this morning, free man. >> after an epic nine-day deliberation, the jury in the john edwards trial acquits the former presidential candidate. and he opens up about the case that could have sent him away for years. a fresh start today for the stock market, after the worst month in two years. but will today's tell-tale jobs report make things even worse? party crasher. far from the park, a bear scares hundreds at a graduation ceremony. frantic phone calls flooding 911. and a big ouch for the prince of pop. justin bieber knocking himself out. suffering a concussion. and he's talking about it, this morning. good friday morning, everybody. i'm john muller, sitting in for

rob nelson. >> and i'm paula faris. it was a stunning turn of events in a closely-watched and emotional trial. jurors did not convict john edwards of even a single count in the government's case against him. >> abc's tahman bradley joining us now from washington with more on this. tahman? >> reporter: good morning, john and paula. after 17 days of testimony, some 500 exhibits and 9 days of deliberations, the jury can decide one count. following the verdict, john edwards gave an emotional speech outside the court. for the first time in weeks, john edwards wakes up this morning without the threat of jail hanging over his head. but he faces possibly an even more daunting past than prison. rehabilitating a once golden image. after a six-week, drama-filled trial, a jury found edwards not guilty on one count of campaign finance laws. the jury was unable to agree on the other five counts. so, the judge declared a mistrial.

>> while i didn't do anything illegal or ever thought i was doing anything illegal, i did an awful, awful lot that was wrong. and there is no one else responsible for my sin. >> reporter: the trial was filled with salacious details about edwards' affair with rielle hunter while he was running for president in 2008. the former senator acknowledged how difficult the drama had been on his children, especially daughter, cate, who was by his side the entire trial. >> she has been here no matter what. no matter how awful and painful a lot of the evidence was for her. >> reporter: for the first time, edwards emotionally spoke of the young daughter he had with hunter. a daughter he once refused to acknowledge. >> my precious quinn, who i love more than any of you could ever imagine. and i am so close to and so, so grateful for. >> reporter: although the former vice presidential nominee faces

an uncertain future, he left open the possibility of working to help the needy. the verdict leaves open the possibility the government could retry the case. but legal experts say that's unlikely. paula and john? >> all right. tahman bradley in washington. thank you very much. in fact, we asked abc news legal analyst, dan abrams, about that possibility. will the government retry this case? >> he says that's not very likely, given the circumstances surrounding this very high-profile prosecution. >> this was a complicated case. this was a tough case. a case some thought never should have been brought. and more important, it was an expensive case. and the notion they would now spend that time, effort and money to retry him, after an acquittal on one count and hung on five, i think very unlikely. >> now, edwards will be able to retain his law license and thus, retain a way to support himself and his children.

we'll get much more insight into the deliberations when three jurors join us on "good morning america." >> look forward to that. another story involving our nation's legal system. a battle over federal law that defines marriage as a union between a man and a woman, appears headed for the supreme court, after an appeals court ruling. in a unanimous decision, the judges said denying benefits to gay couples is unconstitutional. the court did not rule on whether gays have a constitutional right to marry. to the campaign trial now. and dueling news conferences. obama strategist david axelrod went to the massachusetts statehouse to make his case that mitt romney's record as governor does not qualify him to be president. meantime, romney staged an event at the bankrupt solyndra factory, to claim that the president's economic policies have been a failure. a judgment he amplified in a broadcast interview. >> what grade would you give president obama? >> oh, an "f." no question about that. >> across the board? >> across the board. >> last night, romney spoke at an exclusive event at a palatial beverly hills home.

