>> i slept wonderful. the board has now decided to >> at least one of us did. >> we certainly hope you slept lower the bar back to the 2011 well. frenzy over the facebook ipo. levels. it is regarded as the easiest of exactly how much it will cost the fcat tests. you to get a piece of the social officials are now bracing for network when it goes public. the math scores. there's so much interest that facebook is boosting the amount of shares it will offer to the public. >> that's it for us. the eight-year-old company could >> and now brooke baldwin with be worth more than mcdonald's by "starting point." good to see you. happy hour tomorrow night. our "starting point" here, we'll keep you here as well, ali. let's bring in christine romans. facebook frenzy. how much it will cost to >> of course. actually own a piece, a slice, >> it's very interesting. if you will, of the social let's get to it. >> institutional investors, network when it goes public. windows has closed for them to say they want to get in. those are the big guys. is it really worth the hype? the little guys are waiting to we'll talk to christine and ali find out what the ipo price will about that. bracing for a debt ceiling be and put in your limit orders. showdown again. this time it's different. this time we're in an election that's what i keep advocating. what price do you think you want year. details of the rare emergency to pay for facebook stock when meeting at the white house is coming up this morning. it starts trading under the also, how old is she? ticker symbol fb? the friar's club roast of miss one reason there's so much hype

betty white. around this initial offering is >> she's our woman of the hour, this is a company that everyone knows, right? which is also her life 900 million people around the expectancy. world who are on facebook. >> it is thursday, may 17th. take a look at this. starting point begins right now. this is a graphic that shows the connections between users worldwide through facebook. it's a company that has changed how we talk to each other and brought us together with new people in new ways all over the world. i want to show you something ♪ she's got legs else. 20 minutes on facebook, 1 million links are shared in 20 she knows how to use them ♪ minutes on facebook. >> she is she's got legs. friend requests, 1.9 million are are we talking about your legs, accepted in 20 minutes. will cain? you'll want to stick around. photos uploaded, 2.7 million it's going to be interesting. is that an appropriate photos are uploaded every 20 adjective? interesting? >> at the very least. >> will cain, columnist, minutes on facebook. almost 2 million status updates, margaret hoover, worked at the bush white house and author of 10 million comments made on facebook. this is why all of you know it and all of you are asking us how do you get a piece of t this is where ali and i disagree a lot. i say -- >> don't. >> no, no, that's not what i say.

ipos are risky. we will learn a lot more about this company in the next year. people like ryan mac, for example, says wait a month, see how it's going and then decide if you want a piece of it. >> sometimes you feel like you missed out on the opportunity then. i was listening as you all were talking. you call it a paradigm shift. >> you can't do that on google. this is the new internet. the internet has been look about looking stuff up. this is a paradigm shift, this is about engaging, identifying the people you like and having them help you select your entire life. >> but it has to make money. if you buy the ipo or buy the stock after the ipo, you become an investor in facebook. you want a return on your investment. what will facebook do about the mobile threat? >> it doesn't advertise well on mobile service. >> right. >> zoraida's question is what is

this going to cost? it will price today at 4:00 for institutional investors probably at $38. >> you think it will be the high end? >> which means hedge fund managers and mutual fund managers get it at $38. tomorrow at 9:30, lists on the nasdaq. think back to ipos. they don't always trade at 9:30. >> no. >> takes 30, 40 minutes to figure out the price. i think the first price will be in the $50 range and maybe as high as 90 tomorrow. if you're a regular investor, you may have to pay 90 bucks to get the stock. >> many have said there's some people pushing the hype of $100, to get to $1 hup 00 on the firs. >> the people who have it can unload it, make a ton of money. >> when you're buying it at $90, assuming it'st gets there, someone that has been in there a long time is making a boatload of money and you're the person giving them the money.

>> see the look on ali's face? >> it's too early to be this -- viewers in california are still in a bar listening to this, listening to you saying don't buy facebook. it's risky. >> i do say don't buy facebook zb. >> be cautious is what christine romans says. other news for a moment. under attack from six air tankers, this is the gladiator fire in the bradshaw mountains in arizona. it is devouring nine square miles, 5% contained. three homes have been destroyed. fire officials warn several more homes could burn down in the next few days. closing arguments in the corruption trial of former north carolina senator john edwards. the jury could begin deliberating by tomorrow. the defense rested yesterday, calling only seven of the 65 people on their witness list. edwards and his daughter, kate, were not called.

nor was rielle hunter, his former mistress. he could spend time behind bars for using $1 million in illegal campaign contributions to cover up the extra marital affair with hunter. even stranger, word of a second woman being infected with a rare flesh-eating bacteria. the case does appear to be less severe, she was diagnosed days after giving birth to twins. her husband says following surgery, he hopes the infection is on its way to healing. meanwhile, we've been telling you about 24-year-old amy coplin who continues to fight for her life in a georgia hospital. her father says she's courageous and amazingly resilient. she had her leg amputated and is expected to lose fingers because of the infection. >> really bizarre. new questions this morning about how sanford police handled the trayvon martin shooting. revealing a series of missteps in their initial investigation.

among the findings, they took just one photo of george zimmerman's injuries at the scene. his vehicle was not secured as part of the crime scene. police didn't properly cover the crime scene and rain may have washed away critical blood evidence. zimmerman was not tested for alcohol or drug use that night either. george zimmerman is charged with second-degree murder and he claims he shot martin in self defense. the teenager's family alleges their son was profile d by zimmerman and race was a motive. mary kennedy was found dead in her westchester county home yesterday. medical examiner expects to announce the cause of death today. she was arrested twice for dui the same year divorce was filed.

debt ceiling debacle part two now, warning republicans not to hijack -- congress will have to raise the debt ceiling again at the end of this year and republicans are vowing to block the move if it's not offset by spending cuts. behold the beginning of a budget stalemate. >> where is the president's plan to tackle our looming debt crisis? it's time for us to deal with the big issues affecting our country and our society. we've spent enough time playing small ball. >> they don't get who we are! >> pretty fired up there. president and gop leaders did age on one thing during yesterday's white house lunch, the need to reach agreement to prevent the student loan interest rate from doubling in july. >> aaa reporting average price

at the pump dropping this morning to $3.72 per gallon of self serve unleaded. they're basically giving it away now. >> i wish. >> down six-tenths of a cent. big drop from yesterday's national average. one of these days i might start driving again. but look at the weight i'm losing walking. >> we were celebrating because we were almost at $5. >> that's right. >> isn't that crazy? a bike thief's crime was caught on krachcamera. that is not all you get to see. watch as what goes around comes around, coming up. [ male announcer ] considering all your mouth goes through,

do you really think brushing is enough to keep it clean? while brushing misses germs in 75% of your mouth, listerine cleans virtually your entire mouth. so take your oral health to a whole new level. listerine... power to your mouth. hey joe. yeah? is this a bad time? no, i can talk. great. it's the 9th inning and your hair still looks amazing. well it starts with a healthy scalp. that's why i use head & shoulders for men. there are four shampoos for game-winning scalp protection and great looking hair... go on, please. with seven benefits in every bottle, head & shoulders for men washes out flakes, itch and dryness. and washes in... confidence. yeah, it does. [ crowd cheering ] [ male announcer ] head & shoulders for men.

to provide a better benefits package... oahhh! [ male announcer ] it made a big splash with the employees. [ duck yelling ] [ male announcer ] find out more at... [ duck ] aflac! [ male announcer ] ...forbusiness.com. ♪ ha ha! ♪ today is gonna be an important day for us. you ready? we wanna be our brother's keeper. what's number two we wanna do? bring it up to 90 decatherms. how bout ya, joe? let's go ahead and bring it online. attention on site, attention on site. now starting unit nine. some of the world's cleanest gas turbines are now powering some of america's biggest cities. siemens. answers.

good thursday morning to you all. you're watchi ining "early star" it's 12 minutes after the hour. here is christine romans. in a couple of hours, we will know facebook's price tag, the social network going public on the nasdaq tomorrow. the price range expected to be as much as $38 a share.

