and kill. and on this independence day, what's your definition of a hero? our men and women in the military? your mom, your dad? think about it. it's our talk back question of the day. newsroom begins right now. i'm carol costello. happy, happy fourth of july. good morning to you. right now, crowds are gathering and parades are gearing up in small towns and big cities across the country. but millions of americans will be missing one holiday tradition this year, fireworks. they are being blamed for a house fire that injured nine people in new hampshire. and that danger is compounded by record heat and drought. local leaders in at least 20 states have shut down their annual fireworks displays. >> the ground is a tinder box because of how dry that it is. so our concern is looking at secondary water supply if we do get a structure fire. >> ok. let's bring in our

meteorologistalimeteorologist alexandra steele. and people still without electricity and without any way of keeping cool. let's kbin wibegin with brian i charleston, west virginia. good morning, brian. >> reporter: good morning, carol. a lot of customers in this area still without power. about a quarter to a third of the customer in this state don't have power back and may not get it until this weekend. why is that? this is a typical scene that power crews are coming across. this huge oak snapped in half. came down on this road. they have to clear the small brush first. and, again, dealing with blocked roads. here are the double yellow lines. dealing with blocked roads. but when it comes down like this, what does it take out? a power line. check it out here. this oak snapped in half. took out this power line. this could still be energized because a power official told us a short time ago if the lines do not hit the ground themselves, they may not trip out automatically. so this could still be

energized, posing a danger for the crews. then they have to remove the huge tree and get to that. and this scene is repeated throughout the state. downed trees, a huge, huge problem for power crews throughout west virginia. we talked to the ceo charles patton earlier this morning to ask him how they prioritize getting people back into service. >> well, first of all, we look at critical care. we look at hospitals. we look at water and waste water facilities to make sure that our customers in this region do have water, potable water. and then what we try to do is get the biggest bang for our buck. meaning we try to get as many customers on as we can with the next operation that we undertake. >> reporter: you heard him mention potable water. that's a big problem because a lost the pumps that take care of

the pressure in your shower or sink were knocked out. they are trying to reboot those. therefore, water pressure and discolored water is a big problem for people. people are being asked to boil water. the food shortage in the state is still a huge problem because grocery stores without power are tossing out food, and people are running out. so there's a food distribution going on right now in west virginia. >> i'm feeling really blessed this morning. brian todd, reporting live from charleston, west virginia. for those who do have power, today's continuing heat will have many wondering if they really want to leave the air conditioning for holiday celebrations outdoors. upper 80s and 90s still fill the map. mercifully, fewer 100 degree temperatures today. >> good morning. it's the july fourth holiday. a lot of people aren't working so you want to go to the pool, go to the barbecue. will your fireworks be on of course because of drought and wildfire fears? again, over 12 states not going to have fireworks. but on the whole around the country, it's going to be hot and humid, but no real rainout

per se. but the problem is, we will see scattered showers and thunderstorms and 100 degree temperatures and feeling like 112 in minneapolis. kind of the worst, most uncomfortable spot around the country, believe it or not, that far north. but showers and storms from minneapolis to new york. and washington. and just remember this. when thunder roars, go indoors. when you hear thunder, even if you don't see anything, you could get struck by lightning. so there's a lot of juice in the atmosphere. it's all coming up. that's why it's so humid. so maybe around the country today, temperatures aren't quite as hot for everybody as where they have been. but it actually will be more uncomfortable because those dewpoints, the measure of the moisture, is higher today. all right. so there's all that juice, all that fire in the atmosphere. 9:00 temperatures in boston, again, scattered showers and storms. 78. 86 in new york city. washington, this number says 83. but i think it's erroneous. this computer model is under the assumption that it will be raining or thunderstorms at that point, but it will much hotter and feel more humid than that.

atlanta to new orleans, mostly dry skies but the afternoon is when we have the threat for showers and storms. and minneapolis, can you imagine, carol, minneapolis way hotter than -- this is the 9:00 temperature. >> wow. >> 102 potentially feeling like 110 there. way hotter than miami or key west, for that matter. >> at least we're all in it together. we're all sweating together. >> but more than new england. it will be most pleasant there. manchester, vermont, new hampshire, good idea. >> thanks, alexandra. hot, dry conditions have played a huge role in wildfires burning out west. we have pictures to show you, exclusive pictures taken by firefighters as they fought through the flames. these are close up to the homes that were burning. we'll have more pictures for you in just a minute. right now, we want to bring you up to date about what's happening across the rest of the country as far as wildfires are concerned. 14 states dealing with active fires now. in montana, a fire has burned more than 186,000 acres in custer national forest.

in colorado, firefighters keep making headway against the waldo canyon blaze, hoping to gain more ground on their 70% containment. cnn's jim spellman is live in colorado springs, and you have more of the exclusive pictures which are actually pretty frightening to show us. >> reporter: that's right, carol. they are making a lot of good progress against this fire now. but this is our first look really at what it was like up close, fighting this blaze last tuesday when so many homes were destroyed. take a look. the scene in the devastated mountain shadows neighborhood of colorado springs now. but this is what it looked like last week as high winds drove the fire down from the hills. behind the camera, colorado springs fire department videographer steve shoeper. >> you're starting to smell the smoke. and your head is on a swivel. i have sparks raining down all over me. >> reporter: firefighters converged on the scene. they had to quickly determine

which homes to defend and which ones were beyond saving while stopping the fire from advancing. >> made that line in the sand and they said, this fire does not get past us. and that's what they did. they held the line. and they didn't let it get past them. >> reporter: they doused vulnerable homes with water even as properties right next door are engulfed in flames. the camera captures sparks as they jump from one home to the roof of another, setting off a new fire. the videographer and his driver, a rookie firefighter, spring into action. >> i found a hose, a garden hose, to try and put this roof fire out. >> reporter: it works. the fire is extinguished. 346 homes were lost. hundreds more saved by the firefighters. >> those who lost their homes, they are going to rebuild. this town will rally around them. they'll be ok. sorry.

