>> good morning everyone. i am patti ann browne. >> i am heather childers. it is thursday, may 17th. thank you for watching "fox & friends first". >> sad news, the estranged wife of robert kennedy junior died of an apparent suicide. ainsley is here with all of the details. >> mary richardson kennedy just 52 years old she reportedly hanged herself in a barn behind her bedford mansion. here's a picture of the house. a housekeeper found her body. she was a former architect and

had a history of drug and alcohol abuse including two arrests of driving under the influence in 2010. she was depressed and despondent and had mounting money problems and was having difficulty with the end of her mare waj rfk. they were married for 16 years and had four children together before he filed for divorce back in 2010. but it wasn't until he started dating actress cheryl heinz that mary apair raently went off the deep end according to her friend. the kennedy family said mary quote inspired our family with her kindness, love, gentle soul and gentle spirit. robert arrived at the house late last night looking visibly december straut. their children ages 11 to 17 were not home at the time. >> so sad. ainsley, thanks. in other news after only two-days the defense rest its

case in the corruption trial of john edwards without calling edwards or his mistress rielle hunter to the stand. we are live with the latest on this story. >> one day closer to falling on the john edwards' trial. two hours from the prosecutor two hours from the defense team. it only took two-days to present compared to 3 weeks for prosecutors. because the defense wasn't trying to hit any home runs. the big proof comes from who they did not call to testify. they never called john edward's daughter kate or rielle hunter which one prosecutor says is very smart. >> taking away what would have been a strong closing argument. ladies and gentlemen of the jury he lied in so many circumstances and he got on the stand and lied to you. >> the former north carolina

senator and running mate of senator john kerry is accused of taking almost a million dollars from two of the donors and using it to keep his mistress rielle hunter some might not like. it's not a matter of whether or not mr. edwards came across during the trial as likeable. the defense is very optimistic. they are relying on the law here. they are saying to the jury in closing arguments, look at the law, you may not like this guy but look at the law and the prosecution has not made its case. if john edwards is convicted he could go to trial for 30 years and face a fine of 1 and a half million dollars. the jury will start clib brating tomorrow. thank you very much peter d doocy. these numbers could be a telling sign. first when asked who would do a better job at creating jobs mitt

romney is the man. he's leading the president 43 to 41 percent. >> perhaps more troubling news for the president. voters continue to say the economy is in worse shape today compared to four years ago. only 28 percent say we are better now compared to 45 percent who say we are in worse shape. the economy is the big talker on capitol hill. republican and democratic lawmakers gearing up for a battle to raise the debt ceiling. sa as you may recall it was a big issue last summer. already we see tensions in dc. >> john boehner met with president obama but the conversation changed to an em pass. here he is speaking on the issue before his meeting with the president. let's remember something. the issue here is the debt. almost $16 trillion worth of debt $1.3 trillion budget deficit this year.

one only has to raise tead the publications that the situation in europe becoming grimmer every day. we have time to deal with our problems. it's time for us to deal with the big issues affecting our country and our society. we have spent enough time playing small ball. >> also addressing the issue saying the congress needs to be willing to compromise. >> the president may clear that we are not going to recreate the debt ceiling debacle of last august. it is simply not acceptable to hold the american and global economy hostage to one party's political etiology. the question you ask i think should be posed to leaders in congress. what are you going to do to demonstrate your willingness to compromise? what steps will you take to

prove that you are not simply pursuing an ideological agenda when the path here is so clear the need for a balanced approach is so obvious. if you are keeping track it has been 1,117 days sin-- 117 days since they passed a balanced budget. deep manning answers on obama administration on hezbollah leader on five american soldiers is said to be free. he was turned over to an iraqi court and cleared of charges. the white house claims it had to release them when the u.s. left iraq. congressman allen west says he should have been transferred to kwguantanamo bay. he calls the release an utter betrayal to americans. >> the 844 foot long uss ex six

was reportedly approaching a fuel tanker when it ran right into it. more nan 1,000 people were on the ship nobody was hurt and no fuel spilled. both ships are damaged but making their way to shore. the fierce wildfire in arizona worsening the high winds nearly tripling the size of it. 500 firefighters are battling the claims -- flames trying to reach it from home. the shifting winds could push the flames in that direction. the fire forced more than 300 people out of their home. a real life mystery. the terminator 3 star was reportedly missing monday by his estranged wife. this morning there's still no sign with him. he has had a few run in's with the law. tmz reports he had a history of drug use. a look at one of the key tools used by the military to plan the daring raid on osama bin laden's compound in

