mourners from around the world to flood the city but just 17,500 tickets are being given out to the public. police say if you don't have a ticket, stay home and watch it on tv. we're live in los angeles. >> it's also the first formal summit between russia and the united states in years. president obama and russian president medvedev could make a big announcement. face-to-face with vladimir putin could be more critical. live on the ground in moscow. a suspected serial killer on the loose in south carolina. five murders in just one week. that's a police sketch of the suspect. they all happened within ten miles of each other. authorities do believe the killing are linked. in a moment we're going live to gaffney, south carolina to talk to the sheriff heading the investigation. president obama arriving in moscow this morning for a summit with russian president dmitri

medvedev. the two leaders will talk about nuclear arms reduction. another meeting could prove more challenging and critical. this morning live on the ground in moscow with global resources of cnn. suzan malveaux is there. >> reporter: good morning. president obama arrived half hour ago, 5:30 eastern time 1:30 local time. even before the summit for two days, they briefed us expecting two leaders to come out and announce there's going to be some reductions in the nuclear arsenals on both sides. all of this really is just a first step -- a first step in what they are saying is setting the reset button for u.s.-russian relations. president obama seeking a new tone in the complicated u.s.-russia relationship. a second meeting with dmitry medvedev.

but most important his first face-to-face encounter with vladimir putin. >> the old cold war u.s. russian relations is outdated. it's time to move forward in a different direction. i think medvedev understands that. i think putin has one foot in the old ways of doing business and one foot in the new. >> reporter: still a key question, is putin really in charge, even though medvedev is most visible on the world stage. >> you can have a foot between mr. obama and med ved i have but the tough issues, things we're concerned about russian behavior and high priorities for our interest, got to find a way for mr. obama to convey that to mr. putin. >> reporter: on the table, diffusing tension over a u.s. missile defense shield in europe, pursuing a new nuclear arms reduction treaty, and helping with the war in afghanistan.

president obama says russian cooperation in keeping iran's nuclear intentions in check. a positive sign, russia voting with the u.s. for tough sanctions against north korea after its recent nuclear test. mr. obama telling european allies. >> i reaffirmed our commitment to a more substantive relationship with russia, working with the russian government on issues we agree and honestly confronting those areas where we disagree. >> kiran, there are already signs of good will, a new agreement to use russian airspace to help the u.s. military mission in afghanistan. an expected announcement later today when it comes to reducing nuclear arsenals on both sides. obviously this is just the beginning, as you had hinted to earlier today. as well he's going to be meeting with vladimir putin. that happens tomorrow. that is really going to be the

test to see whether or not this relationship has improved and the -- >> thanks so much. we'll check in later. this morning governor palin is firing back at critics and defending her decision to step down. palin telling supporters on twitter, critics are spinning to hang in there. governor shaun purnell will serve out the remainder of the term. he says he understands palin wanting to protect her family and the state from more ethics investigations, most of which have been dismissed. >> i was very surprised at first. but when she explained why she was doing it, i began to see it was sarah palin moving to put alaska first. remember the basketball analogy she used, it's time to pass the ball here in alaska so we can

progress with our agenda. i think that was an apt way of describing how she perceived things. >> parnell will be sworn into office july 26th. we want to hear what you think about this story. a lot of people sounding off already. sound off on our block, cnn.com/amfix. live in alaska with reaction to palin's sudden decision that shocked the political word. also developing news out of california, last minute preparations under way for michael jackson's memorial service. los angeles police are bracing for potentially historic crowds tomorrow. fans are urged to stay off the streets to watch from home. meanwhile a 17,500 people who won tickets to the event have to pick them up at a distribution center. all of this as the investigation into michael jackson's death takes another turn. word overnight of search warrants being issued in the case. live in los angeles with details for us. we'll talk about the

investigation in just a minute. first about these tickets and how they are being distributed. what they are trying to do is keep this orderly and make sure scalpers aren't trying to sell the tickets they get. what is the plan if you are one of those lucky few? >> reporter: that's right. that's a big concern for organizers here that scalpers might get ahold of those tickets. here is how it works. overnight some 8,750 people were notified that they got those tickets. today what they are being told to do is head to dodgers stadium. they are given a secret code they turn in to get the tickets. in exchange they get two tickets as well as one wrist band. one is put on their wrist to ensure they don't give their ticket away. there is concern pout the wrist band. they give that to a family member or friend who then puts that on their wrist. the tickets need to be acompanied by someone with a wrist band on. we're told those wrist bands are damaged no one will get in. now, the memorial service set

for 10:00 a.m. tomorrow morning at staples. those folks with those wrist bands and the tickets are the only ones that will be let in, unless you have a media credential. everyone else kept far away from staples center. also as you mentioned, new developments overnight. los angeles reporting three search warrants have been issued. no additional information on what may have been recovered during those searches, only that those searches took place on wednesday and that everything else is sealed. so three additional searches that have taken place. "the los angeles times" reporting detectives were looking for evidence, perhaps prescription medication may have played a role in michael jackson's death. >> saying it's best not to come down to the area. they are blocking off one section there.

what about people staying home to watch on tv, what can they expect to see? >> we know it's a star studded performance for anyone, whether they are there or at home. cnn confirmed jennifer hudson will be taking part in the performance. we're still waiting for the details, kiran, as far as you can only imagine the long list of celebrities that would like to take part in this. we also don't know who will be delivering the eulogy, details we hope to start getting later today. >> interesting. we understand a lot of stuff is still taking place at the last minute because there's so much to juggle as they try to figure out how best to pull this off. kara pinstrom has been following this. thank you very much. there's little they can do to stop one of the two tickets. you get two if your names are selected. bids are pouring in. there are 50 posts offering tickets to the events.

from dollars to millions of dollars. no way to know if the tickets are real. i'll be out in l.a. starting tomorrow morning 6:00 a.m. here on "american morning." >> got to hop on a flight. >> yeah, after the show. >> it is nine minutes after the hour. exiled president of honduras promising to return home after failing to return to his post last night. he tried to land at the main airport at the honduran capital in a jet from the government. the interim government blocked him. he ended up going to el salvador. they ousted zelaya after he pushed to change the constitution and stay in off. quarterback steve mcnair's death has been ruled a homicide. police in nashville say mcnair was shot four times at close range saturday, four bullets, two in the chest and two in the

head. he was married but he was dating 20-year-old sahel kazemi. she was found dead with a single gunshot wound to the head and the gun underneath her body. investigators say they are not looking for suspects fueling speculation it was a murder suicide. police in gaffney, south carolina releasing a sketch of the suspected serial killer they say has terrorized the small peach farming community. five people shot and killed since last weekend. the sheriff heading the investigation will join us live in just a few moments. ten minutes after the hour. when this hotel added aflac

to compliment their benefits package aflac! it made a big splash with the employees yeaaaahhhh! find out more at aflac!... ...forbusiness.com (laughter) in a long line of amazing performance machines. this is the new e-coupe. this is mercedes-benz.

i think i'll go with the basic package. good choice. only meineke lets you choose the brake service that's right for you. and save 50% on pads and shoes. meineke. twelve minutes after the hour, watching a developing story on cnn. right now they are searching for a serial killer in a small town in south carolina. police in gaffney releasing a

sketch of a man who they say has killed at least five people in just over a week. this weekend many july 4th celebrations were canceled there replaced by a funeral for an 83-year-old woman and her 50-year-old daughter. two of the victims found shot to death last week. gaffney is located just about 50 miles southwest of charlotte. it's a small peach farming community of just over 50,000 people. more than 100 investigators are on the scene right now. leading the investigation is bill blanton, he's the sheriff of cherokee county south carolina. sheriff, good morning and thank you for joining us. sorry it's under these circumstances. i want to get right to the investigations. the victims as far as we know did not know each other. they range in age from 15 to 83. why do you believe these murders are linked? >> right now we don't have a current motive or connection between the murders. with a community this small,

it's very possible. i knew all the victims and it's possible that all the victims knew each other. but we don't have any information right now that links the killer to -- >> you're saying because of the sheer number of murders in a small ten-mile radius in this small span of time that you believe these might be linked. i understand you have had only six homicides in 2008. it's because of sheer numbers you think they might be linked? >> they are linked. they are linked through the investigation and through evidence. that's how we've linked them. >> can you tell me at all about a kernel of the evidence that has led you to believe these murders are linked? >> no. we haven't been discussing the crime scene or any physical evidence at this time. but we're confident it's the same guy. >> let's talk a little about the suspect. we want to put the sketch up there. we believe he's in his 40s and

maybe driving a ford explorer. this is a pretty general sketch there. what are some of the distinctive features with the suspect you can tell us about? >> first of all, you're right. we believe he's possibly driving a goldish-tan or champaign, we've got different colors, possibly a ford explorer, but we're not focusing on just that. we're focusing on anything that even looks like a ford explorer. his description is between 6'1" and 6'3" to the witnesses are saying 250, so we're saying probably 230 to about 250. he's got salt-and-pepper hair. he's had a ball cap on at all three. that's pretty much a general description of him. his clothes have been different. >> sheriff, obvious lynn there's

never a good time for this to happen but happening around the july 4th, i understand a lot of july 4th celebrations were canceled in gaffney. you're urging door to door salesmen not to new york on doors. what else are you telling residents about how they can stay safe? >> generally it's the same information just a crime prevention officer would use. people need to check on their neighbors, especially family, loved ones that live alone or elderly that live together. travel in at least groups of two or more. but i've noticed the community is concerned and have a right to be. a lot of things are still going on. we have three schools that are starting today. they are going to be on regular schedules. businesses are open. but people are using caution. and that's what we're asking them to do. just be cautious until we do catch this murderer.

>> understandably a lot of people concerned in your community of 50,000. bill blanton, sheriff of cherokee county south carolina, we thank you for your input. sheriff, thank you. seventeen minutes after the hour. >> thank you. dddddddddd

welcome back. it took an epic final match at wimbledon for roger federer to make history. these two barely broke a sweat. four hours and 16 minutes, including a fifth set to win an astounding 30 games. federer took the sixth wimbledon title. big kiss for that one. 15 grand slam wins, beat pete sampras's old record of 14 in a career. get this, federer is only 27 years old. >> his wife is pregnant. >> what a huge year.

