resigned. in jail and charged with sexual assault, dominique strauss-kahn quits as head of the international monetary fund. from the grave. osama bin laden's final message. praising anti-government protesters in the middle east. and a tragic end. a mother is accused of murdering her 6-year-old son, and dumping his body along a new england her 6-year-old son, and dumping his body along a new england roadside. captioning funded by cbs good morning, everybody, and thanks for joining us, i'm betty nguyen. the international monetary fund has an opening at the top this morning. imf chief dominique strauss-kahn resigned overnight, while denying the allegations of

sexual assault that landed him in a new york city jail. a bail hearing is scheduled for today, and cbs' joel brown is in washington with more on this. joel, what took him so long to resign? >> well, betty, balancing these explosive allegations with trying to hang onto his job. just proved too much in the end. for now, the only priority for the embattled frenchman is fighting a rape charge. dominique strauss-kahn stepped down as head of the international monetary fund overnight under growing international pressure. just days ago, he was arrested for allegedly trying to rape a hotel maid in new york city. in his resignation letter to the imf, the 62-year-old adamantly denied the charges and said, quote, i want to protect this institution, which i've served with honor and devotion, and especially, especially, i want to devote all my strength, all my time, and all my energy to proving my innocence. today his lawyers will enter a new plea for his release. they'll propose that he post a

$1 million cash bail, wear an electronic monitoring bracelet, and be placed under house arrest at his daughter's new york home. the state department has wrapped up its own legal review of the case. officials decided that strauss-kahn does not qualify for diplomatic immunity. because he wasn't on official business when he was arrested. at the hotel where the assault allegedly took place, police continue to dig for evidence. they've reportedly cut dna samples from a carpet. as for the 32-year-old maid, friends are coming to her defense. >> she's a hard-working lady. that's what she was there for. she was there working, doing her job. >> reporter: behind closed doors wednesday, the woman testified before a grand jury. the panel will now decide in secret whether there's enough evidence to formally indict the french economist and politician. meantime, in france, many there are skeptical of the charges, and outraged that strauss-kahn's been denied bail.

a new poll released there this week show 57% of people there think -- or believe that strauss-kahn was framed. betty? >> all right, joel brown in washington for us. thank you, joel. the imf says it's begun the process of choosing a new leader. in the meantime, john lipsky, a former vice chairman at jpmorgan, will remain as acting director. now to what appears to be osama bin laden's last recorded message to his followers. in the audio recording, a voice, thought to be the al qaeda leader, praises the protest movements in the middle east and north africa, and predicts they will spread to the whole muslim world. the 12-minute message apparently was recorded shortly before bin laden was killed by u.s. commandos in pakistan. it was released on islamic militant websites. the u.s. raid on bin laden's compound has complicated america's relationship with pakistan. some say pakistan's leaders must have known where bin laden was all along. but secretary of defense robert

gates says, that may not be the case. >> i've seen no evidence at all that the senior leadership knew. in fact, i've seen some evidence to the contrary. but -- and we have no evidence, yet, with respect to anybody else. my supposition is somebody knew. >> gates also said he believes pakistan was humiliated by the raid. this morning, president obama will deliver what's billed as an important speech at the pentagon, redefining u.s. interests in the middle east. mr. obama will address the so-called arab spring, the democracy movements that have spread across the region. he's also expected to outline how the u.s. can support those movements. >> i think there's a great deal of disappointment in the region right now amongst arabs, and israelis. because the united states has espoused a number of principles, but has not really advanced them on the ground. >> the president will also

defend the sanctions just imposed on syria, and announce financial aid to countries that carry out political reforms. we've learned this morning that the vice president was nearly involved in an air travel incident this week. the faa is blaming an air traffic controller for a close call at o'hare airport, moments after vice president biden's plane landed on monday. one jetliner was cleared for takeoff monday, just as another flight was coming in for a landing. the controller apparently had only been on the job a couple of weeks. >> once you're given a clearance, either you're cleared to land or cleared to take off, you own that concrete. you believe that there is -- nothing is going to interfere with what you're doing. >> the faa says it will look in to the need to change procedures, or give controllers additional training. a tanker jet crashed and burned as it was taking off from a naval air station in california. the boeing 707 skidded off the runway at point mcgoo north of los angeles yesterday afternoon. the jet was leased to the navy to haul fuel.