you know, you can't help but be asked by it. -- affected by it. >> reporter: after that night, firefighters here have not lost another structure. amazing work they have done. you can really see in the aftermath that despite 350 homes being lost, they really did save hundreds more. carol? >> jim spellman live in colorado springs this morning. also this morning, fire crews are celebrating a quick victory outside of los angeles. a fire had flared in the hilly terrain near palmdale and flames swept across 200 acres of grass and bush. but within three hours, firefighters were able to put the fire out. there is new intrigue over the death of one of the most divisive leaders of our times. a new conspiracy theory suggests that palestinian leader yasser arafat was possibly poisoned. and his widow wants his body exhumed for testing. the reason, his personal belongings were contaminated with a highly radioactive

element. polonium is the same substance used to kill a former russian spy who had begun working for british intelligence. matthew chance is in london. matthew, this supposedly happened in 2004 when israeli tanks surrounded arafat's compound in ramallah. he could not leave the compound for weeks. so fill us in with what you know now. >> well, i think yasser arafat died significantly after that surrounding of his compound. but what's interesting about these developments that have been put out there by al jazeera, basically they got clothes from yasser arafat that he was wearing when he was evacuated from his compound in ramallah to get medical treatment, when he fell ill in paris. and taken those items of clothing to an independent laboratory in switzerland to try and test for any kind of toxins. they didn't find any conventional toxins in the clothes. but they did find this

astonishingly high level of the radioactive substance polonium 210. now, as you indicated, it's the same substance that was used two years later in 2006 to poison the former russian agent turned dissident who was poisoned here in london in 2006. it's an interesting substance because it's very hard to produce. it's produced in nuclear reactors. and in fact, 97% of the word's polonium 210 is produced in russia and then shipped to companies through the same supplier in the united states. it's also a very difficult substance to detect, which is one of the reasons which was such avrj clever way, i supposf poisoning someone. it's extremely difficult to read with conventional methods. you need special equipment to detect the radiation it emits. and it has a very short half life. just 138 day. that means every 138 days, there's only half of the amount left. so it decays very quickly

compared to other radioactive isotopes. but i suppose if this tests are confirmed, and the only way to confirm them is if the body of yasser arafat is exhumed and more, you know, more definitive tests are carried out on his actual tissue, then it could indicate he was assassinated possibly by an organization that has the backing of a state. the only organizations that could get their hands on polonium. >> was there an autopsy performed on yasser arafat after he died? >> it's is interesting because there wasn't. and no real reason has been given, you know, in terms of his cause of death. and so that has led to all sorts of conspiracy theories such as this one, that he was for instance assassinated by israel or assassinated by the united states or even assassinated by a member of his inner circle. there was even a rumor that he

had contracted hiv and had died of aids after a homosexual relationship with one of his guards. that's been ferociously denied by the palestinian authority. but there is growing suspicion that it may have been dirty play that led to the end of yasser arafat. >> interesting. i'm sure you'll be following this one. that's really fascinating. matthew chance reporting live for us from london. the temperature is rising in new york, and i'm not talking about the heat. it's the annual fourth of july hot dog eating contest. even mayor bloomberg is weighing in, and in not such a good way. you'll hear what he has to say, next. >> hi. i'm jennifer bond with first infantry division here in afghanistan. and i want to wish my family in bentonville, arkansas a happy independence day. i love you and i miss you guys. the best protection now looks,

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chosen by car & driver as the best luxury sedan in a recent comparison test. 16 minutes past the hour. checking our top stories now, a jetblue pilot who suffered an apparent meltdown during a flight in march has been found not guilty by reason of insanity. the judge in the case also decided that he had interfered with the flight crew. osbon is now being held in a low security federal prison. in money news, you can own a piece of the world's most popular soccer team. yes, manchester united plans a $100 million public offering on the new york stock exchange. the move was aimed at reducing some of the team's debt, estimated at an eye popping $663 million. and boston's harbor fest caps off a week-long celebration today. dozens of navy vessels and tall ships are in the harbor right

now. this year's event marks the bicentennial of the war of 1812 and a chance to honor the heroes of old ironsides, the uss constitution. betting on america. that is the name of president obama's latest bus tour, an event that will take him through the critical swing states of ohio and pennsylvania over the next two days. the president beat republican john mccain by 11 percentage points in pennsylvania and by five points in ohio back in 2008. but this year, both states are viewed as competitive. and the president won't be alone in those battle ground states as republican governor bobby jindal of louisiana and former presidential candidate tim pawlenty take their pitch for mitt romney to the voters. meantime, a group described as a, quote, conservative political action committee is sponsoring something it calls the defeat of barack obama tellathon. participants include herman

cain, arizona sheriff joe apa e arpaio, and actress janine turner. mitt romney, the man who hopes to replace president obama in the white house, is taking a break from campaigning to help the nation celebrate its 236th birthday. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, carol. this is the first time that we are actually going to see mitt romney out in public this week. he is going to as you said do what is traditional, almost probably mandated for a politician on july fourth, and that is walk in a parade. and he's going to do it here in wolfboro, new hampshire, where he has a home and has been all week long. for a very rare vacation, as you said. he is here with his family, and that includes 30 people, just in his immediate people. his kids and grandkids. and our resourceful team,

including shauna shepherd, has been trying to spot him all week long. she has actually done it from the water. i think we have video frolicking with his wife on a jet ski. but this is not just for fun for him to be here. it also happens to be a critical battle ground state. only has four elector al votes. but if you look at any map that the obama campaign draws, pretty much any map they draw to get to the critical votes, it includes this state, so it is very important. >> how close is the race in new hampshire between romney and obama? >> it couldn't be closer. look at this poll. 45 to 45. dead even. and that is the latest nbc/maris poll. so this is something that is important for both candidates to get out here. and it actually is kind of surprising if you look at the receipt history of new hampshire in that barack obama beat john mccain handily here, and john mccain certainly had a good history with new hampshire

voters. and john kerry actually turned the state blue four years before that. before that, it was republican. but obviously, this is a neck and neck race because of what i just described to you. this is one of mitt romney's home territories. obviously, he was the governor next door. and he has a home here. he has been here for years. this particular week vacationing. so he is a bit of a favorite son, and that is why he is doing so well against obama in what is traditionally in recent history been a blue state. >> you're going to go to the parade and have a lot of fun, i know. dana reporting live from new hampshire this morning. so we know the fourth of july is all about american independence, and that includes politicking and lots and lots of fireworks and most importantly patriotism. that's why there's a huge celebration in washington, d.c., our nation's capital and home to the national mall. patriotic symbols seem more important to us on this day, like lady liberty. the fourth is a day to celebrate all things american. but why do we do it on july

fourth? that is a valid question, because we actually celebrate our nation's birth a few days late. that's because the nation's independence resolution was actually approved on july 2 in 1776. so why, you ask, do we celebrate the fourth? because that's the day that congress approved the actual declaration of independence, which spelled out exactly why the new americans said bye-bye to britain, and i think they made it all official by signing something. so now you know. what's the definition of an american hero? when it comes to politics, the answer is not always so clear. that's our talk back question of the day. volatility. ttd#: 1-800-345-2550 in times like these, it can be tough to know which ttd#: 1-800-345-2550 way the wind is blowing. ttd#: 1-800-345-2550 at charles schwab, we're ready with objective insights about ttd#: 1-800-345-2550 the present market and economic conditions. ttd#: 1-800-345-2550 and can help turn those insights into ttd#: 1-800-345-2550 a plan of action that's right for you. ttd#: 1-800-345-2550 so don't let the current situation take you off course.