>> i have games like that because no one can return a ball, play all day to return a volley. >> i started watching when it was 10-11, thinking it's going to end soon. >> it was cool. >> you're here minding our business this morning. >> i am. >> we're talking once again about the autos and general motors. >> big battle for future of america's auto industry. a bankruptcy judge approved the sale of gm's assets to the new gm. this approval coming late yesterday after final arguments on thursday. the judge thought about it over the weekend and delivered his take yesterday. that is this bankruptcy moving forward very, very quickly. the judge in this deal saying essentially the only alternative to an immediate sale is liquidation. a disastrous result for gm's creditors, employees, suppliers who depend on gm for their own existence and the communities in which gm operates. in the event of a liquidation, creditors trying to increase their incremental recovers. we get nothing. bottom line, the judge said, the sale should go through because that is the best result for the

most number of people. the judge saying it's the only way for gm to survive. gm, of course, as you know will close dozens of fact rhythms it's going to slash and close brands. close 40% of its dealer network, thousands of small business owners across the country who will be shuttered. not everyone happy about the way this is going. there are people who are car accident victims, who have lawsuits again the old gm, whose lawsuits will not transfer to the new gm. there are investors who think they could get a better deal from the government. they don't like the fact the treasury department has, as they say, trampled on their rights and made them accept this deal. but look, the judge is saying this is the best result for the biggest number of people. chevy, cadillac, buick, gmc will be the new brands that will come forward here. this will be the beginning of the story. >> what other choice do they have, right? >> absolutely right. this is a company that lost $20

billion last year. now they have to prove that they are going to be able to be competitive. they will be much smaller but competitive and a viable american car company. that's where the hard work starts. it's not done yet. i want to say it's not done yet. it's going to happen quickly. this will be quicker than the treasury department and obama administration had promised. a victory, if you will, for the obama administration for trying to redo this company quickly through the bankruptcy process. >> and they need to start making cars people want to buy. that's the other thing. you worked to come up with your romans numerals. >> i didn't do anything over the weekend except work on romance numeral. >> i don't buy that she was flipping burgers on the grill. >> four hours watching tennis. 335,000 is the number. minding your business. 335,000 is the number. it's the number try to put a finer point on the story of today and that is the number of jobs last in the auto industry since the recession began. we talked about it a little friday how many jobs lost in the

auto industry. >> since 2007. >> yeah. >> that's a third. >> it just is to show you the incredible path that this industry has traveled, if you will, over this recession. now you've got gm on the verge of coming out of bankruptcy. chrysler already had, but a lot of people will not be part of this industry. >> needing to save or create 150,000 jobs. >> that's right. >> we're way behind on that number. >> you're right. >> minding your business. 24 minutes after the hour.

i'm peter jacobsen, and i've lost 31 pounds on nutrisystem. dan marino influenced me and he really pushed me to get on nutrisystem. yeah, i'll take credit for peter jacobsen. introducing the all-new nutrisystem for men, flexible new programs personalized to meet your goals. get on the program, eat properly, you're going to lose weight. it's actually easier than you think it might be. that was really good. thanks.

i had awesome results and i've kept it off for three years. for a limited time, get an extra three weeks of meals free. that's right, you can get an extra 21 breakfasts, lunches, dinners, desserts, and snacks. that's 105 meals free. that's what guys like. "tell me, 'do this,' i do it, i lose weight." with prices as low as $12 a day, you'll save hundreds over other weight-loss programs. order now and get an extra three weeks of fantastic meals. that's right, 105 meals absolutely free. call or click now.

welcome back to most news in the morning. 20 minutes past the hour. right now alaska's soon to be ex-governor sarah palin is keeping a low profile after her political bombshell announcement that happened at the beginning of the july 4th weekend. hey, guys, i'm stepping down. so much for a quiet weekend. >> low profile after high-profile decision. her decision to resign before her first term is becoming a big topic of conversation among ireporters. here is what some of you are saying. take a listen. >> do you mean to tell me governor sarah palin is stepping down, senator sanford didn't help them now senator palin stepping out of the spotlight. >> a woman with no experience can't finish the job for which she was elected, and the fact the republicans are going to rally around this woman and

potentially elect her as their presidential candidate in 2012 is just a joke. >> i'm sorry, sarah palin, i backed you up so long. but now with you quitting, that's not my style. so sarah palin, i think you just made a mistake. >> so the question this morning, what are people saying in alaska. sean callebs live in anchorage. what is the buzz up there? good morning. >> good morning to you guys. it's interesting, one of those reports came from outside of alaska. we were talking to some people last night after we got in here. look, she's always been a much larger political figure outside the state acht lot of people here say they are still going to support her. perhaps this is a way for her to go out and trumpet the energy plan. who knows. people haven't seen much of her since the bombshell as you put it, on friday. this is one image of her riding

in a parade in juneau. >> the daily news has 11 theories why palin resigned. of course everyone is buzzing about it. has anyone heard from the governor since she announced this decision? >> really only by -- everybody here, especially holiday weekend, twitter and facebook, i want to read something she posted on her facebook over the weekend. she begins by saying," how sad that washington and the media will never understand it's about country. and though it's honorable for countless others to leave their positions for a higher calling and without finishing a term, of course we know by now for some reason a different standard applies for the decisions i make. you know, a lot of people say that's the problem. she's basically making herself the victim in all this. she says she is the ultraconservative and she is the

one that's going to appeal to the party's base. kiran. >> forget about palin for a second. what are alaskans saying. there's so much buzz. is she laying groundwork for 2012, memoirs, talk show, so much buzz. what are alaskans saying to you about what they think she might do? >> a lot of people are waiting for the other shoe to drop. palin, her camp, attorney, have said there is no other shoe. in fact, the fbi came out and made a very unusual statement saying we are not investigating her. a lot comes back to a sports complex in her hometown wasilla, bloggers saying she has a vested interest in this, she got a kickback, fbi says absolutely not. slabs, what are they saying? they are curious like everyone else. they want to know is she going to end up somewhere as a very well paid analyst, go around the country, make speeches. i think to a person, everybody

thinks she's setting the stage for 2012. >> all right. sean callebs for us, up there in alaska as people like to say. we'll check in with you again no doubt. thanks, sean. we want to hear more about sarah palin's resignation. call or head to our blog. >> going to be a popular place. 31 minutes after the hour. checking top stories. los angeles bracing for tens if not hundreds of thousands of michael jackson fans, even though a frkz will have tickets to tomorrow's memorial service that gets under way at 1:00 p.m. eastern time, 10:00 a.m. pacific tomorrow at staples center. those tickets will be handed out today, by the way. disurt as you might imagine is massive. 2500 officers will cordon off the staples center at a cost of $2.5. kiran will be live in los angeles for the memorial service beginning tomorrow at 6:00 a.m. eastern time. the woman accused of withholding cancer treatment

from her autistic son has been charged with attempted murder. the nine-year-old died in march. he was diagnosed with leukemia in 2006. prosecutors say she canceled at least a dozen chemotherapy appointments and didn't file at least half of his prescriptions. you may have noticed cheaper gas prices at the pump this weekend. aaa said the average price for a gallon of regular is $2.61. that's more than a dollar lower than this time last year and the 15th consecutive day the average price of gas has dropped. right now lawmakers in washington are tackling everything from health care reform to preparing for their 2010 census. not everything they are true. some of the things they are saying are outright lies. next guest separates fact from fiction. bill adair founder of politifact.com. he joins us from d.c. good to see you. >> good morning.

>> president obama wants to pass health care legislation. they are on break and will break again in august. he wants something in the meantime. a lot of people saying can we afford this. the president was asked about this at a town hall. he said medicare and medicaid are the single biggest drivers of the federal deficit and federal debt by a huge margin. he was basically making the argument for people who said we can't afford to do something, we capital afford not to. you guys put this through the truth-o-met truth-o-meter. are medicare and medicaid driving up costs? >> we gave that a mostly true on the truth-o-meter. the reason was over the long-term obama is correct. if you go out 50 to 75 years, medicare and medicaid are really the big drivers. right now it's the economic stimulus, other things related to the downturn, bank bailout, downturn and tax revenue that are driving deficits. over the long-term obama is right so he gets a mostly true

on our truth-o-meter. >> all right. let's go to the next one, an interesting one. a persistent rumor you know about. you did a truth-o-meter about this during the primary campaign that barack obama was not born in the united states and there's no proof that he was. well, we have the conservative publication world net daily accusing press secretary robert gibbs for lying saying the president's hawaiian birth certificate was posted on the internet. what is the verdict on that? >> world net gets a false on the truth-o-meter for that one. it is posted on the internet. now, the distinction that the birthers, the people who believe there's some sort of conspiracy here contend is that it's not the official birth certificate. and indeed, there is the original birth certificate that exists in hawaii that is not the certified copy that's on the internet. officials in hawaii say this is a real birth certificate. it says the same thing as the

certified one that is in hawaii. for all intents and purposes, it is his birth certificate. so when the state of hawaii says that, we decided to rate this one false on the truth-o-meter. >> so it was basically just there is a birth certificate, it's just not the certificate of live birth, but they pretty much say the same thing. >> they say exactly the same thing. it's just amazing to us how this thing persists. there are other things to back this up, too. when you go back and look at newspapers from the month obama was born, they mention that he was born in honolulu on those dates. so it really is time to put this one to rest, i think. >> all right. here is something you guys have been doing a lot of fact checking on. this is minnesota republican congresswoman michelle bachmann. she made statements about acorn's involvement. he was under scrutiny for voters fraud. let's listen to what bachman

said about acorn. >> they have been named a national partner which will be a recipient of federal money, they will be in charge of going door to door collecting data from the american public. >> there you have it. says saying acorn will be in charge of collecting data. when it comes to this claim, what do you say, bill? >> that one gets our lowest rating," pants on fire" in our truth-o-meter. congresswoman bachman has quite a record on politifact. she's 0 for 5. everything we have checked has been wrong. in this case she's wrong they have been paid. she's wrong they are going door to door. acorn is a partner helping to recruit workers for the census that one gets a "pants on fire." >> one connected to this. she said because of this she's not going to be answering the census completely. the only thing required of the constitution is that you say how

many people are in your household. you say that's also misleading for people. >> yeah. we gave that one a "pants on fire," too. she's in effect telling people to break the law. federal law requires you answer all questions on the census. so for her to say that it's wrong that she's wrong that the constitution says that, we gave it a "pants on fire" because we thought it was remarkable a congresswoman would be encouraging people to violate federal law. >> all right. back to the drawing board for congresswoman bachman. check this out. thanks for being with us. >> thanks, kiran. >> 37 minutes past the hour.

forty minutes after the hour. back to most news in the morning. observation deck of the statute of liberty's crown reopened this weekend just in time for america's birthday. it has been closed, you recall, since september 11th for security reasons. tickets are going fast. in fact trips to the top are sold out through most of

september. sus susan got a look inside. >> many wonder what it would be like to be inside her head. >> saw some. >> the formal ribbon cutting on the july 4th, it's open again to go up the landmark. >> whole new york city. >> eight-year-old elana and her dad were among the first to score tickets online. a workout for some, huffing and puffing up the steps. >> i was shaking because i'm claustrophobic. it was worth it. a neat experience. >> also neat, the intricate staircase to the ground. >> look up. >> look up inside the staircase. >> we made the climb up those

narrow stairs. >> if you have any issues with heights, it's kind of scary when you look over the side and peer below. all these beams are brand-new. >> one of the safety features mandated before the reopening. another safety mandate, limiting visitors to ten at a time. three groups an hour period. beyond the camera's view, new security measures, some in place since 2004, including machines to detect explosives. >> we feel confident the security measures we have in place are sufficient to protect the people and visitors to the statute of liberty. >> including her crown, the thickness of two copper pennies. >> the you see the bottom of the torch out the window and of course lady libertied arm. these waves you see in the ceiling actually represents curl on the other side. lady liberty's curl. can you go online to buy tickets to go inside the crown but there's quite a long wait

already. it's something not to be missed. it will only be open for for two-years before they close down again for more renovations. susan candioti. >> haven't been up the crown. >> feels like 1,000 degrees i understand. >> hopefully you can get a little preez. >> seeing all kinds of pictures from people who did get inside the crown. one left a lot of people smiling. from aaron from san francisco proposing to his girlfriend erika as they made it to the top of the stairs. they are 26, 27, 25. he picked the spot because their families came to the united states from ellis island. sentimental reasons. she said it was perfect and was speechless and so excited. if you're going to find every climb 354 stairs, there better be a payoff. >> can you imagine him thinking

about it, what if she says no. >> they are from california, by the way. >> i love the kid with the sipy cup in front of the shot just watching. so cute. 43 minutes after the hour. (announcer) it is the most advanced automobile we have ever created. a car that can help awaken its driver if he begins to doze... keep him in his lane if he starts to wander... even stop itself if he becomes distracted. if you want to see the future of the automobile, just look at the new e-class... today. this is the 9th generation e-class. this is mercedes-benz.

welcome back. it is monday. we're having a fun time here

this morning. >> yes, we are. if you have to work, i like to sit next to you. >> me, too. >> you know who else is here with us? rob marciano fresh back from disney. you were out there, what were they doing, having a ceremony for newly naturalized citizens, wonderful, and get to see the fireworks display over the capital. >> they have those every hour during the daytime when we were there. didn't stick around for the nighttime show. thisses all political, president obama -- >> i understand it was your idea to go there. >> actually wasn't but i didn't argue with them. i went happily as you can imagine. any tore indexes is a good story for sure. good morning, guys. a good way to celebrate july 4th. all american joint. stationary front looking farther to the north. the rain in much of florida is farther north to the gulf states. northeast has been nice.