the three-man civilian crew escaped with only minor injuries. a mother accused of murdering her 6-year-old son will be in court this morning in massachusetts. julianne mccrery was arrested yesterday and sources tell cbs news she confessed to killing her son camden by giving him too much cough syrup. the child's body was found saturday at the side of a dirt road in maine. >> an adult female has been brought to this barracks, and continues to be at this barracks. a decision was made to have that person transported to an area hospital for a medical evaluation. >> mccrery is from texas, and has a record there of arrests for prostitution. now to the slow motion flood disaster along the mississippi river. the river will crest today at vicksburg, mississippi, and stay near that high water mark for days, maybe even weeks. but for communities up and down the river, it's already too late. karen brown reports.

>> reporter: just south of vicksburg, what was once a neighborhood -- >> this is my aunt's front yard, actually, right now. >> reporter: is now a sea of sunken houses. >> i hate to see my family or anybody go through this. >> reporter: a boat is the only way that austin and his extended family can get to their homes. >> this right here is the -- is her play room right here. >> reporter: two of them are already destroyed, including his aunt debbie's. record-setting floodwaters broke through a levee they had specially built. >> we're going to have to restart everything. >> reporter: 2,000 people in the area have been displaced. i am standing on austin's front steps, and the only reason that his parents' home is not under water is because they raised it up on eight feet of cinder blocks. now the mississippi is not expected to crest here until tomorrow. and it's already 14 feet above flood levels. most of the levees lining the mississippi are holding. including those in natchez, where the river has been reopened to critical cargo

traffic. but water is backing up in its tributaries. the yazoo river has nowhere to drain and is spilling over, sometimes with little warning. karen brown, cbs news, warren county, mississippi. the mississippi valley isn't the only part of the country with weather-related troubles. on the east coast, a persistent storm system spun off tornadoes in maryland and philadelphia. in drought-stricken west texas, cattle cannot find enough grass to eat, forcing ranchers to trim their herd. but in northern california, a spring snowstorm decorated the tahoe national forest. just ahead on the "morning news," wall street salivates ahead of a big tech stock offering. plus the crew of the shuttle "endeavour" get an early start to a big day, installing an important new piece of the space station. this is the "cbs morning news." with being fed on. we demand k9 advantix ii. it not only kills fleas and ticks, it repels most ticks before they can attach

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in space today, astronauts are using robotic arms to attach

a $2 billion cosmic ray detector to the hull of the international space station. the seven-ton device was carried into orbit by the shuttle "endeavour," which is on its last mission before retirement. meanwhile, nasa experts are examining photos of "endeavour's" belly. they show nicks in the heat shield that is vital for a safe return to earth. the mothers of the two u.s. hikers being held in iran are beginning a hunger strike today. their sons, shane bauer and josh fattal, have been in an iranian prison, for nearly two years. their mothers believe the men are on a hunger strike, so in solidarity with their sons, they are going on one, too. other family members plan to join later this week. on the "cbs moneywatch," some bad economic news for japan. ashley morrison is here in new york with the latest on all of that. good morning, ashley. >> and good morning to you, betty. japan has fallen back into a recession. japan's gross domestic product fell by 3.7% in the first quarter.

that is the second straight quarter japan's economy has shrunk. it was a mixed day for asian markets. tokyo's nikkei was down 0.1% while hong kong's hang seng rose 1%. today, wall street gets the latest on home sales and the weekly jobless claim numbers. on wednesday, stocks followed commodity prices higher. the dow jumped 80 points while the nasdaq added 31. internet company linked in is set to score big today with its initial public offering of stock priced at $45 a share. that values the 8-year-old business social network at $4.25 billion, making it the biggest tech ipo since google in 2004. the big winner today will be company founder reed hoffman who could net more than $850 million. the site's popularity has surged in recent years, adding a new user every second. chrysler is close to repaying its taxpayer bailout. the automaker has lined up investors to help it refinance the $7.5 billion in loans from the u.s. and canadian governments.

