nts, such as infections, lymphoma, or other types of cancer, have happened. blood, liver and nervous system problems, serious allergic reactions, and new or worsening heart failure have occurred. before starting humira, your doctor should test you for tb. ask your doctor if you live in or have been to a region where certain fungal infections are common. tell your doctor if you have had tb, hepatitis b, are prone to infections, or have symptoms such as fever, fatigue, cough, or sores. you should not start humira if you have any kind of infection. get headed in a new direction. with humira, remission is possible. thanks for starting your morning with us. we've got so much ahead on cnn "sunday morning" which starts right now. from cnn world headquarters in atlanta, this is "cnn sunday morning." 100 million miles, $2.6 billion.

nasa's "curiosity" rover expected to land on mars tonight. plus, fires in oklahoma raging out of control. tens of thousands of acres scorched. those numbers could go up. and later -- >> allowed to have a boyfriend? >> no. >> you allowed to party on the weekends? >> no. >> allowed to take a few days off and not train when she's worn out? >> no. >> a lifetime of sacrifices may lead to a necklace of gold. regardless of performance, three american boxers will make history in london just by showing up. good morning, everyone, i'm randi kaye. it is 7:00 on the east coast, 4:00 a.m. on the west. thanks for starting your morning with us. the sounds of gunfire and artillery ringing out in the besieged syrian city of aleppo. rebels say more government troops are advancing on them.

they're bracing for a showdown. the opposition says security forces have killed at least 17 people across syria today. u.s. secretary of state hillary clinton plans to attend talks in neighboring turkey next weekend on the crisis. now let's take a look at some legal news. and reports that jarrod lee loughner may plead guilty in the shooting of congresswoman gabby giffords. the attack in arizona last year, as you may recall, killed six people and wounded 13 others including giffords. the "los angeles times" and "wall street journal" both reporting that loughner will enter a plea on tuesday, but the u.s. attorney's office tells us they can't confirm or deny that. we're also hearing new details about the condition of congressman jesse jackson jr. his wife tells the ""chicago sun-times"" newspaper that chasks is still depressed and

doctors are increasing his medications. jackson checked into the mayo left wing la clinic last month citing issue like depression. now to outer space and an exciting nasa mission nearing its destination. the "curiosity" rover is expected to make it to the surface of mars late tonight. >> there's a lot of pressure. we've done everything that we can to get ready. it's like watching the olympics. you sit there, you watch the athletes. you're hoping for the best, but you look at the parents, and they always look nervous. that's the same thing as us. we want to stick the landing. >> "curiosity's" mission is to explore a major crater on mars. it's looking for signs that life may have existed on the red planet. to iran now and what they say is a successful missile test there. state media reported on the launch of the fattah 110 missile which they say can travel 200 miles. iran is developing missiles that can go more than 1,000 miles.

[ gunfire ] and there you have it. the sounds of gunfire and artillery ringing out in the besieged city of aleppo. rebels say more government troops are advancing on them. they're bracing for a showdown. the opposition says security forces have killed at least 23 people across syria today. and the u.s. secretary of state hillary clinton will be there. she'll attend talk ins -- talks in neighboring turkey. mitt romney is being dogged by another question that has nothing to do with policy. cnn's political editor, paul steinhauser, with hear. >> reporter: good morning. all eyes will be on mitt romney this week for hints on whom he'll choose as his running mate. so far he's not talking. >> i will absolutely skied and announce my -- decide and announce my running mate before

the third day of the convention in august. other that, that i have nothing for you. >> reporter: he campaigns in iowa tuesday and wednesday. friday he kicks off a four-day bus tour through three other battleground states -- virginia, north carolina, and florida. it's also a busy campaign week for president obama. he fundraises tomorrow in connecticut and reaches out to voters in the crucial swing state of colorado later in the week. randi? >> cnn political editor, paul steinhaus steinhauser. thank you very much. going for the gold and breaking boundaries in the process. how one texas woman and others will change the look of the games as we know it. it's something you're born with. and inspires the things you choose to do. you do what you do... because it matters. at hp we don't just believe in the power of technology. we believe in the power of people when technology works for you.

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we'll uncover opportunities, find hidden risk, and make success a reality. bny mellon wealth management welcome back. nine minutes past the hour. while many of this year's olympic athletes have been making history on the medals stance, a few will -- stand, a few will make history just for being there. they are women boxers. for the first time they'll be allowed to compete. we talked to american marilyn esparza.

>> when you beat somebody in the ring, you're not just beating them up or something. you're like beating the entire symbolism of them. you're beating who they are. >> her days start with math, how much to eat, how far to run, how many pounds, sprints, crunches, how many endless hours of training will it take to win. why are you here every day? >> because i want to win. this is my life, and this is what i do. and i can honestly say this is who i am. like right here, you see it, this is what i do. >> esparza trains in a gym along a lonely stretch of houston's i-10. coach rudy silva took charge of her life when she was just 12. she's now 22. she allowed to have a boyfriend?