fbi now says one man is responsible for mailing more than 380 letters laced with white powder. the mysterious letters have been sent to addresses in 48 states. officials believe they're all coming from one man in north texas. tests show the powder, by the way, is not dangerous. but officials believe the mystery mailer is now targeting daycare centers and schools. the fbi is offering up to $150,000 to information leading to an arrest. protests outside the alabama state house has lawmakers approve a new bill to revise the controversial immigration law. the new measure would make the nation's toughest immigration law even worse, critics say. a collision at sea between an 844-foot u.s. navy assault ship and a refueling tanker happened yesterday in the pacific, 120 miles off the coast of southern california. a navy spokesman says the uss

essex was approaching the tanker to refl when it apparently lost its steering. both ships were damaged. no one was hurt. the vessels were able to make it to shore under their own power. >> worry for the well-being of a young actor this morning. 32-year-old nick stall, who starred alongside arnold in terminator 3 has been missing for more than a week. according to tmz, his wife reported him missing last thursday. she is afraid, quote, that he got caught up in bad stuff. epic face plant during the getaway. he just ripped off a $50 bicycle from a store. cameras from a nearby store caught him wiping out. watch it. ooh. on his way out. >> you want to steal a bike, you got to know how to ride a bike. >> do the crime, pay the time. >> if you leave the house right now, can you watch us any time on your desktop or mobile phone.

go to cnn.com/tv. zoraida? >> i love the idea of karma there. thank you so much, christine. 14 minutes past the hour. dangerous fire conditions persist out west. rob marciano has the latest. arizona wildfires? >> a state getting burned up quite a bit with four fires but also one burning in colorado outside ft. collins. this is the video of that particular fire, over 600 acres burned here. they're having a tough time of it. breezy conditions. 5% contained. and they're battling that one. two fronts. arizona and colorado. yesterday, the winds were light in arizona, even though that fire grew. but it was still very, very hot. now, the winds are going to pick up as we get a little system coming in. the next two to three days will be particularly worrisome. they'll have to deal with winds on top of the heat and dry conditions. gusty winds, 30 to 40 miles per hour. a number of advisories and

watches up. florida, you're starting to pile up some rainfall. you need it a little farther north. nonetheless, south florida, including the keys and miami getting some rainfall this morning. kind of the tail end of a front that has finally pushed across the northeast. this part moving faster. you'll get into nicer weather, albeit on the cool side, across the great lakes and parts of upstate new york. daytime highs will be cooler than yesterday. frost and freeze advisories across upstate new york for later on tonight. want to take you across the pond into southern parts of switzerland where a landslide happened yesterday. about 300,000 cubic meters of soil ran down this hill. this is a village near the italian border there. the problem with this is that they've got another half a million cubic meter of land and rock they think is going to slide down as well. dramatic stuff there. there's a village down there. they've had to evacuate that and wait for this land to settle down just a little bit. >> oh, wow! >> that part of switzerland --

>> scary stuff coming your way there. >> all right, guys. good weather across the northeast. no land slides or anything. >> it's nice out here. i almost tweeted on my way in to say what a beautiful morning it is. i walked into work this morning, except i walked in a little late so i didn't really want to tweet i was still walking into work. zoraida has been tweeting out, she wants to know -- because you're interviewing what's his name. >> about male grooming. i said without hair, it's like five bucks. i steal hotel soap. >> everybody thinks he's lying. >> you don't have to buy soap and you've got no hair, how am i going to cross five bucks? >> the most money i spend is waxing the back of my hand. >> wow, there you go. >> it's a serious question. he says five bucks, but i don't get it with all the facials that he -- no, no, lot of facials. >> we'll talk more about our grooming. >> important to pamper yourself, emotionally. >> apparently it is for guys,

much more than we originally thought. thank you. listen to this story. time for morning reads, 22 minutes -- 17 minutes after the hour. not so good at that. this is a story that i don't think makes a lot of sense. kindergartners in georgia may soon help decide if their teachers get raises or get fired. >> i think it make ace lot of sense. >> really? >> i'll explain. go ahead. >> kids from kirnt garden through high school evaluate their teachers. i'm okay with the high school part. it could influence teacher ratings. between student performance and what kids say about their teachers. i even get that part. here is what i don't get. kids as young as 5 are possibly too immature to effectively evaluate their teachers. kindergartners, who could barely read and write would be asked to score teachers by circling a smiling face, frowny face. my teacher gives me help when i

need it. little kids can't be evaluating their teachers. >> of course they can. they are the ones that are brutally honest and absolutely tell the truth and don't worry about consequences. at the end of the day, i would rather be evaluated by a little one. >> a 5-year-old getting a lot of treats from the teacher you don't think -- >> not treats. i'm sure the questions they're asking are really good questions. >> you can bribe kids. >> you can bribe those high schoolers. that's what you can do. >> that's right. >> students in florida are failing their state's writing exam. an emergency meeting after nearly, listen to this, 75% of students failed the writing portion of the state's fcat exam. more than 80% of the students passed it last year. this year, the school board raised the standard, increasing the score required to pass. the board has decided to lower the bar back to 2011 levels. the writing exam is regarded as the easiest of the fcat test. officials are now bracing for the reading and math scores.

>> that's the way to do it, lower the bar. we're not hitting the scores, lower the bar. a family tragedy strikes the kennedy clan once again with the sudden death of robert kennedy jr.'s estranged wife, mary. just ahead, more on her death and the last troubled months of her life. you're watching "early start." oh! [ baby crying ] ♪ what started as a whisper ♪ every day, millions of people choose to do the right thing. ♪ slowly turned to a scream ♪ there's an insurance company that does that, too. liberty mutual insurance. responsibility. what's your policy? ♪ amen, omen with your photographs.

( younger sister ) where's heaven ? ( older sister ) far. what will you inspire, with the eos rebel t3i and ef lenses, for ron's next project ? learn more at youtube. [ female announcer ] nature valley granola bars, rich dark chocolate, toasted oats. perfect combinations of nature's delicious ingredients, from nature valley. ♪ nature valley granola bars, nature at its most delicious. splenda® essentials™ no calorie sweetener with b vitamins, the first and only one to help support a healthy metabolism. three smart ways to sweeten. same great taste. splenda® essentials™. ♪ why do you whisper, green grass? ♪ [ all ] shh! ♪ why tell the trees what ain't so? ♪

[ male announcer ] dow solutions use vibration reduction technology to help reduce track noise so trains move quieter through urban areas all over the world. together, the elements of science and the human element can solve anything. [ all ] shh! [ male announcer ] solutionism. the new optimism. is important to any successful business. which is why at wells fargo, we work with you to get to know the unique aspects of your business. we can recommend financial solutions that can work for you that have helped millions of business owners save time, reduce expenses, and maximize cash flow. as the number one small business lender for nine years running... we're with you when you need us. so you can be there for your customers. wells fargo. together we'll go far.

it is 23 minutes past the

hour. welcome back to "early start." the kennedys rocked by yet another family tragedy. an autopsy will be performed on mary kennedy, the 52-year-old estranged wife of robert f. kennedy jr. she was found dead in her new york home yesterday. alina cho is here with the very latest. heartbreaking. >> just a heartbreaking story. you heard the kennedy curse. when i read this story, i thought here we go again. good morning, everybody. westchester medical examiner could announce a cause of death as early as later today, but for now, police are keeping a very tight lid on what might have happened to mary kennedy. they will not say how she died and they are not providing many details about what they found at her home in bedford new york, other than her body, which was discovered in what they describe as an outbuilding of the property, not the main house. the last few years certainly were not kind to mary kennedy. she battled a lot of demons. >> we heard it was very troubled. do you have details on that?

>> i sure do. her life was rocked when her husband, robert kennedy jr. back in may 2010 -- he is the nephew of president john f. kennedy -- filed for divorce. the couple has four children. the divorce, by the way, was never finalized. at the time of her death, they were still officially married. not long after her husband announced plans to leave her, mary kennedy's life began to unravel. she was arrested for driving under the influence twice in 2010, once for alcohol, one for prescription drugs. one charge was reduced, the other was thrown out. there was an incident the night after robert kennedy filed for divorce, in which he told authorities his wife was intoxicated. kennedy biographer spoke to us last night about mary kennedy and the very public demons she battled. >> her husband or soon to be ex-husband was a heroin addict. and he heroically came out of

that and became one of america's great environmental leaders, but i remember kathleen kennedy townsend saying she enjoys going to hyannis port for thanksgiving now. she said it used to be a bunch of drunks and now it's an aa meeting. >> she has four children -- >> right. >> -- under the age of 18. i should say had. >> just a heartbreaking story and just a tragedy, another tragedy for the kennedy family. you know, they are releasing two statements, both mary kennedy -- her family released a statement. in part it read we deeply regret the death of our beloved sister, mary, whose radiant and creative spirit will be sorely missed by those who loved her. our heart goes out to her children, who she loved without reservation. robert kennedy released a statement saying, quote, mary inspired our family with her kindness, love, gentle soul and

generous spirit. she made quite an impact in her short 52 years. she was an inspired architect and her firm once worked on the vice president's residence. she was a champion of green design. one thing i did not know, there's a charity in new york called the food allergy initiative. >> that's right, i did read about that. >> quite prominent in new york. she was the founder of that charity. she was quite community minded and again made quite an impact in a short life. it's a tragedy. >> it's a shame we don't learn these details until after someone dies. >> that's right. >> hopefully we'll have more details on the autopsy as well. ali alina, thank you. born to stalk, and born to pounce. to understand why, we journeyed to africa, where their wild ancestor was born. there we discovered that cats, no matter where they are... are born to be cats. and shouldn't your cat be who he was born to be?