finally getting into beautiful summertime weather with low levels of humidity. that certainly has been good. it's been relatively wet other places. check out numbers across the tennessee valley. this is the sore spot in the nation as far as where the rain was over the weekend. two inches in chattanooga. west virginia 2.3, nashville, tennessee, 1.63. here is where the line of showers is now. stationary boundaries right there, where they should be this time of year lifting farther north bringing in humidity. that happens, raise those showers a little farther north. still a cool shot of air coming across the northeast. relatively dry, temperatures in the 80s. a little pulse going across parts of upstate new york. watertown heading towards potsdam, that's about it. another nice day. back up to you. >> all right, rob. thanks so much. 48 minutes after the hour. nutrisystem for men: flexible new programs personalized to meet your goals. what's great about nutrisystem is you eat the foods you love

and you lose weight. i'm dan marino. i lost 22 pounds on nutrisystem and i've kept it off for three years. for a limited time, get an extra three weeks of meals free! that's right, you can get an extra 21 breakfasts, lunches, dinners, desserts, and snacks. that's 105 meals free! i had awesome results. i mean, i lost 22 pounds, my goal was 20, it came off fast, and the food was great. it's what every guy's been waiting for: it's healthy weight loss and it's flexible. with prices as low as $12 a day, you'll save hundreds over other weight-loss programs. order now and get an extra three weeks of fantastic meals. that's right, 105 meals absolutely free. call or click now. guys, you can do this. just pick up the phone and call. you will lose weight.

welcome back to the most news in the morning. 51 minutes past the hour. across the country local governments are making spending cuts trying to get by on a smaller budget. one way they are making ends meet is cutting emergency services. as jeanne meserve reports that could leave people in danger. >> reporter: firefighters are feeling the pinch of the tough economic times but are cutting fire services putting people at risk. a man died in this fire in april. the first firefighters on scene attempted a rescue. but because of recent cutbacks didn't immediately have a pumper truck to douse the flame.

>> if we had the water, potentially we could have made it upstairs. >> reporter: last month in alameda, california, a firefighter was injured, his colleague say, because cutbacks slowed the response. officials in both flint and alameda dispute that budget decisions had a significant impact on tragic events. but the firefighters union maintains communities all across the country are playing russian roulette by cutting fire services. >> we're seeing firefighters furloughed laid off, taking cuts in pay, cuts in benefits. stations are being closed. stations are being browned out. >> reporter: in atlanta, georgia, this firehouse is one of five that have been shuttered. the firefighter's union said the city had half the personnel. >> we'll only have 140 firefighters on duty in the city of atlanta with a population over a million and a half, which is a national scandal. >> reporter: a survey in january

indicated 6% of cities have cut emergency services. though the numbers have grown experts say emergency services are almost the always the last thing on the chopping block. >> you're seeing cities around the country making these cuts is evidence of the recession. >> maryland. >> we have been fiscally responsible to do the job, provide services we can provide the best we can with the resources we are provided with president clinton county officials say public safety is not baseball jeopardized. >> currently there is no staffing at this station today. >> reporter: but firefighters insist job and over time cuts, furloughs and rotating station closures are increasing the risk to firefighters and the community they serve. >> nobody is home. turn out the lights. >> reporter: the obama administration has proposed increasing grant money to pay for firefighting positions, but as community's budgets get tighter and tighter, more are expected to cut emergency

services, which really can make the difference between life and death. kiran, alena, back to you. >> thank you. michael jackson memorial service will be help tomorrow at 10:00 a.m. eastern. >> 10:00 a.m. local time. >> they still have this logistical hurdle they have to cross. people who got the tickets need to show up. they need to prove they are who they registered on the computer. >> already cropping up on ebay. >> the incredible thing we were reading this morning we were talking about, there is literally another circus coming to town, ringling brothers is set to start wednesday after the memorial service and they are going to do that traditional parade of elephants at 3:30 a.m., hours before the memorial service is set to start. live to los angeles. also talk to two people who were lucky recipients of two tickets for the memorial service later

on this morning. it's 54 minutes after the hour. ! one more thing. all right. thanks. ( oboe/piano music playing ) announcer: why throw away your money? switch to sprint. save $360 a year with the everything data family plan and get the blackberry curve 8330 smartphone for just $49.99. deaf, hard-of-hearing and people with speech disabilities access www.sprintrelay.com. when a major hospital wanted to add on to their benefits package at no direct cost to the company, their very first word was... aflac! aflac! find out more at aflacforbusiness.com

55 minutes after the hour. welcome back to news in the morning. a warning about a democratic plan for government-run health insurance. he says the u.s. could wind up like canada. so we were wondering, is that so bad? dana bash traveled to ontario, canada to find out. >> reporter: simple pleasures, playing with her dog, walking in her garden are a gift. four years ago she was diagnosed with a brain tumor, told if it wasn't removed she could go blind or die. >> i realized right after the surgery. >> reporter: she's canadian but for her surgery she went to the u.s. because it would have taken four to six months just to see

specialists, canada's government-run health system the only option here. >> i live in a country with public health insurance and i always thought that i'd be okay, that everything would be fine. >> so this is basically all of the surgery. >> her bills at the mayo clinic where she was treated total $100,000. she borrowed from family and friends. >> and that's what i face having dinner with my friends. i know how much money i owe them. >> washington they are seizing on the story and other accounts from canada to warn against involvement in public health care. the doctor that is chief of staff, singled out kingston as exhibit a in staggering delays in canadian care. >> knee replacement. well, at kingston general the average wait is 340 days.

>> his response, mcconnell is exaggerating. >> average time to get a knee replacement is 91 days. >> reporter: he does admit canada's system where the government covers everyone, there are limits and shortages. some patients do have to wait. >> i'm not going to say we don't have issues. again, if you take the other side of the coin, these patients have access. >> reporter: despite her horror story, canadian officials insist most patients with life threatening problems are treated quickly. doug wright can attest to that. he has cancer, a tumor on his leg. he's got the money to get care in the u.s. but says there's no reason. >> i've not had to wait. i've seen, you know, some of the best specialists in the country. >> reporter: though taxes are high here, he and others remind us canadian health care available to all is free. now, to be clear no democratic health care plan on the table calls for the kind of government-run system they have here in canada. but consider this statistic. all canadians have health care

coverage, that's 33 million people compared to 47 million. that's just the number of uninsured in the u.s. kiran and elena. >> dana bash. thanks so much. this morning, crossing the top of the hour on the east coast. good morning and welcome to "american morning." john roberts has the week off. glad i'm here with you. >> we have a busy week. here is what's on the agenda. here are the stories we're breaking down. lottery, thousands of michael jackson fans got the e-mail they have been waiting for that in fact they did win two tickets to the memorial taking place. with tickets or not they are coming by the tens of thousands and they will be watching by the tens of millions. this morning we're asking is the lapd ready for all of this. plus hitting the reset button with russia. right now president obama is meeting with president medvedev in moscow. on the agenda, nuclear weapons

and thawing icy relations. but the real test could come later when obama is going to meet face-to-face with russia's former president, vladimir putin. who is really in power there? suzanne malveaux is there. she did what? the man known as the architect of two successful white house runs was baffled by the move. one conservative called her a quitter. what are her chances if she wants to run for president in 2012? we'll explore that. the latest on the memorial for michael jackson. estimates this morning that hundreds of millions will be planning to watch michael jackson's memorial service on tv and online tomorrow. it could be bigger than the final fairwell for john f. kennedy jr., former president or lady diana. last night fewer than 9,000 fans got the e-mail they had been waiting for that they won two free tickets to be there in

person. kara is tracking it live outside the encino home. hi, kara. >> reporter: hi. >> they were waiting for the e-mail that, yes, they were the lucky few. what now? >> reporter: twitter was abuzz with people so excited to learn they were one of the 8,750 people to receive those e-mails. here is what they do today. they have been told to go to dodgers stadium. they have been given a secret code they have to turn in in exchange for two tickets. they go in, a friend or family member goes with them and two quis bands. one will be secured right away to prevent skapg. the other they will attach to the wrist of a family member or friend. once they come to the memorial service tomorrow morning 10:00 a.m. tuesday at staples center they will have to have that wrist band on. if it's damaged or taped, they will not be let in. the whole area cordoned off,

only people with proper wrist bands and tickets or members of the credentialed media will be allowed in. >> also overnight, kiran, developments on the investigation front. "los angeles times" reporting that the los angeles police department has issued at least three police warrants, this to try to secure information that drugs, prescription medications in particular could have led to michael jackson's death. so many different doctors involved with michael jackson over the years we're told police had a difficult time putting together his whole medical history. the "l. a. times" reporting this is what they were trying to do with search warrants. we know they were issued wednesday. as far as whether anything was found, exactly what they were looking for, kiran, all that is under seal. >> what about the performances for tomorrow's memorial? what can people expect who are going to be watching this, whether or not they have a ticket watching it in person or at home? >> they have been very secretive about this. you can only manual it's going

to be a blockbuster list. we know jennifer hudson is going to be performing but that's it. we also don't know who is going to be performing -- who is going to be delivering the eulogy or who else might be speaking tomorrow. the folks organizing this have been very quiet about all this. we're going to have to wait, maybe some tip later today. it may be tomorrow, that we don't find out until we attend the service. >> kara finnstrom, we'll be talking to two michael jackson fans lucky enough to win two tickets to the memorial. we're going to hear why they have to be there. "american morning" live in los angeles. we start at 6:00 a.m. eastern time, 3:00 a.m. local time. i'll be outside in the staples center as jackson fans gather for the memorial. we don't expect to be alone. we think people will start lining up and milling about the place that early. a lot of people are going to be showing up. how are police and other officials out there going to be handling the crowd? >> a lot of questions about that.

>> big undertaking. >> lots of security. $2.5 million to undertake this. they say if you're not one of those lucky people to get a ticket, stay home and watch it on television. you can bet there's plenty of people who won't heed that and will go out there. >> they are closing off a big section but we'll see if lots of people go there to be close to it. >> a lot of people finding out about that and going to pick up their tickets later. meanwhile watching new developments now in the certainly for a serial killer in gaffney, south carolina. police have now released a sketch of the suspect who has killed five people in just over a week. they want to you take a hard look at it. it's kind of sketchy. he's described at 6'3", 230 pounds. he may be driving a gold colored ford explorer. yesterday hundreds of people attended a funeral for two of his victims. an 83-year-old woman and her 50-year-old daughter. police say both were found shot to death last week. shooting death of former quarterback steve mcnair has

officially been classified as a homicide. police say mcnair was found dead in a national condominium saturday shot twice in the chest and twice in the head. a woman police say he was dating sahel kazemi was also found dead from a single gunshot to the head and a gun found underneath her body. police won't call this a murder suicide just yet. >> while it is clear steve mcnair's death is a homicide as a result of being shot four times, the police department is not yet classifying miss kazemi's death. she does have a single gunshot wound to the side of the head, but there is more investigation required. we're going to be interviewing persons throughout the day today and probably for the next several days. i would expect it will be a number of days before the classification is placed on miss kazemi's death. >> mcnair was married and had four children. he was the nfl's co-mvp back in

