>> i don't care what anyone says. prancercise rocks. that does it for us.

founder the biggest drug scandal in american sports scandal. pamela brown is live at yankees stadium. good morning, pamela. >> good morning to you, john. that's right, the highest paid player in baseball. and one of the league's most valuable players at the center of this widening steroids scandal. this one may be for the record books. the history books for american sports. but it's a record breaker that

no player wants to be a part of. >> espn is reporting that major league baseball is preparing for an unprecedented waive of player suspension that's including alex rodriguez and the brewer's ryan braun. 18 other players are linked to a miami area clinic at the center of a drug scandal. on tuesday night, ryan braun refused to talk about it after his game. >> i'm not answering any further questions regarding the situation. i dealt with it a long time over the last year and a half. i don't have anything further to say. >> joe girardi was peppered with questions at a postgame news conference. >> i think we all had hoped we kind of got through it. obviously, we're not through it yet. >> reporter: major league baseball issued this statement following the espn story. we can't comment on an on going investigation. espn reports that tony boesch, the founder of this now closed clinic near miami reached an

agreement to cooperate with the league's investigation. the miami new times first reported in january that boesch has biogen sis clinic was a pipeline to performance enhancing drugs for several players. >> it's clear that a lot of clinics was selling a lot of hgh. a number of other drugs that are widely banned in sports. >> reporter: representatives for alex rodriguez issued a denial after the january report. the news reports about the purported relationship between alex rodriguez and anthony boesch are not true. alex rodriguez was not mr. boesch's patient. he was never treated by him and was never adviced by him. according to espn, players could be suspended for 100 games, a penalty usually given to second offenses. if upheld, the suspensions may be the largest in american sports history. a-rod fans disappointed. >> i look up to him when i play baseball. i really like him.

>> reporter: not only is a legacy of these baseball giants at stake, but more importantly, that of america's pastime. >> i worry about baseball being affected as a game, the whole thing. and what it's been through in the last 15 years and that's my concern. >> now back in 2009, a-rod did admit to using performance enhancing drugs when he was with the texas rangers but he denied using any drugs since then. we won't know anything until boesch sits down with investigators. at that point, we'll know if history is actually being made or if this investigation was all for nothing. back to you. >> and, of course, pamela, a-rod hasn't played a game this season because he's injured and the yankees say he may never live up to that giant contract. pamela brown, thanks so much. >> for more, what this could mean for major league baseball. joe carter joins us from atlanta. so the clinic originally flagged for distributing illegal drugs

in january. but players like a-rod deny the connection. so how critical is tony boesch's cooperation to nailing these players accused of using performance enhancing drugs? >> well, christine, i think that boesch is absolutely critical. he is everything to major league baseball's case against these 20 or so players. when you look at the fact that tony boesch could bring forth sworn testimony, he could bring forth evidence and this could go as far as phone records or receipts. we know that there is handwritten notes out there since january that have implicated these names. he talked about the players. so he's the connection. he's the missing link. he could be the smoking gun, if you will for major league baseball to have a strong case against these 20 or so players. >> joe, why is he cooperating now, do you think? why has he changed his tune? >> i think it's because tony boesch has been essentially backed into a corner. he needs major league baseball

as much as major league baseball needs him. right now major league baseball is threatening a massive lawsuit against tony boesch. so he has no opportunity or money or finances or power to fight major league baseball's lawsuit. his clinic is closed. he's broke. apparently he's living with family and friends. so his options are very limited. he also could face criminal charges. they say you cooperate us with, you bring us your evidence, you tell us everything you know and not only will we stop our lawsuit and drop a lawsuit against you, we'll also provide you protection for any harm that might be out there and we'll also put in a good word to any law enforcement agencies that might be bringing criminal charges against you. so really tony boesch has very few options throughout right now. >> of course, baseball needs him because there are no positive tests. they need his testimony and anything he has to prove this. they're talking about 100-game suspensions for a-rod and ryan braun. that's what you get for a second offense. how can they justify that in

major league baseball? >> they're basically saying it's going to be a two strike policy here. one strike is for the link to performance enhancing drugs. the second strike would be for lying about it or denying it. so 50 games for first strike, 50 games for the second strike. that's 100 games for two former mvps, alex rodriguez and ryan braun. this is unprecedented. but this fight is certainly not going to be an easy fight. if these players decide to appeal the suspension or fight the suspension, this could drag on for months and months because it would obviously have to go in front of the players association. they would be fighting for the players. it would have to go to a court, then an arbitration panel. it could drag on and drag on for months and months and months before we see any sort of punishments begin. >> all right. joe carter, we're going to continue to cover the story all morning. we'll talk to you very, very soon about what is really a bombshell in baseball world. >> it is huge. >> thanks, joe. >> authorities in oklahoma say 19 people were killed in last

friday's storms. 2.6 miles wide. what you're looking at there, that tornado, the national weather service says this powerful ef-5 tornado that hit el reno, oklahoma sshgts widest tornado ever recorded in this country. chad myers reports the oklahoma tornadoes are a spring of wild weather related events across the country. >> tornado ripped through moore, oklahoma, leaving 24 dead including seven children from a leveled elementary school raising questions about why more storm shelters weren't available. >> there should be a place that if this ever happened again during school that kids can get to a safe place. >> reporter: just two weeks later this monster storm, an ef-5, touched down in el reno, oklahoma, less than 30 miles from moore. when the unthinkable happened in moore, it was a mile wide. ef-4 and 5 damage as far as you could see. the storm in el reno was 2.6

miles wide, twice as far as here. that's wider than the island of manhattan and the widest tornado ever recorded in the u.s. the el reno storm surprised chasers by shifting directions suddenly. they were lucky. three other professional chasers lost their lives including tim samaras. he was an experienced chaser caught in this manning willed car. on the west coast wildfires are raging. firefighters have battled more than 2,000 wildfires this year, nearly twice the five-year average. the power house fire burning near los angeles has charred more than 32,000 acres and destroyed six homes so far. >> the flames were 200 feet high. it was horrible. we couldn't breathe. there was nothing but smoke. >> reporter: hundreds of homes are threatened in new mexico and colorado fires. and now dangerous flooding along the missouri and mississippi rivers. several levees have been

breeched and officials have urged the evacuation of more than 300 residents in the st. louis area. >> i want to be safe than sorry. you know? i don't want to take the chances. >> reporter: more rain is forecast for this area this week. a week that also marks the official start of hurricane season. chad myers, cnn, el reno, oklahoma. >> el reno is still under the gun. a slight threat of severe weather looms again today. we have a look at that and the other weather headlines this morning. good morning. >> good morning. once again we're seeing that news about that el reno tornado. now that we know how wide this thing was, when this thing went southeast, people had to make a choice. they had to make a choice to go south or east. this thing grew from one mile to 2.6 miles wide in 30 seconds. so really no matter which way you went, a lot of people found themselves in the wrong place. unbelievable. keep in mind the winds in the individual vortices spinning around, they were going 295 miles per hour.