pakistan. the scale model of his hideout in precise detail. now a display in the pentagon. the scale is an exact 1 inch to 7 feet everything in the model including trees, bushes, even vehicles parked at the compound existed at the hideout. the replica took 6 weeks to build and was based on satellite images. that is your five at 5:00. patty ann in now stories you can bank on joining us from the fox business network is lauren simonetti. bad news for jp morgan chase. >> nice color by the way. >> we think like every morning. >> it's another bad day for them. they are getting hit with pair of lawsuits saying the company and ceo jamie diamond misled investors on an earnings call earlier last month. at the same time the $2 billion lawsuit we were talking about and we were speculating it would be more than 2 billion, the new

york times is reporting it's at least $3 billion because of the hedging revealed last week. >> facebook a big public offering coming up. we have the price how is it going to go? >> it will price initially tonight. facebook increased the price range between 23 and $38 as share. that would raise $104 billion that's what they would value the company as raising 16 billion in the ipo. that would make it the third biggest ipo in the u.s. essentially behind vista and general motors. >> this is a big one. meanwhile sketchers had these tones shoes but they were accused of hyping up the toning benefit too much. >> did you really believe they would make you lose weight? after all the federal trade commission and several states say that sketchers made false and misleading statements. they are agree to go fork over 15 million to settle the claims

customers can get a refund. go to the fcc web site. it's about sketchers tone ups and resistance runner shoes. turns out the chiropractor who recommended the sketchers was paid by the company and married to one of the marketing executives. they had other celebrity endorsements, too. i never really believed it like you said. >> if only it were that easy. >> if only, exactly, thanks. 10 after the hour. this was not supposed to happen. a 6 foot long missile falls from the sky. where it came from ahead. this story angering a lot of people in mornithis morning. kids are not making the grade. what do they do? lower standards. what you missed on jay leno last night. >> jp morgan or wtf morgan. the justice department launched a probe into jp morgan's

$2.3 billion loss. a government probe. i brooef it's called operation wink, nod and look the other way.

doocy. >> welcome back. quick headlines for you. the endorsements keep on coming for mitt romney. herman cain now throwing his support behind the likely gop. he says he gets it on the big issues and president obama gets it wrong. parents listen up a voluntary recall is in place for more than 300 thousand crib and play yard tents. they are made by tots in mind incorporated. federal regulators say children can become trapped or even

strangle themselves. since 1997 there have been 27 tent failures one of which resulted in the death of a 2-year-old little boy. parents are urged stop using the tent. contact the retailer will you bought it for a refund. >> trayvon martin suffered before his death. he died from a single gun shot wound to the chest fired at intermediate range. he had injuries to his knuckles. the result could support george zimmerman's claim that mart din beat him up before zimmerman shot and killed him. trayvon martin's lawyer commenting last night on o'reilly. >> i think this new doctor's report, it needs to be vetted properly. i think you are absolutely right when you say it should be tried in the court of law and all of the evidence should be vetted completely. with this report the thing that is suspicious, if he was so hurt, why didn't er personnel

take him to the hospital that night? the that's the question the family has. >> he is claiming self defense. he is a free man and is in hiding as he awaits trial. >> what we would like you to brew on today. the state of florida is lowering the passing grade for the state writing exam. 70 percent of 4th graders failed. the issue many teachers say the test did not reflect their student's abilities and the exam questions was too hard and unrealistic for example. patty ann, students were asked to image this. image themselves on a camel ride and write a story about it. florida's department of education says the question was extensively reviewed after an emergency conference call officials lowered the passing grade. the he want ded mi-- admitted t could have done a better job

telling the student's expectations. lowering the passing grade so kids don't fail does it help or hurt students? send them to us at fox friends first or friendsfirst@foxnews.com. check out our facebook poll where you can vote on our brew on this topic. that's facebook.com/foxfriendsfirst. we will read your comments later in the show. it is now 17 after the top of the hour. in a few hours from now brand new unemployment numbers will be released. great companies are hiring right now. another university ready to scrap health insurance thanks to obama care. the details straight ahead. first a look at the weather across the country.