supporters paid $50,000 a couple to attend. and former first lady, nancy reagan, is now a supporter of mitt romney for president. she invited him and his wife, ann, to her los angeles home for lemonade and cookies. and said her husband, ronnie, would have liked them, too. it was one of the first public events for mrs. reagan, who broke several ribs during a fall at her home back in april. well, the largest wildfire burning in the country continues to spread this morning in all directions. the massive fire scorching 190,000 acres of new mexico wilderness. nearly 300-square-miles. it's only 5% contained. firefighters face tinderbox conditions there. it could be another two weeks before it actually gets put out, now. today marks the official start of the atlantic hurricane season. we've seen two named storms. forecasters are predicting up to 15 storms by the end of november. well, no named storms on the horizon. but it will be stormy in the east today, with hail, high winds and possible tornados

around philly, d.c. and the carolinas. showers in the ohio and tennessee valleys. thunderstorms from texas to the dakotas. and scattered showers from seattle to montana. scorching -- i'm talking about scorching heat in the southwest. >> you are, indeed. a near-record high of 109 in phoenix. 90 in sacramento. 88 in boise. the twin cities gets up to 72. and chicago, 63. 80s from dallas to miami. 78 in atlanta. and 76 here in new york. >> it's dry heat. it doesn't matter as much. a note from space. the first commercial mission to space was a resounding success. the reusable cargo capsule returned to earth six hours after pulling away from the international space station. it had delivered food and supplies and returned with old equipment and samples. a second spacex mission is scheduled for september. >> pretty neat. private ventures to space. coming up later, the nation's new spelling champ celebrating victory this morning. first, a brand-new iphone could hit the market in just

months. apple running ahead of schedule with the complete redesign. and can you do this? introducing the world's best parallel parker. or pain? can't remember the last time i took aspirin.

welcome back, everyone. there are signs of moderate jobs growth before this morning's all-important may jobs numbers are released. the government reported yesterday that 10,000 more workers applied for jobless benefits last week than the week before. we'll see what today's report says. reports from march and april were disappointing.

overseas investors also watching the u.s. jobs picture. tokyo's nikkei average was down 102 points today. it's the longest losing streak for the index in two decades. hong kong's hang seng gained 29. in london, the ftse opening higher. on wall street, the dow slipping 26 points yesterday. the nasdaq index losing ten. and may was just dismal for stocks. the dow was down 820 points, which is over 6%. its worst month in two years. the nasdaq was off 219 points in may. that's more than 7%. both the nasdaq and dow are still in positive territory, however, for the year. so, that's a little bit more of a big picture for you. >> that's right. well, let's talk about buying a home. it could be a very good time to buy a home. average mortgage rates are at their lowest level ever, with a 15-year rate below 3% for the first time. that could give the housing market a welcome boost and also prompt more homeowners to refinance. apple isn't saying anything. but the always-active rumor mill says the next iphone could come out earlier than expected.

development of the new operating system is reportedly running ahead of schedule. we're told the new phone will have a bigger screen and more memory. and some food stories we want to sandwich in this morning. get it? the american heart association, today, will give a pat on the back to the subway chain. the group says more than 40% of subway's menu meets its heart check requirements. and pizza hut this weekend, begins challenging subway with its own line of sandwiches called the p'zolo. how about that? a nice italian name. >> i would eat a p'zolo right now. kind of hungry. >> this early in the morning? >> it's like dinner for us. we've been up forever. >> you can have pizza any time of the day. right? >> you're so right. and you can have doughnuts any time of day. up next on this national doughnut day, reaction from all sides on new york's plan to ban giant cups of sugary soda. you're hear more from mayor mike bloomberg. and the biebs, banged up and bruised after giving himself a concussion. we'll have details, coming up.

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all right. are you ready? this is awesome. a skill that can come in handy here in new york or any other crowded city. the guinness book of world records has recorded this man to get in a space 5.9 inches longer than his mini cooper. he beat the old record by three inches. >> i think i could win for worst parallel parker. >> worth parker ever? >> terrible. >> i thought i was good. but after seeing this, no. >> my car's so dinged up. now, for a look at morning road conditions. wet on i-95, from philly to savannah. i-75 from detroit to knoxville. i-80 from chicago to new york. showers and thunderstorms could make for a slick ride on i-29 and 35 in the plains. and i-90 in the northwest. >> if you are flying, airport delays are possible in detroit, chicago, philadelphia, charlotte, atlanta, miami and seattle. so, we've all been talking about the new york city mayor's plan to ban the sale of large