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we have to show you pictures of these people running a 10 k in atlanta because i -- i mean, they have my admiration. it is really hot and humid already in atlanta. and for the people running this race, there were warnings posted before the race saying, you know, it's going to be really hot and humid. you might not want to run this race. we're going to have a high of 95 degrees today in atlanta. it is already, what, upon 75 but feels much hotter. that is impressive. this is actually one of the world's largest road races. it's a 10 k. takes place in atlanta every july fourth. and i say congrats to all of you. now is your chance to talk back on one of the big stories of the day. the question for you this morning, what's your definition of a hero? july fourth, the day of national pride. we're thinking about american heroes like our founding fathers.

and those who fought and died for america's independence. back in the day it was a cinch to figure out who those heroes were. today it's not so simple. joe wallch seems to think a true hero shows humility. he is running against tammie buckworth who lost both legs fighting in iraq. here he is posting in a video called think progress.org. >> now i'm running against a woman who, my god, that's all she talks about. our true heroes, the men and women who served us, it's the last thing in the world they talk about. that's why we are so indebted and in awe of what they have done. >> walsh says he didn't mean to imply that duckworth wasn't a hero, but duckworth doesn't believe it. seriously? politics is a nasty game, but it's clear it's muddying our

definition of a hero. rudy giuliani was considered america's mayor after 9/11. he was "time's" person of the year and was knighted by the queen. but when he ran for president, guess who didn't show much humility either. joe biden said there was only three things he mentioned in a sentence, a noun, a verb, and 9/11. so we wondered, politics aside, what's your definition of a hero? your comments later this hour. do you plan to hit the road for your july fourth get away? well, you certainly will not be alone. we'll show you what's behind the uptick in road trips this year. . but, through it all, we've persevered, supporting some of the biggest ideas in modern history. so why should our anniversary matter to you? because for 200 years, we've been helping ideas move from ambition to achievement.

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just about 30 minutes past the hour. good morning. happy fourth. i'm carol costello. stories we are watching right now in the newsroom, it is hard to look at video as horrifying as this and find any good news, but there is some. the waldo canyon fire in colorado springs more than 70% contained now. the fire killed two people, incinerated about 18,000 acres, and destroyed nearly 350 homes. it is the most destructive fire in colorado history. that jetblue pilot who went a little crazy in march and forced an emergency landing was insane at the time. that's the judge's ruling. as a result, the judge said clayton osbon is not guilty of interfering with a flight crew. he could have gotten up to 20 years in prison. flight attendants wrestled osbon to the floor, and the flight eventually landed safely in texas. former commerce secretary john bryson will not be charged for two auto crashes last month in los angeles. they found no alcohol in his system but they did find traces

of ambien but not enough to impair him. bryson took a medical leave after the accidents which he blamed on seizures. he has now resigned. many of you are taking advantage of lower gas prices this holiday week. prices are down 23 cents from a year ago, but they are creeping back up. the national average is already up a opinipenny from yesterday. david mattingly is in downtown atlanta. so why the uptick? >> reporter: well, carol, it has to do with uncertainty about what the summer might hold, what the supply of oil and the flow of oil to the pumps. but for right now, people are coming to these pumps, they are seeing what's reading here, and they are taking advantage of it for the holiday. more americans in more cars are traveling more miles this fourth of july holiday. lower gas prices is one of the big reasons why.

aaa estimates more than 42 million americans are on the move during their time off. the most since 2007. eight out of 10 are hitting the highway. >> this year, we've seen the highest volume vehicle travel for the fourth of july holiday period in over a decade. >> nationally, prices for regular fell earlier this week to $3 a gallon in alabama, and $3.74 in california. there's a feeling of get it while you can. >> i am taking advantage of gas prices, the low gas prices now. i better fill up now. better fill up now and take advantage. >> reporter: prices average about 24 cents a gallon less than last year, but 60 cents more than in 2010. and already, there are signs this consumer roller coaster is already on the climb again. maybe up 10 to 15 cents more on average. >> sort of a range of $3.25 to $3.50 through the summer until about september.

>> and just yesterday, the price of oil jumped more than 4%. the highest since may. >> reporter: that jump, carol, happening after 78 straight days of gas prices actually going down, so that was leading up to the holiday. now that the holiday is here, it's bouncing back up. >> so i'm curious about something. in 2008, gas prices were really high. too, most people got rid of their big suvs. is that still holding true? are people driving more fuel efficient cars today? >> well, we've had a long time to get used to the higher gas prices. in fact, we have heard from a lot of people in california yesterday that even though the gas prices are down relatively low, compared to what we have seen in the last couple of years, they are used to those extra high prices. california having some of the highest gas prices in the domestic u.s. and the continental u.s. so people are used to making cutbacks. they are used to being a little

more conservative when they are using their gas. and finding ways to make it go further. but they are enjoying those lower prices for this holiday. enjoying what the fourth of july is bringing them. >> david mattingly in downtown atlanta, thank you. cut the fat, keep the city healthy. it's a mission for new york city mayor michael bloomberg, whose initiatives have sparked both praise and outrage. first, there was a ban on those artery clogging transfats found in fried foods. then a plan to cut the city's salt intake. and most recently, a ban on large sodas. so when it comes to new york's annual fourth of july hot dog eating contest, you'd think the mayor would once again crack the whip on fat and calories, right? not so much. this year, bloomberg helped honor the event, but not before making a few really bad jokes. >> if one of the dogged pursuers

will finally ketchup, cut the mustard, and be pronounced weiner. no question, it's going to be a dog fight. just think of how many we got into one sentence. that was really impressive. who wrote this [ bleep ]? [ laughter ] >> ok. so maybe the mayor won't be chowing down later today, but plenty of others will, including a five-time hot dog eating champion. alison kosik is joining me now from the site of the contest in brooklyn. and these aren't turkey dogs, right? >> no, no. i don't think there's -- yeah. there's nothing really healthy about what's going to be happening here in literally two hours, 25 minutes. they are literally counting it down here on this countdown clock to find out who can eat the most hot dogs in 10 minutes. so, yeah, i'm not thinking that's very healthy. what's going to happen in two hours and 20 minutes, women and men -- well, the women will take the stage first behind me.

and you have people already gathering here to my left. they can't wait to see this start. think about it, carol. what is a spectacle, watching people shove the hot dogs in their mouths. and it really begs the question, how do they do it? joey chestnut, who is defending his title, scarfed down 63 hot dogs last year. i found out what the trick is. we've got the hot dog. i'm going to show you the hot dog here. and they are not putting mustard and ketchup and relish on it. what they are doing, they pick it apart. they take the hot dog and split it in half and then they chow down on it this way, putting it in their mouths this way, double wide. and then they take the bun, because the bun is included. they split it and they dunk it in water so it slides down easy. i don't think there's any chewing going on, carol. what do you think? >> i think it sounds disgusting. really disgusting. >> you've seen this, right? it's so disgusting you can't help but watch.

