he has to first get out of the transitional home. to do that, like so many others, he's got to find a job first. , like tens of millions of other americans, he'll probably be on the food stamp program for a little while longer. brian todd, cnn, washington. >> coming up in about 30 minutes, we'll take a look at the urgent need at local food banks all across the country. more of you are going to your community food bank, not to volunteer, but to get basic essentials to eat and live. you're in the "cnn newsroom." i'm fredricka whitfield. it is official. texas governor rick perry is now a presidential candidate. he declared his candidacy at a conservative gathering in charleston, south carolina, about an hour ago. here's what he said. >> it is time to get america working again and that's why with the support of my family, and unwavering belief in the goodness of america, i declare

to you today as a candidate for president of the united states. >> cnn political correspondent jim acosta is at the red state conference in charleston. he joins us live now. jim, the impact that perry may have on this presidential playing field. any guesses? [ inaudible ] >> we'll have to work out the audio because you're not the only one who is not hearing jim acosta. we'll try to re-establish that in a moment. there is another major political story going on right now in iowa. the nation's first caucus state is holding its famous ames straw poll. it is a critical test of a candidate's strength. it can boost a candidate to the front of the pack or eliminate them from contention altogether. the best political team on television is on the ground in iowa, among them cnn deputy political director paul

steinhauser. why is this one poll so important when a lot of people say other straw polls are insignificant, don't matter? >> well, hey, good point there. this is nonbinding. candidate, campaigns can pay for their people to come in and vote, so it is not very scientific either. why does it matter? this is like no other straw poll. and, shannon, you know this as well from covering, this is part straw poll, part festival because all the candidates and campaigns have tents around here, free music and entertainment and food. it is also a fund-raiser for the party. but here's why -- besides all that it is so important. it is the first true early test of a campaign's strength, of their grassroots outreach and while it may not anoint anybody in the race for the republican nomination, it could bring some candidates down, knock them out of the race if they don't do well. we have seen that happen in past ames straw polls. fred? >> so, shannon, what is the real atmosphere like? if most people are getting their

tickets from a candidate's organization, then clearly, you know, they're surrounded by friends there. how could this straw poll be really legitimate? >> well, probably just touched on some of it, fred. as i was roaming the grounds there are musical acts, barbecue pits. i saw a poodle dressed in a campaign t-shirt. you see a lot of that. but the importance of that is, hey, these candidates want to get their supporters out. they want to keep them happy obviously. most importantly they want them to vote. they want them to go into this voting behind us and vote so they can have a strong showing here. a lot of the candidates, herman cain, went by his campaign, he was up there leading a group in pray, michele bachmann has an enclosed tent and counted, fred, the line snaked so far back, actually counted, it took me 200 steps to get from the front to the back. a few people in line were saying, look, we're willing to wait a few hours to get up here. it is important that these candidates have their supporters

out here, enthusiastic just like that. >> and so, you know, shannon you didn't mention tim pawlenty or rick santorum. is the pressure on them in particular to really do well in order to stay in, i guess, contention? >> yeah. those two people, tim pawlenty and rick santorum even admit the pressure is on. tim pawlenty says that he has to have a respectable showing here. he'll go on even if he doesn't, but really is hoping for a respectable showing. he's been barnstorming across iowa for months now. rick santorum just yesterday, fred, he told our candy crowley that he needs to place in the top five and possibly, possibly this could be the end of the road if he doesn't have -- if he doesn't rake in the top five. he could be the first political casualty of this presidential race. >> paul, there are a couple of names that get a lot of attention, have gotten a lot of spotlight today, whose names are not on the ballot. but is there a real likelihood that people might write in the

names of a palin or a perry? >> definitely a perry. there is an independent group not tied to the perry campaign, they have been in iowa for a number of days. i've seen them here. what they're trying to do is have people write in rick perry's name on the straw poll ballot when they go into the coliseum. as for sarah palin, listen, we saw her rock star performance yesterday at the state fair. most candidates don't get that kind of mass media and public frenzy that she does when she shows up. every time it seems she's fallen out of the spotlight, she jumps right back in like she did here in iowa yesterday. she should decide by september, maybe if she's going to run for the nomination. and one more thing i want to say, a good sign, you could say the republicans are energized, talking to some republican party sources, they think a lot of people are going to vote this year, maybe as many as 23,000 who voted in 1999.