discover your cat's true nature. purina one. ifif y youou'r're e lolookokinio geget t totogegethther, yoyou u cacameme t to o ththe. bebecacaususe e heherere a at, wewe'r're e ononlyly a abob. fifindndining g yoyou u ththe e isis a allll w we e do. wewelclcomome e toto h hot. but when i was diagnosed with prostate cancer... i needed a coach. our doctor was great, but with so many tough decisions i felt lost. unitedhealthcare offered us a specially trained rn who helped us weigh and understand all our options. for me cancer was as scary as a fastball is to some of these kids. but my coach had hit that pitch before. turning data into useful answers.

we're 78,000 people looking out for 70 million americans. that's health in numbers. unitedhealthcare. would you mind if to be i go ahead of you?omer. instead we had someone go ahead of him and win fifty thousand dollars. congratulations you are our one millionth customer. people don't like to miss out on money that should have been theirs. that's why at ally we have the raise your rate 2-year cd. you can get a one-time rate increase if our two-year rate goes up. if your bank makes you miss out, you need an ally. ally bank. no nonsense. just people sense.

your day is starting out right. it's 30 minutes past the hour. i'm zoraida sambolin. at half past the hour, in a matter of hours we will know how much it will cost you to own a piece of facebook. it is expected to be as high as $38 a share. >> a repaare flesh-eating bacte strikes another victim, a mother diagnosed days after giving birth to twins. this comes after doctors fight to save a georgia grad student. >> disgraced former senator john edwards, the defense rested its case yesterday. edwards and his daughter, kate, were not called to testify. neither was rielle hunter, edwards' former mistress. edwards faces up to 30 years behind bars for allegedly use

ing $1 million of illegal campaign contributions for covering up the affair with hunter. christine romans is with me now. these are our reasons why you should or shouldn't buy facebook. bear with me for a second for the big reason. the second transformation of the internet. those of you old enough to remember those disks you used to get for aol, take them home, dial up compuserve. it gave you all this information that you didn't have somewhere else to go. when you go to google it's a simple page with one bar. facebook wants to change your internet experience from search to this curated experience. >> do you work in the pr department? >> no. >> whoa! >> curated search. >> ipos are risky. this is why not anyone can call up your broker and get in.

sophisticated investors usually do ipos. we don't know what this company is going to do. it has a lot of challenges. it's got a lot to prove. it could run right up to 90 maybe. >> on the low end. >> here is the other thing. sluggish ads. what's it going to do about ads? how is it going to make money on mobile? that's how everyone is accessing the internet. it said it was getting rid of a $10 million ad buy because people weren't clicking on the ads. when you're a public company you've got to make money and be moving fast and proving to your shareholders. >> i'm not a public company. i'm an investor. when you buy a stock you're not supposed to worry about all of these things. you're supposed to worry about the fact that you can sell that stock for morme money than you bought it for. if you get facebok at a good deal as a retail investor on friday and you think it's going to go up from there in a year, this should be enough justification, whether it's facebook, general motors or

dupont, you buy a stock to sell it. >> i'm going to use that one and turn it in another direction. got nen at $38 a share, whatever it turns out to be. if it runs up and you get in, they're going to get out. >> just because they made money on you doesn't mean you can't make money on somebody else. >> don't you think a lot of people asking questions about buying into facebook, they're thinking of it like a lottery ticket. it's an investment in a company. >> we agree on that. do your research. don't back up the truck. zoraida, don't just do it because it's available for sale. in an hour i'll show you exactly how you buy the stock. if you're siding with me, i will show you how it's done. >> i have a question for both of you. >> yeah? >> what would be a deal, magic dollar amount? do you agree on that? >> christine feels it's a deal if you get it at the ipo price, which is about 38 bucks.

you're not going to get it at that. >> no. >> and the point is that they're trying to value this company. it was in his dorm room in harvard eight years ago. that's why it's so risky and volatile. >> i'm putting you both on the line here. we know we're not getting it at 38. >> some people say it's going to go between 50 and 90. if it gets beyond that, now you're into completely speculative territory. i'm not telling anybody buy the stock at 50, 60, 70, 80 or 90. >> we don't know what happens in two to three months. some people say maybe it was 10% that but it has a lot to prove. >> that's why we have a stock mark, we never know what's going to happen two to three months on. >> very good point. >> missile scare near ft. hood, texas. about 100 homes were evacuated after a missile fell from an apache helicopter into a

residential area. it wasn't active but people on the ground were stunned. >> my little boy said, dad, it dropped and just got into the grass like boom. it was cool. i was like cool? what if it blew up? he said, i don't know. called it eod and then they had me take pictures and i texted it to them and they text me back saying get away from it. then they texted the mps. i texted the mps. they texted back, said get away from it. then they came out. >> apparently he didn't listen to the advice the first time shall get away from it. explosive ordinance disposal team from ft. hood identified the missile as a training device. army spokesman says they regret the inconvenience. >> i wouldn't have to wait for somebody to tell me to get away from it. >> go ahead and mess with a guy before he had his morning coffee. a guy outside detroit stopped two armed robbers by tossing

scalding hot coffee in their faces. he just picked up a cup of joe and was walking to work. >> he started pulling out the gun. i reacted fast on instinct. if i didn't have that coffee, things probably would have went differently. >> he says the suspects started shooting at him as he ran. the gunmen did get away, but without any cash. the 7-eleven gave the guy a new cup of coffee on the house. >> that was nice. friar's club roasting betty white last night. her turn to be on the receiving end and cnn was on the red carpet. >> oh, my lord. we'll find out if betty has thick skin under all those wrivengles. "weekend at betty's," new movie coming out. she's our woman of the hour, also her life expectancy. her transport transcript is written in sandscript.

that's how hold she is. >> hollywood squares, i only got that because i had sex with her. >> is there one thing you haven't done that you want to do? >> i usually answer that question with robert redford. >> that was good. >> i love her. >> a mystery in the skies over denver, colorado. this is interesting. a pilot claims a close encounter in mid air. what he swears he saw from the cockpit. we'll tell you about it after the break. [ thunk ] sweet! [ male announcer ] the solid thunk of the door on the jetta. thanks, mister! [ meow ] [ male announcer ] another example of volkswagen quality. that's the power of german engineering. right now lease the 2012 jetta for $159 a month.

it's real milk full of calcium and vitamin d. and tastes simply delicious. for those of us with lactose intolerance... lactaid® milk. the original 100% lactose-free milk. ♪[music plays] ♪[music plays] purina one beyond. food for your cat or dog. every communications provider is different but centurylink is committed to being a different kind of communications company. ♪ we link people and fortune 500 companies nationwide

and around the world. and we will continue to free you to do more and focus on what matters. homicide of young people in america has an impact on all of us. how can we save these young people's lives? as a police chief, i have an opportunity to affect what happens in a major city. if you want to make a difference, you have to have the right education. university of phoenix opened the door. my name is james craig, i am committed to making a difference, and i am a phoenix. visit phoenix.edu to find the program that's right for you. enroll now. wanted to provide better employee benefits while balancing the company's bottom line, their very first word was... [ to the tune of "lullaby and good night" ] ♪ af-lac ♪ aflac [ male announcer ] find out more at... [ duck ] aflac! [ male announcer ] ...forbusiness.com. [ yawning sound ]

okay. a mysterious flying object in the skies above colorado almost caused a mid air collision, if you believe the pilot. beautiful skies over denver, by the way. investigators say the object didn't show up on radar, but radio transmissions between the cockpit and air traffic control captured the moment.