and kind of turn away too and maybe never touch a hot dog again after watching this. >> so the point is, you take the two halves and you eat it like on an angle on either side of your mouth? >> yes. >> oh. >> yes. especially this part. this is the part that's, you know, they don't really chew it. they have to get it down really fast. so there's a lot of -- well, there's less chewing going on. i'll leave it at that. >> there's less chewing. yeah, we can see that. ok. we'll check back with you for the exciting start of the contest. thanks so much, alison. >> this is serious business. you've got it. >> thanks. did tom cruise's fervent belief in scientology drive his wife to divorce him? that's the talk of the nation. what exactly scientologists believe, and is suri cruise at risk? we'll look into that.

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visit phoenix.edu to find the program that's right for you. enroll now. introducing gold choice. the freedom you can only get from hertz to keep the car you reserved or simply choose another. and it's free. ya know, for whoever you are that day. it's just another way you'll be traveling at the speed of hertz. some wonder if religion drove a wedge between hollywood's a list couple tom cruise and katie holmes. she is filing for divorce, as you well know. cruise, the box office superstar, is also a high

profile scientologist, a religion some consider a cult. let's bring in our religion editor to talk about this. hi, dan. >> hey, carol. >> so let's start off really basic. what exactly is scientology? >> so scientology is a relatively new religion. it was born in the 1950s. and it really revolves largely around practices that deal with the mind. and the thinking is that we have a couple of different kinds of minds. you know, in our head. one of them is an analytical sort of computer like mind that sees the world clearly. and another is a reactive mind. and scientologists believe that the reactive mind kind of processes all of these traumas we experience in this life and also in past lives. so the whole practice of scientology is aimed at reliving those traumas in order to neutralize them and to regain what scientists call that

analytical mind. >> so does it have anything to do with aliens? because i hear that a lot. >> well, it's tricky stuff. scientologists when you ask about the alien -- supposedly alien aspect will say no. at the same time, and scientologists only disclose this sort of information or this theory to advanced scientologists. there is this belief around an ancient civilization that lived on dozens of different planets and that comprised all of these different bodies which were extinguished and kind of the spirits of these bodies live on and attach themselves to human beings, and they add to this trauma that we were just talking about. so a lot of the religion is around dealing with these traumas, both from these beings that did come from alien planets and from our own experience in current and past lives. so it's tricky stuff. >> do you want me to do -- i'll just demonstrate the looks on people's faces here in the studio as you were explaining

that. they were looking like this. but i digress. but let me ask you this is also what people are wondering. this indoctrination. because that's supposedly what katie holmes is worried about as far as her daughter is concerned, that suri is going to have to board this yacht to be indoctrinated, this boot camp for scientologists. is that true or not true? >> well, the scientologists do operate this yacht on which certain members come onboard for certain types of experiences and sort of dealings with the church. but i think it gets to this basic issue, which is that from the beginning, scientologiy has always been this very embattled religion. you have people that question its validity as a religion itself. you have the medical establishment, which has concerns about scientology's rejection of psychiatry and

psychiatric drugs. rather than those drugs, the church encourages this process of auditing to relive these traumatic experiences that we talked about. there is the irs in the united states that for a long time denied granting the church tax exempt status that other american churches enjoy. so from the beginning, there have always been questions about the validity of scientology. and of course this whole controversy between katie holmes and tom cruise brings up all of those controversies. >> oh, yes. so this will slowly play out, and i'm sure we'll have you back to help us understand. dan, thanks so much. >> good to see you, carol. the tiniest subatomic particle may hold the biggest clue as to how the universe was formed. have scientists finally found the so-called god particle? >> i'm pfcbecthold.

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maybe this won't come up during your fourth of july cookout conversation today, but it is a big, big deal in the scientific community. researchers may have found something they have been diligently looking for, the so-called god particle.

so what is this particle, and why is it so important? good morning. >> reporter: good morning. well, here's how i understand it. i'm not a particle physicist. but the way it's been explained to me by scientists is that the higgs boson, also known as the god particle, is the last piece of the puzzle in the standard model of particle physics. this is how we understand the universe works. and they have been looking for it for decades. they have never seen it. it only existed in theory. and now they have conclusively proven, they say, with 99n.999% certainty, and that's the exact number, that it does exist. the reason why it's important is this particle is what gives matter mass. what that means basically is that stars, galaxies, planets, all of this needed mass to exist. so you and i basically are here thanks in large part to the higgs boson. and that's one reason why it's called the god particle. >> so if they hadn't found this

particle, or if they found this particle didn't exist, what would that mean? >> it would have meant that all of modern physics as we know it would have been chucked out the window. so it's a good thing they found it. >> they would have had to start back at square one. i think you did a pretty good job. thank you very much. don't forget to weigh in on our talk back question of the day. we asked you this question. what's your definition of a hero? your responses, next.

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i'm stationed here in afghanistan. i want to say happy july 4th to my wife. i love you and i'll see you in november. all right. thank you. we asked you to talk back on one of the stories of the day. the question for you this morning. what's your definition of a hero? this from joseph. individuals who speak truth to power. from frances, a hero is someone who does what they do quietly and without making it about himself or herself or publicity. this one, someone who puts themselves or their nation above anything. >> from ray, our true heroes who are all the forgotten veterans that live on the streets we only remember once a year. now anyone who enlists is a hero, whether combatant or noncombatant. from liz, our brave soldiers, the firefighters that are

battling those horrific fires out west. take us with you any time. head to cnn.com/tv.