back in four years ago, only 14,000 people took part in the straw poll here. but a lot of people here today, tons of cars when we were arriving, fred. >> paul and shannon, thanks so much, in ames, iowa. now back to charleston, south carolina, now. that is where texas governor rick perry made it official. those numbers tonight from that straw poll, 7:00 eastern time, candy crowley and don lemon will be with us for the special cnn newsroom report. let's try to move on if we can to re-establish our connection out of charleston, south carolina, making it very official today, texas governor rick perry officially throwing his cowboy hat into the ring. let's check in with jim acosta. when we heard from rick perry there, he said, you know what, this is a little bit of who i am, i am a farm boy, i grew up on a cotton farm and i revisited those roots all along and it has been very important to him, faith and being very frugal, how

did he send his message home today? >> well, i was talking to a republican who was walking out of this room who drove all the way down from philadelphia to see this speech. he said basically this is the speech that conservatives have been waiting for. if you look at this field and look at the field that is out in ames, iowa, right now, there are folks who are disappointed in mitt romney. they don't think he's conservative enough. there are republicans who are worried that michele bachmann can't be elected, that she's unelectable. so what you're seeing among conservatives is this look at rick perry as a serious contender. you saw the speech he gave earlier this afternoon. this is a governor who has been in office for ten years, he's the longest serving governor in texas history. he knows how to give a red meat speech and dished it out to the conservatives and they were eating it up. at one point, he was talking about how he wanted to reduce the size of the role of government. he wants to do that and talked about the recent downgrade of u.s. credit saying president obama has been downgrading jobs,

downgrading the economy ever since he got into office. take a listen. >> mr. president, let us tell you something. you cannot win the future by selling america off to foreign creditors. >> and that was just one of several jabs in this speech. if you take a look at rick perry's style and what he was saying today this is a candidate who is not going to be afraid to go right after this president and he has at times gone after the other gop contenders in this field. this is a rough, tough republican, fredricka, talking about west texas a few moments ago, he came from a town with no stop lights, it is a true one-horse town out there in pan creek, texas, and that kind of upbringing, rick perry says, has steeled him for the rough and tumble politics of 2012. he says he's ready and he's off right now in just a few moments to new hampshire.

he's going to be talking to republicans up there he's going to be in iowa tomorrow and the very same spot where michele bachmann announced her campaign a few weeks ago. before he does that, he's meeting with some south carolina republicans in private meetings. he's been doing that all day today. not only getting the activists behind his campaign and also the fund-raisers that he's going to need to get his campaign up and running. >> he's proven to be a very impressive fund-raiser. you mentioned style of rick perry. you cannot help but hear his voice and hear former governor george w. bush and there have been lots of comparisons that are made. does rick perry embrace that? does he try to run away from any of those comparisons, distancing himself from the former president? >> the short answer, fredricka, it is complicated. rick perry said earlier this summer he called george w. bush on his birthday to wish him a happy birthday, but make no mistake about it, during his

time in office as the governor of the state of texas, rick perry tried to step out of the shadow of george w. bush, trying to become his own governor in his own right in this state and a lot of people in texas will say, yes, rick perry, you have done that. you have to close your eyes and listen to his voice and as you said, you can hear the voice of george w. bush. that's one of the stylistic, you know, sort of intangible things that he will have to overcome as a candidate in this race. he was -- he did an interview with wmur in new hampshire, very important tv station up in new hampshire the other day. one of the questions that was asked in that interview is how are you different from george w. bush? "time" asked rick perry, how are you different from george w. bush. it is a question for rick perry as the days go on. >> jim acosta, thank you very much from charleston, south carolina. appreciate that. and now on to other news. we continue to follow this greyhound us about bound for st. louis, flipped on its side today, injuring at least 20 people. in happened in lancaster county,

pennsylvania, on the turnpike. one woman was pinned down and had to be rescued. she and the other passengers were taken to area hospitals. none of the injuries are considered life threatening. and police continue to investigate that accident. in pakistan, an intense search is under way for kidn kidnapped american, the victim is identified as warren weinstein, a development expert, who works for a u.s.-based consulting firm. he was abducted from his home in lahore in eastern pakistan. cnn's reza sayah reports from the pakistani capital of islamabad. >> reporter: you look at the details of how this kidnapping went down, i think it was clear it was a well coordinated plot. the u.s. embassy in islamabad and pakistani police identified the victim as warren weinstein, an american citizen and a development expert. investigators say the kidnapping happened at 3:15 a.m. saturday morning. it is the holy month of ramadan here. a lost musls mus lot of muslims.