listen. >> remote controlled aircraft or what. something just went by the other way. about 20 to 30 seconds ago. and it was like a large remote controlled aircraft. >> now the faa is investigating. the question is was it an unmanned drone or a remote controlled aircraft? aviation safety expert and steven wallace joins us from d.c. good morning to you. >> good morning. >> you know i think people's minds go to drones these days. are there drones flying around america that this could have been? >> there are drones flying around in america but under very controlled situations. faa has a process. these drones are particularly used by the military and government entities now, increasing interest in them. so, there are more than 100 active certificates authorizing operation of drones, but very strictly controlled, restricted air space.

if they're anywhere near other aircraft, they have to be equipped with transponders so they can be seen on radar, visually guided if they're in a situation where the air space isn't restricted and they're depending on kind of the normal see and avoid, collision avoidance, someone has to be in visual contact either from the ground or chase plane. yes, they're up there. they're very, very carefully controlled. i would be surprised if, in the approach control air space into denver there was a drone. >> we're talking about around 8,000 feet, which limits the possibilities of what it was. the pilot wasn't seeming to claim it was anything other than that. he said a remote controlled aircraft, which would suggest to you it's a smallish aircraft. the reading i've done on this suggests that there are sort of pr firms and photographers who use some of these devices to go up. would that be 8,000 feet in the air? >> i would think not. but 8,000 feet, i mean, the pilot said a -- i'm glad i just

heard the tape on your show for the first time. what he said was not absolutely definitive. a drone or something. so i understand there are ten-foot wing span pelicans in that area. i'm not disputing what the pilot said and neither is the faa either. i would be surprised at the end of the day if it turns out to have been a remotely piloted aircraft. >> zoraida has a puzzled look on her face. >> the pelican. you can tell the difference between a pelican and perhaps a plane, right? there is no similarity there between the two. it seemed odd to me that -- >> that's absolutely right. you could be operating at 250 knots, below 10,000 feet there. things could go by very fast. and pilots -- again, i'm not dismissing what the pilot said. to just speak on what i think is the public's real concern is what if one of these things hit an airliner full of people? >> that's exactly the point.

what if? is this something that the faa should be taking sioux extremely serious and figure it out or you're saying it could have been anything, not a big deal? >> the faa will do the best they can. they've reviewed the radar data, don't see anything, listen to audiotapes to see if other pilots saw something. the public can take some comfort in the fact that we operate 32,000 scheduled flights a day in this country. the last mid air collision with a u.s. airliner was 34 years ago. >> steven wallace, good to talk to you. thanks for shedding light on this thing. aviation consultant, commercial pilot and former faa director of accident investigation. by a guy on a plane that got hit to birds the other day, sensitive to the whole idea but sounds like it may not have been much. >> you can tell the difference between a bird, especially if you're a pilot, right? >> something going in the other direction, small at that speed, i don't know. >> you don't know? all right. 35 minutes past the hour here. let's get you up-to-date. here is christina romans.

>> good morning. facebook announcing how much it will cost to own a share of the social network today before going public tomorrow. expected to be as high as $38 a share. godfather of go-go has died. legendary musician chuck brown died yesterday at the hospital in baltimore. he was admitted earlier this month, suffering from pneumonia. his brand of funk and soul in the mid 1970s. brown was 75. a california cop on trial for the kidnapping and rape of a woman in 2010 is trying to beat the charges by using a zoloft defense. attorneys for former westminster police detective anthony orbon trying to convince a jury their client was not responsible for this crime because he was under the influence of the anti-depressant zoloft and was mentally unconscious, they say, during the attack. cops in arizona on the hunt right now for an inmate who literally walked out the front

door of a jail. maricopa county says he stole another inmate's i.d., an inmate who was about to be released. he is considered armed and dangerous. forgery, perjury, witnessing tampering and weapons charges were some of the reasons he was in jail. >> a ship believed to be more than 200 years old. scientists have been able to view it by sonar technology and remotely operated underwater vehicle named hercules. glass bottles, ceramic plates, canons and a rare ship's stow. wow! one thing you need to know about your money today, oil prices are down 13% this month. that's going to act like a little stimulus for the economy, ali. >> you're paying less for something that you buy the same amount of. >> that's right. >> thanks, christine. one of the hottest acts on the charts.

why is lady antebellum playing at a high school prom? >> that's cool. >> we'll tell you after the break. ♪ it's quarter after 1:00 i'm a little drunk and i need you now ♪ you better not be. >> i wanted to listen to her a little more and on your mobile phone. watch her. go to cnn.com/tv. take us with you. mine was earned off vietnam in 1968. over the south pacific in 1943. i got mine in iraq, 2003. usaa auto insurance is often handed down from generation to generation. because it offers a superior level of protection, and because usaa's commitment to serve the military, veterans and their families is without equal. begin your legacy, get an auto insurance quote. usaa. we know what it means to serve. a living breathing intelligence bringing people together to bring new ideas to life.

look. it's so simple. [ male announcer ] in here, the right minds from inside and outside the company come together to work on an idea. adding to it from the road, improving it in the cloud all in real time. good idea. ♪ it's the at&t network -- providing new ways to work together, so business works better. ♪ [ music plays, record skips ] hi, i'm new ensure clear. clear, huh? my nutritional standards are high. i'm not juice or fancy water, i'm different. i've got nine grams of protein. twist my lid. that's three times more than me! twenty-one vitamins and minerals and zero fat! hmmm. you'll bring a lot to the party. [ all ] yay! [ female announcer ] new ensure clear. nine grams protein. zero fat. twenty-one vitamins and minerals. in blueberry/pomegranate and peach. refreshing nutrition in charge!

welcome back to "early start." it's 50 past the hour. lady antebellum threw a prom for students at henryville high school in indiana, two and a half months after the tornadoes destroyed the town. their school was torn to shreds and the band also held a concert for the town and raised $300,000

for their rebuilding efforts. >> that's great. >> fantastic. this story is something else, my little seeing pony. >> look at your screen, please. >> service animals. state senate voted to add miniature ponies to the list of animals -- zbleps little shoes on. >> he does. >> that can accompany blind people and those with other disabilities. miniature horses are generally between two to three feet tall, weigh as much as 100 pounds, like a big dog. they would be allowed in stores if they're trained because they don't get distracted as easily. there's a down side to having a 100-pound horse. >> big poop. >> it's a little early to be

saying big poop. >> it's clean, right? the kids who see these little ponies, that's where it's going to cause a problem. >> right. >> they're so adorable. they may not be able to do their job. >> sv going to want one. 52 minutes past the hour. they're not candles. they're called mandles. yankee candle not just for women apparently. for guys who can't bring themselves to buy something called lilac blossom, they've come out with a whole new scent for dudes. >> i don't need them to smell like a riding mower. >> perhaps first down. what does that smell like? >> that's really a name, first down? >> yeah. >> two-by-four? really, a candle that smells like wood? >> i'm sure guys won't bust your chops for lighting one in the man cave before you bop in the "notebook" dvd. >> again. >> i would be curious to see what they smell like.

you'll try them out. >> i take the label off so that no one knows i'm buying lilac blossom but still i like the smell. george w. bush going for mitt romney and making headlines in the late-night tv set. >> uh-oh. >> mitt romney picked up another high-profile endorsement yesterday from president george w. bush, who gave a speech in washington, d.c. as he was getting into the elevator acid, the abc reporter was asking him who he endorsed and he said i'm for mitt romney and he tried to give a thumbs up. >> a terrible job of cleaning up the mess bush made so you can understand why bush would want to -- >> little ron paul made a big announcement on monday. he's effectively d lly droppingf the race for president. this is his third run for president.

he ran in 2008 against john mccain and against lincoln in 1860, i believe. >> took a lot of guts for george w. bush to endorse mitt romney. if you think about it. it took a lot of guts for this guy to endorse mitt, the mittster, the mitten. especially when all the other candidates dropped out. it took a lot of guts to step forward and say, i tell you something -- bush said not only does romney have my support but he can also have my crooked florida voting machine. >> i was thinking it wasn't funny until the very end. >> that's right. 54 minutes past the hour. facebook craze comes to an end in a few hours. do you know how many? i know you're counting it down. >> well, not -- 12, 13, something like that. when we find out how much it's going to be. >> that's right. how high could the price for a share go? a closer look coming up after the break. fun tv to watch. take a look at this, statue

of liberty, sun's up in new york. she is as beautiful as ever. good morning, new york. get out of bed. there is work to do today. of any small business credit card! pizza!!!!! [ garth ] olaf's small business earns 2% cash back on every purchase, every day! put it on my spark card! [ high-pitched ] nice doin' business with you! [ garth ] why settle for less? great businesses deserve the most rewards! awesome!!! [ male announcer ] the spark business card from capital one. choose unlimited rewards with 2% cash back or double miles on every purchase, every day! what's in your wallet? ♪ i can do anything ♪ i can do anything today ♪ i can go anywhere ♪ i can go anywhere today ♪ la la la la la la la [ male announcer ] dow solutions help millions of people by helping to make gluten free bread that doesn't taste gluten free. together, the elements of science and the human element can solve anything.