unbelievable out there. now look at this instability. so, yes, we have a slight risk out there. pretty much hanging out on cold front w that, we're seeing that slide of an eastward direction. so now into the south, louisiana and mississippi under the gun. of course, oklahoma city still under the gun today for that severe weather threat. so it looks like yes we're going to continue to monitor the plains. it looks like a flash flood watch in effect for them as well. never ending. >> as chad myers reported at the beginning of hurricane season, too. >> all at once. >> the attorney for california state senator ron calderon says his client has done nothing wrong. they raided the lawmaker's office. they raided that yesterday. what they were looking for, not at all clear. the federal warrants are seal and the u.s. attorneys office in sacramento would only say the searches are not in response to anything recent and have nothing to do with public safety. the fbi says it is not planning any arrests. we're getting to know more about the mind and motivation of

the bomb is suspect tamerlan tsarnaev. they trained at a boston gym three days before the terror attack and owner and manager of that gym told our piers morgan that tamerlan's demeanor and attitude changed dramatically once his dream of becoming an olympic boxer died. >> after 2010 when he waept sent to the olympic trials, he definitely changed. and he would even at certain points with another member, another chemember continual pra in the gym which was very out of place and very strange. >> the surviving suspect told people by phone that people are sending him money. the "boston herald" reports the donations total $10,000. we have incredible images of the biggest shark ever caught.

this shark was reeled in by a group of sports fisherman 50 miles off the coast of southern california. that shark is 11 feet long, 8 feet in girth. it weighs more than 1300 pounds. it took two hours and a quarter mile of -- look at those teeth. a quarter mile of fishing line to bring it onboard. the shark, we are told, will likely be donated to research. a good day for the fishermen. have to say a pretty bad day for that shark. dangerous times for a key u.s. ally. is there an end to this in sight? >> and is chrysler standing in the way of safety? the government says that three million jeeps could be dangerous. but the company says no to a recall. what's going on here? [ male announcer ] it's intuitive and customizable, just like a tablet. so easy to use, it won a best of ces award from cnet. and it comes inside this beautifully crafted carrying case. introducing the all-new 2014 chevrolet impala

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stan bull park that is doing little to calm nerves. overnight there were more clashes in istanbul and police used tear gas and water cannons against rock throwing protesters in eastern turkey. nick peyton walsh is in turkey. we can see them behind you, nick. >> behind me, we've seen two unions that have converged very noisily in this center of the square here. now it's important to point out that while this is very noisy and populated, two things have changed. the crowd is a lot older. these are adults, presumably part of the strike action for today and the police. we're not really seeing them. they obviously decided to hang back. but there is an err of tension here. the municipal authority has written the protest asking them not to have unauthorized demonstrations. so there is concern, of course, as to how long this will necessarily go on for. at one point the police may feel

they have to intervene. they had a helicopter in the sky above me for the past hour or so. but the major issue here is we get to see the police intervene in that violent way with tear gas. these protests significant in number and right in the heart of the capital here meters away from government buildings. what do the police do now? do they tolerate this indefinitely or step in? john? >> all right, nick, thank you. we can see the protests behind you. calm enough for now. nick says the tension is very much high. thank you. coming up, iphones, ipads banned? that could happen after apple lost a patent fight, a very big patent fight. which models are affected and what it means for you. [ male announcer ] running out of steam? ♪ now you can give yourself a kick in the rear! v8 v-fusion plus energy. natural energy from green tea plus fruits and veggies. need a little kick? ooh!

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good thing she's got the citi simplicity card. it doesn't charge late fees or a penalty rate. ever. as in never ever. now about that parking ticket. [ grunting ] [ male announcer ] the citi simplicity card is the only card that never has late fees, a penalty rate, or an annual fee, ever. go to citi.com/simplicity to apply. good morning. welcome back to "early start." the super tuesday rally i told you about yesterday, it's over. the dow had posted gains -- >> so much for that. >> 20 straight tuesdays in a row. can you imagine? 22 days in a row the dow rose. concerns about the slowing global economy hit stocks yesterday. today, you know, all good things come to an endment dow futures are down about 40 points. the major indexes are up 16% this year. on tuesday this year, the dow was up 1500 points. >> you stopped the streak. you kept the longest streak going on wall street. single-handedly. >> by the time we formally recognized it, that was the moment when the streak ended. let's talk about apple.

apple products that could soon be banned. i'm not kidding. the iphone 3, 3 gs and ipad and ipad 2, at&t versions only. this comes after the international trade commission ruled those products violated a sam sung patent. the ban also goes knee infect if apple's appeal fails and the decision is upheld. some analysts say it shouldn't hit the company's bottom line too much because it doesn't affect the newer, more popular models. it is a blow for apple in what has been an endless patent war with samsung. it's really interesting. apple and samsung have been fighting, fighting, fighting in court and the u.s. and all over the world. apple lost and now an international trade court saying -- >> i'm holding up my iphone 4. >> about it time the appeals process over, there will be three more it ragss of all of them. >> chrysler is taking on federal safety regulators rejecting a request to recall nearly three

million jeep vehicles the government claims are defective and prone to fires in rear end collisions. let's get more now from cnn's athena jones. >> reporter: in a rare act of defiance, car company giant chrysler refuses to recall almost 2.7 million vehicles as requested by the national highway traffic safety administration. for nearly two decades, some jeep suv models have had a tendency to burst into flames after a rear end collision. they are requesting that upgrades to the older models be installed to keep fires from starting. >> the definition of a safety defect is if it's a bad design, if it's harmful to people, and if it occurs repeatedly. and that's all been the fact here. >> reporter: the models in question are 1993 to 2004 jeep grand cherokees and 2002 to 2007 jeep liberties. the company says it's been working with the government on the fuel tank fire issue since

2010. they say they met the standards. fwhut a june 3rd letter to chrysler, the agency said bluntly, "the existence of a minimum standard does not require nhtsa to ignore deadly problems." chrysler responded in a statement saying, "we believe nhtsa's initial conclusions are based on an incomplete analysis of the underlying data and we're committed to continuing working with the agency to resolve this disagreement." but it's the dat why that is scaring some consumer advocates. the center for auto safety says it's data shows the risk of fire for a grand cherokee in the model years in question is more than 20 times greater than the risk in a comparable ford explorer. >> chrysler says their gas tanks on these vehicles were built according to government safety standards available at this time and basically that there is no problem that the number of people who died in rear end collisions is far lower than safety organizations are alleging. and at any rate, it's less than

the industry average for that type of vehicle built at that time. >> reporter: recalls are not unusual. fwhut is the first time since 1996 that an automaker has challenged a recall demand from the nhtsa. that case also involved chrysler and the company prevailed in a two-year federal court battle. athena jones, cnn, washington. >> i'm just looking at the value of the bailout from the american government to chrysler when it went into bankruptcy in 2009. the u.s. government gave it billions of dollars. it's interesting on the other end you got now chrysler telling the government, no. >> yeah, thanks for your money but, no, we're not going to take your suggestions for the recall. that's nice. good investment. a baseball bombshell. the commissioner ready to suspend 0 players for doping. 20 players. we're live with the latest. been all fun and games here at the hutchison household. but one dark stormy evening... there were two things i could tell: she needed a good meal and a good family. so we gave her what our other cats love,

