people are injured after a bus crash in pennsylvania. the greyhound overturned early this morning. highway officials say the driver was severely injured. the bus was traveling from philadelphia to columbus, ohio. the fbi is joining the investigation into an american woman missing in aruba. yesterday, agents searched the

maryland home of the man held in robyn gardner's disappearance. aruban authorities say gary giordano will appear in court monday. giordano says he and gardner were snorkling when he lost sight of her. island officials say there is no trace of gardner and no evidence that she is dead. and in the u.s., it's a crucial day for gop presidential candidates taking part in iowa's straw poll. the contest is a key test of a candidate's strength in this early voting state. and the outcome can make or break a campaign. voting is under way right now. results are expected tonight. we'll bring you live results. and sarah palin isn't on the iowa straw poll ballot, but that hasn't kept her away, out of sight, from iowa. the former alaska governor made a surprising appearance there. cnn political reporter peter hamby is in ames, iowa, and joins us live. peter, what's she doing there?

>> reporter: well, she was in des moines yesterday at the iowa state fair, which is a famous carnival full of rides and deep-fried junk food. it's also the center of the political universe this week. there was a debate the other night. every candidate passed through the state fair and gave a little stump speech. and lo and behold, sarah palin shows up, kicking off the midwestern leg of this bus tour that grabbed so much attention this spring. she talked to reporters for over an hour. there were all kinds of well-wishers, too. don lemon caught up with palin and asked, are you trying to steal the spotlight from some of these other candidates. >> i don't think i'm stealing the spotlight. very thankful to have been invited to the state fair. >> reporter: palin says she's not stealing the spotlight. but she's a very canny

politician. she knows she can command such attention and that every reporter in the political universe was out here in iowa and all the television cameras were as well. but she wasn't just grabbing headlines. she was doing quiet meetings with a few activists around the site in case she does decide to run. she says if she does jump in the race, it will be at some point in december. but she still has to chew it over with her husband and her family. >> that's interesting because we've seen this scene before. she just happened to be kind of in the neighborhood when mitt romney was announcing his presidential intentions. has she remarked any further about what she is weighing besides family as to whether she will be in or out of the race? is she waiting for someone to perhaps write her in during the straw poll today? >> reporter: she said she was going to leave the state before the straw poll voting today. she does have kind of an informal support now work. it's nonofficial. they might be lining up wheriten

votes for her. she's being paid millions of dollars to give speeches. she has a cable news contract. she's just waiting to see what the field looks like, waiting to see how rick perry impacts the field. she and rick perry have a close, friendly relationship. and he's going to jump in the race today and kind of hit the ground running for the next two weeks. so she has a comfortable life right now and she's just trying to wait and see if it's the right thing for her. >> you've planted the seed now whether there could potentially be a pairing between a perry and a palin. we'll watch. there's another huge political story unfolding right now in south carolina. in just a half an hour, texas governor rick perry is expected to take the podium at a major conservative gathering in charleston and announce his presidential bid. jim acosta is there. and he's joining us now live. kind of set the scene for us. i see all the cameras and the

crowd behind you. what's going on? >> reporter: yeah, well, fredricka, you heard peter say just a few moments ago that ames is the center of the political universe. but conservatives might argue that the lonestar of the gop field is here in south carolina. he is expected to announce in the next 30 minutes or so that he is running for president. he is going to do it at this red state conference where we're gathered here in charleston. it's a conference put on by our cnn contributor eric ericsson. rick perry signed on to this event several months ago when he was saying he wasn't running for president. but in the last couple of months, as you know, fredricka, he's been telling reporters that he's feeling called to run for the white house. and that's what he's expected to do in just a few moments ago. last night in alabama, he was talking to a different group of republicans and he gave sort of a sneak preview of his speech today talking about what he would do to go after the national deficit, what he would do to create jobs in the