>> no. >> she allowed to party on the weekends? >> no. >> she allowed to take a few days off and not train when she's worn out? >> no. >> that's a lot of nos. >> yes. >> marlen esparza! >> reporter: she won the first of several championships by age 16. she dreamed of fighting at the olympic even though boxing was the only sport that didn't allow women. the spoix a big goal? will. >> huge. probably -- i honestly, truly feel like if i go to the olympics and medal that i could probably be totally happy for the rest of my life. yeah, like completely happy. >> reporter: now the olympic glass ceiling has been shattered. women will be boxing at the london games for the first time in history. sponsors have lined up behind marlen. nike, cover girl, coca cole a. and her community is excited to have a latina star. >> the mexicans are totally going to love it. they're going to freak when it

happens. >> you're really cool. >> thank you. [ bell ] >> reporter: esparza was the first female to qualify for the games. her dream of going to the olympics is around the corner. >> i think the atmosphere and energy is going to be something i never felt. i think that's one of the main things i'm looking forward to. i think that's going to put me over the top and ready to compete. >> and in just over an hour, female boxers will make their olympic debut as the first bouts in flyweights begin at 8:30 a.m. eastern time. back to school. three words that bring sadness to the hearts of kids across the country. and also their parents who have to foot the bill for all those school supplies. i'll talk with one teacher and author who will tell you how to send your kids back to school without breaking the bank. we're here at walmart with anita and her two daughters. is that your phone bill? sure is.

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welcome back, everyone. the summer break is almost over for millions of kids. for them it means time to head back to school. for parents and, in some cases

grandparents, it means shopping for clothes, shoes, and all of those school supplies. here's what most of you with children in grades k through 12 say that you will spend this year. about $246 for clothing. $218 for electronics. $129 on shoes. and $95 on school supplies. now that adds up to $688 this year up from almost $604 last year. joining me with more on how to stretch those back-to-school bucks isdanny kofki, special education teacher in georgia. how you? >> good, randi, how are you? >> well, thanks. you really have both sides of the issue covered because you're a teacher and you're a parent. we'll get to your tips in a moment. but what do you think about the money being spent? is that money well spent by parents when you look at the numbers? >> yes, it is. we all know about how tough times are now for states and with the school cuts that are going on, a lot of teachers don't have the money to buy the supplies either. so i do think it is a good investment.

and the districts are struggling to buy the supplies, as well. so yes, we do -- we do need those supplies in the classrooms. >> yeah. let's if through tips. the first -- let's go through tips. the first you say is shop at tax-free times. many of that is happening this weekend. >> right. right. unfortunately, i know here in georgia ours -- the tax free doesn't start until next weekend. up the road in my county starts tomorrow. our first day. i guess for my county it's not going to do any good. if you can take advantage of the tax-free shopping, absolutely, you're saving money. >> something else you say is to budget during the school year. not so easy all the time. >> no. but the first day of school comes every august. if you have children, you know it's going to come. like christmas, christmas comes every december. start now. if you haven't prepared, maybe starting this august put aside $20 a month. then by the time next august rolls around, you'll have the back-to-school money set aside to buy the stuff. >> and stock up during the school year, is that when there's other sales, perhaps?

>> yes. y you can. if you know next year they'll be in third grade, get the supply lists. during the year any time there's a sale, say on composition books, pencils, stock up. that way you're not hit all at once with that back-to-school crunch. >> and grandparents, they're always there to help, right? >> absolutely. i know a lot of grandparents, they do have a little more disposable income in many cases than parents do, especially when you have younger children. they can kick in. now is the time to help. >> and you say that kids should actually be part of the process, as well. how do you get them to take part in this? >> right. it's important because a lot of kids don't know how to spend money. well, hard to see money grows on trees, a lot of kids think that. actively involve them. say, we have $200 to spend on your back-to-school supplies, you buy it. instead of buying the hello kitty notebook, they'll buy the more generic so their dollar stretches farther. >> people are actually spending more on back-to-school supplies. do you think we'll see that continue? >> i think so, unfortunately. i know at my school, the

principal has said a lot of parents are struggling. if there is anything we can cut back on, please do. just for parent to know that principals and we are aware of that. that a lot of people are struggling financially. we are trying to cut it back as much as possible. >> danny, appreciate it. thank you very much. >> thank you. >> for much more of my guests and stories, head to my blog. you can find it at cnn.com/randi. it is hard to believe, but half a century ago today the iconic marilyn monroe was found dead in her l.a. home. all morning i've been asking what you think her lasting legacy is all these years later. tweet me, @randikayecnn, and i'll read the responses next. and win fifty thousand dollars. congratulations you are our one millionth customer. people don't like to miss out on money that should have been theirs. that's why at ally we have the raise your rate 2-year cd. you can get a one-time rate increase if our two-year rate goes up.