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and we have ours. now during the summer event get an exceptionally engineered mercedes-benz for an exceptional price. but hurry, this offer ends july 31st. good news for the u.s. auto industry. they take a big jump in sales for june. totals for chrysler, ford, and gm up 4% from last year.

experts are heading back to dealerships lured by low interest rates. before last night's cubs/braves game chipper jones found out he was going to the all-star game, replacing matt kemp on the nl roster. jones celebrated in a big, big way. he won 5-5 against chicago including two doubles, knocked four doubles in atlanta's 10-3 win. it's jones' third career, five-hit game but first in a decade and first in a home game. this is the last season for the 40-year-old jones. next week's all-star game is at kansas city's kauffman stadium. the only current big league park where jones has yet to play. 183 runs were scored in baseball on tuesday. a high for the season. seems like the most came in this game between the marlins and brewers. jose reyes's homer put miami ahead, 12-11 in the top of the tenth inning but the scoring didn't stop there.

bottom of the inning you see aramis ramirez, a towering homer off bell. that's tied for major league record. and the nfl has rejected the appeals of four players linched to the new orleans/saints bounty scandal. the players face suspensions ranging from three games to a full season. nfl commissioner roger goodell could reduce the suspensions if the players would meet with him and provide new information, but the players plan to fight the league in court. that's a look at sport this morning. a man-up set with his cell phone company rngs he trashes one of the stores and quickly becomes an internet sensation. here's cnn's jeanne moos. >> reporter: how bad did this guy want his money back? bad enough to tear everything off the stores in this store. badly enough to attack the store with not one but two fire

extinguishers. badly enough to do all of this with people watching through the windows. his name is jason codnel, although on the facebook fan page he's been named angry t mobile guy, everyone's vigilante. when the police arrived to arrest him his looks said no need to get rough. after they put on the cuffs he was nodding and smiling pleasantly. after the police broke up the crowd he had attracted and is still tracking online. >> all i could is cheer him on. yes. >> reporter: considering how much we all love our phones, it sure is a lot of pent-up anger at phone companies. >> i don't feel sorry for ti mobi mobile. >> reporter: but for every "i feel your pain, man," someone else posted this behavior is

inexcusable. the customer want add refund that they were not allowed to give as it was clearly outside of the stated terms an conditions but some of the fans of the angry guy said they sometimes feel like he did. >> what is that going to prove? nothing. i feel better. >> one person played the angry guy backward. this joins other memorable ram pages, for instance, the russian doctor who ran into showroom vehicle after vehicle who got fed up waiting for his car to be fix and a woman who stiff around bottles from a liquor store after the clerk used the phrase you people while refusing to let her use the restroom. in this case the "t" in tie mobile stood for slashed. this cell phone video is getting

shared with comments like "can you hear me now?" >> i don't recommend it but kudos to him, man. >> jeanne moos, cnn, new york. >> the next hour of "cnn newsroom" starting right now. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com was yasser arafat poisoned? tests run on his pernlt effects have found high levels of radiation. findings are not definitive. the next step would be to test arafat's body. plus -- >> just thing how many we got into one sentence. that was really impressive. who wrote this [ bleep ]. >> new york mayor michael bloomberg unplugged at the nathan's hot dog weigh-ins like let me be frank and it's going

to be a dog fight and i'll relish it. it's bloomberg like we've never seen him. and good morning to you. i'm carroll costello. happy, happy fourth of july. i hope you have the day off and are enjoying it. we begin something synonymous with the fourth of july. presidential politics. the state of new hampshire is ground zero for mitt romney this week. they'll celebrate the nation's birth. that's where we're find our congressional correspondent dana bash. good morning, dana. >> reporter: good morning. you say it's sort of mandatory for candidates to be out on the fourth of july. this is the other thing that's mandatory. this is the scene where mitt romney is going to walk. how americana is this? it gives you the chills as corny

as it sounds. a country store. of course, you can't forget the lemonade stand. this is the kind of scene mitt romney is going to bending on when we walks on this parade route here in wolfboro, new hampshire. it's a place where he has one of his homes and he's been spending all week here. it's the first time we'll see him out in public. we're going to hear from him. he's going to make remarks and we'll get poll circle hopefully, as well as some pictures. >> and we may find out -- i understand some of the people mention his potential vp picks are also in new hampshire. might we find out who romney's running mate is going to be? >> reporter: i doubt we're going to find out, but, you're right. we're finding some interesting visitors. kelly ayotte is going to walk

down the route with mitt romney. she's a freshman senator. when people talk about the question of whether or not there are any women on mitt romney's list and whether or not she's on the list, she's a freshman. for lots of reasons he's looking for somebody with more experience. somebody who does have a lot of experience and who's going to be here in new hampshire is rob portner. he's from the state of ohio. he's going to be doing a republican fund-raiser this coming weekend. right now there's no on-the-record indication that he's going have a private meeting with mitt romney, but you know how these things go. we've covered these for years. when we cover these meetings, they try to be tight-lipped about it. >> i know you have your ways dana bash. >> we try. >> over the next few days mitt romney will take his bid for ee leksds directly to the voters on

a bus tour called bettinging on american. it runs through the swing states of ohio and pennsylvania. the president beat republican john mccain by 11 percentage points in pennsylvania and by 5 percentage points in ohio in 2008. but this year both states are viewed as competitive and the president will not be alone as the former republican candidate tim pawlenty and republican governor bobby gijindal will ma their case for mitt romney in those very same states. in the meantime a group described as a, quote, conservative political action committee, is describing something called the defeat barack obama campaign tfrmt event is reportedly taking place this afternoon in las vegas and supposedly you can watch it online.

presidential race may be heating up, but the real scorcher may be as close as your doorstep. today's continuing heat will have many wondering if they really want to leave the air conditioning for the picnic outside. mid and upper 90s and temperatures at 100 still feel the map. alexandra steel with what's ahead. this morning. >> 95 degrees. are you going out to the barbecue and fireworks? me too. heat, of course, is continuing be story, but also scattered showers and thunderstorms. just remember this. when thunder roars, go indoors. you can get struck by lightning, believe it or not, even when you hear the thunder. it can get you. be mindful of that. maybe if you are outdoors, have a metal top vehicle, no writ is. you kind of have a plan just in case. here's the extreme heat, believe it or not. minneapolis, it may feel 110 or

112. temperature alone, 100 degrees. the dew point, that's the measure of the moisture in the air. that's worse than it has been in seven days. so here's a look what we're going to see. heat indices, you can see between 100 and 115. forecast tore today. no washout by any means really anywhere in the country. but because there's so much juice, so much moisture in air, we will see scattered storms, though most of them will probably be in the late afternoon. 10:00, 9:00 p.m. tonight, wherever you are, we're going to watch most of those abate. a lot of them not even doing the fireworks because of the fears of wildfires because of the drought conditions. all right. so there we are for the forecast today. all right. so this is all that moisture in the air that will fire off the storms. 9:00 temperatures. new york, 86, boston, 78.

washington, i think the computer model is a little erroneous there. i think it's going to feel warmer than that. 92. minneapolis, can you believe, car carol, a warm and uncomfortable day and night. with temperatures around 100. >> at least it's a holiday and we complain to the close ef people to us. >> the ones we love. >> the ones we love. >> that can't leave us. >> seriously. thanks, alexandra. hot, dry conditions have played a huge role in the fires burning out west. this is a look at the firefighters fighting the flames. right now 14 states are dealing with fires. in montana, a wildfire has burned acreage in custer forest and in colorado, they keep making headway in the waldo canyon blaze, hoping to gain ground.

the fires out west are providing an opportunity for one group of job seekers dealing with soaring unemployment rates. they're military veterans and they're being trained for another type of front line battle. here's martin savage. >> reporter: he fought for two tours in iraq but it never helped him. >> i never got a call back. >> reporter: he's using his chain saw to fight a new enemy. he's clearing brush that would be fuel for a possible wild fooifrmt with his his fellow vet sean frye. >> it sounded wonderful. everything i wanted. >> reporter: he said it's not so different from what he did. jim folks is not from the military but he is a veteran of the woods. his job is to train the vets and considering it an honor.