2003 and led the tennessee titans to their only super bowl appearance. kiran. right now president obama is behind closed doors meeting with russian president dmitry medvedev in moscow. new pictures just in to us on the agenda nuclear arms reduction as well as improving relations between old war rivals. there you see the president arriving, first lady, their two daughters sasha and malia. suzanne malveaux in moscow. i read your tweets you saw everybody arriving. a meeting with another russian leader that could prove to be quite critical for the president this morning. >> absolutely. we're watching that meeting taking place between the president of russia and president obama. it's going to be tomorrow when he meets prime minister putin to see if the relationships, the chill has thawed. at this moment the two leaders

meeting. even before the u.s.-russia summit, sources say they expect the two leaders to announce a commitment on both sides to reduce their nuclear arsenal. this is really just a first step when it comes to taking a look at a nuclear arms treaty that will expire in december. it is also a first step that u.s. officials say in pressing that reset button between u.s. and russia. >> a new tone in the complicated relationship. a second meeting with dmitry medvedev. but most important, his first face-to-face encounter with vladimir putin. >> the old cold war relationships is outdated. medvedev understands that. i think putin has one foot in the old ways of doing business and one foot in the new. >> still a key question, is

putin really in charge, even though medvedev is most visible on the world stage. >> had the photo opportunity with mr. obama and mr. medvedev. but for some of the really tough issues, things that we are more -- that we're deeply concerned about russian behavior, and that our very, very high priorities for our interest, got to find a way for mr. obama to convey that to mr. putin. >> on the table, diffusing tension over a u.s. missile defense shield in europe, pursuing a new nuclear arms reduction treaty and helping with the war in afghanistan. president obama sees russian cooperation in keeping iran's nuclear ambitions in check. but can he get them to agree to a possible economic sanctions. a positive sign, russia voting with the u.s. against tougher sanctions against north korea after the recent nuclear test.

mr. obama telling european allies. >> i've reaffirmed our commitment to a more substantive relationship with russia, working with the russian government on issues where we agree and honestly working on those areas where we disagree. >> reporter: kiran there are signs of goodwill. a new agreement allowing u.s. to use russian airspace to help the u.s. military mission in afghanistan. that one of them. the other is what we expect these two leaders to announce some sort of reduction in nuclear arms on both sides. really just a first step. these two leaders will tell us about the details of those agreements and take some questions at a press conference in a few hours. kiran. >> that should be interesting. we'll take that live. suzanne malveaux, thanks so much. >> took an epic, magic wimbledon for ronler federer to ma-- roge federer to make history. watch. >> after four hours and 16

minutes including a fifth step to win an astounding 30 games, federer took his sixth wimbledon title. he broke pete sampras's record. that's 15 grand slam tournaments to win for the player. he pete pete sampras old record of 14 in a career. federer is just 27 years old. we poth played in high school. >> first seed. >> that's okay. doesn't mean i can play now. >> both can't serve, wicked back hands. >> tell you after 30 games you'd have to carry me off the set. i can't movie they were just -- they just still looked great. andy roddick looked a little let down obviously. >> a lot of people were saying this might be his year but he's young, too. >> he's got some time, whole life ahead. a check of other stories new this morning. new gm getting the green light. a federal judge in new york is allowing the bankrupt car giant

to trim down and sell some of its assets saying it's the only way gm can keep on going. tragedy at magic kingdom authorities saying two monorail trains crashed in orlando killing one of the operators of the monorail. it was the train's last run of the night. it happened at 2:00 in the morning. only a handful of passengers on board. a few of them were treated at the scene. disney offered condolences to the driver's family but isn't saying much else about how the accident happened. it's still not clear what went wrong. governor sarah palin stepping down. a shocker to start the holiday weekend. the announcement came on friday. she tried to clear things up on twitter. one conservative is calling her a quitter. the headline grabbing move has some in the republican party lark out. tell you what they are saying 12 minutes after the hour.

the gold delta skymiles credit card... from american express... it's the official card... largest airline. of the world's and it's the only credit card... that earns miles on delta. miles that take you... to more places than ever before. over 350 destinations worldwide. so switch today. get up to 25,000 bonus miles-- good for a free flight. call now to apply. there's no annual fee for the first year... and you can redeem... with no blackout dates or seat restrictions. these are just a few of the benefits... of carrying the official card of delta air lines. switch now and you can earn miles... on delta with your purchases: groceries, gas, entertainment, and more.

get up to 25,000 bonus miles... with the gold delta skymiles credit card. call 1-800-skymiles to apply. this is the official card... of the world's largest airline. michael jackson's public memorial could end up being the biggest celebrity goob in history. latoya tv says if you don't have a ticket don't come. who knows how many fans will line the streets of downtown latoya. could be hundreds of thousands. with california basically broke,

how will police keep the situation under control. we'll talk with first assistant chief of the los angeles police department, live from l.a. thanks for getting up with us to talk to us. >> good morning. nice to be with you. >> i know you guys are used to this, used to crowds of epic proportions for various reasons. they have expectations of perhaps 100,000 people or more coming out there, even though everyone has said if you adopt have a ticket, don't come up. what are you expecting and how are you looking to handle the situation. >> i guess the crowd estimated is the 64 thousand dollars question everyone is wondering about. we had the lincoln parade a few weeks ago, 250,000 turned out for that overall an orderly crowd. a few incidents we dealt with quickly. i anticipate the crowd here will be well behaved. it will be a crowd that gathers for the right reasons and keeps the reason they are there in mind.

as far as putting a number on it, we have reached out a number of times, every chance we get, asking people to stay home if they don't have tickets enjoy in the company of their own home rather than standing out on hot streets two or three blocks from the venue. >> how are you guys communicating with organizers of the event. i understand some of this stuff isn't set in stone, especially when michael jackson's actual funeral for the family could be. how are you all coordinating to make sure you guys know what's going on, they have made their decisions final as we get closer and closer to this happening. >> we have point of contact with the family, working very closely with aeg, the company putting on the event at staples, people who own the staples center. we've had contact from the beginning. we're working through complexities of this. i think it's running as smoothly as possible given the circumstances. >> speaking of the staples center, a venue that holds 20,000.

many venues would hold many more. was this intentional to keep this to a smaller group of people actually invited to this event or did that have to do with some of the connections with aeg and michael? >> i think there were a number of things that went into it. certainly i'm sure that had a big piece in the decision making. but i think the venue itself lends itself to being able to put on an event like this. there are other larger events. they are older venues, not wired the same. would take a tremendous amount of work in a very short period of time to get them up to speed to do what will be done with things already in place at the staples center. >> i got you. of course the cost of this will be quite high as we know. city of los angeles facing its worst fiscal crisis the city has seen in decades, a $530 million budget deficit, which rhyme sure you're familiar with. are you concerned about how much this is going to cost, how this might deplete the resources of your city and the city police?

>> certainly the cost weighs on all of us. we're well aware how expensive it is to police one of these events. the only thing that comes to mind is how expensive it is if you don't do it right. we have every intention to go out there deploy heavily, deploy appropriately to deal with any eventuality. we will try to mobilize as quickly as possible. if it's less than anticipated, we'll broke out some and put them around the city or on over time we'll send them home. that's something we deal with all the time. we're very watchful of the bottom line. >> how many officers do you expect to be out there? >> i wouldn't give an estimate on that. that's something we don't talk about before the event anyway. >> if you didn't have enough to worry about, the circus is coming to town as well. good luck with the elephants. >> thank you for your time this morning. >> thank you very much.

nineteen minutes past the hour. we're out there as well. in los angeles. our special coverage starting right here on cnn 6:00 a.m. tomorrow morning. it will be 3:00 a.m. local time. so hope you join us for that. nineteen minutes past the hour. %

good morning, detroit. it is 21 minutes after the hour. 61 degrees, going up to 81. a little cloudy now but clouds will part later is what we're told. sunny day in detroit. a beautiful weekend here.

chamber of commerce weather. >> rainy, very rainy. >> yeah. i was reading the front page of the business section sunday "new york times," they went to town on this one. >> this is minding your business on a "washington post" story. "the washington post" incredible story by politico, flyer service showed "washington post" publisher and editor was trying to sell for $25,000 a private dinner in her home to connect lobbyists and ceos with news executives and top government officials. the air of exclusivity and access with us something political rightly noted would cause outrage in the newsroom and it certainly did. today -- yesterday the ceo and publisher of the "washington post" apologizing for this whole plan, the plan to sell access to a small event in her home for

$25,000 to government officials, and the post news executive. here is what she had to say. the flyer did not accurately reflect what we had in mind. the flyer prompting "the washington post" for $25,000. off the record dinner for journalists and power brokers paid for by a sponsor. people in the newsroom said what exactly did they have in mind if that's not what they were trying to do. it looks as though "washington post" trying to play it as a rogue marketing person who might have put out this flyer promising this exclusive access. but seriously, in a time when lobbyists and access, that's all supposed to be behind us, this is supposed to be a much cleaner kind of situation, it really was a loss of faith for "the washington post." >> need to remind people when you talk about division of press of sources it's really church and state, that's why so many people were aghast.

>> i will point out the white house, robert gibbs was asked about this friday, look, they hadn't signed up for any of these things either. whoever put that flyer together -- >> make a joke about it. >> serious, something the publisher of the newspaper still having to deal with four or five days later. the fallout continues. >> you have a roman numeral this hour? >> i do. 22. the measure "washington post" may be under trying to raise more money. >> 22%. >> that's the number. >> is that how much revenue has fallen. >> yes. >> very good. >> kiran is starting to read me, understanding where i'm going. newspaper publishing division for the first quarter of 2009, underscores the financial pressure they are under. "washington post," a lot of newspaper companies and media companies sponsor conferences. the difference here is that idea

that comes with exclusivity, $25,000 in her home of that's what really made people angry. >> christine romanromans, mindir business. 25 minutes past the hour. here is kevin shale's comfort suites hotel. here's the spacious room where he relaxed with the free paper... the desk where kevin took advantage of the free internet... and where he grabbed a free hot breakfast to start his morning. so where's kevin? he's out treating his customers to lunch with the money he didn't spend back at his hotel. spacious rooms. free breakfast. free internet. and now when kevin stays three times, he gets a free $50 cash card. and so can you. choice hotels are everywhere, with the best value anywhere.

27 minutes past the hour. welcome back to the most news in the morning. salmonella governor sarah palin is defending her decision to resign from office on twitter. there's been a huge backlash in washington. some ireporters having their say as well. let's listen. >> right now with her stepping down, that was not a smart move. i think that represents her as a quitter rather than a politician or a republican. i don't think it was a smart move. i don't care if it's to concentrate on her family or her

book or whatever else she has lined up. it was not a smart move as a politician. >> sean callebs following the story on the ground of he's in anchorage this morning. so people in her home state have had some time to digest this. what do they think this morning? >> i think a lot of people are actual actually wandering what exactly is going on. this happened before the july 4th weekend. a lot of people waiting for the other shoe to drop. is there something more to this? everybody thinks she's paving the way for 2012. what she will do in the interim, that's what everybody wants to know? will she make the tour, speaker circuit marks a ton of money? will she become an analyst for some tv network somewhere? what's going to happen to her? people have the same questions here that they do everywhere. >> and sean, you know, there's just -- as we were talking about earlier, ig there's theories out there, is she going to run, is

she not going to run, is she going to do something other than politics, why did she do it? we heard the very long speech at the press conference. there's still so many questions and probably even more after hearing what she said. >> she's been buttoned up this weekend. she made one appearance at a parade in juneau. how is she doing it, getting her word out there? putting it on facebook and twitter. critics are spinning so hang in there as they need false info on the right decision made as i enter the last year in office not to run again. she has 18 more months to go in office. a lot of people here saying, look, she's making herself out to be the victim. the ultraconservative more popular in the lower 48 than here. she was widely pickup lar before she joined the mccain ticket now her approval has dipped from the

80s to the 50s. >> in anchorage trying to dig around and find more information. thanks so much. we want to know what you think about glmpb palin's plan to resign. logon to the blog or call the show hot line. we're coming up to the bottom of the hour. 30 minutes past the hour. take a look at top stories. close to 9,000 michael jackson fans got the e-mail they were hoping for last night. two tickets each to tomorrow's memorial ceremony in los angeles. 1.6 million people signed up online and many may go anyway. l.a. police think as many as 700,000 people could swarm the area tomorrow. we'll talk to two of the lucky ones who got tickets live at 8:30. story we're watching president obama is meeting with russian president dmitry medvedev. they announce agreements to stockpile nuclear weapons. also on the dpend ark, war in afghanistan and iran's nuclear

threats. >> shooting death of former nfl quarterback steve mcnair officially ruled a homicide. there are a lot of questions about the circumstances. police say mcnair, who was married and had four children was found dead along with a 20-year-old girlfriend in a nashville condo saturday. police have not yet ruled it a murder suicide just yet. there is major dissension in the ranks within iran this morning. a group of clerics in iran is declaring that country's recent presidential election invalid. also signs the white house may be changing its position on the possibility of israel taking military action against iran. vice president joe biden making those comments. joining us to talk about is, expert of the mideast and author of the new book "the soul of iran." he joins us from d.c., our nation's capital. good morning to you. an influential group of clerics declaring iran's presidential election illegitimate, invalid.