country. he also said that the main thing that needs to happen in washington is basically an infusion of more conservative republicans like himself. here's what he had to say. >> when you get to thinking about it, the answer to our nation's challenge is sending more principled republicans to washington, d.c. when the republicans are -- we were working together back in 2010 and the power of what happened during that election cycle was a sight to behold. it was a powerful moment. and if there was any doubt in anybody's mind, just the fact of what they've been talking about over the last two weeks in washington, d.c., we've seen this display, if you will, there is still a whole bunch work to be done in washington, d.c. and we need to send truly physical

conservative republicans to washington to get the job finished. >> reporter: you can see right there that rick perry knows how to fire up a republican crowd. he is expected to give another raucous speech here in charleston. and if you look at the latest cnn poll, he is a major threat to the gop field. he is nipping at the heels of frontrunner mitt romney, just two points behind the former massachusetts governor. and after this speech here in south carolina, it's off to new hampshire. he will be at an event later this afternoon. and then in iowa. and, fredricka, he picked a very interesting spot to talk to voters in iowa tomorrow. he is going to be giving a speech at the very same spot where michele bachmann jumped into this race just a few weeks ago. so rick perry is starting to make a lot of the moves that come with a presidential contender. >> jim, thanks so much. we'll check back with you throughout the afternoon. i can't wait to ask you about whether governor perry is

running away from or embracing the possible connections between he and former governor george w. bush. and we'll keep you posted at home on the coverage of the iowa straw poll. and in about less than 30 minutes from now, governor perry will be making his announcement out of south carolina. later on this evening, our own don lemon and candy crowley will be along with the cnn special report, the iowa straw poll. that is at 7:00 p.m. eastern time. more legal cases to talk about. casey anthony returns to florida for a judge's ruling in her check fraud case. she's facing a year of supervised probation. we'll hear what our legal guys have to say about that. hey ! chocolate, vanilla or strawberry ? chocolate ! chocolate it is ! yeah, but i'm new, too. umm... he's new... er... than you. even kids know it's wrong to treat new friends better than old friends. at ally bank, we treat all our customers fairly,

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the man accused of administering a fatal dose of anesthetic to pop star michael jackson will soon get his day in court. jury selection for dr. conrad murray's manslaughter trial is set to begin september 8th and the defense has revealed a potential bombshell witness. our legal guys are back. avery friedman in cleveland and richard herman in las vegas. good to see you guys again. richard, you first, this young man by the name of jason pfeiffer was a former employee of jackson's dermatologist.

he could be on the witness list. what would he have to say in court? >> he's going to testify to -- first of all, he's got problems. he's got ghosts in his closet, this guy. he's going to say he worked for arnie kline. he knows kline was forwarding drugs to michael jackson and that's the nutshell here. the prosecution is going to say, listen, using propofol at home, that is gross negligence and that is manslaughter. the defense is going to say, no, he's used it for years at home and on the road. he's never had a problem. it's administered carefully. and the defense is going to say that murray did not know about all these side doctors who were feeding medication to michael and that's what caused his death. and therefore, conrad murray should be found not guilty. so a viable defense. >> avery, this is getting confusing, is it not?

if that's the case, why isn't dr. arnold kline on trial just like dr. conrad murray is? >> there you go. the confusion is exactly what the defense team is trying to create here. this is a side show. what's going on here -- >> in other words, i fell for it, huh? >> i don't think the judge is going to, though, because i don't think pfeiffer's ever even going to get close to that witness stand and here's why. you need expert testimony connecting this medical evidence. this is off the wall. the fact that dr. kline has been his dermatologist and had provided medication and controlled substances over the years is interesting. but they have to connect it. that's something i don't think the defense can do. there's no expert testimony in that. i don't think pfeiffer's even going to take the stand. i don't think you're going to see the guy. >> but what about this other case apparently pfeiffer has filed his own legal matter against dr. kline. that's going to kind of muddy

the waters here, wouldn't it, richard? >> well, it is -- plus, dr. kline is suing pfeiffer for embezzling millions of dollars. you think there's a possible connection? i think so. >> okay. richard, you got anything to say on that one before we move on to the next thing? >> yeah, fred, the cause of death was not just propofol. the cause of death was not just propofol overdose. that's a major point for the defense here. i'm telling you people, this is a viable defense for him. >> interesting. okay. casey anthony, let's move on to that. people thought that case was over, done with. at this point, it was just where is she now, where is she living? but, no, another legal matter that has her facing one year of probation as a result of some check fraud, an unresolved check fraud case which is now resolved, i guess. avery, when and where would she have to serve that? >> she's going to serve it there in florida. but i have to -- you've got to cheer for chief judge perry.