solutionism. the new optimism. (female announcer) most life insurance companies look at you and just see a policy. at aviva, we do things differently. we're bringing humanity back to life insurance. that's why only aviva rewards you with savings for getting a check-up. it's our wellness for life program, with online access to mayo clinic.

see the difference at avivausa.com.

good thursday morning to you. i'm zoraida sambolin. >> and i'm ali velshi. ashleigh banfield is on assignment. what do you want to talk about? >> facebook? >> facebook. today we will find out exactly what it will cost the big guys to get a piece of the market. still doesn't mean we'll know how much it will cost you when it goes public on nasdaq

tomorrow. it's expected to create a thousand new millionaires and maybe a bunch of billionaires. >> good gracious. >> will the price be right for you to get a piece of the action, christine? >> think about that, a thousand more millionaires. i think 3,500 people in california are going to have to pay, on average, a million bucks in taxes. what that will do for jerry brown's budget will be unbelievable. what will it do for your budget? that's the question. first, let's talk about what this -- this is why you're so obsessed with facebook. you know what it does and you know it's really changed the world. look at the connections. these are the connections between users worldwide through facebook. 900 million people are using facebook. 526 million of them are what we call active users, meaning they're logging on all the time and making connections around the world. why can someone make money from that? because they can try to sell you things. they can find out what your patterns of behavior are. >> you tell them. you tell them everything about yourself.

>> you buy apps. you have this captive audience. you look at 20 minutes on facebook, folks, a million links are shared every 20 minutes on facebook. 1.9 million friend requests are accepted every 20 minutes on facebook. 2.7 million photos uploaded, almost 2 million status updates and 10,000 comments made. >> she sounds so enthused, you would think that she would be telling people to get involved in the stock. but she's not telling people that. >> you all need to calm down i think at the end of the day you're both saying this is a fantastic company. >> right. >> but the question is, is it a good investment? >> we don't know yet. ipos are risky. this is the beginning of the company phase for facebook. we're going to look under the hood, learn how they're going to make money. they have a lot to prove, of course. we know that the business concept is amazing. the business model, will it deliver returns for investors? that's what we're about to find out. >> we're going to have a fun

day, you and me. >> i know. >> when you talk about apple and all the people who missed out on apple but how it did make so many millionaires, people are looking at this and comparing. >> you know what? it's interesting. apple went sideways for years and almost went out of business. apple has been very successful of late. >> that is a good point. >> google is a good analogy. i was cautious around -- i admit, i was cautious at google. i said ipos are risky, blah, blah, blah, all the early investors. >> $100 bucks on day one. i thought that was way too high that early. >> a stock that has done very, very well. just so you know, folks, i'm the brakes, ali is the accelerator on all things business. that's how we address this. >> vroom, vroom. they get the right story. >> little bit of everything. you see where your risk is, right, and where you're comfortable? >> that's right. two minutes past the hour here. under attack from six air tankers and 500 freighters in the so-called gladiator wildfire

in the bradshaw mountains of arizona has still doubled in size. take a look at your screen. it's destroyed three homes so far. it's devoured 9 square miles and only 5% contained. four separate fires have burned 18,000 acres in arizona so far. >> closing arguments get under way in the corruption trial of john edwards. the defense rested yesterday calling only seven of the 65 people on their witness list. edwards and his daughter, kate, were not called. neither was rielle hunter, edwards former mistress. he is accused of using illegal campaign contributions to cover up his affair with hunter. trayvon martin shooting investigation reveals a series of missteps. we'll put them on the screen for you. among the findings, that they took just one photo of george

zimmerman's injuries at the scene, stizimmerman's vehicle w not secured as part of the crime scene. police did not properly cover the crime scene and critical blood evidence may have been washed away with rain. they failed to test zimmerman for alcohol or drug use and he is charged, as you know, with second-degree murder. he claims he shot the teenager in self defense. martin's family claims he was profiled by zimmerman and the shooting was racially motivated. the estranged wife of robert f. kennedy jr. was found dead in her new york home yesterday. the westchester county medical examiner expects to announce a cause of death later today. mary kennedy struggled very publicly after her husband announced he was filing for divorce in 2010. she was arrested twice for dui that same year. mary kennedy leaves behind four children. she was 52 years old. welcome to the debt ceiling debacle, part two. white house warning republicans not to hijack the u.s. economy

after the president's high-profile economic lunch with senate and house leaders. the congress will have to raise the debt ceiling again at the end of this year and republicans are vowing to block the move if it's not offset by spending cuts. vice president biden and speaker boehner ushering in the stalemate. >> where's the president's plan to tackle our looming debt crisis? it's time for us to deal with the big issues that are affecting our country and our society. we've spent enough time playing small ball. >> my mother and father dreamed as much as any rich guy dreams! they don't get us. they don't get who we are. >> the president and gop leaders did agree on one thing during yesterday's white house lunch, the need to reach agreement on a bill to prevent the student loan interest rate from doubling in july. protesters converge on the alabama state house where lawmakers were revising the state's controversial and strong immigration law.

critics say the changes make the nation's toughest immigration law even worse. final sits with the governor. according to the census bureau, minority population is rising. that means 36.6% of the population falls into that minority category. that's 114 million people. the census bureau defining minority as anyone who does not identify themselves as white and nonhispanic. you know what they say about karma. a bike thief's crime was caught on camera. we've got it for you. that's not all you're going to get to see. watch as what goes around comes around. coming up on "early start," six minutes after the hour. times and conference times. but what we'd rather be making are tee times. tee times are the official start of what we love to do. the time for shots we'd rather forget,

and the ones we'll talk about forever. in michigan long days, relaxing weather and more than 800 pristine courses make for the perfect tee time. because being able to play all day is pure michigan. ♪ got it all. here. have a good day, honey. i love you, ok. bye, mom. [ female announcer ] sam's mom is muddling through her allergies. what can she do? she can get answers at walgreens. with guidance and information to help her make informed choices for her allergy needs. like zyrtec -- with the strength of 24-hour zyrtec, you get relief from your worst allergy symptoms, indoors and out. right now, get a 40 count bonus pack for just $19.99. ♪ find answers at walgreens. mine was earned off vietnam in 1968.

over the south pacific in 1943. i got mine in iraq, 2003. usaa auto insurance is often handed down from generation to generation. because it offers a superior level of protection, and because usaa's commitment to serve the military, veterans and their families is without equal. begin your legacy, get an auto insurance quote. usaa. we know what it means to serve. with the bankamericard cash rewards credit card, we earn more cash back for the things we buy most. 1% cash back everywhere, every time. 2% on groceries. 3% on gas. automatically. no hoops to jump through. no annual fee. that's 1% back on... wow!

2% on my homemade lasagna. 3% back on [ friends ] road trip!!!!!!!!!!!! [ male announcer ] get 1-2-3 percent cash back. apply online or at a bank of america near you. ♪ i tell you what i can spend. i do my best to make it work. i'm back on the road safely. and i saved you money on brakes. that's personal pricing. welcome back to "early start." in a few hours, we will know

facebook's price tag. the social network going public on the nasdaq tomorrow. the price range i expected to be $38 a share. >> fbi now says one man is responsible for mailing over 380 letters laced with white powder. the mysterious letters have been sent to addresses in 48 states. officials believe they are all coming from one man in north texas. tests show that the powder is not dangerous, but officials believe the mystery mailer is now targeting daycare centers and schools. the fbi is offering up to $150,000 for information that leads to an arrest. a collision at sea between an 844-foot u.s. navy assault ship and a refueling tanker happened yesterday in the pacific, 120 miles off the coast of southern california. a navy spokesman says the uss essex was approaching the tanker to refuel when it apparently lost its steering. both ships were damaged. no one was hurt. some worry this morning for the well-being of a young actor.