why is this significant and what should we take from this? >> in many ways the supreme leader, ayatollah khomeini arrives at legitimacy, any time you see this, it's a chink in his armor, the armor of the republic. it's important to remember the clerics are not as powerful as they were 10, 15, 20 years ago. what we've been seeing over the past ten years is the gradual security militarization of iran. once we saw cracks in the security, factualism among them, that will be much more serious for the republic. >> i want to turn to two conflicting statements by vice president joe biden on israel and iran. i'll get your reaction on the other side. first one april 2009, the second one just yesterday on abc's this week.

let's listen. >> i don't believe that prime minister medvedev would do that. i think it was ill-advised to do that. >> israel can determine for itself the sovereign nation what's in their interest and what they decide to do relative to iran or anyone else. >> all right. is this biden just being biden, or is there something deeper going on here? does this reflect a possible shift in u.s. policy and a half no. i think the first part of biden just being biden. it remains to be seen. will the obama administration backtrack over the next couple days? we'll probably see if they do. it's also noteworthy on the same day the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff mike mullen did say an israeli strike on iran would be deeply destabilizing to the region. there is one thing clear, the obama administration is deeply frustrated by iran. president obama stakes a lot of political capital on engagement strategy. even portfolio these elections

and the crisis erupted in iran, iran was not reacting positively to that. there is a great deal of frustration within the obama administration. perhaps vice president biden is channeling some of that frustration. >> iran's prosecuted ahmadinejad said he would want to meet with president obama at the u.n. g-8 united nations general assembly in the fall in september. are we supposed to take this seriously? >> you know, i think as you said president ahmadinejad said he'd like to do it in front of the international media. i'll give you a quick story, i was in riyadh, saudi arabia attending ab opec heads of state summit. while all others left the hall, ahmadinejad stuck around for a couple of hours to talk to the broadcast med yachlt he likes international light, foreign policy theatrics. this is precisely why he developed opposition in iran particularly among some of the elites. they thought he was more interested in theatrics than

substance. if you're really interested in resolving, you do it behind closed doors. this in my mind was not a serious offer. >> fascinating story. watching it closely particularly since much of the media coverage has been cut off. thank you for joining us this morning. >> thank you. >> 35 minutes after the hour.

welcome back to the most news in the morning. after more than eight months, senator elect al franken heading to the capitol hill and given the caucus a filibuster proof 60 seat majority. it doesn't ensure it will be free. hey, jim. >> reporter: they have been keeping the seat warm for quite sometime. he hasn't been sworn in as senator. al frank think's arrival has democrats seeing 60 in the senate where republicans may have lost their last legislative weapon, the filibuster. >> our next senator al franken. >> reporter: democrats are counting the seconds until live from washington it's al franken. >> thank you. >> the former "saturday night

live" comedian turned politician is about to hand his party 60 seats in the senate, if you include the two independents now aligned with democrats. franken, a harvard graduate who can do the math is downplaying expect as. >> the way i see it, i'm not going to washington to be the 60th democratic senator i'm going to washington to be the second senator from the state of minnesota. >> reporter: that's not how others see it. >> it should be a gam changer. >> reporter: that's 60, they are challenging wavering colleagues in the new democratic supermajority to stick together, block any filibuster attempts aimed at health care. >> at the very least what we should be doing united is saying to the republicans, you cannot filibuster a strong health care bill to death. if it turns out there are only 52, 53, 54 people who vote for final passage, that's the way it is. that's the majority. >> reporter: but in that deck of

60, there are a few wild cards. take connecticut's joe lieberman, a new haven independent he's not sold on a democratic health care proposal that would give the public the option of joining a government man. >> i'm skeptical of it, both in substance and in the politics. by the politics i mean i think we're not going to get the votes to pass the overall bill if that becomes a condition of it. >> other democratic wild cards from red states and the west and south are also in the mix, which may explain why the white house knows 60 is not necessarily a magic number. >> we don't get everybody from every party on every vote. that includes the democratic party. >> not to mention the fact that two prominent democrats, ted kennedy and robert burt have been battling illnesses and it's still unclear whether recent republican turned democrat arlon specter will be a reliable vote. given all that it may take magic for democrats to get to 60.

al franken, he's good enough, smart enough and dog gone it, he's a united states senator. >> we all knew that was coming. hold up the mirror. >> i had to do it. >> good to see you, jim. thanks. here is on the a.m. rundown in the next few minutes, subway for sale, public transportation paid for by private sector. why train conductors may be getting a mouthful tosey at one train station. a serial killer on the loose. the reaction from one town as the serial killer search continues. formal summit between u.s. and russia, first in seven years. pictures in as the first family arriving. new effort to hit the reset button as we're live in moscow 41 minutes after the hour.

♪ is to get as far away from it all as possible. don't let erectile dysfunction get in the way. ♪ viva viagra! viagra, america's most prescribed ed treatment, can help you enjoy... a more satisfying sexual experience. ready to talk to your doctor? find out how at viagra.com ask your doctor if your heart is healthy enough for sex. don't take viagra if you take nitrates for chest pain...

as it may cause an unsafe drop in blood pressure. side effects may include headache, flushing, upset stomach, and abnormal vision. to avoid long-term injury, seek immediate medical help for an erection lasting... more than four hours. stop taking viagra and call your doctor right away... if you experience a sudden decrease in vision or hearing. 20 million men have had the "viagra conversation." ask your doctor if viagra is right for you. ♪ viagra! tell your friends, tell your dad, tell your mom! never mind, they've been singing our songs since we first showed up with our pirate hats on! if you're not into fake sword fights pointy slippers and green wool tights take a tip from a knight who knows free credit report dot com, let's go! vo: offer applies with enrollment in triple advantage.

ice age, dawn of the dinosaurs and transformers, revenge of the fallen both pulled in $42.5 million. they will tally the final numbers today to decide which movie actually earned july 4th brarging rights. number three, the crime drama,"

public enemy." rob marciano joining us with a look at the weather. another movie out called "hangover" everybody here wants to see. >> i do not. as you know, i don't drink so i wouldn't want to see that part of society. is it good? >> i haven't seen it. i'm just saying, want to go see it together. i digress, what's the weather like? >> not exactly the best weekend to go see a movie because it's been so nice. cool temperatures, just enough sunshine to warm you up in the afternoon. keeping levels of humidity down, perfect scenario. a little pulse of rain tomorrow. decided that looks pretty good. pulse upstate new york heading to the adirondacks, could be gone in burlington vermont. line of thunderstorms south of dallas, north of new orleans. this is where a front has been hanging around the past couple of days. it was as far south as central florida. the national map for today.

start to mig rate up. humidity and heat back in this part of the country later this week. denver could get into the upper 90s before long. so obligatory animal video. baby elephant bornd in the sidney zoo. 250 pounder. don't have a name yet. born to the mother rescued from a thailand logging camp. this is a major species. pretty big deal. two more on the way here. believe it or not, elena and kiran, guestation period for that animal is 22 months. so you think you guys got it bad. 22 months. >> not a nine-month pregnancy. >> we think we have it rough. imagine giving birth to something 250 pounds. >> so stop your complaining already. >> hey, we didn't complain. >> just kidding. >> coming after us on monday. >> that elephant was adorable.

coming up, talking to two lucky winners. you know how many people tried to win ticket to the michael jackson memorial service taking place at the staples center l.a. we'll talk to two coming up. 47 minutes past the hour. finally, good news for people with type 2 diabetes or at risk for diabetes. introducing new nutrisystem d, the clinically tested program for losing weight and

reducing blood sugar. hi i'm mike, and i lost 100 pounds on nutrisystem d when i was first diagnosed with diabetes, that first step was more like a giant leap. till i discovered nutrisystem d. in a clinical study people on nutrisystem d lost 16 times more weight and reduced their blood sugar 5 times more than those on a hospital-directed plan. plus a1c was reduced .9%. choose from over 140 menu options, there is no counting carbs, calories or points. i lost 100 lbs. and lowered my blood sugar level. nutrisystem d changed my life. mike is one of many who have lost weight and controlled their diabetes with new nutrisystem d. backed by 35 years of research and low glycemic index science nutrisystem d works. satisfaction guaranteed or your money back! new! nutrisystem d. lose weight. live better. call or click today.

folks from all across the country. howdy! of all shapes and sizes. saving time by comparing our progressive directories to those of other top companies. and saving money with our discounts and customized policies. ah! thanks for dropping in! maybe it's time you visited progressive.com. if you like saving money, you'll fit right in. thank you, thank you very much. you're welcome uh-huh! very much. savings everyone can enjoy -- now, that's progressive. call or click today.

♪ this is some tony bennett for you this morning if you're still wiping your eyes and saying it's not really monday, is it? just trying to wake you up this morning. it's beautiful out there, 68 degrees as you look at new york city, going up to sunny and 82. >> all right. welcome back to the most news in the morning. the new york city subway system

has come up with a unique way to make a quick buck during this economic meltdown. some say it's nothing short of a sellout. richard roth now from the subway station? brooklyn with a sign of the times. hey there, richard. >> reporter: hello, and good morning. the panhandlers are always looking for money in the subways, but they've been looking for someone to give them money, a lot of money, and it's happening here in brooklyn. >> read about it in the a.m. new york news. good morning people. >> reporter: the good news at this subway station is its name. new york city has sold the name of the massive atlantic avenue pacific street station to barkley's bank. >> this is the first time we've succeeded in getting somebody to pay for a name. >> it may look like this

barclay's a british bank. >> it's a bit of a slippery slope when you start selling branding names of government-run. >> reporter: new york city transit needs money. ridership has dropped as the global economy has gone off the tracks. >> like transit systems all over the country and the world, we are facing budget deficits. >> reporter: many of the locals don't think barclay's should be a sign of the times. >> what do you expect me to say? that's ridiculous. the whole country's a branding nightmare. >> a london bank shouldn't be the name of this public station. >> reporter: a real estate developer is paying $200,000 for 20 years for the naming rights. it's the underground branding for a plan barclay's sports arena. some don't mind the switch. >> if they can do it, why not? >> reporter: some do care and

committing the old name to memory. >> atlantic pacific, atlantic pacific, that's what i say now and that's what i'll always say. >> reporter: in the last century, they had trouble reading anything because of graffiti, it's much cleaner now and new york city said corporate cash entering the subways helps keep fares low, of course, conductors will have much more to announce. >> same reason, money. same reason. >> reporter: these new signs will be phased in at the subway station, and who knows what's next. perhaps the columbus circle station or enron time square. you never know where this could end up. >> and in brooklyn of all places where they like to be independent and free from the commercialism. we're going to staples center, right? every single arena is -- >> or the nokia center across the street. >> richard doesn't look too happy about it at all.

all right, richard. >> well, it could get confusing. >> at least they're not renaming the united nations any time soon. as far as we know. >> reporter: you never know. wellbeing. we're all striving for it. purina cat chow helps you nurture it in your cat with a full family of excellent nutrition and helpful resources. purina cat chow. share a better life. the gold delta skymiles credit card... from american express... it's the official card... largest airline. of the world's and it's the only credit card... that earns miles on delta. miles that take you... to more places than ever before. over 350 destinations worldwide. so switch today. get up to 25,000 bonus miles--

good for a free flight. call now to apply. there's no annual fee for the first year... and you can redeem... with no blackout dates or seat restrictions. these are just a few of the benefits... of carrying the official card of delta air lines. switch now and you can earn miles... on delta with your purchases: groceries, gas, entertainment, and more. get up to 25,000 bonus miles... with the gold delta skymiles credit card. call 1-800-skymiles to apply. this is the official card... of the world's largest airline.