soft drinks and other sugary sodas. some people applaud it as a way to cut down on those extra calories. >> but not surprisingly, coca-cola says new yorkers should be able to make their own decisions about what they drink. abc's diane sawyer took the concerns right to the source. >> reporter: should the government be doing this? shouldn't the government stay out? >> all we're doing here is educating. if you want to order 32 ounces of soda in a restaurant that we supervise, this restaurant must give you 2 16-ounce glasses. and what's likely to happen is you will drink one and not the other. >> reporter: you're not looking at it as a government prescription. you're looking at it as education? >> it forces you to see the difference in the two different sized cups. and you can decide. we're not taking away anybody's right at all to do anything. all we're doing is forcing you to recognize that you're drinking an enormous amount of sugar. >> if approved, as expected, the ban could take effect by march

of next year. diet sodas do not apply. >> you're right. all right. if you're planning a bus trip this morning, better call ahead. more than two dozen interstate bus companies are not running this morning, after a crackdown by government safety officials. most of them do so-called curbside operations that run in the 95 corridor. they pick up passengers on the street, not in terminals. state workers in california are having a pay cut of 5%, as a way to reduce a huge budget deficit. now, a panel has ruled that governor jerry brown and the state lawmakers must also take a 5% pay cut. how about that? brown's yearly salary will drop to about 9,000 bucks. overseas, prince charles is paying tribute to queen elizabeth for her golden jubilee by looking back at the early years. the royals are shown in a bbc special enjoying family time in some never-before-seen home videos. charles praises his mom for her amazing poise and natural grace. he also jokes about how she had to practice wearing her heavy crown.

and "gma" joins the jubilee celebration next week, monday and tuesday, live from london. well, justin bieber is recovering from a concussion. yeah, a concussion, after falling into a glass wall during a show in paris. the canadian teenager laughed off the incident. tweeting that sometimes, you just have to laugh at yourself. doctors ordered him to take it easy for the next couple of days. and hopefully, not run into anymore glass walls. >> another time, too, a glass revolving door, apparently. time, now, for some sports. and a 20-game winning streak snapped. we get the highlights from espn news. >> good morning. i'm todd grisham. this is your "sportscenter" update. spurs and thunder, game three of the western conference finals. and this was a disaster for the visitors. everything went wrong. westbrook kevin durant. giving oklahoma city a 6-0 lead. in the first quarter, the spurs would keep it close.

in fact, they would lead by one after tim duncan gets the runner. but the thunder answer right back. how about kevin durant with a full facial and a mani and pedi to tim duncan. second quarter. serge ibaka. with the steal, to james harden. the fear of beards. maybe that's what the spurs had last night because oklahoma city just ran wild. there's durant again. he led the way with 22 points for oklahoma city. we're still in the second quarter. a quarter in which oklahoma city outscored the spurs by 15 points. we're in the third now. oklahoma city, not letting off the gas. there's durant again. thunder up 17 at that point. now, at 65-48. fourth quarter now. how many more highlights do you need to see? that was pretty fancy, though.

thabo receive sefolosha with the jam. and up to westbrook. you complete me. thunder, rolling, winning it 102-82. the eastern conference finals continues tonight. the heat look to take a commanding 3-0 games lead. you can see it on espn, starting at 8:30 tonight. all right. so, you remember american tennis player, john isner. maybe the most fatigued tennis player ever. he played the longest match at two years ago at wimbledon. >> yesterday, the french open, isner's second-round match went 5:41. the second-longest match by time in french open history. >> gatorade and bananas. got to add your potassium. he lost in five sets, meaning there are no americans left in men's singles at roland garros. >> bummer. up next, stuck in a tough spot. how a raccoon finally found his way home.

and george w. bush returns to the white house with a speech that was more like a standup comedy act. we're going to hear from him, next. people have doubts about taking aspirin for pain.