32-year-old actor nick stall, who starred alongside arnold in "terminator 3" has been missing a week now. his wife reported him missing last wednesday and she fears he may have gotten caught up in, quote, bad stuff, in l.a.'s infamous skid row. possibly drugs. remarkable pictures from the air. giant landslide in switzerland. you can see the entire side of an alp literally slipping away. it's happening in the industrial village of preonzo. roads have been closed. evacuations have been ordered in that area. oh, my goodness. so far, no reports of damage or injuries. hopefully, they'll get everybody out of there. >> remarkable. it must not be a very heavily populated area or everybody got a chance to get out. you see the land sort of strip ago w ing away there. >> it looks like a big giant waterfall.

>> i thought it was water when i first saw it. >> it's amazing you can get pictures of this, right? >> yeah. okay. get ready to be inspired. >> okay. >> oh! >> that was caleb roach at picket elementary school's talent show. what makes his talent so extraordinary is that this was caleb nine months ago. he was injured in a crash. he lost the use of his legs. shortly afterwards, started therapy. he's a 6-year-old kid, decided not to give in to his injuries, surprised his friends and teachers by walking into his school's gymnasium. they're hopeful that he can regain the use of his legs without braces. >> yes, he will. right? what a strong constitution of that little boy. good for you. he teaches a lesson to all the other kids in his class as well.

>> yep. >> 12 minutes past the hour. a rare solar eclipse this weekend. rob marciano will tell us all about that. i bet you're super excited about this. >> i am. i had it on my calendar to fly out to albuquerque to see this thing. that's one of the spots you'll be able to see t the moon is passing between us and the sun. it happens during the daylight hours. that's what make it is a solar eclipse. here is the deal, though. because it's a new moon -- because it's a little bit farther away from the earth than it typically would be, it won't be a complete one. you'll actually be able to see this ring of fire around it. the best viewing is in eastern asia and also the western u.s., including places like albuquerque, maybe just north of vegas and through northern california sunday late in the day. as the sun sets. and then maybe the extreme alluysian islands as well. head out to albuquerque by saturday night and enjoy it sunday. north of the fire zone, issues

today in the next couple of days. windy conditions on top of the heat and the dry conditions that they've been enduring. those fires will be tougher to handle. same across colorado. this front is pushing across the northeast. the southeast is kind of dragging its feet a little bit. you're still seeing showers and thunderstorms across the carolinas. heavy rain last night. that will continue across the low country today and parts of florida. but across the northeast, we're looking at pretty decent weather. drier conditions and certainly temperatures that will be more pleasant. 72 in chicago. 82 degrees expected in atlanta. there you go. head west, young man and lady if you want to see that solar eclipse. >> are you going? you have had it on your calendar for months. >> i did. i didn't pull the trigger i got busy. i'll bring my daughter to another one some time in her early lifetime. >> thanks for telling us about it. we appreciate it. >> you got it. 14 minutes past the hour.

this morning, police are searching for the men who robbed and carjacked prominent pastor marvin winans. 54-year-old winans was filling up his suv when he was attacked by three or four young men. they took his $15,000 rolex, his wallet with $200 cash in it and then took off in his brand new infinity suv. winans says his attackers punched and kicked him. >> i was on the ground and then they went to kicking me and trying to get the money out of my pocket and tore my pants up. and then when i stood up, i called on jesus. i said jesus, and they started running. i got up and my car was gone. >> winans is a pastor of perfecting church in detroit. he gave the eulogy at whitney

houston's funeral. you know bebe and cece. i don't know if he sings or not. there you go, he sings. a bike thief caught on a security cam doing an epic face plant during a get away. he had just ripped off a $500 bicycle intulsa, oklahoma. >> he ruined the bicycle. probably, right? >> honestly, man. ride a bike if you want to steal a bike. stupid criminals, man. is that a segment we could do every morning? >> i suggested that a couple of weeks ago and said we've got to have that file. everybodies would accessing it. the guy who gets stuck in a chimney when he's trying to rob a house. >> down on the ground and struggles to get the thing back up and walk away, man. walk away. >> trying to get over the sidewalk, i think, his bike got into trouble there. you're right. learn how to ride a bike if you're going to steal one.

>> average american throws away four pounds of trash a day. only about a third of that is recycled, sending the rest to landfill. a new idea is heating up, turning garbage into something useful. it is today's solutions. >> marty! >> the movie "back to the future" showed us a world where cars are fueled by trash. >> i need fuel. >> at this landfill in arlington, oregon, the future is closer than you think. >> this technology is reality today. it takes what the world doesn't want and transforms that material into what the world does want. >> jeff surma and his company are turning trash into energy. shredded and treated, then broken down, using a brand new technique, plasma converting. >> a plasma in this case is a controlled bolt of lightning, allowing us to break down this waste material and reform those elements into this hydrogen-rich

gas. >> allowing even unrecyclable materials once it would stay in landfills for decades to be turned into reusable resources. >> it could basically eliminate most of landfilling. you could take 90% of all that material and convert it into clean energy products. >> a dirty problem that could soon provide energy for your home and your car. >> well, it's frightening to think about flesh-eating bacteria, but we've had to talk about this all week. there's word of a second victim today. it's something we need to -- is it something we need to worry about? the symptoms you need to watch for. two people who seem to have flesh-eating disease in the u.s. we'll tell you about that with elizabeth cohen. >> that's the latest one right there, a woman who had twins recently. >> yeah. if you're leaving the house right now, fret not. take us with you on your desktop, mobile phone. go to cnn.com/tv.

dude you don't understand, this is my dad's car. look at the car! my dad's gonna kill me dude... [ male announcer ] the security of a 2012 iihs top safety pick. the volkswagen passat. that's the power of german engineering.

right now lease the 2012 passat for $209 a month. to help protect your eye health as you age... would you take it? well, there is. [ male announcer ] it's called ocuvite. a vitamin totally dedicated to your eyes, from the eye-care experts at bausch + lomb. as you age, eyes can lose vital nutrients. ocuvite helps replenish key eye nutrients. [ male announcer ] ocuvite has a unique formula not found in your multivitamin to help protect your eye health. now, that's a pill worth taking. [ male announcer ] ocuvite. help protect your eye health. with the bankamericard cash rewards credit card, we earn more cash back for the things we buy most. 1% cash back everywhere, every time. 2% on groceries. 3% on gas. automatically. no hoops to jump through. no annual fee. that's 1% back on... wow! 2% on my homemade lasagna. 3% back on [ friends ] road trip!!!!!!!!!!!!

[ male announcer ] get 1-2-3 percent cash back. apply online or at a bank of america near you. ♪ [ female announcer ] nature valley granola bars, rich dark chocolate, toasted oats. perfect combinations of nature's delicious ingredients, from nature valley. ♪ nature valley granola bars, nature at its most delicious. do you really think brushing is enough to keep it clean? while brushing misses germs in 75% of your mouth, listerine cleans virtually your entire mouth. so take your oral health to a whole new level. listerine... power to your mouth.

welcome back to "early start." a second chilling diagnosis. a new mother contracted the rare flesh-eating bacteria shortly after giving birth to twins. it comes on the heels of graduate fighting for her life as well. what happened in this new case?

>> this woman's name is lana kirkendal. she's a new month. she gave birth may 7th. four days later, she and her husband noticed a bruise on the back of her leg that just kept growing and growing. they said you could actually watch it grow. they became very concerned, brought her to the hospital in greenville, south carolina. they pretty quickly or quite quickly diagnosed her with necrotizing fascitis, which is the medical name for flesh-eating bacteria. she's had three surgeries, still in critical condition, still on a ventilator, but appears to be okay. it's not been as life-threatening as the case we've been talking about for several days here in georgia. zoraida? >> how did she get this? >> you know, we really don't know. but there is this hint, this bruise. she doesn't appear, from what we've heard and from what the husband has told us, to have had an open wound. it may be that what happened here is that she had what doctors will call blunt trauma. she just -- somehow her leg got

hit and that formed a bruise and blood came to that area. and it may have been that the bacteria, the strep bacteria that caused the infection was in her body any how, which is very, very common and somehow it slipped into the blood stream as a reaction or part of the reaction to this wound. i know it sounds crazy, because we all get bruises and it almost never becomes necrotizing fascitis. it is a phenomenon. it does happen. it's extremely rare, but it does happen. >> we're kind of worried about this, because we have the two stories back to back. the other was zip lining and she actually had a gash and contracted it that way. do you have to have a compromised immune system for this to go further? is that the deal here? >> no, you don't. as far as we know these two women were completely healthy before this happened. this happens to completely healthy people. let me take a step back for a minute. we're hearing about the two cases, one after the other. the fact of the matter is that hundreds of people have this

happen to them, if not thousands of people every year. it just so happens that we're hearing about these two for reasons that -- who knows why. we happen to be hearing about these two. it does happen. people shouldn't freak out for several reasons. one of them is that you can be an empowered patient and be vigilant about your own health and your own body. for example, if you see a bruise that is growing and growing and growing, don't just sort of say, look at that bruise. it's growing. i can watch it grow. do something about it. go to the doctor and talk to them. if you have a cut that is really red and oozing and it really, really hurts, do something about it. let's throw up a couple of things on screen here that will tell you when you should be concerned. if you have disproportionate pain to, just say, a cut or bruise -- if it really, really hurts, that's a sign that perhaps you have a bacteria inside that's doing damage. fever, weakness or swelling around the area or black marks, as we saw in this case, or a bruise. that can also be a problem.