>> here's what happened while you were sleeping. the senate getting ready to consider a fresh round of oil and economic sanctions against iran this morning. iran refuses to abandon the nuclear program. the sanctions billed on penalties signed into law in december which makes it difficult for iran to sell oil. a report is changing a demographic in america. for the first time in history caucasians account for less than half of the babies born in the

united states. just over 50 percent of children born were minorities. >> weekly jobless claims out in only 3 hour. we want to do our part to bring things down. cheryl casone knee joins us with three companies hiring right now, right this minute. head over to jetblue. >> dave joined me on the show talking about the fact that they are going to be expanding and growing. here's what he had to say about hiring. >> we are growing. there's 11 new aircraft being added to the fleet next year. this year additional aircraft next year. think of jet blew 5, 8 percent annual growth in the foreseeable future. >> 500 jobs by the end of the year. think about hiring in caribbean, latin america and hiring in the boston market as well. they compete against southwest and spirit airlines.

they are really expanding. a lot of the airlines seem to be recovering but jetblue is the story where they have a lot of veterans but half are mill tear veet tran pilots. they are also very much about benefits and work. >> quantum health. >> quantum health. this is a different type of company. they go and work with companies to almost baby-sit the employees you are getting the diagnostic tests that you need. they work for hospital changes for technology companies. they need different things. they need nurses, registered nurses. you could be a patient service representative, you could do marketing, inc. magazine called them the place to work for 2011. they eliminate the cost and confusion of the healthcare system. this is a growing business a

different type of company that we are seeing emerge because of the complexity of the healthcare system. knockingly enough. >> finally verizon wireless. >> verizon wireless is the largest mobile phone operator in the united states. they are hiring. the minute you walk in the door you get dental, medical and 401 k. this comes with benefits. they are looking for 1200 people right now. they have already hired 2,000 people so far in 2012. multi multi-cultural women bay working mother magazine. you bet the benefits. it's a gross company and about the data with the smart phones. that's what we are seeing all of the growth in the wireless industry is data. whether you could be an it person engineer or whether you can design the zone there's a

different mix. >> speaking of data coming up in a little bit we have diane mess said doe w mass is heed doe /* macedo they are eliminating the $30 a month unlimited data plan. if you need a job always listen to cheryl. you can catch cheryl on her new show at noon on the fox business network. you can check out her site. >> this week's column is free. >> read it. 25 after the top of the hour. airlines magazine. sounds like a bad joke. it's not a guide to jihad. anything but funny. she is the most powerful celebrity in the world. not lady gaga or cheryl casone. the very first kentucky derby was run in louisville. most life insurance companies

look at you and just see a policy. at aviva, we do things differently. our wellness for life program rewards you with savings just for getting a check-up, and it's only from aviva.

>> a republican official says mitt romney should pick quote an incredibly boring white guy as his running mate. when he heard joe biden said thanks, i have already got a gig. >> welcome back to fox and friends first. >> it's 30 after the hour. that was conan last night. joe biden vice president losing his cool. blasting the rich during a speech in ohio. >> one thing i do recent. i convenient families like mi-- when they talk about that. i recent when they talk about it's job envy and health envy

that we don't dream. my mother believed and my father believed that if i wanted the rest of the united states i could be vice president. my mother and father believe iffed my brother or sister wanted to be a millionaire they could be a millionaire. my mother and father dreamed as much as any rich guy dreams. a oo they don't get us. they don't get who we are. >> well karl rove responding to that lathes nighted last night record. >> did he think the vice president was passion in aed or unhinged? >> i wouldn't say passionate. i would say unhinged. who is he talking about, we saw there the class warfare talking about the administration to pit americans different incomes rather than each other. >> who is he talking about saying people come from modest

means can't dream. i came from not much of anything. i couldn't go to college except i had a $1,500 a year college scholarship. i spent the first part of my freshman year living in a storage space under an attic because i couldn't afford an apartment or a dorm room. the president of the united states and vice president doesn't need to be looking for ways to pit americans against each other based on financial backgrounds. who is he talking about? damned if i know. this type of talk about the rich will not win the election. >> time now for your 5 at 5:30. the top five stories making news now. the estranged wife of robert f. kennedy junior died at her new york estate. mary richardson kennedy apparently hung herself. a housekeeper discovered the body. a close friend said she was depressed about money issues and the end of her marriage.