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say it ain't so. not again. could baseball's biggest heroes be cheating? new accusations overnight facing as many as 20 -- 20 major league players. we're live with this story. >> courtroom jououtburst. the woman accuse of an aspiring model is set free. crashes, fires, power outages, passengers stranded at sea. with so many problems plaguing cruise ships, we examine are they still safe for passengers? >> welcome back to "early start." i'm christine romans. >> and i'm john better man. >> our top story, a new doping scandal rocking major league baseball. according to espn, commissioner bud selig is preparing to suspend 20 players including the

yankees alex rodriguez and milwaukee's ryan braun in connection with the miami area clinic at the center of a performance enhancing drug probe. the clinic's founder is ready to reveal all. a-rod and braun are looking at 100 game suspensions. a double penalty hit for two infractions at once. our pamela brown live outside yankees stadium for us this morning. good morning, pamela. >> well, good morning. this widening scandal may be one for the history books in american sports. but this say record breaker that no player wants to be a part of. espn is now reporting that major league baseball is preparing an unprecedented wave of player suspension that's include baseball's highest paid player, alex rodriguez, and the brewers ryan braun. rodriguez, braun and 18 other players are allegedly linked to a miami area clinic at the center of an on going performance enhancing drug scandal. the closed clinic was a pipeline

for players according to the "miami new time" and now the n ownerst clinic says he will talk with investigators and verify document that's mlb obtained in january. braun denied the allegations once again. let's take a listen. >> i addressed this in spring training. i will not make any more comments. i don't note specifics of the story that came out. i already addressed it and commented on it. i'll say nothing further about it. >> espn says the players and this widening steroid scandal could be suspended for up to 100 game. that would be the largest in american sports history. the manager of the yankees said right now he is focused on a-rod recovering from his injuries and he wouldn't address anything related to these allegations. let's take a listen. >> mlb is handling it. i will let them handle it.

and, you know, i'll see how -- i check to see how he's doing all the time physically. but as far as talking about that, no. you know what i worry about? i worry about baseball being affected as a game, the whole thing. and what it's been through in the last 15 years. that's my concern. but i always worry about my players. always. i think one thing you never want to forget is they're human beings. >> at this point, we don't know what's going to happen until tony boesch, the owner of that now closed clinic in miami sits down with investigators and possibly verifies what was in those documents that mlb obtained back in january. so we'll see what happens. >> all right, pamela brown live in front of yankees stadium, thanks. >> 33 minutes after the hour. we've been following all kinds of extreme weather across the country. let's get you up to date. authorities believe that a tree

that fell on to power lines may have sparked a wildfire burning in north central new mexico. the fire scorched more than 8600 acres so far. also, the mississippi river is more than ten feet above flood stage in st. louis, missouri. a levee breech forced authorities to evacuate more than 40 homes yesterday. the national weather service confirms that an ef-1 tornado touched down tuesday in south carolina damaging a chicken farm in orange county. >> our meteorologist is following all this extreme weather for us. what do we have in store? >> not tough enough that we have tornado season, we sflou hurricane season. what we're watching is all this moisture in the gulf trying to form a circulation. so with that now we have a 40% chance that it could build into a tropical depression. either way, all this moisture is going to be sucked up in the stream here bringing enhanced rainfall to florida and watch this. they had so much rain in the south coast of florida.

they already had a foot of rain. look at this rain accumulate. then eventually this low will make its way up the eastern seaboard. heavy rain, so, yes, looks like a lot rain in the forecast. it's horrible. also talking about the flooding in missouri. a couple showers in the forecast today. yeah, ten feet above flood stage. this isn't the only problem. once they trickle down to louisiana, we're talking about a higher water level. that could affect when you have low level places like louisiana in hurricane season, stress on the levees. >> a lot to think about, including ruining everyone's prom. >> thanks for that. appreciate it. a stunning ending to the trial of the defendant who was called the female james bond. 47-year-old kelly sue park showed no emotion as the jury declared her not guilty in the 2008 murder of an aspiring actress. but the victim's family had plenty to say. we have the emotional reaction

to that verdict. >> find the defendant kelly sue park not guilty. >> minutes after the stunning acquittal freeing kelly sue park -- an outburst by the murder victim's friends and families. >> murderer! you did it! you killed her! >> without speaking to reporters, a distraught family left court. reading came to hollywood to pursue a modelling an acting career. she appeared in a music video, landed small acting roles. she was just 21 when strangled in a rented condo. investigators announced a stunning twist to the case. the suspectsed killer kelly sue park, prosecutors called her the female james bond. she was the muscle, they contended, hired to kill reading by a physician fl he said police dated her briefly and reading's father pulled out of a business deal five days before her death.

she left the country after parks' arrest. park was nabbed after a dna was found at the murder scene. park's attorneys shortly after the verdict told us that the dna evidence was inconclusive and that the 47-year-old park wasn't strong enough to strangle a 21-year-old victim with her bare hands. >> there is nothing to be happy about here. it is understandable what the victims' family is going through. this was a dreadful murder. our client didn't do it. >> the l.a. district attorney's office did not speak on camera but said in a statement we fought hard and fair in the court of law to obtain justice although we disagree with the verdict, we respect our system of justice. legal analyst saz juries have a harder time convicting women in murder cases. jodi arias being the high profile exception. but that is of little comfort to the family of julianna reading, the victim in this case. cnn, los angeles. all right. 38 minutes after the hour. camera caught the execution of a california teen on a squawk.

chaos erupted in oakland when a masked gunman began firing at a crowd in broad daylight. others scrambled for safety and the teen that was identified as david manson jr. lay on the squawk after firing several shots, he walks up to the buy, shoots him several time at point blank range. so far, sl tl have been no arrests. >> a republican under fire this morning for what he said about sexual assault in the military. during a hearing, georgia sax by said that hormones may be partly responsible for the epidemic of sex assaults in the arms services. >> the young folks that are coming in to each of your services are anywhere from 17 to 22 or 23. gee whiz, that's the level of the hormone level created by nature sets in place the possibility for these types of things to occur.

>> that drew a sharp rebuke from both sides of the aisle. ohio republican congressman mike turner who co-chairs a caucus said that kind of thinking helps per pet wade the problem. the army psychiatrist accused of killing 13 people at ft. hood is due back in court today. he is representing himself in this case. on tuesday he told the judge his alleged 2009 rampage was in defense of taliban commanders in afghanistan. it's part of his defense strategy arguing he was compelled to act to protect lives. the judge has asked those sides to submit written arguments on the defense of others and scheduled a hearing for this afternoon. and there she is running for congress. former miss america erica harold launching a primary campaign for the illinois house seat now held by roddy davis. harold was crowned miss america in 2003. she is not the only beauty queen thinking about a political career these days. heather french henry has been mentioned as a possible

challenge to mitch mcconnell in kentucky. remember this from last month's billboard muse ache wards? miguel attempted to leap over the crowd but came down hard on one fan's head. she seemed okay afterwards. but now her attorney says she has cognitive difficulties and could have a neurological head injury and just add another wrinkle, tmz says the producer warned the singer not to do that, not to attempt the jump. no comment yet. >> given the nature of his failure, probably a good warning. >> whoa. >> coming up, you think you're heading out on a peaceful ocean vacation then trouble strikes. who is keeping crews passengers safe? >> and a father's frantic call. >> my wife is burning. i can see the head. she is crowning. >> what dispatchers did to bring a new little boy into the world over the phone. we threw a party in this house.