>> teamwork, the respect. it's unlike anything i've experienced in doing all of this work. >> reporter: the veteran fire corp corps dating back to 2009. they've trained in colorado, arizona, and new mexico to use chain saws and fight fires. the vets earn a small salary during the 24-week program. for your graduates, you could say the job market is on fire. >> we were seeing large accurate fires all over the west. there's a great need for fire suppression at the moment. >> reporter: newell used to be in the army. lessons learned in say like iraq, how do they apply in a mountain setting like this? >> you've still got those above you. >> reporter: he says he loves the view of the office. >> what do you want to go next? >> i want to get on fire.

>> reporter: they're already on fire battling wildfires is part of an elite team known as hot shots. >> if i didn't find a program, i could be living back home with mom and dad. i have no idea what i'd be doing now. >> reporter: for frye training applies to how he fits in. >> i need to know i'm doing something point. >> no, it's definitely not for everyone. it's work. it is work. >> reporter: but it's always rewarding and needed and helping unemploy. vets of iraq and afghanistan to go from the line of fire to the fire line. martin savidge, cnn, cortez, colorado. we've had a lot of people ask how they can help those who have lost their homes and belongings to the wildfires. if you want to help victims gorks to cnn.com/impact and that will have information on there to tell you exactly how you can help these folks. switching gears now to a

fourth of july tradition that's definitely not for anyone with a weak stomach, in 90 minutes or so the annual nathan's hot dog-eating contest will kick off at new york city's coney island. contestants are weighing in including mayor michael bloomberg who wasn't too thrilled about the speech he gave. >> if one of the dogged pursuers will kindly ketchup, cut the mustard and be pronounced weiner. no question on how many will get in the dog fight. just thing how many we got into one question. that's impressive. who wrote this [ bleep ]. >> all kidding aside, this event brings in a lot of money, right?

>> reporter: it does bring in a lot of money. two are going to get $20,000 for wolfing down the hot dogs. if you step back on what's going to be happening, this really is a come piecive sport and it draws a lot of interest. check this out. we kbeevet 2 1/2 hours before the women take the stage and these crowds are already gathering. they're sitting out in the sun to witness this feat of just downing these hot dogs one after another. the countdown is under way. 2 1/2 hours before the women take the stage. you hear the rehearsals right behind me. they're gearing up. the two big heroes trying to hold down their titles. joey chet nuft and sonya thomas. i want to give you a little demonstration of maybe how they

go ahead and doichlt they're not putting ketchup or mustard or relish on this thing. what they do is take the hot dog, split it, eat it double white. they have to do it with water and it goes down easier. sounds good. want to try it, karol? >> no thank you. i don't understand why people are so amazed by this event. i is fun and i know you can barely hear me, we can barely hear you because of the reher sales going on but we've got the gist. alison cottic, reporting live from coney island. we'll be right back. hi. this is captain nicole smith serving in bagram air force base in afghanistan. i'd like to say happy fourth of july to all my friends, aviation and sauld soeldiers surfing around the world.

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15 mishltings past 15 minutes past the hour. clayton osbun who suffered a meltdown in march has been found not guilty by reason of insanity. that decision came from a judge overseeing the case. osbon now seeking help at a federal facility. the move aimed at reducing some of the team's massive debt estimated at $363 million.

boston's harborfest caps off a week-long celebration today. dozens of tall ships and navy vessels are in the harbor right now. it's a chance to honor the heroes of old iron side's, the "uss constitution." this morning there's new intrigue over the death of one of othe most decisive leaders o all time. his widow wants his body exumed for testing. the reason. his personal le belongings. cnn's matthew chance is in london to tell us more. good morning, matthew. >> reporter: carol, good morning. it is a fascinating twist in this already very interesting saga that surrounded the death of yasser arafat.

osks, the palestinian leader. the swiss lab tested some of the belongings given to it by his widow when he was evacuated to receive medical treatment back in 2004. on it they didn't find any regular toxins. they're investigating what could have been the possible cause of his death but they did find this very radio active substance. it was a substance used to poison another two years after he died. it's an extreme willing interesting substance because it's very hard to produce, first of all. it's mainly prodrewesed inside russia and reactors. 97% of it. it's then shipped almost entirely to the united states where it's used in various applications by u.s. companies. so it's very difficult for individuals to get ahold of it.

the analysis when yet venn yenko was poisoned. it would be state actor, state intelligence organizations. things like that. it's very difficult to detect. once you do detect it, you can trace which reactor it was manufactured in. so it's a very traceable highly poisonous material. if it's confirmed. >> you have to wonder how likely is it that if arafat's body is exhumed, they'll find traces of h substance in his tissue. >> it's a very difficult issue because one of the interesting things about pea loan yum 210 and one of the reasons it's been favored as to poison people very assassinate peep is it has a half life of 138 days. there have been many years that

have passed since 2004. so if there are any traces remaining of polonium 210 inside arafat's body, it will be very, very slim indeed. if you're on the road, are you listening to us via satellite radio? you know you have plenty of company. we'll tell you what has drivers all pumped up this fourth of july. although i'm sure you can guess the answer. 8% every 10 years. wow. wow. but you can help fight muscle loss with exercise and ensure muscle health. i've got revigor. what's revigor? it's the amino acid metabolite, hmb to help rebuild muscle and strength naturally lost over time. [ female announcer ] ensure muscle health has revigor and protein to help protect, preserve, and promote muscle health. keeps you from getting soft. [ major nutrition ] ensure. nutrition in charge! mid grade dark roast forest fresh full tank brain freeze cake donettes rolling hot dogs bag of ice anti-freeze wash and dry

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now's your chance to talk back on one of the stories of today. the question this morning, what's your definition of a hero? july 4th, the day of national pride, we're thinking about national heroes like our founding fathers and those who fought and died for merck's independence. back in the day, it was a cinch to figure out who those heroes were. today it's not so clear. illinois's joe walsh is running against war veteran tammy duckworth who lost both legs in iraq. >> i'm running against a woman who, by god, that's all she talks about. our true heroes, men and women who serve us, that's the last thing they talk about. that's why we're so indebted and so in awe of what they have

done. >> walsh didn't mean to imply duckworth wasn't a here but duck wokt doesn't believe that. that aside, politics is clearly game but it's muddying our definition of hooechlt democrats are guilty of that as well. rudy giuliani was time's person of the year and was knighted by the queen. back then joe biden said there are only two things giuliani mentioned in a sentence. a noun, a verb, and 9/11. we wondered. politics aside, what's your thought? facebook.com/carolcnn. many of you are taking advantage of lowered gas prices this week. prices are down 23 cents from a year ago but they're creeping back up ever slowly.