just about four minutes before the top of the hour. new developments now in the search for a serial killer in south carolina. police now have a sketch of the suspect, and more than 100 investigators comb the tiny town of gaffney for a man they say has killed at least five people. richard lui filed this report of a community in fear. >> reporter: it is the day after july 4th celebrations that did happen here in the town of gaffney, but now residents are dressed in black, remembering both the second and third victim of what county officials are calling a serial killer. both teachers, a mother and a daughter leaving behind a very sad community. pallbearers arrived sunday afternoon for gina parker and her mother, hayesen. a new normal in this small town, police officers in front of the church. and watched as parker's co-workers arrived in a school

bus and paid respects to the two women. >> what can you say? our hearts go out to the family and we have to come to show our support. >> she was sunshine. lit up a room. >> reporter: while there were words of warning for the killer. >> if he comes to me face to face, i'm ready, loaded, and aimed for him. that's all i can tell him. >> i'm afraid for my life. it's going to be like a dog fight. i'm going to win. >> gina and hazel were found bound and shot to death on wednesday. authorities say this is their best guest at the identity of the killer, described as unpredictable, identified only as a white male, 6'2", with salt and pepper hair. they believe he's driving an early 90s two-door ford explorer. police are also linking him to the death of abby tyler who died on saturday and her father steven found dead on thursday. >> the county sheriff saying

they are working with local, state, and federal officials to follow up on all leads they've been receiving within the last week on this suspect. they are also putting on the ground over 100 task team members to try to stop what they're calling a serial killer. kar karen? it's about 2 minutes before the top of the hour. good morning, and welcome to american morning, it's monday, july 6th, john roberts has the week off. we've got that lot going on this morning. these are stories we'll be breaking down for you in the next 15 minutes. right now president obama as well as the entire first family is in russia. meeting with russian president to hammer out a nuclear arms reduction agreement. we'll be live in moscow. yes to a new gm. a federal court judge here in new york city approving the sale of the troubled automaker's assets saying it's the only waun the bankrupt car maker can survive. what does this mean for gm's

future? our christine romans will be here to explain. today the 17,500 tickets for michael jackson's memorial service will be handed out. a fraction of more than the 1.5 million people who entered to win a seat. we'll be live in encino for more of the preparations underway as we speak. and sarah palin, the soon to be ex-governor of alaska is hitting back at critics on facebook and twitter saying she made the right decision. and this morning, you at home are sounding off too on her sudden resignation. >> right now, with her stepping down, that was not a smart move. i think that represents her as a quitter rather than a politician or a republican. i don't think it was a smart move, i don't care if it's to concentrate on her family or her book or whatever else she has lined up, that was not a smart move as a politician. >> that's one viewpoint. in just a moment, we'll get two.

we're going to talk to leslie sanchez and jamal simmons about what is she going to do now? president obama is meeting this morning with russian president medvedev, talks expected to focus largely on arms control and first lady michelle obama as well as first daughters sasha and malia will be joining the president on his week-long trip. suzanne, the relationship between russia and the united states, it could use a little work right now. what do you think the top priorities are going to be? >> it certainly could use some work. and one of the things we're going to see is how the relationships unfold. president obama meeting with medvedev today and tomorrow. and with vladimir putin, they are a little bit frostier when it comes to the two of them. we saw these two leaders sitting down this morning and they're going to be sitting down for

hours, president obama saying he welcomed the hospitality saying even the weather favors us. chilly outside, but warm inside. some progress both of these leaders to announce later this morning that they're going to reduce their nuclear arsenals somewhat. it is a first step in trying to come up with another arms reduction treaty that expires in december, what to replace that with, also the first step in what they call pressing the reset button. >> reporter: president obama seeking a new tone in the complicated u.s.-russia relationship. a second meeting with medvedev, but most important, his first face to face encounter with vladimir putin. >> the old cold war approaches to u.s.-russian relations is outdated. it is time to move forward in a different direction. i think medvedev understands that, i think putin has one foot in the old ways of doing

business and one foot in the new. >> reporter: still a key question, is putin really in charge even though medvedev is most visible on the world stage? >> you can have the photo opportunities between obama and medvedev, but for some of the really tough issues, for the things that we are more -- that we're deeply concerned about russian behavior and that are very, very high priorities for our interests, got to find a way for mr. obama to convey to mr. putin. >> reporter: on the table, diffusing tension over a u.s. missile defense shield in europe, pursuing a new nuclear arms reduction treaty, and helping with the war in afghanistan. president obama sees russian cooperation in keeping iran's nuclear ambitions in check. but can he get them to agree to possible economic sanctions? a positive sign, russia voting with the u.s. for tough sanctions against north korea after its recent nuclear tests.

mr. obama telling european allies -- >> i've reaffirmed our commitment to a more substantive relationship with russia, working with the russian government on issues where we agree and honestly confronting those areas where we disagree. >> kiran, there are already some signs of good will between these leaders. the u.s., a new agreement to allow the u.s. to cross and use russian air space to help deliver supplies in the military mission in afghanistan. also as mentioned before, these two leaders expected to come out later this morning and talking about an initial agreement in reducing some of their nuclear arsenals. just a first step these leaders say. for more of those details. >> tell us what the girls are planning to do while in russia. >> michelle obama's going to visiting an orphanage and

experience a cultural show tomorrow, so the girls are going to be touring the area of moscow. the whole family participating in some of those things tomorrow. >> thanks. >> former secretary of state colin powell is worried president obama is biting off more than he can chew. in a weekend interview powell says he's concerned that the obama administration is spending too much and saddling the nation with more debt than it can pay off. >> i think one of the cautions that has to be given to the president and i talked to some of his people about this is that you can't have so many things on the table that you can't absorb it all, and we can't pay for it all. >> powell who is a republican endorsed president obama over john mccain, but he says the president "has to start taking a very cold hard look at the cost

of tackling climate change and reforming health care during a recession." always watch the costs. looks like a clear road ahead to general motors' plan to climb out of bankruptcy. christine romans minding your business. the old gm selling to a new gm. >> actually approving the sale of some of these assets of gm to the new gm. the latest stumbling block has been overcome to letting this company emerge from bankruptcy and letting them become a smaller, but new and more efficient company. the only alternative to an immediate sale is liquidation. a disastrous result for gm's creditors, employees, suppliers, and the communities at which gm operates. so this judge saying some of those bondholders are concerned that the treasury department has ohio valleyed this plan at them and not given them their do say, and some people who have actually been suing, people who are the victim of accidents, suing gm, who their claims will

be left behind, those people obviously not happy about this, but the judge saying there simply is no other choice if this company is going to go forward. the other choice would be liquidation. what does it mean for you? for all of the different stake holders az they say in this process. for taxpayers, it means your money has now translated into a 60% stake in the company. for customers, it means there'll be four brands now. there'll be far fewer dealerships, 40% -- thousands of dealerships closing, and for retirees, for 650,000 retirees, future retirees, it will mean lower benefits, having to accept lower benefits although past retirees, their benefits levels will remain the same. a lot of different moving parts here, it's not out of the actual process quite yet, but gm, and it would be a success story for this obama administration, you heard colin powell, it would come out quicker than they -- they thought it would take three months or six months, but this

thing is a moving rapidly now. >> now just sell more cars, right? >> this is where the hard work begins. the hard work begins now. coming out with far fewer plants. a dozen plants are going to close. a lot fewer employees. different brand. now they have to prove they can survive. >> thanks, christine. well, it's 7 minutes past the hour. new this morning, the exiled president of honduras is returning home, promising to do so after failing to reclaim his post last night. jose manuel zelaya. he ended up going to el salvador, the army ousted zelaya more than a week ago after he pushed the constitution in order to stay in office. in opposition, mousavi plans to form a new political party before ahmadinejad is sworn in for a new term. the party will be focussed on

reigning in the republic's leadership. a group of clerics spoke out against the election this week calling ahmadinejad's government illegitimate. and investigators say they are close to retrieving the flight data recorders of the plane that crashed in the indian ocean last week, a 13-year-old french girl was the sole survivor. investigators say they've picked up a signal transmitted by those data recorders and once they are recovered, the devices could help determine what caused that plane, which was an airbus 310 to crash. and did you see this? the men's final at wimbledon was one for the record books. watch. >> and fedorer stands alone. >> 4 hours, 16 minutes, federer

for the sixth time. andy roddick didn't go down without a fight. a 30-game, fifth set. >> we just saw federer's wife. >> yeah, in august, and they got married in april. this is his 15th career win. he broke the record 14, prior to that. it was an amazing feat if you take a look at it. 4 hours, 16 minutes. you play tennis, don't you? >> no. it was the ultimate for tennis fans. >> it was. >> but people are like, is this ever going to end? but it was so exciting -- >> it's a record for a championship match. >> there you go. >> it was amazing to watch that. and i felt like andy roddick looked so let down after. he was trying to hold back tears, you see how much he really wanted it. >> you never know when you're going to get to a final again. he was so close. >> but it's hard 30 games.

that's what makes it so incredible to watch. somebody's got to win and somebody's not going to win. still ahead, we are talking about governor sarah palin. she announced she's resigning, but there are so many questions surrounding this. we're going to be talking about that. also interesting comments from the vice president about the stimulus and where the economy is headed. and also, we're going to hear about what colin powell said. (voice 1) traffic's off the chart... (voice 2) they're pinging more targets... (voice 3) isolate... prevent damage... (voice 2) got 'em. (voice 3) great exercise guys. let's run it again.

finally, good news for people with type 2 diabetes or at risk for diabetes. introducing new nutrisystem d, the clinically tested program for losing weight and reducing blood sugar. hi i'm mike, and i lost 100 pounds on nutrisystem d when i was first diagnosed with diabetes, that first step was more like a giant leap. till i discovered nutrisystem d. in a clinical study people on nutrisystem d lost 16 times more weight and reduced their blood sugar 5 times more than those on a hospital-directed plan. plus a1c was reduced .9%.

choose from over 140 menu options, there is no counting carbs, calories or points. i lost 100 lbs. and lowered my blood sugar level. nutrisystem d changed my life. mike is one of many who have lost weight and controlled their diabetes with new nutrisystem d. backed by 35 years of research and low glycemic index science nutrisystem d works. satisfaction guaranteed or your money back! new! nutrisystem d. lose weight. live better. call or click today. 12 minutes after the hour. new this morning, the death of former nfl quarterback steve mcnair has been ruled a homicide. police in nashville say mcnair was shot four times at close range saturday. two of the bullets hit his head. mcnair was married, but police say he was also involved with a 20-year-old woman named kazimi,

she was also found dead with a gun shot to the head. investigators say they're not looking for suspects, fuelling rumors of a murder-suicide. new legal problems this morning. barry's now council member in the nation's capital and arrested by u.s. park police saturday on an accusation of stalking a 40-year-old woman claims he was stalking her, flagged down a park police officer near anacostia park, pointed to someone in another car saying he was stalking me. he was arrested, cited, released, he does have a mandatory court appearance for the allegation. he was arrested back in 1990 when he was washington's mayor caught smoking crack in an undercover sting. and you and your kids probably know him as ron weasely. he's recovering from a mild case of swine flu, according to his agent who said he had to take a couple of days away from filming the next potter film.