he did it exactly right. the fact is there was a technical error. that's it. what the judge did -- you need to protect the privacy because of some of the wing nuts down there who want to do her harm. the judge talked about it. he talked about casey anthony being based on a poll the most hated person in america, protecting her privacy, keeping control of her. i'm a former probation officer. you don't do probation in jail. chief judge perry did exactly the right thing. >> richard? >> it's gone worse than that. the judge has made ethical claims against baez. what he said at the sentencing portion of the check fraud case, this was extensively discussed, the issue of probation. all sides knew it was going to commence upon release from prison. that was an argument that was raised and discussed at length. therefore, when there was a, quote, scrivener's error, it's a

legal term, for the judge who was too lazy to sit and read his own order before he signed it, the judge is sigh saying the intent, the clear statement was she's going to serve it when she gets out. for baez to argue differently and for him to allow some sort of purported probation to occur while she was in prison was wrong and unethical. he should have brought it to the attention of everyone. i think this judge is going to -- >> judge did the right thing. >> let's move on to something else. it's going to have a lot of college graduates listening intently. talking about law graduates of new york law school. they are suing their alma mater saying, you all said we were going to get jobs but you didn't involve details about what kinds of jobs that graduates would get. so we're suing. richard, is this a fair claim? they say it doesn't necessarily guarantee a job in your field. >> well, that's the point.

the law students are saying, you said up to 90% of us would find jobs within nine months of graduation. but you didn't delineate the fact that a lot of these jobs are not in the area of law. we thought it was law. we went out to borrow this money to finish three or four years of law school. and now we can't get jobs in law, we can't pay it back. you misled and defrauded us. therefore we want $200 million. >> look, fredricka, this is the worst lawsuit filed for 2011. it's going to be in the top ten. filed by law students claiming they were indentured servitude. the law school brought a counterclaim against these guys. and cooley is trying to up another school, i think, in

tampa bay. it's going nowhere. >> they should have called you all first for advice on that one. >> i would have said call richard. >> we would have told them, paralegal is the way to go. forget law school. paralegal is the way to go. >> paragoric, i think. >> always good to see you guys. >> have a good weekend, fred. >> take care. we're going to talk more politics straight ahead. the republican presidential field is about to change. [ man ] behind every business is a "what if."

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some political news happening right now. iowa is holding its famous straw poll. today's contest is a major test of a candidate's support in organizational skills and the outcome can make or break a campaign. results are expected tonight. we'll bring those to you live. we're also monitoring the podium at a conservative red state conference in south carolina. that's where texas governor rick perry is preparing to throw his hat into the presidential ring. he's expected to take the stage at the top of the hour. we'll bring that to you live. and in fact, perry's website has already announced his campaign and it lists the reasons for his candidacy. perry says he wants to get

america working again and bring back fiscal restraint to washington. we're going to talk weather now. it has been so hot everywhere. but nowhere hotter than in texas and drier. reynolds wolf, finally, a little relief? >> a little bit. you're absolutely right. that really has been the 1-2 punch from mother nature that's really been affecting much of texas. the extreme heat and the lack of rainfall. today we're taking care of one of those things. that being the rain. rain fairly heavy this morning from lubbock to dallas. we're expecting this air of low pressure that's going to stay right over parts of the southern plains to continue to pull in a lot of that moisture. and that's going to give you some rainfall. good news. want to talk about the extreme heat. take a look at this. we have numbers to share with you. just the sheer length of this heat wave is one of the things that's been so brutal. 40 straight days -- it hurts to think about it. 40 straight days of 100-plus degrees. the second longest streak in history for places like dallas.