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>> reporter: deadly crashes? stalls? fires? >> not a drill. >> reporter: what is going on with cruise ships? according to critics of the cruise industry like maritime attorney jim walker, we may never know because companies register most of their ships in small countries across the globe. they are, he says, very reluctant to tell the public or the u.s. government much of anything. >> so it's a secretive industry. it's an industry that doesn't like to reveal the number of fires or collisions or disabled incidences like that. they like to keep that information secret. >> reporter: just take a look at three recent fires. 2010, the carnival splendor. registered in panama, the incident report, done jointly by the panamanians and the u.s. coast guard. it's still not published. the carnival triumph now famous

for what became known as the poop cruise, is registered in the bahamas and while the u.s. coast guard and the ntsb are involved in the investigation, the bahamas maritime authority is taking the lead. the same applies to royal caribbean's grander of the seas, damaged by fire just last week. walker says don't expect much. >> there's no legal obligation to comply with any of the recommendations made by the flag state. the overseeing body called the international maritime organization, the imo, can issue only recommendations. >> reporter: u.s. senator jay rockefeller has lobbied for tougher monitoring of the cruise industry and got little for his efforts. >> in a world of their own. and when you're if a world of your own, you can do what you want. and that's exactly what they do. >> reporter: he says because the companies fly the foreign flags,

they don't have to abide by strict u.s. regulations even though they operate out of u.s. ports and carry mainly u.s. passengers. drew griffin, cnn, atlanta. the parents of an ohio newborn are crediting 911 dispatchers for helping them deliver the baby over the phone am james dean called for an ambulance monday night. by then it was way too late. his wife was in labor and starting to give birth. they told james to stay put and deliver the baby at home instead of rushing jennifer to the hospital by car. >> my wife is in labor. oh, my god! i can see the head. he's crowning! >> listen, this is what you need to do. she needs to lay down. >> he wasn't waiting. he's here. he's healthy. that's all that matters. >> did you hear how he said oh, my god! that was terrifying. 911 dispatchers we are leaved when they heard the baby crying over the telephone.

was it the dad crying over the telephone or the baby crying? >> i think the middle name is 911. >> we're so glad that that all worked out. it is interesting how many times 911 operators have to be telling somebody what to do. >> that is fantastic. all right. coming up, intruders force their way into a home. they're armed, dangerous, but a brave 10-year-old got them out. wait until you hear what he did to protect his home and his family. >> and first lady faces off with a heckler. what was said and who won that war of words. hey, it's michelle bernstein. here to take your lettuce from drab to fab with new lean cuisine salad additions. just byol. first, thaw your dressing. next, steam your grilled chicken and veggies. then, dress it. add your crunchy toppings. and voila. enjoy. dave's always wanted to do when he retires -- keep working, but for himself. so as his financial advisor, i took a look at everything he has. the 401(k). insurance policies.

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good morning. the susan g.koman foundation is cancelling some of the signature races. a lack of donations means it won't put on the three-day races in seven cities next year. seven other cities continue to hold the events. this year's races are not affected.

some supporters pulled the money from the group after it tried to cut its funding for planned patienthood. a pair of robbers in new york city didn't count on a quick thinking 10-year-old boy when they planned a home invasion. video shows someone opening the door of a home in brooklyn to a man dressed in a fedex uniform. instead, two armed men came in demanding money. look at that. one robber grabbed his gun when someone inside the soem slammed a door on his arm. the boy picked it up, fired one shot. the other gunman fired back. both bullets missed. they ran away empty handed. they're still on the loose. that's terrifying. >> wow. what quick thinking for that kid. a rare face-off between the first lady and a heckler. she was speaking at a private fund-raiser yesterday when an activist confronted her demanding president obama take action on gay rights. the first lady toll the woman only one of them could speak and she would leave if the woman didn't stop. the activist was escorted out of the event. an an update on that taco

bell worker who has really outraged fast food's -- i can't even talk because i'm so gloesed out by this picture. this guy outraged people everywhere with this picture getting awfully fresh with the taco shells. now taco bell says he licked his last taco. this man has been fired. why? i wonder. they say those shells never made it to customers. they were just used in training. they were never served. get this. the photo was taken for a contest showing workers enjoying a new product. i guess you would say he really did enjoy that product. >> yeah. that just -- ugh. that is a hard way to start the day looking at that. licking those tacos. >> has miley cyrus ditched her good girl image once and for all? why her new song has jaws dropping next. and this is kind of a big deal. the must seem in d.c. staying classy with a tribute to ron

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welcome back to "early start," everyone. taking a look at the top cnn trends on web this morning. miley cyrus now officially light years away from hannah montana. said to be singing about cocaine and ecstasy in her new single "we can't stop." ♪ >> so in case you missed it, the lyric you just heard, everyone in line in the bathroom, trying

to get a line in the bathroom. cyrus also sings about dancing with molly which is a slang term for ecstasy. her producer tells tmz she is not singing about the drug. and if that's not enough, check out these racy pics teasing the song and teasing others and its upcoming video which will debut next week. >> i will make no comments about class or good judgment. all right. also trending this morning, the winners of the cutest couple award at carmel high school in new york. the two seniors have become an internet sensation ever since becoming first gay couple to win the title in the school's year book. the principal says it's not a big deal and in this day and age it shouldn't even be a big news event. all the attention has been surreal. you need to hear all of us. ron burgundy, the legend keeps growing. the best anchorman ever is getting his own exhibit at the newseum. it will feature crops, costumes

and sets. the it opens in november, just in time for the release of "the anchor man" sequel. >> i love scotch. that is good. >> you look nice tonight. maybe don't wear a bra next time. >> we're on the air right now. >> ooh. >> oh, yes. his anchor man legend continues. it hits theaters on december 22nd. >> it is wrong that i like it so much? >> tsz toit's only funny becaus true. >> put your cigarette out for a minute. "early start" continues right now. major league cheaters, possible performance enhancing drug scandal rocking major league baseball this morning. up to 20 players affected. >> tornadoes, floods, wildfires, violent weather storming parts of the country.

where the worst hit and what's still to come. >> and controversial comments putting a popular governor in the hot seat this morning. why he is pointing the good morning. welcome to "early start." i'm christine roman. >> i'm john berman. up first, a new chapter unfolding in baseball steroid scandal performance enhancing drugs. espn reports major league baseball is preparing to suspend some 20 players including the yankees' alex rodriguez and milwaukee's ryan braun. both past mvps. they could be suspended on the performance enhancing drug centered on a miami clinic. the founder of that clinic, tony bosch, is ready to talk. our panel is live at yankee stadium. more on this developing story. good morning, panel. >> reporter: good morning to you, john. the highest played player in baseball and one of the league east most valuable players at

the center of this widening steroid scandal, this may be for the history books in american sports. espn is reporting major league baseball is preparing for an unprecedented wave of player suspensions that include yankees star alex rodriguez and the brewers ryan braun. rodriguez, braun and 18 other players are allegedly linked to a miami area clinic at the center of an ongoing performance enhancing drug scandal. tuesday night ryan braun refused to talk about it after his game. >> i'm not answering any further questions regarding the whole situation. you know, i dealt with it for a long time over the last year and a half. aside from that i don't really have anything to say. >> yankees manager joe girardi was peppered with questions at a news conference. >> i think we all had hoped we kind of got through it. obviously we're not through it yet. >> major league baseball issued this statement following the espn story. we can't comment on an ongoing investigation. espn reports that tony bosch,