it doesn't mean you should be convinced you're going to die. it's a sign that you should go to a doctor and say is this strange? if you go to cnn.com/empower cnn.com/empoweredpatient, you can get more information. >> time is of the essence. >> it is. my daughter had a cut on her arm. my husband and i put her down for a nap. when we woke up, the cut look different than we did when we put her down for the nap. in the course of a two-hour nap it looked different. we went to a pediatrician right away. it was a sunday. we had to get him to come into the office. in fact, it was a tough infection. she had to have four or five different antibiotics to get rid of t it was really tough. but you want to act sooner, not later. >> great advice. >> yeah. >> elizabeth cohen live for us in washington, d.c. thank you for that. >> thanks. the attacker had a gun. the victim, armed only with his morning cup of coffee. how that turned out to be the difference maker.

you are going to love this story, coming up. what ? customers didn't like it. so why do banks do it ? hello ? hello ?! if your bank doesn't let you talk to a real person 24/7, you need an ally. hello ? ally bank. no nonsense. just people sense. like a squirrel stashes nuts, you may be muddling through allergies. try zyrtec® liquid gels. nothing starts working faster than zyrtec® at relieving your allergy symptoms for 24 hours. zyrtec®. love the air.

at relieving your allergy symptoms for 24 hours. every communications provider is different but centurylink is committed to being a different kind of communications company. ♪ we link people and fortune 500 companies nationwide and around the world. and we will continue to free you to do more and focus on what matters.

welcome back to "early start." i'm ali velshi. >> he barely made it back. >> kre. >> i'm zoraida sambolin. we'll find out in a couple of hours how much it is going to cost you to own a piece of facebook. it is expected to be as high as $38 a share. >> for the big guns who are buying it, not for you. we'll talk about that, too. putting more homes in danger, firefighters try to stop the so-called gladiator fire in

the mountains of arizona. ten homes are in danger and could burn in the next three days. three homes have been burned so far. corruption trial of john edwards, the defense rested yesterday. former senator and his daughter, kate, were not called to testify. neither was rielle hunter, his former mistress. he faces up to 30 years behind bars for allegedly using illegal campaign contributions to cover up an extra marital affair with hunter. big story this morning, facebook ipo about 27 hours away could create 1,000 new millionaires. these are people with stock options or early stock. you have to own the stock first. how do you get in on it? for regular folks, it's actually easier than you think. don't worry about the ipo. for your purposes, facebook shares start trading on the nasdaq on day one. >> it's probably going to be a frenzy of many individual investors buying five shares, 20

shares, 100 shares with their online account paying nine dollars to do that. everybody watching can be on the computer and be an owner of facebook. once you decide you want to buy the stock, it's easy as long as you live in a country that allows you to trade u.s. stocks. go to the site of an online broker. i happen to use td ameritrade. you click on trade, stocks and etfs. buy, let's say, 50 shares of facebook. fb is the ticker. i want it to be a market order, which means it doesn't matter what the price s i want 50 shares. i review my order. if it all looks right, i click on this. place the order. then i'm an owner of facebook stock. >> now the only good reason for you to buy facebook stock or any stock, for that matter, is that one day you'll sell it for more than you paid for it. >> you're getting a very strong return when you compare that to any other returns you have out there.

>> robert peck specializes in internet and tech stocks. he says don't worry so much about day one, week one or month one. he believes facebook could double in three year's time based on the fundamentals of its growth prospects. >> the near-term gyrations settle in, let the supply and demand curve settle out. if you get the opportunity to buy, with the idea of holding for a longer term, you can get a good compound return on your annual money. >> all you heard peck say is that it could double and you probably ignored the part about gyrations. groupon and zynga are examples. the stock could be volatile. if you're a newbie, consider placing a limit order for the stock, meaning you'll pay up to a certain amount for it and no more. with a limited order maybe you'll get the stock, maybe you won't. either way, you might already be investing in facebook without

knowing it. many retirement accounts that invest in broad-based growth may already be early buyers of facebook. and managers of those funds will get in at the ipo price. >> they'll get exposure to stock at a lower price than where they could get it on the first ticker when it starts trading. we'll give them exposure to it, wherever the price settles out. >> here is a couple of things. don't buy it because you like the company. if you want to be part of history -- this is probably pretty historic in the stock world. when you buy those shares online, you don't get the certificates anymore. you can go on the websites and buy a facebook certificate and frame it like this. you don't have to have a brokerage kaccount for it. that may be the way to go. >> it's a great idea. >> don't buy stock, don't be pressured into buying stock. don't think you're missing the

wagon sf wagon. >> a lot of people are feeling that way, if they don't get in on it -- >> no single stock should represent more than 5% of your portfolio ever. should i cash this out and back up the truck? no. buy a little bit of it. >> that's good advice. >> if you have questions, tweet christine romans or ali velshi. we do a show on cnn.com/live where we will answer your questions. it can be about facebook, greece, jp morgan, any money questions you have. if you're thinking of making your first stock purchase ever, tweet us and let's talk about it first. >> thank you about that. it's nice to be able to have someone to talk to before you make those decisions. joe justice, a police say a man stopped two thieves by tossing hot coffee in their faces. >> nice. >> he picked up a coffee at

7-eleven across the street and was walking to work. >> i saw the gun and reacted fast on instinct. if i didn't have that coffee things probably would have went differently. >> he says the suspects started shooting at him as he ran. the gunmen did get away, but without cash. 7-eleven gave the guy a new cup on the house. he should have a new cup -- >> every day of the year. >> yeah. beginning of the end of the john edwards corruption trial today. more on the high-profile witnesses who will not be on the stand, coming up. first, a quick check of today's weather. here is rob marciano. good morning. >> good morning again, guys. looking at a beautiful day across much of the northeast, including the great lakes. that slow-moving front finally offshore, lingering across the carolinas. heavy there and also in spots of florida. heat continues across the southwest. winds will pick up as well, exacerbating the fire situation. south florida, if you're heading to miami, be aware of that. that front will linger. low levels of humidity and nice

sunshine in chicago. 72. frosty conditions in the morning, but rising to 73 in the big apple. 36 minutes after the hour. you're up-to-date, weatherwise. "early start" is coming right back. ♪ ♪

♪ [ male announcer ] everyone likes a bit of order in their life. virtual wallet helps you get it. keep track of spending, move money with a slide, and use the calendar. all to see your money how you want. ♪ oh! [ baby crying ] ♪ what started as a whisper ♪ every day, millions of people choose to do the right thing. ♪ slowly turned to a scream ♪ there's an insurance company that does that, too. liberty mutual insurance. responsibility. what's your policy? ♪ amen, omen [ male announcer ] we believe in thinking day and night... about your dog's nutrition. like the dual-defense antioxidants in our food

that work around the clock... supporting your dog's immune system on the inside... while helping to keep his skin and coat healthy on the outside. with this kind of thinking going into our food... imagine all the goodness that can come out of it. just one way we're making the world a better place... one pet at a time. purina one smartblend.

welcome back. 39 minutes past the hour. the defense rested yesterday in john edwards corruption trial, calling seven of the 65 people on their witness list. edwards, his daughter, kate, and his former mistress, rielle hunter, never taking the stand. joe johns is live in greensboro this morning. a lot of people were not surprised that edwards sw rielle

hunter were not called as witnesses, but a lot of people were expecting his daughter to take the stand. >> i think that's right. and talking to some of the legal observers who have been in the courtroom and other people, everybody has an opinion on why. the best one i've heard so far is that kate edwards, the daughter, if she had gotten on the stand, the edwards defense was going to have to be all in, not just kate but also john edwards and perhaps rielle hunter, too. the reason why is because kate edwards couldn't look like window dressing to this jury. that's very important. the notion that john edwards might have been hiding behind his daughter and letting her get up on the stand and take a bunch of cross examination while he, himself, wasn't willing to get on the stand also. so, a real strategy question, i think there for the defense as they move into the point where the jury is actually going to start deliberating, zoraida.