in waco, they've been dealing with it for quite a while, 60-plus days of 100-degree-plus temperature this is year. insane. but thankfully, they are going to get the shower activity today. that's going to cool them down a little bit. severe weather is going to take place right in parts of the central great lakes and back into the ohio valley. detroit, chicago, indianapolis, all those spots may be dealing with some delays into the afternoon hours. might have a few of those possibly in parts of the southeast, namely in atlanta at hartsfield-jackson. temperatures range from the 80s to the 90s. back out to the west, it's a mixed bag, as you might expect. celt with 79 degrees, 68 in san francisco. 70 in los angeles. 89 in denver. wrapping it up in kansas city with 85 degrees. >> sounds good. are you a big baseball fan? >> absolutely. >> so maybe you have some favorite picks of baseball stadiums around the country? >> i'm a fenway park guy,

boston. >> let's find out if it made the list because apparently there's a list out there to see just how far your family dollar may go at a baseball game. before we take a swing at that, take a swing at this. the all sports website ranked the major league baseball stadiums, all 30 of them, based on comfort, value, food, atmosphere and just plain old fun s. fenway in there? maybe it's one of the top three. you see the question marks there? we're going to reveal the top three. maybe it's in there. you might be surprised. [ car door closing ] [ man ] ooooch! hot seat! hot! hot! hot!

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exxon and mobil. just a minute ago i promised to reveal the top three ballparks in the major leagues. let's finish the list now. wrigley field, the brand-new target field in minnesota is a big hit with fans. but the oldest ballpark in america also ranks among the best. reynolds is so happy about this. there it is, fenway park in boston. taking the family to a ball game is a special occasion, but it doesn't have to break the bank. for the "on the go" today, here's a couple of tips to save some cash at the ballpark. ♪ >> reporter: if you're going to head out to the ballpark this

summer, there are ways to make the most of the national pastime. when you go can make a big difference? >> there are days of the week that are better than others. sundays are good nights. tuesday nights seem to be days of the week that need the most help. >> reporter: be sure to check your tickets. some include coupons for concessions. if you have the appetite for it, paying for the all you can eat section could be the way to go. >> by having two hot dogs and a drink and a ticket, you've covered the cost. >> reporter: also consider the minors. it's more of an intimate experience. and tickets start as low as $5. and check out your team's website where you can find deals and unique promotions to make the experience all the more special, like this bark in the park event with the gwinnett braves. what better to spend the dog days of summer. hey can i play with the toys ?

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you're in the "cnn newsroom" where the news unfolds live this saturday, august 13th. i'm fredricka whitfield. all eyes are on charleston, south carolina, this hour. texas governor rick perry is at the red state convention there, a conservative gathering where he is expected to make the

formal announcement that he is running for president in 2012. perry's web page already says that he is a candidate. he is expected to take the stage any minute now. we'll bring that to you live as he speaks. so just who is governor rick perry? here's a quick biographical look to get you a bit more informed of him. he's a republican and the 47th governor of texas. he's a graduate of texas a & m, the first aggie to become former. he's signed budgets to reduce the general revenue spending in texas. on education, he introduced the largest teacher incentive pay program in the country. and on immigration, governor perry initiated a boots on the ground strategy. it coordinates local, state, county and federal law enforcement efforts. rick perry is a conservative who is against abortion and same-sex marriage. cnn political correspondent jim acosta joins us now from charleston. we've been following him there. any moment now he is to take to

the stage. but interestingly enough, his website has already made the announcement for him. >> reporter: that's right. actually, i have a perry for president press release in my hands right here. it says at the very top, perry president. and it also goes on to deliver some pretty withering attacks on the president, bringing up the recent u.s. downgrade of u.s. credit. it says, quote, this is just the most recent downgrade going on here -- the fact is for nearly three years, president obama has been downgrading american jobs, downgrading our standard in the world, downgrading our financial stability and so on and so forth. this is going to be a candidate who is not going to shy away from going after the president on the issues, especially on the economy. the texas governor is pretty proud of his record down in the lonestar state f. you talk to his supporters, they will tell you time and again that texas has created a lot of jobs in the last two years, somewhere in the neighborhood of 50% of all