investigators say at that hour, weinstein and his driver was getting ready for a meal in the front yard when they heard a knock at the front gate t was three men, police say, who were offering food, which is very customary during ramadan. that was a ploy by the assailants to make their way in. once the front gate was opened, they forced their way in. other assailants scaled the walls of the home. they tied up the security guards, pistol whipped the driver and forced him to take them to warren weinstein's room and left with him. a security guard in the neighbor's house say the assailants left with two vehicles. warren weinstein, according to police here, an employee of ge austin, a virginia-based development company, no group claimed responsibility for this kidnapping, no group made any demands. oftentimes people are inclined to think it is islamist militants involved in most

kidnappings here, sometimes they are, but investigators say most kidnappings are carried out by criminal gangs, looking to make some quick cash by collecting on a huge ransom. reza sayah, cnn, islamabad. and back in this country, ernie johnson sr., baseball pitcher, turned long time voice of the atlanta braves, has died. >> there is the 2-1 delivery. fouled off of the plate, 2-2. oh, you're talking about drama. >> johnson played for the braves and boston and milwaukee including in 1957 world series win. he went on to call nearly 4,000 games over almost four decades. johnson was 87. and dennis rodman world his way into the nba hall of fame this year. he gave a tearful acceptance speech last night.

>> it wasn't -- i didn't play the game for the money. i didn't play the game to be famous. what you see here is more just, well, illusion that i love to just be an individual that is very colorful. >> nicknamed the worm, rodman ended his career with the best rebound rate in nba history. he played mostly for detroit, san antonio and chicago. other inductees last night included chris mullin, artis gilmore and satch sanders. congrats to them all. people in somalia starving and sick by the tens of thousands. the search for hope and they find only heart break. anderson cooper went to mogadishu. you'll have to see this report next.

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some international news now. forces are cracking down hard on protests, up with human rights group says 15 pre testers were killed on friday alone. cnn cannot independently confirm this because the government has restricted international journalists. reports say snipers fired randomly into crowds in three cities. fidel castro turns 85 today. these pictures are from april. the last time the former cuban leader actually appeared in public, a week of celebrations across the country are planned in tribute to fidel castro. and 50 years ago today, east germany began building a wall

dividing east and west berlin. the berlin wall would stand on that border for 28 years. german leaders today pay tribute to the more than 130 people who died trying to cross it. and now, the u.n. has already declared a famine for a large part of somalia. and now officials there say cholera is breaking out all over the country. cnn's anderson cooper visited a hospital in mogadishu where starving and desperate people hoped to find a way just to stay alive. you're about to see how disappointed many of them usually are. >> reporter: there are so many kids in mogadishu's hospital that the new arrivals are being treated in the halls. their coughs and cries, you don't hear much complaining. that takes energy, perhaps, and there isn't much of that. many children and their families have walked for weeks just to

get here. this little boy can barely take any more steps. there is no running water, no electricity. after 20 years of fighting in mogadishu, there is not much left at all. the country, which is the epicenter of a famine now. there is a catastrophe happening here. you could expect there to be more medicine, kids getting fortified milk, but you don't see any of that. it is just mothers sitting with their kids and many of the kids end up dying. mothers trying to keep the flies at bay, fathers soothe their sickly kids. the worry, the fear is the same the world over. what parent can stand it when their child is in pain? many kids are able to bounce back, with quick intervention, they gain weight day after day. for others, however, malnutrition is too far along. cnn's namele abagbir introduced

us to this man. he lost a daughter. you must be worried about your child. how long has your child been sick? for the last six months, he's been ill, he says. but as the famine tightened around us, no one has been able to help us, so then we came here and now we're just hopeful. in the corner of the room, muhammad and his wife sit in silence. between them, we notice a small pile of cloth. it turns out it is covering the body of their son. his name was ali, he was just 1 year old. >> it was so difficult to get out, it took them so long to get out that by the time they arrived, there was nothing anyone could do for him. he died about two hours ago. >> reporter: this child has just died? >> yeah. >> reporter: what will they do with him now? >> they don't even have enough money to bury him. so they're just sitting here hoping someone will come and