they were married for 16 years and have four children together before filing for divorce in 2010. he's dating actress cheryl heinz. we will have a live report coming up later in the show. >> another disturbing example of al qaeda's efforts to murder americans. a man believed to be a sued de ex employsive experts is publishing an on-line magazine called al qaeda airlines. it looks at past al qaeda slots including the shoe bomber richard reid. it teaches wannabe terrorists how to make it happen. >> he dropped a 6 foot 100 pound missile right in the middle of his texas neighborhood. >> something dropped out of the sky. a helicopter passed and dropped 200 feet it would have hit the house. >> the missile was inactive but

nearly 100 homes were evacuated as a precaution. they are trying to figure out how the missile came lose. >> a mail sorter accused of helping himself to packages headed to u.s. forces overs seas. 41-year-old terrence row spotted wearing a woch stolen 4 days earlier. he snatched a $300 bracelet and $150 cell phone. inspectors got suspicious after learning packages mailed to the troops were already opened. a close call check this out the alligator nearly bit the arm off. when the man approached it and tried moving it. animal experts were called in and they moved the gator to a nearby swamp: >> don't move the alligator.

>> now students in another catholic school could be feeling the fallout of president obama's healthcare mandate. doug luzader is live with more on this. another university may be dropping health insurance now because of the president's healthcare plan. this is ava maria university. it is a small school but they are facing big insurance problems they have two issues about obama care. they have a requirement to provi provide -- 65-82 percent. they tell fox news we are studying it right now. i don't see how it makes sense for us to stay in this. ava maria may be following the lead now in franciscan university. that school is going to drop in

student's health policy for the same reason moral and economic. they talked about the conflict on fox and friends. >> we are passionately a catholic university so as soon as this announcement was made we can't comply with this sort of order. we will fight it and we have been fighting it. >> they maintain insurance on their pair p rent's policies. there are a number of other catholic schools planning on providing insurance. th >> doug luzader. thanks. time to entertain this. there was a triple threat on "american idol"". flush

♪ >> the final three contestants sang three songs each. all of them got high marks. find out who is going home and who is in the finale tonight. >> there are reports she may not renew her contract for the next season. she wants to focus more on her music career and her children. speaking of j-lo she was named number one on forbe's magazine's list of 100 most powerful celebrities. justin bieber graces the cover he is at number 3 followed by rihanna number 4. lady gaga dropped down to 5. she was one last year. oprah winfrey number 2. finally a very special performance by lady antebellum. >> the grammy winging try owe

putting on a benefit for tornado victims in kentucky this after they performed at a mini prom for high school students in indiana. that town devastated by a twister in march. students said the concert was just what they needed. good for them. >> lovelady antebellum. one of my favorites. a roundup of all of the sports stories making headlines at this hour. we have a scary moment. he was hit in his forearm by boston's franklin morales. he went to first base but he fainted into the arms of the first base coach. they say he is doing okay. and the rays by the way won 2 to 1. >> the praise keeps coming for new jets quarterback tim tebow. calling him a born leader. it is clear tebow has a passion for whatever he does. the giants receiving their

super bowl ring. they are made of white goal and designed by tiffany and company. the ring covered in diamonds had four vince lombardi trophies on it. that is the fourth super bowl title. >> applying for college even more stressful for hundreds of students they have to retake the sat's. it's not the kid's fault. are the testers to blame? we will talk about it. >> grab a second cup. how that cup of coffee could add years to your life. >> but also another look at the forecast as we head to break.

>> it is 42 after the top of the hour. see what is making headlines over the seas. first when a senior judge was taken in until the financially troubled company holds the election next month. they have catastrophic flooding. 3 people are dead 5 million lost their homes or are being evacuated. we end in australia where cops uncovered nearly $1.6 million in drugs at a home there. they have large amounts of crystal meth and ecstasy. two people facing charges. the estranged wife of robert f. kennedy junior died of an apparent suicide. antoine lewis is live with the story. good morning to everyone. this comes as a surprise and

shock given the legacy of the losses vournding the kennedy family. we are in bedford not too far from the he is changed wife as you mentioned. he was discovered at 1:30. police received the call at 1:30. it was inside they discovered the woman's body. she may have hanged herself. that is what all under indications are. she and robert kennedy junior had four kids together. she was stopped on suspicion of dui. she was driving on a suspended license which was also the result of a prior dui conviction. he eventually would file for divorce in july of 2010.