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[ male announcer ] when diarrhea hits, kaopectate stops it fast. powerful liquid relief speeds to the source. fast. [ male announcer ] stop the uh-oh fast with kaopectate. we've been talking about this all morning. in 1962, half a century ago today, the iconic marilyn monroe was found dead in her home. the world's fascination with the tragic star has not faded. performers from madonna to lady gaga have emulated her signature pin-up style. yes, she even has thousands of twitter followers and more than three million facebook fans. i've asked this morning what you think monroe's lasting legacy is all these years later.

kelly wrote -- i share marilyn's birthday and have always felt her legacy was yearning to do more, be more, and be loved. judy tweeted -- marilyn monroe was authentic on every level. a genuine and compassionate actress with amazing talent, searching for her truth. james said -- too numerous for tweets, but in one word -- sexuality. so what do you think marilyn monroe's legacy is? keep tweeting at randikayecnn. i'll read more throughout the morning. look at how widespread the summer's drought is. more than half of the continental u.s. is experiencing severe drought. and the losses are adding up for many farmers but not everyone. for a few lucky ones, crops are tasting sweeter, and business is actually booming. martin sav itchidge has more from -- savidge has more from georgia. >> reporter: they are plucking the last peaches off the trees. they've been in the family for 100 years. he grows nearly 300 acres

selling to the likes of publix, whole foods, and walmart. how's the peach crop looking? >> all things considered, i think peaches look real good. >> reporter: the peaches themselves may be smaller due to the drought, but the demand is still high which is why wholesale prices are up by almost 50% over last year. and they taste better. so when these peaches are ripening, we don't have the rains to come in and take the sugar away. that's a plus, being able to have this fruit its highest amount of sugar, which is a good thing. >> reporter: if i understand you, then the less rain means that a peach like this could be smaller but is going to be sweeter and tastier? >> that's right. >> reporter: peach fans aren't the only ones smiling about the drought. in nearby marshallville, georgia, there is something else growing in this field. >> is that going good for you? >> yes, sir. >> reporter: a massive collection of pipes, spigots, and sprayers that when finished will become a crop-sized

sprinkling system. these rube goldberg looking contraptions rotated ever so slowly in a giant arc around a central pump tied to an underground well. hence the name pivots. elton sharpe's been selling pivots since the '70s. recently thanks to the drought, business has doubled. >> we have put in a lot of pivots in the last five years for people that never did have it before. >> reporter: systems like these can easily cost more than $100,000 each. even so, jim reed says these days farmers would have a better chance gambling in las vegas than betting on nature. >> the cost of production has gone up, the risk of the amount of money you had invested in an acre of land has increased, then the necessity of irrigation became greater. >> reporter: which is why reed has crews working clo to 12 hours a day, six days a week just to keep up with demand. thanks to the worst drought in half a century, whether it's

peaches or pivots, both are finding siness pretty sweet. martin savidge, cnn, peach county, georgia. one last look at headlines. more than 100 hopes burned by fast-moving wildfires in arizona. hundreds more threatened now. the ongoing drought has fueled these fires. the possibility of arson in at least one of them is under investigation. we are keeping an eye on a pair of tropical storms. the first is tropical storm ernesto. the storm is packing 60 mile-per-hour winds as it heads south of jamaica today. tropical storm florence is farther out. still, 515 miles from the cape verde islands out in the atlantic. now florence is expected to fizzle out before it gets close to the u.s. and exciting nasa mission nearing its big act in outer space. the "curiosity" rover is expected to reach the surface of mars late tonight. 1:31 a.m. eastern time. then "curiosity" has an even

bigger challenge ahead. equipped with 17 cameras. the rover will scan mars for evidence that the red planet could have supported life. its first images from mars are expected a few hours after landing. hillary clinton will head to syria next week. the secretary of state will go to istanbul, turkey, next saturday for talks on what to do about the escalating fighting in neighboring syria. clinton is currently on a multination tour in africa. she's in malawi today after stopping in kenya yesterday. now to some legal news. reports that jared lee loughner may plead guilty in the shooting of congresswoman gabby giffords. the attack in arizona last year killed six people and wounded 13, including giffords. the "los angeles times" and "usa today" report he will enter a plea on tuesday. the attorney's office says they can't confirm or deny the report. we are learning more details about the condition of congressman jesse jackson jr. his wife