someone, you know, in this situation, nobody has any money, they're hoping that together people try and put money in together when things like this happen and they can raise the funds, otherwise, they have no means of burying him. >> reporter: muhammad and his wife have lost their two other children. ali was the only child they had left. what will they do now? >> they said they don't know. they're just going to them -- for them, the most important thing is to try to find a way to buried child and they'll figure out what to do from here. they have nothing. they left their entire family and they have nothing here. the only reason they took the risk was to save the baby and now the baby is dead. >> reporter: you've seen a lot of this over the last few weeks. >> yeah, i mean, mogadishu is always difficult, somalia is always difficult. people have been dying here for a while from the violence, the insecurity. the famine is, you know, the numbers here are extraordinary. the u.n.'s estimating that nearly a million are going to die if the aid pipeline isn't

strengthened, if more funding doesn't come in to sustain the aid effort here. >> reporter: the aid effort is under way, but for too many kids, it may already be too late. they are not numbers, not statistics, they're boys and girls, with names and with parents, boys and girls who never had a fair chance at life. anderson cooper, cnn, mogadishu. >> you can help the starving people of somalia. you can impact your world. cnn can show you how. go online now and visit cnn.com/impact. something else we continue to watch, big day in presidential politics. congressman ron paul addressing the crowd in ames, iowa, at the iowa straw poll event. let's listen in. >> -- slightly different from just the cause of liberty because there is something that precedes liberty and that is life.

i believe in a very limited role for government, but the prime reason that government exists in a free society is to protect liberty, but also to protect life. and i mean all life. i want to tell a very short story because time is short about how i came to be very strong right to life. when i was in medical school in the 1950s, it was a nonissue. it was assumed everybody was pro life and abortions weren't to be done. in the 1960s, as i was a medical resident studying ob-gyn, the doctors in the medical centers were defying the law and doing abortions. this shook me up.

one day i walked into an operating room and i did a cesarean section, lifted out a baby that was crying and breathing and put it in a buck net the corner of the room and let it die and pretended nobody heard it. that was rather disturbing. but as i walked out of that room, because i was a student and observer, i walked out of the room and walked down the corridor. and a baby about the same size was born prematurely. and all of a sudden, 20 people, nurses and doctors, all rushing around to save the baby's life, which seemed very logical. but my conclusion that very day is you cannot have relative value for life and deal with that. we cannot play god and make those decisions, all life is precious. >> congressman ron paul there in ames, iowa. his speech before people cast their ballots in the ames, iowa,

straw poll. we'll have results for you later on this evening. perhaps you're ready to start a new business. well, here is a question for you. what percentage of small businesses actually flop within the first year? stay tuned and we'll have the answer for you right after this. . people told me i wasn't going to do anything. and i just decided i have more to offer than that. i put myself through nursing school, and then i decided to go get a doctorate degree. university of phoenix gave me the knowledge to make a difference in people's lives. my name is dr. kimberly horton. i manage a network of over a thousand nurses, and i am a phoenix. [ male announcer ] find your program at phoenix.edu.

before the break, we asked you what percentage of small businesses flop within the first two years? 30% according to the u.s. small

business administration. seven out of ten last at least two years. so it is the number one issue in american homes, getting your financial house in order. well, today in our weekly financial fix, are you thinking of becoming your own boss? starting your own business? before you start that small business, or online service, you need to listen to carrie wilkerson, the barefoot executive, her new book is the ultimate guide for being your own boss and achieving financial freedom. she joins us now from st. louis today. good to see you. >> thanks. good to be here. >> first, you know, let's talk about you, a mother of four, your husband was a corporate vice president and your family was hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt. how did you get out of debt and get back on your feet? >> well, the fact is you can go into your boss and say, hey, i need a raise, i'm in debt and listen to him laugh and say me too, join the club, or you can create additional income.