he's apparently now back on the set. >> all right. swine flu. poor guy. well, it's the announcement that has the political world scratching its head. sarah palin's decision to step down as governor, and there seems to be more questions than answers about why she is leaving before her first term is up. what's behind the move? let's bring in republican strategist leslie sanchez. great to see both of you this morning. so let's listen to the clip right now. this is just a bit of the press conference. you know how long it was. and at first, you know, if you had just heard it before knowing what it was about because we got the tape later than alaska. you wouldn't know what she was talking about at first, but let's hear a little bit of that. >> well, in response to asking -- do you want me to make a positive difference and fight for all of our children's future from outside the governor's office? it was four yeses and one hell

yeah, and the hell yeah filled it. >> she's talking about polling her family and asking if she should step down. you think the governor could be a strong candidate for 2012, what do you make of this? >> that's a lot in one statement. i will say that, kiran. i think overall we have to take her at face value, putting her family first and priorities. that said, the long-term implications, it's yet to be seen how viable a candidate she can be for 2012 or any political future. one thing you cannot take away is she's incredibly charismatic, tremendous natural talent. but to use her own analogy, talking about forging ahead, i think this is a forward that left at halftime. there's a lot more questions than answers. in the short-term, it has tremendous negative implications as looking like someone who can't complete a task, didn't take the heat. and the republican party is in a place we don't want to be especially with one of our

darlings. >> she said she was a point guard, by the way. >> point guard, forward. thank you. >> jamal, i want to ask you what you make of it. she has a strong following, she was loved by conservatives, a high national approval rating among republicans. what do you think this bodes for the future? >> well, you know, watch this thing on friday, and her statement on friday and i've got to tell you, i was riveted, i was supposed to be going out with a bunch of friends and i couldn't leave me couch. i'm going to go out on a limb, she's finished as a presidential candidate any time in the foreseeable future. one thing you can't do in politics is kind of walk away. i've never known them to walk away at the height of their sort of popularity and their expectation. and come back without some repercussion. she was governor for two years. a little over two years, i think she's got not a lot of experience to then come back and

run on later. and what she's going to do? do a book tour? she quit her job so she could make more money because she didn't like the limelight? welcome to the nfl, it's tough when you want to be a national candidate. >> let's look at the positives here. tremendous charisma, a successful record on energy policy, there's so many more things she wanted to do with respect to the natural gas pipeline through her state. i think some more legislative accomplishments would've bolstered her in terms of political credentials, but she did take on her own party, she has an appeal with the american public because of that fresh perspective. and a lot of people want to discount that. the problem is, you juxtapose that next to these decisions we know so little about. until we understand the context of why she made this decision, why she continued to elaborate on this decision, i think it causes more speculation in the short-term again can borrow more harmful to her political career

than beneficial. >> let's move on to get to this one. talking about the economy, and some comments that joe biden made. the economy as we know has shed 1.6 million jobs since the stimulus was signed into law in february. and also a lot of estimates have it only 5% of the stimulus money being spent out there to this date. and the obama administration has gotten criticism for that. and this is what joe biden said about it on abc "this week." let's listen. >> the truth is, there was a misreading of just how bad an economy we inherited. we misread how bad the economy was, but we are now only about 120 days into the recovery package. >> so he said, he used the term misread twice. is he admitting perhaps there was some wrong calculations by this administration on just how dire a situation we're in and what we need to get out of it? >> i spent about two years studying economics in different forms in graduate school and the first thing you learn it's not really science. all of these projections are

based upon, you know, economists trying to figure out what they know at that particular moment and trying to project forward. so it's hard to predict. although, i've got to tell you, they've got some of the best economists in the world in the federal government. they should be able to figure out. and there were people at the time saying the stimulus package was too small they were putting out. i think they made a political choice to do the stimulus package, they did, the size that it was, they got it out there. but it certainly should have been. they may have to go back and get a second one. the question is whether or not -- >> a second one, they've only spent 5%. i know they said more of this would happen later on, it was $747 billion, they spent $4 billion. what's the deal with that? >> no, look at the bottom line. this is an administration that looked historically and said we can spend our way out of this recession. and the bottom line is we saw with president bush and the disappointment a lot of

conservatives with him is throwing a lot of money with the t.a.r.p., the bank relief fund, and all this, and still people were questioning what is the u.s. doing with those dollars? are we wisely spending our money? i think this is a great example that they have no idea what the impact of massive spending was going to be, they said unemployment was not going to get above 8% when they signed this, and got the american public and some of their democratic legislators to go along with it. and the bigger issue, as much as we complained about the $800 billion under president bush, the potential u.s. exposure there is really closer to $14 trillion to $16 trillion when you talk about the banking, the fed, fdic, fanny mae and freddie mac. >> leslie, we already know that some of the banks are starting to pay back some of the money earlier. what we also know, though, the stimulus package was meant to be time released over the course of

a couple of years. to talk about it not all being released in the first six months is not really right. it was meant to -- >> jamal -- i'm not trying to -- wait hold on one second. i'm not trying to pick on you. but did you expect more than 5% by now would've gone out if this was passed in february? >> i would expect more than 5%. >> would you think more than 5% would be out by now to the states? >> yes, i would expect by now. but that doesn't mean that it's failed. that means they've had trouble getting it from the federal to the states to the cities out to some of the businesses that it's going to have to go to. and they need to get on it, they need to move faster, get people back to work, and i think the administration understands that and they're moving to fix it. >> all right -- >> the accountability -- >> we're going to have to leave it there. leslie, i know you'll be twittering about it in 17 seconds anyway. great to talk to both of you. thanks for joining us this morning. >> you too. what do you think about sarah palin's resignation?

head to our blog cnn.com/amfix. you can weigh in about the plan for recovery for the hundreds of thousands of people out there that are now unemployed. 22 minutes past the hour. new do. rather than the new-new docs. then bob dialed in from home and his... dog starts barking. so jen jumped in with her "two cents"... which katy missed because she was buying shoes online. and then i hit mute... to talk timelines with my team. getting lots of dirty looks through the phone in the process. - overall... - a great call. - great call. yeah. introducing a better way. learn more at cisco.com/newways [ dog barks ] in these markets, i'm glad i turned to fidelity for an annuity with guaranteed income for life. that's right, guaranteed income for life. my annuity from fidelity means my retirement income is safe. it's guaranteed, no matter what happens. if guaranteed income for life sounds good to you, do what i did -- let fidelity be your guide.

call fidelity at... for details about guaranteed income for life. folks from all across the country. howdy! of all shapes and sizes. saving time by comparing our progressive directories to those of other top companies.

and saving money with our discounts and customized policies. ah! thanks for dropping in! maybe it's time you visited progressive.com. if you like saving money, you'll fit right in. thank you, thank you very much. you're welcome uh-huh! very much. savings everyone can enjoy -- now, that's progressive. call or click today. 24 minutes after the hour, welcome back to the most news in the morning. last-minute preparations are underway right now for michael jackson's memorial service. los angeles police bracing for potentially historic crowds tomorrow. it could be the most watched media event in history. earlier kiran spoke to first

assistant chief of the los angeles police department about the city's plans to handle the crowds. >> what are you expecting? and how are you looking to handle the situation? >> yeah, i guess the crowd estimate is the $64,000 question that everybody's wondering about and we are, as well. we had the parade about two weeks ago, we had about 250,000 people turn out for that. overall, very orderly crowd, few incidents that we dealt with quickly. i anticipate that the crowd here will be well- behaved. it will be a crowd that gathers for the right reasons and keeps the reason they're there in mind, but as far as putting a number on it. we have reached out a number of times every chance we get, actually, asking people to stay home if they don't have tickets. >> cnn's kara finnstrom live for us in encino, california. they're handing out 17,500 tickets to lucky members of the

public, how will they be distributed today? >> to put all of this in the context, hundreds of millions of people media analysts now say may watch this online or on tv. you can imagine the excitement of those 8,750 people who are going to get those sets of tickets. what they've been told is to report to dodgers stadium today where they will certain in a secret pass code they've been given through the registration form. in exchange for that, they will get two wristbands and two tickets. one will be put on their wrist immediately, the other goes to their guest. and when they turn up at staples center tomorrow, we're told if that wristband is any way damaged or taped, they will not be able to get in. this is to try to prevent scalpers. everything there be, only credentialed members of the media will by allowed in. as far as what they're going to

see, very few clues. we expect it will be a star-studded performance. the only performer confirmed right now to cnn is jennifer hudson. >> just quickly, wie don't havea lot of time, but the latest on the investigation now. >> reporter: well, we do know overnight that the l.a. times is reporting that three more search warrants were issued, at least three. and this is to try and find out some more details about whether prescription drugs may have played a role in michael jackson's death. >> cnn's kara finnstrom live in california. all right. these are the two names. both of them won tickets to the michael jackson memorial that's going to be taking place at staples center, i'm sure they're the envy of their friends, 1.6 million people signed up to try to get these tickets and dika and nick will be joining us next to talk about what plans they have as they take part in this historic tribute to michael

jackson. 28 minutes past the hour. ♪ well i was shopping for a new car, ♪ ♪ which one's me - a cool convertible or an suv? ♪ ♪ too bad i didn't know my credit was whack ♪ ♪ 'cause now i'm driving off the lot in a used sub-compact. ♪ ♪ f-r-e-e, that spells free credit report dot com, baby. ♪ ♪ saw their ads on my tv ♪ thought about going but was too lazy ♪ ♪ now instead of looking fly and rollin' phat ♪ ♪ my legs are sticking to the vinyl ♪ ♪ and my posse's getting laughed at. ♪ ♪ f-r-e-e, that spells free- credit report dot com, baby. ♪

it is 30 minutes after the hour, checking our top stories on this monday morning, a peaceful protest apparently spun out of control in western china. state-run media is reporting at least 140 people are dead, more than 800 injured. the protests may have been a reaction to racial violence against ethnic muslims in southern china. also president obama is in moscow right now. he met earlier with russian president medvedev, and these are the first pictures of them shaking hands into cnn this morning. also a dispute taking place over missile defense and nuclear weapons. they're both on the agenda. there's also a high-stakes meeting with russia's former president and current prime minister vladimir putin still on tap. a warning that chronic hunger could be the defining human tragedy of this century.

it's in a new report, it's aimed at g-8 leaders as they get ready to meet in italy this week. and says the changing climate could rally affect crops, forcing mass migrations and conflict over water resources. one congressman not happy about all of the attention on michael jackson's memorial service. peter king, a republican from new york posted this video online. >> let's take some time out to really look at the people who make this a great country, the men and women of the armed forces, teachers who work in rough neighborhoods, people who volunteer with dying cancer patients, people who work in aids clinics, they're the ones we should be glorifying, not some pervert like michael jackson. >> now, we contacted congressman king, his secretary told us he stands behind what he said and certainly someone who is not shy about expressing his opinion. >> he certainly isn't.

despite his opinion, more than a million people signed up online to say good-bye to the king of pop. 1.6 million, and they thought they had no shot. late last night close to 9,000 die hard michael jackson fans got the e-mail they were hoping for saying they'd won two tickets to the star-studded tribute at the staples center in los angeles tomorrow. and guess what? we're joined live from residence san francisco by two fans who beat the long odds, 1 in 182 i'm told. dika and nick. good morning, guys. so glad you're with us. >> good morning. >> i should mention, dika, you are the lucky winner and nick is the boyfriend of the lucky winner. i just want to say, dika i read your twitter post here, omg, omg, omg, i got tickets to the michael jackson memorial service. did that sum up how you feel about this? >> yeah, i didn't quite know what to think. i opened the e-mail, showed it

to nick. is this real? he just stared at it for a minute. and i twittered it because i couldn't believe it. i didn't know what else to say. i got it. it wasn't expected. completely unexpected. >> so now you guys have to kick it into high gear, make your plans, figure out how to get down there. you're in san francisco, you've got to get down to l.a. >> we had to make sure we got our stuff organized quickly. there's going to be a lot of people flying into l.a.x. how are you planning to get there? >> that was one of the first things we did once we verified it was real. we looked online and we got some good flights with southwest. luckily there's tons of flights from san francisco to l.a. daily on southwest. it wasn't that big of a deal for us. >> well, lucky for you guys you were in san francisco, if you couldn't get a flight, you could drive there. and dika, i have to ask you, there are so many people who are

michael jackson fans, but you went to the next level and you're going to make that trek to the memorial service. what is it about michael jackson that made you want to be there in person at the memorial service? >> well, he's just been such a big part of my life. growing up, i've always -- he's always been around and his music's been a part of my life and represents joy and happiness, no matter what club or party you're in, if someone plays michael jackson, everyone is really happy and starts dancing and you connect with people. and remember as a kid his music videos being such a big event and my whole family get together, when remember the time came out or black and white video, network premiere, they'd end everything would stop to watch michael jackson's video. so it's always such a big deal and make mess so happy. >> it's interesting that you say that, of course, "thriller" was the first album i ever purchased. i remember saving money for it, as well. could the later years of his life, things seem to change for michael.