the national average up already a penny. cnn's david mattingly joins us now downtown from atlanta. lots of people on the road this fourth of july holiday. >> reporter: that's right. and this really has been a remarkable summer when you talk about gas prices because for 70 straight days we saw gas prices at the push coming right down. well, that trend was over but it was still enough for people to look at the holiday period this week and think road trip. more machineries in more cars are traveling more mile this fourth of july holiday. lower gas prices is one of the big reasons why. aaa isestimates more than 42,00. eight out of ten are hitting the highway. >> this year we've seen the

highest volume e in over a decade. >> reporter: national prices fell earlier this week to $3 a gallon in alabama and $3.74 in california. there's a feeling of get it while you can. >> i am taking advantage of the gas preess. yeah. >> i'd better fill up now. fill up now and take advantage of this. >> reporter: prices average about 24 cent as gallon less than last year, but 60 cents more than in 2010. and already there are signs this consumer roller coaster is already on the climb again. maybe up 10 to 15 cents more on average. >> sort of a range of $3.25 to $3.50 through the summer until about september. >> yesterday it jump 4g%, the heist since machl part of the reason for that, of course, is uncertainly, uncertainty in the middle east.

with a possibility of a hurricane disrupting the oil. that's why it's bumping up right now. but today here at the station in atlanta where we're at, $3.25, that's about five to eight cents less. still plenty to celebrate here at least in atlanta for the fourth of july, carol. >> it's funny that we're celebrating gas prices which are still over $3 a gallon in most states of the country but you take what you can get. david mattingly. >> reporter: that's right. it's all relative, but better than last year. >> true. david mattingly looking at the glass half full. we like that. still ahead, the sun beams down, the america is swelling up. the sun does knot take a holiday. mine was earned off vietnam in 1968. over the south pacific in 1943. i got mine in iraq, 2003.

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in colorado's history. the jetblue pilot who went a little crazy in march and forced a landing was a little bit insane. that's the judge's ruling. clayton osbon did not violate any rule. former commerce secretary john bryson will not be charged for two auto crashes in los angeles. they did find traces of the sleep aid ambien, but not enough to impair bryson. commerce secretary resigned last month. he took medical leave after the accidents which he blamed on seizures. across much of the nation, the heat wave just keeps grinding away. first a look what -- a look at the people most at its mercy, the people still without lektrity and without a way of keeping cool.

brian todd is live in charleston, west virginia. why is it taking so long to restore power there, brian? >> reporter: well, brian, this scene can give you that answer. power cruise throughout the state both in areas like this where there are roads and rural areas where there are no roads are coming across scenes like this. fallen trees. it's huge problem. they've taken out power lines left and right. when they come across scenes like this, they've got to take out small brush and chop up the tree. and we're going have to take you over here. see this line right here, this could still be energized. the power company official told me a short time ago when it takes out a power line and it's still sitting on it and it's not touched the ground, it could still be active. they have to clear out, make sure they navigate through them carefully and clear the tries,

try to get the lines back up. if you imagine that scene repeated over and over and over again in state, you can see why so many people are without power. roughly a third to a quart ore f the customers in this state still without power. some may not gettet back till this weekend. >> the heat wave will have people wondering if they want to leave the air conditioning go outside for the barbecue or family picnic. some areas are seeing 100-degree temperatures today. alex andrea steele has more. >> the heat, it is not. so really kansas city once again today, 102 degrees. most definitely they're going to go down in the record books with

the heat. minneapolis will feel like between 110 and 112. the heat in dex will be higher than it's been. the humidity is so much higher and the dew point so much higher than it's been. the heat index values will be what it feels like. dot, dot, dot. here's a look. denver, down to 78 by sunday. relief in sight for you. st. louis, not much, wichita, not much. chicago, 81 by sunday. look at washington. 100 today, 100 through friday. 92 by sunday. a little bit of relief. 92 who would have thought it felt so good with their humidity. >> wow, 92. we love that it. thanks, alexandra. >> okay. >> we'll be right whack. a m

political part's advantage. a north carolina lawmaker accidentally voted in favor of legalizing a controversial praks it is known as fracking instead of voting against it. now she wanted to change her vote to what she meant it to be and the leadership is saying, no way. here e

here's lauren leslie. >> reporter: green and red, aye and no. representative becky carney says that's exactly what happened late monday night when she accidentally voted to legalize fracking. >> i made a mistake and i tried to recognize it to be reversed as people were doing and it was too late because it would change the outcome. >> reporter: they do that a lot. they push the wrong button and then change their votes later. but this vote did affect the veto override, so the rules don't allow carney to change it said representative paul stamm, no matter what her intentions were. >> that's not how it works. >> reporter: carney could have asked for that rule to be suspended but she never got the chance. stamm used a par liamentary

maneuver. >> i think that the member was well aware of how to vote, green or red. for whatever reason, maybe it was a mistake, maybe she decided to change her vote, but we can't do that. >> reporter: carney says it was a mistake and she takes responsible for i. but she said midnight end of session votes don't exact employ help i feel rotten and i feel tirednd afeel mistakes are made constantly when people are tire and under the stress of pushing to get out of here. >> the rust belt is made up of several states. where the president is now locked in a tough battle for re-election. taking on a road trip to hear what voters have to say about the race for the white house. [ male announcer ] this is rudy.

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hey. crab cakes, what are you looking at? geico. fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance. this week the cnn is heading on the road to a special series. poppy is taking the road. all four states selected obama in 2008 but one of those states, indiana, is now leaning toward mitt romney. poppy visited kokomo, one town who relies heavily on the auto industry for good jobs. it does not guarantee votes for president obama. >> reporter: when we rolled into kokomo, indiana, it was 93 degrees. few clouds in the sky. reflecting the revival of this

rust belt town. >> our three largest employers are all automotive companies, chrysler, general motor, and delphi. >> we came to meet cliff and duane at their neighborhood bar, two friendses who blue collared careers have follow add similar path but whose politics have not. do you agree who the next president is? >> no. i'm all over obama. >> and i'm leaning toward mitt romney. >> reporter: why obama? >> because i have a job today. >> reporter: he credits the auto bailout. they call kokomo the little detroit. despite that duane doesn't think president obama deserves another four years. >> we're not any much better off than what we were two and a half years ago. >> you cash add check. >> yes, i'm thankful for that. >> i'm better off.