and the only way i know how to do that is by creating a part time or full-time business for yourself. >> okay. so, you know, trying to start your own business. besides getting that money, you know, together, to get started, you say number one you've got to not chase someone else's dream, but it has got to be yours, your signature idea or pursuit. >> yeah. i think so. and besides the fact that i also think you can start on a shoestring most of the time. after all, i was very in debt. i didn't have a lot of money to spend on a business. i believe chasing somebody else's dream is a huge mistake. just because somebody else is doing well, or making money in a certain arena or seems happy or content with what they're doing, doesn't mean it is a good fit for you or your skill set or, you know, even your -- what you want to be doing. >> that's really kind of the inspiration for a lot of people. they see that something is working out for someone else. hey, i want to try that, but you're saying, you know, that really is a myth. myth number one, don't chase

someone else's dream. then you say, you know, you don't want to chase too many rabbits. what do you mean by that? >> well, mary kay ash said you can't chase two rabbits at the same time and catch either one. it is a truth and a great visual. so many people get excited about being their own boss and about making money, they say, i'm going to try a little bit of this and a little bit of that and i'll start this company or this product line and then also do this on the side and they dabble. and just like working for two networks might be an extreme challenge for you if you wanted to move up the ladder, it is an extreme challenge for most people to try to grow two things simultaneously if they're not in a position of profit already. >> and when you say, you know, you don't want to chase dollars in large part that may be an incentive to start your own business. perhaps you're one of the many millions of people who can't find a job. you want to start your own business, you need to make money in order to get food on the table. what do you mean, don't chase the dollars?

>> well, i think another common mistake and the reason people don't succeed in their own business is they're chasing only the money. don't get me wrong. i think you should aim for profit. what i mean is, most of us, we're inspired by the oh, they're making money doing that. i could look at donald trump and say, he does phenomenally in real estate or commercial real estate. i'm going to go do that, i'll chase that bright shiny object when the truth is, i don't have any skills there, i don't have any experience there, or i might say, this is the hot new opportunity. how many times have you heard, we're sitting on a gold mine or oh, that's the market to be in right now. we have this -- we have this opportunistic paranoia like we'll miss something if we don't chase that thing right now. i think you stick with your skill set. you stick with what you're educated in, or what you've been paid to do in the past, and that will pay off for you more immediately than chasing the dollars that somebody else appears to be making. >> gosh, i can really understand

why people say they want to chase the dollars because they don't want to be, you know, part of the 30% whose businesses fail within that first two years. that statistic we shared at the top that was very sobering about so many small businesses failing before they ever get a chance to enjoy a profit or any kind of success. >> that's true. and you do need to pursue profits, just don't choose your business model based on somebody else's profitability. that's my point. don't choose your business model based on perceived profits or perceived opportunity. stick close to your core influence, your core expertise and i believe then the bottom line will increase as you focus in that one area, without chasing those other rabbits we mentioned. >> all right. carrie wilkerson, thanks so much, the barefoot executive and folks can follow you and your book at barefoot/executive.com or is it hyphen, actually?

barefoo barefoot-executive.com. >> right. there is also bare fofoo barefootexecutive.com, which is probably most direct route for them. >> thank you. a sign of the times. >> we have been rationing food and scraping by. >> and he has a job but doesn't earn enough to feed his family. he's not alone. we'll take you to a food bank where demand is skyrocketing. and it is a struggle to keep food on the shelves and the doors open at many of those food banks. [ male announcer ] imagine facing the day

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if the demand on food banks is any indication of how this country's economy is doing, well, it can be summed up in three words. people are struggling. cnn's athena jones reports on a washington area food bank and she says some of the people who used to donate food there now stand in line for a handout. >> reporter: it is a friday morning in august and volunteers at this maryland food bank are preparing boxes of fresh produce, canned goods and other items to distribute to people in need. this food center provides each family with 70 pounds of food every 30 days. what would you do if you didn't come here. do you get help from other places as well? >> no. i would probably -- we would run out of food bit end of the month and mana gives that extra boost. >> reporter: the sluggish economy is taking a toll on families across the country. a record 45.8 million people

receive food stamps from the government in may. that's one out of every seven people. for many, food stamps alone don't meet their needs or they don't qualify for federal help at all. some of those who have jobs still struggle to feed their families. >> we have been rationing food and just scraping by. it is just me and my sister working and right now it is kind of hard to mobilize. >> reporter: that's where mana steps in. >> two more. >> reporter: since 2008, the number of people they have served has more than doubled. any growth that the economy is feeling, the folks here are not feeling that yet. until we see a dramatic change in the economy, we're going to continue to see a dramatic increase in folks who are coming here. they give food nearing its sell by date from 40 area grocery stores. the center relies on food drives, state and federal emergency food grant programs and donations. >> we have had folks who have come in and said, you know, i used to be a donor and now i'm standing in your line. i never thought i would be in