and those around him say that, you know, there was sadness there and, you know, here we have this memorial where hundreds of thousands of people, this is a man who at times felt so lonely. do you think he knew how loved he was? and he was able to find his own happiness despite all of the fame and everything that came with it? >> well, i hope so. i don't know. even when he was going through the trial, he still had fans out there every day supporting him. i hope he still felt how much he meant to people and affected people. i don't know, we didn't hear any interviews or see any interviews with him toward the end. i hope he found some peace. it seemed like he was going through a lot of things and had a lot of pressure and stress that most people wouldn't be able to handle. i just hope he had some peace and knew how much he was loved. >> well, 17,500 tickets being handed out 8,750 pairs, you got one of them. another 6,500 will be in the

overflow area across the street at the nokia center. either way, i'm sure you'll be glad to be there tomorrow. >> yeah, we're going to get there early. >> okay, good. that's pretty good advice. have a great time and you're getting there early. you're getting on the flight right after the show starting at 6:00 a.m. eastern tomorrow. american morning will be live on the ground in los angeles. kiran will be outside the staples center as fans gather for the tribute. that starts our special coverage of the michael jackson memorial service right here on cnn. 36 minutes after the hour. [chocolate squirting] [conveyor belt humming] [squirting] [conveyor belt humming] [squirting] (male announcer) something new to crave. [squirting] the cr-v from honda.

♪ 39 minutes after the hour. some of the top videos right now on cnn.com. take a look after years of various pills and medicines, some allergy sufferers are trying a salty alternative. salt caves are covered with salt, and sodium chloride is

pumped into the room. doctors say those saline caves are only useful with prescription medicines. small detail. also, you're looking at the police car of the future. it's equipped with front and rear video cameras, heat sensor cameras, license plate recognition technology, and tons of other bells and whistles. looks like something straight out of a movie. production on that is expected to start in 2012. and several companies in argentina are going green in new innovative ways, recycling old billboards and parachutes into hip messenger bags and other items. clothes with solar panels that can power ipods. after more than eight months, the last senate seat will be filled this week, al franken heading to capitol hill, giving the democratic caucus a filibuster-proof 60-seat majority, but that doesn't guarantee the beltway will be free of gridlock.

jim acosta on the story this morning. and jim, it's interesting because al franken himself said i'm here to represent the people of minnesota. >> that's right. although that's not what the democrats hope. they hope he will be that 60th vote. and al franken will be on the hill today. it's not clear just yet when he'll be sworn in as a united states senator, but al franken's arrival in washington already has democrats seeing 60 in the senate. where republicans may have lost their last legislative weapon, the filibuster. >> our next senator al franken. >> reporter: democrats are counting the seconds until live from washington it's al franken. >> thank you. >> reporter: the former saturday night live comedian turned politician is about to take his seat in the senate. franken, a harvard graduate who can do the math is down playing expectations. >> the way i see it, i'm not

going to washington to be the 60th democratic senator, i'm going to washington to be the second senator from the state of minnesota. >> but that's not how others in the senate see it. >> i think it should be a game changer. >> reporter: it takes 60 senators to kill a filibuster, so bernie sanders is challenging any wavering colleagues with the majority to stick together and block any filibuster attempts aimed at health care. >> at the very least what we should be doing united is saying to the republicans you cannot filibuster a strong health care bill to death. and if it turns out there are only 52, 53, 54 people who vote for final passage, that's the way it is. that's a majority. >> reporter: but in that deck of 60, there are a few wild cards, take connecticut's joe liberman who told the new haven independent he's not sold on a democratic health care proposal that would give the public the option of joining a government plan. >> i'm skeptical of it.

both in substance and the politics and by the politics i mean i think we're not going to get the votes to pass the overall bill if that becomes a condition of it. >> reporter: other democratic wild cards from red states in the west and south are also in the mix, which may explain why the white house knows 60 is not necessarily a magic number. >> we don't get everybody from every party on every vote, that includes the democratic party. >> not to mention the fact that two prominent democrats, ted kennedy and robert byrd have been battling illnesses and it's still unclear whether recent republican turned democrat arlen specter will be a reliable vote. it may take magic for the democrats to get to city. but al franken is good enough, smart enough, and dog gone it, almost united states senator. >> and there you have it. i'll tell you what, they probably feel better than the republicans do. they'll take 60, right? >> i think they'll take 60 and then some. especially the way things are

going these days. >> good to see you, thanks. >> good to see you. who says the news is all bad? we wanted to know where the happiest place in the world is. and we're going to tell you after this.

46 minutes after the hour. so where is the happiest place

on earth? people live longer than us, happier than us, and they have a year-round real tan. maybe that's why it sounds like paradise, costa rica, happiest place on earth according to a new survey. >> they say they have the second highest life expectancy on the planet behind canada. 9 out of the top 10 spots were latin american. developed nations didn't do so hot. the united states was back at 114th. but one expert says the survey is flawed with "magical thinking." >> have you been to costa rica? >> no, but number two, dominican republic, i've gone there three times, nicest people, gorgeous. i think it has to do with having beautiful white beaches. >> that might have something to do with it. what do you think, rob? >> that certainly helps. i've been to costa rica, as well.

i think maybe if you live in disney world that may extend your life, as well. i feel that much younger after my trip on friday. >> i'm sure you do. >> good morning. we've got a little bit of action happening across parts of the south and the northwest with some thunderstorms, but generally speaking, we're starting to see things a little bit more normal than they have been. across the northeast, you're warmer, but not hot yet. low levels of humidity, plenty of sunshine, but less rain than we saw last month. that's good news, you'll get a shot of rain tomorrow as everything filters in around that low pressure. which is also the thing keeping you on the comfortable side. this area down here, this is kind of a stalled stationary boundary. a little bit farther north, a focal point of where we'll see our storms today. some of which can be heavy at times, louisiana and mississippi, some of those thunderstorms could produce heavy rain. 92 degrees in dallas, 85 degrees in memphis. speaking of rain, ducks like to hang out in the water, right? have you ever seen a duck who likes to hang out with a doggie? easy now, killer, that mallard

becoming fast friends, male and female, and i'm not sure how they go about their daily lives, but apparently the duck likes the kitty cat, i'm not sure the feeling is mutual there. two animal stories on this monday. >> i didn't realize this was animal planet. >> i can't help it. that's cute. >> the labrador -- >> it's monday, july -- >> rob, good to see you. we'll be out in l.a. a little chilly in the morning there. 50 minutes past the hour. team of experts to help. in one suggestion is to make your shipping more efficient with priority mail flat rate boxes from the postal service. call or go online for a free supply and up to $160 in offers from authorized postage vendors. shipping's a hassle! weighing every box... actually, with flat rate boxes you don't need to weigh anything under 70 pounds. if it fits, it ships for a low flat rate.

ok, but i ship all over the country. you can ship anywhere in the country for a low flat rate. ship international, too. yes, but i ship hundreds of things, in all sizes. great, because flat rate boxes come in four sizes. call now and we'll send a free supply, plus up to $160 in offers. when you're ready to ship, we'll even pick them up for free, no matter how many you have. priority mail flat rate boxes only from the postal service. a simpler way to ship. call or go online now to get started. naing onon ud r. pnp]p]rrd d ou

weotototatatininci on us cars for everybody anont cfidedence ininin o. caususususlendnds s ve a a a t tcks. ququq n .

52 minutes after the hour. just a gorgeous shot of central park. makes you want to run around the reservoir, doesn't it? sunny and 73 right now, it's going to be mostly sunny and 83 later today. a beautiful day to be in new york city. welcome back to the most news in the morning. the new york city subway system has come up with a unique way to make a quick buck. but some say it's a sellout. our richard roth live from the atlantic avenue pacific street subway station in brooklyn, new york. richard, good morning. why is that brooklyn subway entrance so ground breaking? >> reporter: well, new york city residents last week had to start paying more to ride the subway. but here at this station anger is even higher because of the

name change. >> read about it in the a.m. new york news. good morning, people, good morning. >> reporter: the big news at this bustling new york subway station is its name. new york city has sold the name of the massive atlantic avenue pacific street station to barclay's bank. >> this is the first time we've succeeded in getting somebody to pay for a name. >> reporter: the signage isn't set, but it may look like this, barclay's british bank. >> there's a bit of a slippery slope i can imagine when you start selling branding name of government-run and or owned petitions. >> reporter: new york city transit like its subway performers needs money. ridership has dropped as the global economy has gone off the tracks. >> like transit systems all over the country and all over the world, we're facing, you know, budget deficits. >> reporter: many of the locals

don't think barclay's should be a sign of the times. >> what do you expect me to say? it's ridiculous. >> a london bank should not be the name of this train station. it's something that belongs in the public domain. >> reporter: a real estate developer working with barclay's is paying $200,000 for 20 years for the naming rights. it's the underground branding for a planned barclay's sports arena above the subway. some don't mind the switch. >> if they can do it, why not. >> the train's running the same way, i couldn't care less. >> reporter: some do care. >> atlantic pacific, atlantic pacific, and that's what i say now and that's what i'll always say. >> reporter: in the last century, new yorkers often had trouble reading anything on the subway because of graffiti. it's much cleaner now and some say corporate cash helps keep fares low, of course, conductors will have more to announce. >> same reason. >> reporter: money? >> same reason.

>> reporter: the signs are going to be phased in over the next couple of years, of course, the atlantic yard project with the barclay's arena will be the center piece that's already been controversial for many years in this arena. back to you. >> live for us in brooklyn, richard, thank you. and we have some breaking news into cnn now. according to the washington post, former defense secretary robert robert mcnamara died in his sleep this morning. he was the eight secretary of defense serving in the vietnam war. 93 years old, and according to the washington post he died in his sleep in his home in washington early this morning. 55 minutes past the hour. ♪

(announcer) introducing new tums dual action. this tums goes to work in seconds and lasts for hours. all day or night. new tums dual action. bring it on. new tums dual action. with annuities from fidelity. turn your savings into income -- guaranteed, and get a retirement "paycheck" for life -- guaranteed.

call... to get started, and learn how to secure retirement income that won't go down -- guaranteed. call fidelity at... for details about guaranteed income for life, and change the way you think about your retirement savings.

♪ welcome back. before we leave you, the tributes continue for michael jackson. and over the weekend, madonna paid her respects in the same london arena where jackson was supposed to stage his comeback tour, which was set for a week from today. let's take a look. >> all right, people! let's give it up to one of the greatest artists the world has ever known, michael jackson! long live the king!

come on, everybody! ♪ >> you know, there's only one michael jackson, but he's not bad, and madonna giving you a tribute. >> and that will probably be the first of many people recreating michael jackson that we will see. >> yeah. by the way, starting at 6:00 a.m. eastern tomorrow, i'll be in los angeles outside the staples center as fans gather for the tribute and alina cho will be here in new york, and our coverage starts at 6:00 a.m., again, tomorrow morning, eastern time right here on cnn. and thanks so much for being with us this morning, great to have you, as well. >> thank you. >> hopping on a flight right now. we want to remind you to continue the conversation on today's stories. go to our blog at cnn.com/amfix. thank you so much for joining us on