founder of this now closed clinic in miami has reached an agreement to cooperate with the league's invest. the miami new times first reported in january bosch's biogenesis clinic was a pipeline to performance enhancing drugs for several players. >> it's clear that biogenesis like a lot of anti-ageing clinics was selling an awful lot of hgh. a number of other drugs that are widely banned in sports. >> reporter: representatives for alex rodriguez issued a denial after the january report. the news reports about the purported relationship between alex rodriguez and anthony bosch are not true. alex rodriguez was not mr. bosch's patient. he was never treated by him and was never advised by him. according to espn, players could be suspended for 100 games. a penalty usually given to second offenses. if upheld, the suspensions may be the largest in american sports history. a-rod fans, disappointed. >> i looked up to him when i

play baseball. because he was a really good player before and i really liked him. it just saddens me kind of. >> not only is the legacy of these baseball giants at stake, but more importantly, that of america's pastime. >> i worry about baseball being affected. as a game. the whole thing. and what it's been through in the last 15 years. and that's my concern. >> reporter: a-rod admitted back in 2009 that he used performance enhancing drugs when he played for the texas rangers. but he has denied using drugs while he's played for the yankees. right now he's out recovering from an injury. he has several years left on his ten-year contract. we don't know what's going to happen here until bosch sits down with investigators. at this point we don't know when that's going to happen. >> complicated story keeps getting worse for a-rod. pamela brown outside yankee stadium for us this morning. >> what does the new drug scandal mean for major league baseball? cnn's joe carter joining us this

morning from atlanta. good morning, joe. let's start with the biogenesis clinic, bosch's clinic, originally flagged for distributing illegal drugs to professional athletes back in january. players like a-rod denied any connection. how critical this morning is tony bosch's cooperation in nailing these players? >> christine, he's essential. totally critical to their case. with no positive tests out there against these 20 athletes tony bosch, his sworn testimony and the potential evidence that he could bring forward is absolutely critical. i mean, he could bring forward phone records, receipts, notes, photos, dna. you name it. that's what major league baseball needs in order to make a strong case against these 20 players. you can call tony bosch the smoking gun, if you will. >> smoking gun who could save his own skin to a degree if he begins cooperating with authorities. explain that to me. >> he's painted into a corner. major league baseball is threatening a massive lawsuit against tony bosch.

they're also saying if you cooperate with us, work with us, tell us everything you know, bring forward everything you have, we'll not only drop our lawsuit, we'll protect you against any harm that may be out there and we'll also put in a good word with any law enforcement agencies that might be coming forward with any criminal charges against tony bosch. really his options are very limited. he needs major league baseball as much as major league baseball needs him. >> 100 game suspensions. you expect that the players are going to appeal if, indeed, they get those suspensions? is that too much for what would essentially be a first offense? 100-game suspension is for a second offense usually, right? >> there's a few things that are unprecedented about this. obviously the names on this list. you've got two former mvps, alex rodriguez, ryan braun on this list. that's unprecedented. then you get the punishment. baseball is going after these guys with not only one strike but two. the first strike would be 50 games for the link to performance enhancing drugs. the second strike would be a 50

game suspension for denying it. they're trying to hit them with 100 games total. this fight, if they take it on, appeal the suspension, would include the players union. then it would have to go to court. go in front of an arbitration panel. this could take months and months and months before any punishments are started. the player does have the option to go ahead and accept the punishment and say i'll see you in august or potentially next season. that, again, is up to the player, take the punishment or to appeal it. christine? >> joe carter, thanks. >> it will be a long, complicated, contentious apeoples process. six minutes after the hour. death toll from last friday's storm in el reno, oklahoma, now stands at 19 people. at least 2.6 miles wide, the powerful ef-5 tornado that hit the city is the widest ever recorded in this country. cnn meteorologist chad myers has more on the wild weather that's really wreaking havoc across the u.s. >> reporter: in may a devastating tornado ripped through moore, oklahoma, leaving 24 dead, including 7 children

from a leveled elementary school. raising questions about why more storm shelters weren't available. >> there should be a place that if this ever happened again turg schoo school kids can get to a safe place. >> an ef-5 touched down in el reno, oklahoma, less than 30 miles from moore. when the unthinkable happened in moore it was a mile wide. ef-4, ef-5 damage as far as you can see. the storm in el reno was 2.6 miles wide. twice as far as here. that's wider than the island of manhattan. and the widest tornado ever recorded in the u.s. the el reno storm surprised chasers by shifting directions suddenly. >> no! turn now! we're going to die! >> reporter: they were lucky. three other professional chasers lost their lives including tim samaras. >> amazing sight! >> reporter: he was an experienced chaser caught in this mangled car. on the west coast wildfires are raging.

firefighters have battled more than 2,000 wildfires this year, nearly twice the five-year average. the powerhouse fire burning near los angeles has charred more than 32,000 acres and destroyed six homes so far. >> the flames were 200 feet high. it was horrible. we couldn't breathe. it was nothing but smoke. >> reporter: hundreds of homes are also threatened in new mexico and colorado fires. now dangerous flooding along the missouri and mississippi rivers. several levees have been breached. officials have urged the evacuation of more than 300 residents in the st. louis area. >> i want to be safe than sorry. you know, i don't want to take the chanlss. >> reporter: more rain is forecast for that area this week. a week that also marks the official start of hurricane season. chad myers, cnn, el reno, oklahoma. >> let's get to meteorologist -- >> i want to talk about this el reno tornado. one of the things we were talking about is how quickly this thing widened.

we're talking about the widest tornado now on record. it went from one mile wide in 30 seconds. imagine that. 30 seconds. to 2.6 miles wide. typically these tornadoes move at a northeasterly direction. when this thing dove to the south people had to make a decision. were they going to go south or east? either way they were going to be in trouble solely because this thing was so huge on top of the erratic behavior it was already displaying. unbelievable tornado. we still have the risk out there today. all the instability again this morning right around oklahoma city. look at all of that lightning. a slight risk will be in the area today. a lot of this instability is going to be right along the cold front. yesterday we saw it a little more northerly. now we'll see it shift a little more easterly. see the slight risk area expand all the way to louisiana and mississippi as well. we're seeing a little bit of the upper level winds helping that out, enhancing that just a hint out there. otherwise keep in mind with all that rain continuing to fall right now we have a flash flood watch still in effect. of course as we go through the afternoon we look for the thunderstorms to build up even more. we'll continue to monitor that.

a lot going on out there. >> sure is. indra, thanks. new this afternoon a cable fire in a train tunnel forces thousands of commuters to flee one of moscow's busiest train stations. at least 31 people needed medical attention. four taken to the hospital. the fire at the metro station near the kremlin happened during the morning's rush hour. the attorney for california state senator ron calderon says his client has done nothing wrong. fbi agents raided his law office. what they were looking for is not at all clear. the federal records are sealed. the u.s. attorney's office in sacramento will only say the searches are not in response to anything recent and have nothing to do with public safety. the fbi says it is not planning any arrests. colorado movie theater massacre suspect james holmes has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. the move accepted by a judge means holmes will undergo months of psychiatric evaluations. holmes was arrested moments after the massacre at a theater

in aurora. a massacre that left 12 dead and dozens of others injured. prosecutors are seeking the death penalty in this case. a mother from suburban new york city is facing federal trug charge this is morning. investigators say andrea sanderlynn ran a pot growing business out of a warehouse in queens. the dea says it found $3 million worth of hydroponic marijuana and about 3,000 plants inside. the mother of two girls faces up to ten years in prison if convicted. people are saying this is like the real life "weeds." >> all right. mississippi governor phil bryant pointing a finger at working mothers for america's declining education system. he was participating in an education forum sponsored by "the washington post" yesterday when he was asked why the state of our schools has become so mediocre. listen to his response. >> i think parents became -- both parents started working. and the mom is in the workplace. it's not a bad thing. i'm going to get in trouble. i can just see -- i can see the

e-mails tomorrow. >> mississippi's republican governor went on to say a lack of investment in our schools is also contributing to the decline. 11 minutes after the hour right now. coming up, more violence on the streets of a key u.s. ally has protesters and government troops face off in this key nation. we are live just after the break. and why some republicans aren't happy with one of their party's most popular politicians. chris christie's decision that has them up in arms. both maxwell and ted have hail damage to their cars. ted is trying to get a hold of his insurance agent. maxwell is not. he's on geico.com setting up an appointment with an adjuster. ted is now on hold with his insurance company. maxwell is not and just confirmed a 5:30 time for tuesday. ted, is still waiting. yes! maxwell is out and about... with ted's now ex-girlfriend. wheeeee! whoo! later ted! online claims appointments. just a click away on geico.com.