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i found a moisturizer for life. [ female announcer ] only from aveeno. i found a moisturizer for life. mary? what are you doing here? it's megan. i'm getting new insurance. marjorie, you've had a policy with us for three years. it's been five years. five years. well, progressive gives megan discounts that you guys didn't. paperless, safe driver, and i get great service. meredith, what's shakin', bacon? they'll figure it out. getting you the discounts you deserve. now, that's progressive. call or click today. welcome back. it is tgif version of "america this morning." it's time to check "the pulse," stories you're going to be talking about today. first, a fine day for a hanging in washington. it sounds strange. >> the obamas welcoming the bushes back to the white house for an official unveiling of their portraits.

the bush family and former staff were also there. the wisecracking former president urged them to behave. >> thank you so much for inviting our rowdy friends to my hanging. it's my privilege to introduce the greatest first lady ever. sorry, mom. >> nothing makes a house a home like having portraits of its former occupants staring down at you. >> president bush also noted that the white house portrait collection now begins and ends with a president george w. >> he was very funny. had a lot of good lines in there. >> a comedian. let's talk about kids and parents at a couple california schools that are not going to forget how it ended this year. >> a certain uninvited guest turned up. a black bear wandered between the elementary school party and a middle school graduation. the 3-year-old bear kept its distance. parents and a worried teacher

put in these calls to 911. >> 911? >> a bear just ran -- i'm not joking. a bear ran through our parking lot. >> there's a bear on the campus? >> a bear. a small bear. >> little cutie pie. check him out. the inquisitive youngster was hit by a stun gun and taken to a wilderness area about an hour and a half away. >> was just having a good time. well, the bear wasn't the only little creature to take a wrong turn yesterday. >> take a look at where this raccoon ended up, clinging to the top of a light pole in kansas city. he looks kind of scared. 30 feet in the air. the raccoon stuck there for hours, despite attempts to lure it down with food and water. >> when a utility worker got too close, the raccoon took a leap of faith and fell to the ground. is he going to be okay? yeah. >> he is. >> he is trying to escape. and ran to safety. >> amazing how they do that. >> all's well that ends well. for some of you, your local news is next. >> for everyone else, the secret to being the nation's number one s-p-e-l-l-e-r. speller.

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next, breaking news happening right now. authorities searching for a suspect downtown hayward. arson investigators at a high school after two fires. friends who witnessed giants' fan brian stow's beating take the stand today. mike has the forecast. hot in some areas a chance of rain in the forecast. >> frances dinglasan has philly all the way to the carolinas. and finally from us, that annual show of raw brainpower has crowned yet another champion. >> 278 kids entered this week's

85th scripps national spelling bee. and this morning, there's a winner who spelled a word we can't even pronounce. we don't even really know what it means. >> and good evening, everyone. our nation's capital. >> reporter: it's the two-day nail-biting, brain-busting battle that plays out on live tv. >> here we go. >> oh, boy. >> reporter: nearly 300 spellers, whittled down to a handful. some who have been in the hot seat before. among them, ohio's nicholas rushlow, the class clown. >> can i have the spelling? >> reporter: he was making his fifth-straight bee appearance. also new york's arvind mahankali, coming in a respectable third, just like last year. so, it came down to two. florida's stuti mishra, whose trick is to type the word. the dreaded bell, meaning one thing. 14-year-old san diegoan snigdha

nandipati could win it with one word. >> guetapens. g-u-e-t-a-p-e-n-s, guetapens. >> reporter: perfection, cool and collected. even as the confetti rained down, her younger brother jumping on stage for a celebratory hug. snigdha said she had seen the word before. >> i just wanted to ask everything i could before i started spelling. >> reporter: she is a fan of sherlock holmes, plays the violin and wants to be a doctor. now that you know this is actually happening, how do you feel? >> it's a miracle. >> reporter: years of practice, paying o-f-f. kids are so s-m-a-r-t. did i spell that right? >> yeah. you got it right. $30,000 prize. >> not bad. congratulations to her. that's what's making news in america this morning.