>> reporter: kokomo's unemployment topped 20% in 2009 when gm and chrysler went bankrupt. it's down to 9.7% when we visit. why do you think romney would be better for the u.s. economy right now. >> think he can get more jobs. >> romney might be able to create jobs but they're going to pay $7 or $8 an hour. you know, hospitally and truly i can't support my family on $7 or $8 with no benefits. >> reporter: we asked the two to make their best argument to each other. >> duane, i have a job. you have a pension. we both have insurance. we can still raise our families. and no one in this town is gone. >> we've still got a rough road ahead of it, but i feel romney, his background and experience in business can help turn this

economy around. >> reporter: the debate is going on all over indiana. this is a really fascinating state politically. it voted for obama in 2008, electing a democrat as president for the first time since lbj, but right now the state is leaning toward romney. in kokomo, you can really see the politics play out in the stories of auto body shops on opposite sides of town. alan wilson is on the south side. he credits obama. >> i've got three more employees so our business has doubled. >> reporter: how's business? >> slow. very slow. >> reporter: rick mcclain is on the north side. >> i'm the guy in the middle who pays the taxes. it's actually crippled me. >> reporter: you're ready for a change it sounds like. >> it's going to happen. >> reporter: you're so confident. >> oh, yes. i understand east coast and west coast are probably pro obama. that's fine. but the people in the midwest have had enough.

we've been stepped on. we've paed enough bills. >> reporter: as for cliff and duane, they'll be voting. >> i never missed. >> you can check my record. >> reporter: again, this year, one of them is going to lose. >> poppy harlow now joins me from new york. you know, have people really made up their minds as of yet? still a couple of months till the election. do you find they're not going to change their minds at all, do you find? >> it's a great question. i think they have not totally made up their mind. there are a few in the piece you heard from, cliff pitcher. you heard from recommend mcclain at the end who is not going to support him. duane is sort of backing romney but he's a little bit more in the middle. what i think is clear about kokomo it went from 20% unpliemt to less than half that now largely because of the auto bailout.

what rick says it's like the government picked and choosed. he said chrysler and general motors auto sales are up but for people like him, they're not feeling it. i've heard some sectors are doing well, others aren't. this is clearly the biggest challenge. president obama is going to have his biggest uphill battle. richard murdock is running. it's very divided and the other state that's divided is michigan. we're going to take you outside of detroit in the auto bailout and what is romney's home state. >> interesting. checking our top stories now at 47 minutes past the hour.

heat warnings up for parts of ten states today, making it more miserable. nearly 1 million homes without power after last weekend's storms. some areas might not get electricity back on until next week. a former marine has been convicted of possessing this fully automatic ak-47. trial evidence shows he smuggled it into the united states following his tour of duty in iraq. the weapon may have belonged to a member of saddam hussein's royal guard. total sales for chrysler and general motors up 14%. experts say kuhn sierms are heading whack to dealerships due to low. federer was also a straight set winner to reach a record

33rd grand slam semifinal. and in just about an hour from now joey chestnut and sonya thomas will face off. the contest goes back nearly 100 years beginning as a side show on the coney island board walk. so best of luck to everyone and happy fourth.

the president is back if there camp david. he was there on holiday with his family. he's in the east room. you're taking a look at the naturalization ceremony. 25 members will be sworn in as citizen citizens today on this independence day. i believe the integration services director is talking right now. but you can see the president beside him. tonight the president and first lady will celebrate the fourth of july by welcoming military heroes and their families to the white house. they'll enjoy a barbecue and fireworks on the south lawn. just thought we'd pop in and let you see what's going on there

today. in mexico. after reports of gift karsd being distributed to some voters. the man who lost the election says he wants a recount says the vote was, quote, plagued by irregularities. nick parker is live in mexico, city. tell us more. >> yeah, good morning. it's relating to the distribution of gift cards to a supermarket chain which is similar to walmart in any way. they say they first received the complaints prior to sunday's election. they've reviewed the evidence. last friday as you said the second place presidential candidate held a press conference in which he distributed photographs of these gift cards and alleged that a presupporting union had been

distributing them around northern cities in mexico. it's not illegal here. the illegal part is obviously where these gifting are construed to be buying votes and in any way kind of coercing voters go out to the polls on one particular party. so ee faye has been very careful about the buying of votes. we've put in calls to the preparty which so far is the projected winner of these elections and the cards have yet to be returned. so far the real issue, i think, is the fact that amlo, the second placed presidential candidate say it's a wide

picture. he's basically calling for an entire recount for every single vote that was cast and a lot of people are looking back to 2006 when amlo was also in a similar positi position. >> nick parker, reporting live for us from mexico city, thank you. don't forget to talk back on our question of the day. what's your definition of a hero? your response is next. hi. i'm stationed in bagram, afghanistan. and i want to say happy independent day to my family in seattle, washington. [ male announcer ] considering all your mouth goes through,

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solution. one line if it's negative, two lines if it's positive. positive doesn't mean the virus is present but anyone with that result is encouraged to see a health care professional for additional kits. look for it to be in stores and online by october. we asked you to answer to what's your definition of a hero. carol says a hero is one who puts the needs of others over himself, is honest and has given all without receiving person gain, one you respect and admire and one you would wish to be like. this from charlie, a man or woman of distinguished coverage or ability admired for his ore her brave deeds and noble qualities and from dean. a hero is someone who displays selflessness and disregard for personal safety and comfort so that someone else may be safe

and by daniel, anyone who does anything for anyone else selflessly and by choice without wanting any recognition whatsoever. true heroes are unknown people. thanks for joining me on this fourth of july. i hope you're having a wonderful day even at 11:00. "cnn newsroom" continues with kyra phillips. >> good morning, everyone. start your engines, grill your burgers. but in parts of these bone-dry united states hold your fireworks, please. lots of workers talk about vets but two guys in birmingham have made it their miscsion. they do a lot with very little. a radioactive tooth brush does not prove that arafat was poison but it raised questions and the former palestinian's leader's widow wants some answers. what a day to become a united states citizen and who better than those already wearing the uniform. we're live over the

naturalization smens for 25 active duty members of the army, air force, and marines. they come from 17 countries. a lot of them taking place. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com we say it so often we sometimes forget what it means. we are a nation of immigrants, unless you are one of first americans, a native american, we are all desended from folks who came from some place else. whether they arrived on the may flower or a slave ship wlrks they came from ellis island or across the rio grand. immigrants signed their names to our declaration and helped win our independence. immigrants helped lay the railroads and build our cities, calloused hand by calloused hand. immigrants took up arms to preserve our union, defeat fascism, and to win a cold war.