>> a lot of people were riveted by the salacious details that came out. what can we expect next? >> well, we're going to see closing arguments today, probably around 9:30 eastern. the way this works is the prosecution and the defense both get two hours to make their final arguments to the jury. the prosecution will go first, probably about an hour and 15 minutes. a break from the defense does it closing argument and the prosecution gets to come back. they're the people that have the burden of proving each and every element of the six-count indictment against john edwards. the jury is expected to actually start deliberating some time tomorrow, zoraida. >> joe johns live in greensboro, north carolina, with us this morning. thank you. 42 minutes after the hour. let's get you up-to-date. here is christine romans. >> i'm sorry, i'm not able to hear you right now. i'm going to toss back. i'm not hearing or seeing. you get to do it.

>> i thought maybe she could read my lips. all right. what christine was going to talk to you about, i'm quite sure, because she has talked to us about it every time she's been here, facebook. will the price be right for you? facebook is announcing how much it's going to cost to own a share today before going public. only a select few get access to that price. it's expected to be somewhere around $38 a share. cops in arizona on the hunt for an inmate who literally walked out the front door of jail. maricopa county sheriff's office says he stole another inmate's i.d. who was about to be released. rocky marquez, considered armed and dangerous. he was in jail on charges of perjury, forgery, witness tampering and weapons charges. critics say the new measure would make the nation's toughest immigration law even tougher. final approval sets with the governor, who is said to be

reviewing the legislation. brook baldwin has been getting up nice and early all week, filling in for soledad. >> 2:30 am. hello! on "starting point" another nasty showdown. dare we do this again? talking about the debt ceiling. clashing again over raising the debt limit. we'll get both sides for you, talking to maryland congressman and ranking member of the house budget committee joining us at 7:00 am. 8:00 am, we'll talk to texas republican congressman and get his take on this clash again. for more than 20 years, george lucas, legendary film maker, do you realize he's been trying to convince his wealthy neighbors to let him build a huge movie studio? it's created anger. he is striking back. you won't believe his new plan.

captain chesley "sully" sullenberger, has a new book out. of course, we know him from the miracle on the hudson. if you're at work, wherever you are, head to cnn.com/live at the top of the hour. >> look at who is coming in here, morgan sperlot. one handsome man. >> mansome. >> good to see you again. >> talking about grooming. >> male grooming. >> we've heard all about you this morning. >> five bucks a month. >> oh, brother. >> he says it only costs five dollars a month. >> which i don't believe. >> i don't believe. >> not buying it for a minute. i'm not buying it. >> all the facials. >> you're watching "early start." cers to supply affordable, cleaner energy, while protecting our environment. across america, these technologies protect air - by monitoring air quality and reducing emissions...

...protect water - through conservation and self-contained recycling systems... ... and protect land - by reducing our footprint and respecting wildlife. america's natural gas... domestic, abundant, clean energy to power our lives... that's smarter power today.

i love this conversation. beard shaving, waxing your back. manescapie man-scaping it's called. check out that well-groomed man. he is always well put together. apparently he's not alone. market research firm npd group who looks at buying trends, says one in four men now use some sort of facial skin care product like face wash or perhaps a moisturizer. i believe ali uses one with retin-a. department stores sold $84.7 million worth of male skin care, all in an effort for men to look good.

and it's in a new document, mansome. take a look. >> we're not supposed to look like we spent any appreciable time or energy on our appearance. we have to have that casual look. on the other hand, we have to be perfect. >> really? joining me now to talk about mansome is the film's director, merlin sperlac. you've been doing some manscaping? what about man's effort to look good? >> it's become part of the dialogue. men are not actually afraid to talk about it. this idea of how we represent ourselves and how people see us in society is one that a lot of people care about. >> i found that fascinating. my producer is a male, young

male actually. he says he likes to look good for his wife. >> you've got to take care. you've got to take care for your ladies. >> do you think there's an expectation? >> i think there is now. we live in this time where we've created the ideal man. if you look at the ideal man, what they think the perfect guy is, it is the old spice guy. >> do we have a picture of him, by the way? >> isaiah, it's brad pitt, george clooney. to live up to those expectations, you can't wash and get out the door. >> there he is. >> there is mr. mustafah. >> a mansome man. >> yeah. so, anyway, you talk to a lot of guys about this. do a lot of guys feel the same way? i know there are folks we see all the time that are celebrities, but the average guy, how does he feel about this? >> the average guy is suddenly realizing he can't not pay attention to it. walk by a magazine rack, look at the cosmos or women's dailies, which for years have told women

about their imperfections and you start looking at men's health, details. it's like, men, you're too fat. get rid of those wrinkles. suddenly, men are being thrust upon them the same type of insecurities that women have had for decades. >> one guy that you interviewed and talked about a line in the sand. i want to play this and then i want to talk about it. >> okay. >> more and more guys have begun to groom. and women have a mixed reaction. there's some types of grooming that they're okay with and even want and there's some where it crosses a line. >> what is -- i thought it was a man you talked to. >> that line is right here. >> really? >> that's where the line stops for me. >> what about for most men? do you think it does? >> no, there are a lot of men that really have to take care of what's south of the border. i am so not one of those guys. >> you did not just say that on tv. >> yes, he did say that. here is my question. how many men did you find that

that was really important to them? >> a lot. no, there are guys who like have to do quite a bit of shaving and trimming. yeah. >> okay. so here is where i draw the line. i say there are a lot of guys who pluck their eyebrows to the point that they look like women. did you have that conversation? >> we have a guy in the film who literally from the minute he wakes up and leaves the house is a two-hour process. he goes and gets his eyebrows threaded and plucked. he is trying to find this perversion of himself, perfect ideal. he is still looking, is on that quest. >> i asked this morning how much guys typically spent on grooming. it varied. one guy on facebook says he spends about $300 a month because he gets braids. what's your routine? >> i probably get a haircut. you figure a haircut plus -- i don't know, maybe some cream. $50. i don't know. maybe $50, if -- big spender. high roller. >> you get out of the door, you

say, in 20 minutes? >> from the time i wake up till the time i walk out of the house, 20 minutes. not much i can do with this face. >> you clearly spend in other places as well. the movie is "mansome." thank you so much for joining us. it was fun to get into the mind of a guy. i really enjoyed that, ali. >> it's dark in there. >> it's dark in there. good to see you. how about this for a change? 5-year-old students giving out grades for their teachers. if they fail, the teachers could get fired. where this is happening and why, after the break. and if you're leaving the house right now, you can watch us on your desktop, mobile phone. go to cnn.com/tv. hurting faster... [ female announcer ] neosporin® plus pain relief starts relieving pain faster and kills more types of infectious bacteria. neosporin® plus pain relief. for a two dollar coupon, visit neosporin.com. [ male announcer ] they were born to climb... born to leap, born to stalk,

and born to pounce. to understand why, we journeyed to africa, where their wild ancestor was born. there we discovered that cats, no matter where they are... are born to be cats. and shouldn't your cat be who he was born to be? discover your cat's true nature. purina one. [ thunk ] sweet! [ male announcer ] the solid thunk of the door on the jetta. thanks, mister! [ meow ] [ male announcer ] another example of volkswagen quality. that's the power of german engineering. right now lease the 2012 jetta for $159 a month. that's the power of german engineering. i haand then i have eleven my grandkids. right when you see them, they're yours,

it's like, ah, it's part of me. it's me again. now that i'm retiring they all have plans for me. i'm excited.

still talking about the man grooming. >> yep, yep. with the guys on the floor. it's 57 minutes after the hour. time for early reads. kindergartners in georgia may soon help decide whether their teachers get raises or get fired. a new pilot program where kids from kindergarten through high school evaluate their teachers. feedback to influence teacher job ratings. critics worry that kids as young as 5 are too immature to evaluate teachers. my teacher knows a lot about what he or she teaches, because the 5-year-old is going to know. and my teacher gives me help by circling a smiley face, neutral face or frowny face. >> imagine all they could learn by that. >> if kids are that smart, why not teach themselves? just saying. kids in florida are failing their state's writing exam. an emergency meeting was called after nearly 75% of students

failed the writing portion of the state's fcat exam. more than 80% of the students passed it last year. this year, they raised the standard, increasing the score required to pass.