the position where i would have to be the one accepting help. >> reporter: for many clients at food banks like this one, and others nationwide, what was once an emergency program has become much more. some worry the increased focus on cutting government spending could make it harder for organizations to feed the hungry. now, we have seen some encouraging numbers in recent days. new unemployment claims fell to a four-month low last week. it is too soon to tell if the trend will continue. for now, staffers at mana expect the demand for the food they provide to rise even more. >> tough times, the understatement. athena jones, thanks so much in washington. >> thanks. now another story about charity. this one mixing heart break with hope. 9-year-old rachael beckwith of bellevue, washington, died in a car accident last month. her dream of bringing clean drinking water to african villages lives on. she was trying to raise $300 for the cause when she died.

when people heard about her story, their hearts and wallets simply opened up. donations to her fund-raising page have now drawn over a million dollars. we'll check in with jacqui jeras now. the heat wave has been something the entire country has been dealing with. now a little relief. maybe in a big way. at least for the folks in texas. >> huge. we have been focusing on dallas a lot. they have been seeing this streak of days and days. and today is really the first day that they have had measurable rain. they had a little measurable rain july 16th, .09, if you want to counsel that, which didn't do anything except make your sidewalk damp. cloud cover has been across the area. temperatures much cooler. we have broken that streak of 100 degree days. really since thursday. unfortunately, though, we'll have to tell you that things will pop back up. 83 now in dallas. you've got still 96 in houston. feeling fine in kansas city with 85. look at chicago, 83 degrees for

those temperatures. you can see tomorrow, that cooler air stays in place here. but we're starting to see that bubble return unfortunately. we'll continue to see triple digit temperatures back in parts of this lone star state. let's talk a little bit about the showers and thunderstorms because they're helping bring leaf to some of the areas. a few can be severe. we're focusing in on this watch box here where severe thunderstorms are expected this afternoon. they're moving into the chicago area as we speak. so be aware of that. we're looking for large hail and damaging winds as they move into the chicago metro area. and then we're also looking at some showers and thundershowers up and down the east coast this is starting to cause a lot of problems at the east coast airport. if you have travel plans, make sure you call ahead on these. last but not least, we have been warning you for weeks, once the conditions turn, the tropics heat up. we're looking at four different systems we're tracking now. tropical storm franklin, we don't need to worry about that. that's moving way up to the north and east. two areas that will likely turn into something in the next 48

hours, but the one that doesn't have much of a chance in the next 48 is the one we have to watch. this is the one that could take more of a southerly track. next named storm as we rattle off the names from the list, gert. >> gert? >> gert. >> gert? >> that's the one. >> okay. that one we won't forget because it is so unique. thanks so much. appreciate it. have you heard about the five hs? our cnn hero explains next in the newsroom.

have you ever looked around your neighborhood and seen people who needed help? that's the spark behind helen ashe. at the age of 83, she is still busy in the community kitchen that she founded 25 years ago and she's our cnn hero of the week. >> daddy worked hard for what we got. he taught us not it take the last piece of bread from the table. somebody may come by that's huck hungry. my name is helen ashe. i'm the happy founder of the love kitchen. we address the needs of the five 5s, the homeless, the hungry, the hopeless, the home bound, and the helpless. do you have the coffee and the cups out?

>> my sister ellen is a blessing to me. >> how about those small tomatoes, ellen? >> the lord sent two because there is so much work to do for one. >> we went to nursing school. back then, segregation was pretty rampant. i just saw the black people that was having the problem with transportation and food. what we're going to start off with this morning? every day on my way home i would tell my sister, one day i'm going to do something about this. we're getting ready to open the line. the first day we served 22 meals. that was in 1986. since that time, we have been growing, growing, growing, growing. everybody here is a volunteer. they enjoy doing what we are doing. we deliver from 1400 to 2200 meals every thursday to our home bound people. she's my buddy.

>> we wouere taught to work for what we got and we helped so many people that are in need and that's what keeps us going. >> they are keeping so many others going. if you know someone who deserves special recognition, just go to cnnheroes.com. ♪ it's true.