welcome back. big developments in syria this morning. rebel leaders admitting that the border city of kasire that had been their stronghold for so long has fallen to fwovt fogove forces. investigators have been denied access to their country. to turkey where protesters continue to take to the streets. a top turkish official apologized for the police response to initial demonstrations. overnight more clashes in istanbul.

>> reporter: good morning, christine. i'm going to show you behind me a large, noisy, and for the first time pretty well organized demonstration here at the very heart of ankara, meters away from where the government -- again, what's interesting about today, though, two things have noticeably changed. as i said, the protests are organized. the proes ttesters are a lot ol. in the past few days young men, often young female students being part of the demonstration. the second big difference is we're not seeing the police really around the crowd. the occasional helicopter buzzing overhead. substantial numbers up there towards government buildings. they clearly are giving protesters space. the past few days even the smallest gathering would have got tear gas. that itself fueled so much more protest as a response. there is a slight air of tension here because we understand the

protesters, the municipal authority has written to them starkly saying no unauthorized demonstrations. we don't know what that means for the future of this protest here. you can see there are for the first time large loud speakers blasting out this protest music. large numbers of adults waving flags for various unions and opposition parties here. for the first time we've seen organized protests. bear in mind, this is the very heart of the turkish government. christine? >> >>. former secretary of state hillary clinton and vice president joe biden will speak later this morning at the funeral for new jersey senator frank lautenberg. he died monday at the age of 89. chris christie says he'll find an interim replacement. what he's really done that's caused heads to shake back and forth is schedule a special election for october. just a few weeks before a general election. as national correspondent jim acosta reports, that has some

republicans shaking their heads in disgust. >> reporter: it was vintage chris christie as the new jersey governor who's running for re-election celebrated his victory in the state's republican primary. >> new jersey will lead america to a new year of honesty, responsibility and prosperity, and we'll do it together! >> reporter: but it's another race in new jersey that's stealing the spotlight. the one christie himself set to replace the late democratic senator frank lautenberg. opting against the appointment of a republican successor to serve out the remainder of lautenberg's term as many in the gop wanted, christie set a special election for october 16th. three weeks before his own electi election. >> i understand the political advantage that would come to me if i just -- if i was the person, the sole person who decided who would be in the senate representing new jersey for 18 months. but i yus did not feel comfortable doing that. >> he is proud to say, we're from new jersey. chris christie.

the governor. >> reporter: critics say the decision is all about christie. insisting the governor just wants to keep newark mayor, corey booker, now the democratic favorite to win the senate race off the november ballot. why? because of big democratic turnout for booker could help christie's opponent, barbara buono who admits in her own ad she's not that well known. >> let me be clear. this guy is bono. i'm barbara buono. >> christie shrugged off the charge. >> it's a no. there's no political purpose to this. >> reporter: republicans are grumbling the special election estimated to cost nearly $24 million benefits booker, who's already raised millions for his campaign. conservative blog hot air said christie thwarts gop again. no surprise, democratic and republican leaders in the senate, have different reactions. >> i won't question the path that he's chosen. >> i'm happy with what he's done. >> reporter: as for who christie will name as lautenberg's temporary replacement until the october election, the governor's

office said no decision has been made. meanwhile a senior adviser to corey booker said the mayor will make his decision at the appropriate time. some republicans are furious over this. one top gop strategist told cnn it would have been, quote, very helpful had christie waited until 2014. jim acosta, cnn, washington. >> so who's the biggest winner for an october 16th date? >> one winner here. that's chris christie. i mean, politics being played at an extremely high level in the garden state right now. >> all right. coming up, it may be the future of pizza delivery. why domino's is testing out a drone to get you that piping hot pie. the story next. we know it's your most important videoconference of the day

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good morning. welcome back to "early start." minding your business this morning, stocks headed for a second decline in a row ahead of

new data this morning on the job market. look at this rally. can i show you the rally? before you get freaked out about the dow coming down, it's up 16% for the year. same for the nasdaq and s&p 500. toyota shares down this morning nearly 3% in premarket trading. toyota recalling nearly a quarter of a million hybrids. 87,000 in the u.s., the 201 prius and lexus hs-250h. the $1.29 itune song might cost you more than you think. a growing number of states are enacting sales tax laws. minnesota will be the latest one to join in with its new tax kicking in next month. the law varies by state. but overall downloaded music is one of the most commonly taxed. in mississippi, a $12.99 album comes with a 91 cent tax. 78 cents in vermont. go to cnnmoney.com for a look at your state. check this out. a flying pizza.

domino's testing out delivery by drone. a domino's franchise in the uk came up with the technology which delivers two pizzas in the company's signature heat wave bag. don't get excited. the faa doesn't allow unmanned devices to be used for commercial purposes. no traffic. it would be there in 30 minutes. they always say it's going to be 30 minutes. i won't use domino's. >> it can spy and deliver pizza. gather intelligence and feed you. >> 00 domino's. a new study from on device research says one in ten young people have been rejected for a media profile. their social most kids aren't worried about it. young people are more likely to change their profile to look good to their friends instead of prospective employers. i'm kind of an e vangelist about

this. >> it turns out the beer funnel is not a job qualification. >> no, it doesn't. it doesn't matter your friends thinks you're cool. it matters your employer thinks you're cool. freedom of speech and all that stuff. you want to look professional. 26 minutes after the hour. coming up, big league crackdown. what the commissioner of baseball is said to be considering as the league takes another look at doping. some of the biggest stars in the spotlight. aining guys who leak , to guard their manhood with new depend shields and guards. the discreet protection that's just for guys. now, it's your turn. get my training tips at guardyourmanhood.com vietnam in 1972. [ all ] fort benning, georgia in 1999. [ male announcer ] usaa auto insurance is often handed down