we have been talking to people who live here she remained her. it was given the history of all of the losses surrounded in the kennedy name and kennedy family. mary was 52 years old. she had four children together. is there any response to the kennedy family? >> we learned of a statement released by robert kennedy's family. they said she was quoting genius as friendship. they also ask that everyone respect the family's privacy especially given the fact that the children are still young and they hope that everyone will sha cherish her memory. antoine lewis live in bedford, new york. thank you. 45 before the top of the

hour. a major wireless carrier about to hang up on the unlimited calling plans. get ready to shell out more money, folks. >> it's the last chance to answer the question of the day. a school lowers a passing grade so kids don't fail. does this help or hurt students? we will have your e-mails next. >> check in with doostoo steve . >> why didn't they lower our grades. high school the hardest 7 years of my life. coming up on fox and friends in about 14 minutes we are talking about new fox news polls. good news for the president. also good news for mitt romney as well. we told you about the franciscan university out in ohio that is going to stop offering student insurance health insurance we have an update for peter johnson junior. find out how a dragon will be coming to a town near you.

new book. as you fire up the grill we will tell you what you should and what you should not throw on the barbie. kicks off in about 13 minutes on a fox news channel. it's time to live wider awake. only the beautyrest recharge sleep system combines the comfort of aircool memory foam layered on top of beautyrest pocketed coils to promote proper sleeping posture all night long. the revolutionary recharge sleep system... from beautyrest.

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>> to the stories making headlines at this hour. this just in from the international space station.

while you were facing the rockets docked. two russian cost naughts and american astronauts are on board. applying for college even more stressful for 200 new york city students. they are being forced to retake the sat. it is all because they sat too close together. the company that administered the test required students to sit at least 4 feet apart to prevent cheating. an inspector who showed up by surprise found these students sitting much closer. calling all verizon wireless customers if you are on the $3 a month unlimited plan we have bad news for you. joining us with the bad news is diane mess said d mass is heed . >> the people currently grandfathered into that unlimited plan will have to shift over to data share plan as they start upgrading their 3 g devices to 4 g. the new plan will allow you to connect multiple family members

or devices to one account. it is said to launch this summer. they haven't said when current grandfather customers will be forced to make the switch. it dropped the unlimited data plan last july but let existing customers stay on it even when their plans expired. all they are saying is those customers will be able to continue on the unlimited plan through their new contact. looking at how it effects verizon. because the new ltd network is faster they are prone to use more data. having them in a pay as you go plan could generate a lot more money only if it doesn't drive customers to move to print or t mobile which offer unlimited plan. one factor is how much the new plan will cost. the company is staying mum on that as well. thank you so much diane. we appreciate it. for earlier in the show we asked you to brew on this. it is lowering the passing

grade so kids don't fail helping or hurting students. 96 percent of you said it is hurting. here are other responses. >> we got a tweet. >> she says society does not gain by lowering expectations. this is insulting. no don't lower our standards. >> we heard from deb it may not be a teacher issue. riding on a camel in 45 minutes that's pretty unrealistic. 9 minutes per paragraph. >> what i would say about riding a cam pell i don't know. tweet us at fox friends first or e-mail us at fox friendsfirst@foxnews.com. >> we are losing the world race academically.

>> i agree. >> 53 after the top of the hour. don't hold back from the second cup of coffee. up next how it can add years to your life. >> time for the word of the day all scrambled up. something we talked about in the show. stick around. we will try to figure it out with you.

>> ♪ every little kiss you're driving me while ♪ ♪ good god almighty ♪ girl you make my >> it is 58 after the hour. time for the good, the bad and the ugly. first, the good. that coffee you're drinking right now might save your life! a new study finds coffee drinkers are less likely to die from several common health conditions including heart disease, stroke and diabetes. so drink up! next the bad. a fugitive penguin. a penguin scales a 13 foot wall and squeezes through barbed wire to escape a aquarium. he's living the good life in tokyo bay. a man busted for his fifth

d.u.i. in less than two months. surveillance video shows cops pulling him over for the fifth time. what gave it away? he had an open container in the car. seriously. that's a lot. and now it's time to get all scrambled up and gretchen is here to help us out with this one. this is a word that we use during the show today. so everyone at home, gretchen. >> sketcher? >> do you have any skeechers. >> no. because i hear they don't help you lose weight. >> they had to settle for $50 million because of false advertising. so -- but speaking of being in shape, what do you have coming up on "fox & friends"? >> well, you'll just have to wait to find out. i know we're going to be grilling outside. look at this dinosaur. we're not going to get any food if that guy is around. >> do you have dinosaurs on today? >> well, right there, unless