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if you have painful, swollen joints, i've been in your shoes. one day i'm on p of the world... the next i'm saying... i have this thing called psoriatic arthritis. i had some intense pain. it progressively got worse. my rheumatologist told me about enbrel. i'm surprised how quickly my symptoms have been managed. [ male announcer ] because enbrel suppresses your immune system, it may lower your ability to fight infections. serious, sometimes fatal events including infections, tuberculosis, lymphoma, other cancers, and nervous system and blood disorders have occurred. before starting enbrel, your doctor should test you for tuberculosis and discuss whether you've been to a region where certain fungal infections are common. don't start enbrel if you have an infection like the flu. tell your doctor if you're prone to infections, have cuts or sores, have had hepatitis b, have been treated for heart failure, or if, while on enbrel, you experience persistent fever, bruising, bleeding, or paleness. get back to the things that matter most.

good job girls. ask your rheumatologist if enbrel is right for you. right now in iowa, a critical test of republican presidential candidates is under way. the ames straw poll has the potential to make or break a campaign. this is seen as first test to see who among the republican pack is a viable candidate. nine republicans are on the ballot. and texas governor rick perry is not on the ballot in iowa, but as of today he's in the gop presidential race. he made that announcement last hour at a gathering of conservatives in south carolina.

>> it is time to get america working again and that's why with the support of my family and unwavering belief in the goodness of america, i declare to you today as a candidate for president of the united states. >> perry took over as governor of texas when george w. bush left to become president. for the latest political news, you know where to go. cnnpolitics.com. that one day on the red hills of georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood. i have a dream today! [ male announcer ] chevrolet is honored to celebrate the unveiling of the washington, d.c., martin luther king jr. memorial. take your seat at the table on august 28th.

it is a very fun viral video. every kid does the whole, you know -- >> she's got the technique down. you've got some tricks, right. >> walk the dog. >> uh-huh. can you do this, though? >> i cannot do that. that is why he is champion. >> the world champion. >> that's amazing. >> oh, my gosh. >> that is ridiculously impressive. >> remember those ka-bangers up in the day and you would get bruisers up and down your arm? >> what? >> ka-bangers?

>> no, don't remember that. this is why he's the world champion, he's 24 years old. oh, my gosh. i never knew yo-yoing could be like that. >> wouldn't you be afraid, one false move. >> i'm bad and you're not. i saw that. >> he's the champion how many years in a row, like 12th world title. this is his 12th world title. >> two yo-yos. grand prize, 800 bucks. and a big old trophy. and you get bragging rights. >> that was good, though. i like that. >> see you later. in here, the planned combination of at&t and t-mobile would deliver our next generation mobile broadband experience to 55 million more americans, many in small towns and rural communities, giving them a new choice. we'll deliver better service, with thousands of new cell sites... for greater access to all the things you want, whenever you want them. it's the at&t network... and what's possible in here is almost impossible to say.

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call right now. [ 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. before the ames, iowa, straw poll, many of the presidential contenders get a chance to speak. now it is former governor of minnesota tim pawlenty at the microphone. let's listen in. >> those kind of results, not just talk, is what america needs now. i also want to tell you that doing that in minnesota is something that is very interesting and important to note. we need to not just preach to the choir and make sure we have a candidate who can win in places like kansas or oklahoma or some of the other great states around this country, alabama and georgia and the like, wonderful states, we also

got to have candidates who can come up into the midwest and the great lakes states in iowa and wisconsin and ohio and pennsylvania and take the conservative message and get others to join our cause so we can win this election and get this country back. i won, i got elected and re-elected in one of the most difficult political states in the country for a republican, the state of minnesota. i'll carry those states as a candidate for president. look, the way forward may not be easy. but america can overcome challenges as you well know. valley forge wasn't easy. settling the west wasn't easy. winning world war ii, for sure, wasn't easy. going to the moon wasn't easy. but this isn't about easy. this is about getting our

country back on track. this is the united states of america. we are the american people. >> former minnesota governor tim pawlenty there in ames, iowa. after the speaking, polls will close for this ames, iowa, straw polling two hours from now and then results may be in about the 6:00 or 7:00 p.m. eastern hour. we'll carry that for you live. i'll be back in an hour with our movie reviewer, great drake, talking about "the help." viola davis and octavus spencer play maids in the new movie. it is based on the best-seller set in the civil rights area of mississippi. they say it gave them perspective. >> filming in mississippi, which, two miles from the tallahatchie river where the body of emmitt till was found,