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major league scandal. reports of doping by some of major league baseball's most popular stars. the irs on a spending spree. the agency charged with keeping you financially responsible accused of wasting millions. danger south of the border. murder. kidnapping, robbery. not to mention false arrests. is it safe for americans to spend their summer vacation in mexico? sfwl welcome back to "early start." i'm christine romans. >> i'm john berman. 30 minutes past the hour. let's start with our top story. major league bachshell. major league slugger alex rodriguez and brian brawn are among 20 players facing suspension for their alleged connection to a miami clinic said to have dispensed

performance enhancing drugs. the report says the clinic's founder tony bosch has agreed to share his information with investigators for major league baseball. cnn's pamela brown live at yankee stadium for us this morning. good morning, pamela. >> reporter: good morning to you, christine. that's right. espn reporting today that major league baseball is preparing an unprecedented wave of player suspensions that would include, as you mentioned there, yankees star alex rodriguez. the highest paid player in baseball, by the way. as well as brewers player ryan braun. rodriguez, braun and 18 other players are allegedly linked to a emiami area clinic at the center of an ongoing performance enhancing drug scandal. the owner, tony bosch, says he'll talk with investigators after a deal was reached. what he says, his verification of documents mlb obtained back in january from the clinic, could help determine whether players at the center of the widening steroid scandal will be suspended for 100 games. the largest in american sports

history. braun reacted to the latest report from espn by denying the allegations once again. let's take a listen. >> i will not make any further statements about it. the truth has not changed. i don't know the specifics of the story that came out today. but i've already addressed it. i've already commented on it. i'll say nothing further about it. >> reporter: and last night yankees manager joe girardi said he's focused on a-rod recovering from his injuries and he wouldn't discuss the allegations. >> mlb is handling it. and i will let them handle it. and, you know, i'll see how -- you know, i check to see how he's doing all the time physically. but as far as talking about that, no. >> reporter: now, a-rod has admitted to using performance enhancing drugs when he played for the texas rangers. but he hz denied using drugs since he's played for the yankees. as mentioned he's out right now recovering from an injury. if these suspensions are upheld,

he would be out for the rest of the season, no matter what. but of course we don't know what's going to happen until bosch sits down and talks with investigators. back to you. >> thanks, pamela. the irs under intense pressure this morning for spending $50 million taxpayer dollars from 2010 to 2012. those figures just released by the treasury department's inspector general. they've now launched investigations into the troubled agency. here's cnn's dana bash. >> reporter: paintings of albert einstein, michael jordan, abraham lincoln and even bono from u-2. an artist paid $17,000. taxpayer dollars. it's just one example of irs excess detailed in this new inspector general report which zeros in on a 2010 irs conference in anaheim, california, which cost taxpayers a whopping $4 million.

nearly 2,700 irs employees stayed at three hotels with no attempt to negotiate lower rates. why? the irs hired outside organizers with no incentive to bargain. because they got a 5% commission from the hotels. in fact, two event organizers got paid $66,500 by uncle same from this one conference. >> they didn't negotiate. they didn't bid it. this was 2,700 folks. they could have gotten a considerable reduction. instead what they said is, we'll pay full boat but we want some perks. >> those perks included 24 tickets to los angeles angels games. free drinks. and upgrades like this lavish presidential suite. an irs division head stayed here. the irs even made swag for its employees to take home like this tote bag with a special logo made just for the conference. this bag was made in china, by the way. so was this leather folio. they also got notebooks like

this. even bottle openers. all of these gifts and trinkets added up to 64,000 taxpayer dollars. what may be just as outrageous as wasting this money is the fact that the irs did not appear to follow the very rules it requires each and every taxpayer to follow. >> attempting to modulate frequency now. >> sorry about the uniforms, captain. the director gave me the wrong order. >> for example, this "star trek" spoof. the inspector general said this and other videos made for the conference cost $50,187. the ig says no one knows if that cost is accurate. because the irs, the agency that requires taxpayers to keep receipts, did not save its own documents to show what it spent. the new acting irs commissioner danny werfel calls this wasteful spending inappropriate and stresses they have already reduced the cost and size of irs conferences. one conference workshop should have helped. it was entitled "political savvy: how not to shoot yourself in the foot." dana bash, cnn, capitol hill.

>> indeed that might have helped. our thanks to dana for that report. lawyers for an ex-state department contractor accused of leaking national secrets to a report doubt authorities got their search warrants properly. they might ask a judge to throw them out. one suggested james rosen from fox news could be a co-conspirator in a crime. rosen has not been charged. they claim the attorney general lied when he testified he was never involved in actions against the press. republican lawmakers want response from eric holder to their questions today. all kinds of extreme weather related events happening around the country this morning. authorities now believe a tree that fell on to power lines may have sparked the wildfire new burning in north central new mexico. the trace lagunas fire has scorched more than 8,600 acres. only 7% contained. a levee breach in missouri

forced authorities to evacuate more than 40 homes yesterday. the national weather service confirms a ef-1 tornado touched down tuesday in south carolina damaging a chicken farm. indra peterson is tracking all this wild weather for us and the beginning of hurricane season. >> like it's not enough. we've got tornado season. now in the first week of the atlantic hurricane season. a pacific storm, barbara, actually went across now into the gulf. a lot of residual moisture out there. it's trying to develop. yesterday we had a 20% chance it would develop circulation. today we have about a 40% chance. either way, whether this develops or not, this is going to be pooled up right in through florida. all that tropical moisture enhancing rainfall. portions of florida see anywhere from six inches to even a foot of rain in just the last week. they don't need anymore. unfortunately look at this forecast. look how much more is still going to be building over the next five days. eventually that low will actually track right up the eastern seaboard meaning, yes, all the way up to the

mid-atlantic. we still have all that flooding going on out toward st. louis, missouri. a lot going on. even slight risks over oklahoma city today. >> too much. >> an umbrella to match your corsage. >> no one looks good frizzy. >> thank you, indra. another court appearance today for the army psychiatrist accused of killing 13 people at ft. hood. major nidal hasan is serving as his own lawyer. he told a judge tuesday he was acting in defense of the taliban when he opened fire in 2009. his defense strategy his actions were meant to save lives of taliban commanders in afghanistan. the judge has asked him and prosecutors to submit written arguments and scheduled a further hearing on this matter for later today. army staff sergeant robert bails is expected to plead guilty today to murdering 16 civilians in afghanistan. bales will enter the plea at a military court hearing in tacoma, washington. in exchange the government is not expected to pursue the death penalty. a full snpsing hearing in

september will determine whether bales will be eligible for parole. he's charged with shooting 16 civilians to death in their homes 15 months ago. randy phillips, head of concert promoter aeg live says the lawsuit brought by michael jackson's mother against his company is a baseless attempt at extortion. phillips is testifying at the wrongful death civil trial. the axen family accuses aeg live of negligently hiring dr. conrad murray he was convicted of involuntary minnesoanslaughter. little evidence that the tsa's controversial passenger screening system even works. "the new york times" sites a homeland security analysis of the behavior detection program. officers are supposed to pull aside passengers who exhibit who are considered telltale signs of terrorists. but the officers are often accused of racial profiling instead. the report says the tsa cannot verify the program's effectiveness or justify its expansion. all right. coming up, it used to be a tourist haven. now with violence in the

headlines, is mexico safe for americans? we're going to take a close look. and a major charity has to cancel some events. why the komen foundation is cutting back, next. [ female announcer ] a classic macaroni & cheese from stouffer's starts with freshly-made pasta, and 100% real cheddar cheese. but what makes stouffer's mac n' cheese best of all. that moment you enjoy it at home. stouffer's. made with care for you or your family. ♪

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welcome back. recent high profile kidnapings and other crimes may have many wondering whether it's safe for americans to head south of the border. and the false arrest of an arizona mother on drug charges in mexico only adding to the confusion and concern. cnn pentagon reporter chris lawrence looks into the problem. >> reporter: americans flock to mexico for its beaches and bars. but bloody murders have stained the image of all that sun and sand. and some americans have seen their trips turn terrifying. this arizona mom was recently released after a week in jail. after mexican authorities accused her of smuggling drugs. for weeks, authorities have been searching for this young marine, kidnapped while visiting his father.

and so-called express kidnappings are on the rise. >> you'd be picked up in maybe a pirate taxi, taken off to an atm. they would drain your account as best they could. at midnight they'd go back to the same atm using your card and take more money out. then they'd let you go. >> reporter: take away terrorist attacks and trips at war. in the last decade, more americans have been murdered in mexico than any other country in the world. and that number jumped from 35 in 2007 to 113 two years ago. >> there are certain places in mexico that you would not want to go on vacation. >> reporter: the state department warns against just about anywhere in these red zones. including tijuana and acapulco. the areas in green like we apue vallerta are considered safe spots. >> we're not seeing these things happen in cabo and cancun.

>> reporter: as recently as a year ago the murder rate was actually higher in the city considered disney world's front door. >> it doesn't necessarily mean anyone should consider canceling their trips because of this. >> american tourists show no signs of doing that. in fact, part of the reason so many u.s. citizens are killed in mexico is that so many of us go there. this year 20 million americans will go to mexico. that's the entire population of new york, l.a., chicago, houston, philadelphia and phoenix. chris lawrence, cnn, the pentagon. >> that's an interesting perspective. >> definitely. 46 minutes after the hour right now. los angeles police officials reportedly concluding that the 2009 fires of officer christopher dorner was appropriate and that his claims of racism and corruption in the department were unfounded. that according to to an associated press report. dorner, a former l.a. cop, died in a shootout with police in

february after allegedly killing four people, including two officers. day three of bradley manning's court martial getting under way today. manning is the former army intelligence analyst accused of giving thousands of classified documents to the wikileaks website. it could send him to prison for life. yesterday the man who turned him in said manning never suggested that he wanted to help the enemy. major charity is canceling some of its signature races. the susan g. komen foundation says a lack of donation means it will not be running three day races in seven cities next year. this year's races are not affected. seven other cities will continue to hold the events. some supporters pulled their money from the group after it tried to cut its funding for planned parenthood in 2012. legendary hoboken new jersey nightclub maxwell is shutting its doors this summer. ♪ glory days >> bruce springsteen shot his "glory days" video in the club.

it only holds about 200 fans. maxwell's has been a mainstay of the new york area music scene since it first opened its doors in 1978. most of the indy rock and punk bands you have ever heard of have performed there including anywhe nirvana in 1999. the club will end its long run. 48 minutes after the hour. a high school senior in alabama denied her diploma and fined over a feather. >> this is my feather. they told me that if i wore it, then they would pull me off the field. >> chelsey ramer wore the feather anyway. now she can't get her diploma or transcripts until she pays a $1,000 fine. that was the penalty for wearing her eagle feather and breaking the graduation dress code. she says the feather shows pride in her native american heritage. so far the school has not commented on the situation. >> if i had a dime or feather for every time we did a zero

tolerance story that just sounded kind of unreasonable. >> something going on there. coming up -- >> how many times have you said, those two, they really belong together. well, our jeanne moos tells the tale of a moose and its true love. but there's a catch that brings a new meaning to unrequited. the story coming up. uh-oguess what day it is!is?? huh...anybody? julie! hey...guess what day it is?? ah come on, i know you can hear me.

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so an adventure in a star wars fan has come up with the ultimate collectors item. this is a real life light saber. finally. drake anthony who goes by the dyi laser guy on youtube posted

a video of the powerful laser burning through paper, flash paper and electrical tape. a second video shows it burning through steel wool, wood and lighting an entire book of matches. clearly the force is with him. >> luke, i am your father. all right. an eighth grade science class -- >> darth romans over here. >> that's really cool. >> i want to tell you about this eighth grade class. really cool. science class eight graders, middle school, lake bay, washington. they placed the egg on a high altitude balloon. the egg went up more than 109,000 feet, just over 20 miles high. it also came down landing some 217 miles away in paskell, washington. see the egg? it's intact. a parent and student were actually able to retrieve it. that is cool. >> even cooler than the light saber. i think the force is with the egg people. >> i think so, too. what happens when an amorous

moose meets an immovable object? the possibilities, no doubt, are endless. not altogether legal in some states. >> is this safe for the breakfast table. >> cnn's jeanne moos with a tale of inanimate love. >> reporter: northern colorado can be a lonely place for a moose. nothing to do but eat and -- whoa! who's that hot number? >> this has only been up since last monday. >> reporter: no surprise that a young moose would be curious about a bronze statue that looks like a moose. >> the strange thing is he's trying to mate with a statue. they're both male. >> reporter: bob baalink's neighbors placed the sach ewe on their property here in grand lake, then left town. ever since, an amorous bull moose has been courting the statue. by courting, we mean the full court press that we can't quite show. >> he's in love. he's nuzzling. and he kisses. and he licks him. and he walks around. then he -- you know, he gets on

top of him. >> reporter: how many times has bob seen them moosing around? >> myself personally, four times. >> reporter: wow. this is no one night stand. who knew a statue bought for a couple of thousand dollars, 60% off at a going out of business sale, would be so irresistible. the owners of the statue are thinking of anchoring it down. they're worried the real moose will get carried away and knock it over. after all, the actual moose is probably twice the statue's weight. but moose aren't the only ones making amorous miscalculations. >> there's a deer. >> reporter: it's not always easy giving a deer the cold shoulder. no more awkward than this. no privacy. unrequited love. it's enough to make a moose say bull. statue or not, can't get enough of your love, babe. ♪

>> reporter: jeanne moos, cnn. >> keep it up, moosey. >> reporter: new york. >> our lawyers advise us we should not comment on that past story. >> that's it for "early start." i'm christine romans. >> i'm john berman. "starting point" back after the break. la's known definitely for its traffic,

congestion, for it's smog. but there are a lot of people that do ride the bus. and now that the busses are running on natural gas, they don't throw out as much pollution to the earth. so i feel good. i feel like i'm doing my part to help out the environment.

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♪ [ wind whistles ] ...and the evenings are filled with familiar comforts. find your away. for a dealer and the rv that's right for you, visit gorving.com. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com for a dealer and the rv that's right for you, our "starting point" this morning, major league scandal. purportedly involves baseball's biggest stars. really, this one might just be the biggest one ever. why is chrysler telling the government it will not recall 2.7 million jeeps that are currently on the road, and

they're believed to be dangerously faulty. we're going to tell you why the company is saying absolutely not. remember this? an artist drop kicks a woman in the audience while performing at the billboard music awards. lands awkwardly, to say the least. it seems she may not be doing so well. her attorney reporting she could have a neurological head injury. go ahead morning, everyone. i'm john berman. >> i'm christine romans. it's wednesday, june 5th. welcome to "starting point." this morning we begin with major league baseball's new cheating scandal. it may be the biggest one ever. reportedly involves two former mvps. the yankees alex rodriguez and ryan braun of the milwaukee brewers. according to espn they're among 20 major leaguers facing suspension for alleged involvement with a miami area clinic that was dispensing performance enhancing drugs. the report says the clinic's founder, tony bosch, has now agreed to cooperate with baseball's investigators. pamela brown has more on this developing