details are expected to be released today. last year chrysler paid $1.2 billion on the loans, more than $3 million every day. well, it's the best time in years to sell your car. dealers are paying an average of $11,660 for a used car or truck. that's up almost 30% since december of 2008. the reason -- simple supply and demand. people are holding onto their vehicles for about a year longer than they did before the recession, so supply is tight, and that's driving prices up. ronald mcdonald's is having a mid-life crisis. today the shareholders at mcdonald's will debate the fate of the 48-year-old clown character, the public face of the burger franchise. a number of health advocacy groups want the chain to retire ronald, claiming he encourages kids to eat junk food. mcdonald's would only say it's committed to, quote, being part of the dialogue and the solution. and "forbes" magazine has named lady gaga and this year's

most powerful celebrity. the controversial pop princess unseated the queen of daytime talk oprah winfrey to take the top spot. justin bieber, u-2 and elton john round out the top five. the list takes into account income and influence in radio and television, as well as social media, including twitter and facebook. and betty, from lady gaga to oprah. like, that's a big switch. >> i know one thing, ronald mcdonald isn't on that list, right? he may be axed soon. ashley morrison here in new york, thank you for that. straight ahead your thursday morning weather. and in sports, the heat's lebron james comes up big against the bulls in the nba playoffs. to talk about our blueberry juice drinks. they're made with my sweet, ripe blueberries, so they're good for you -- taste real good, too! let's whip up a sample. or just try this. [ chuckles ]

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don't drink alcohol while taking lyrica. don't drive or use machinery until you know how lyrica affects you. i found answers about fibromyalgia. then i found lyrica. ask your doctor about lyrica today. here's a look at the weather in some cities around the country. new york, rain, 71. miami, sunny, 89. chicago, mostly cloudy, 63. dallas, afternoon thunderstorms, 85. and l.a., a sunny 70 degrees. time now for a check of the national forecast. the latest satellite picture shows two areas of storm activity. one in the northeast, which continues to bring heavy rain to the region. and the rocky mountains a developing system will deliver snow to high elevations, and rain to the valleys. later today, severe weather is likely in the midwest. sunshine returns to the west coast. but the northeast faces another rainy day. in sports, the heat sent the bulls a strong message in game

two of the eastern finals. miami's haslett provided a spark off the bench scoring 13 against chicago. down the stretch, lebron james took over and finished 29. the heat beat chicago 85-75. the series is now tied at one game each. in baseball a marathon in baltimore. the game was tied 1-1 going into the 15th inning when the yankees' robinson cano doubled in two runs. the next batter chris dickerson was hit in the face by a pitch. he managed to walk to first base but then left the game to be examined at a hospital. the yanks won the game 4-1. finally, the long fall of tiger woods continues. for the first time in 14 years he is about to drop out of the top ten in the world rankings. woods hasn't won a major tournament in three years. the longest dry spell of his career. and, he is expected to try again next month at the u.s. open. when we return, another look at this morning's top stories. and is this truly the end of the line for the schwarzenegger/shriver marriage? riage?

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neutralize odors in multiple cat homes. purina tidy cats. keep your home smelling like home. officers open fire on two suspects.. the stash police recovered, at the scene. the latest revelation.. in the schwarzenegger scandal.. the strange timing of his birth.. and what neighbors are revealing, about the boy. parents, it may not be your choice. a bay area city's push, to ban circumcision moves closer to the ballot. and.. the new bay bridge, shaping up. the latest piece of the puzzle. join us for cbs 5 early edition ... beginning at 4:30. ,,

on the "cbs morning news," here's a look at today's weather. more bands of rain in the northeast, bringing a chance for a few thunderstorms. now a storm system will bring wet weather to the central plains. and the west coast will be sunny. here's another look at this morning's top stories. dominique strauss-kahn has resigned as head of the international monetary fund. in a letter from jail in new york city, strauss-kahn says he wants to devote all his energy to fighting allegations of sexual assault. and president obama will give an important speech on u.s. middle east policy today. the president will offer economic aid to nations embracing democratic reform.

a controversial proposal will be on the ballot in san francisco this november. it would ban the circumcision of male children under the age of 18. supporters say it's a form of mutilation. but, some faiths, including judaism and islam, mandate circumcision, raising questions of the first amendment guarantee of freedom of religion. maria shriver, she appears ready to terminate her marriage to arnold schwarzenegger. it's reported she has hired a top celebrity divorce attorney. ben tracy has more. >> reporter: this picture, taken in 2000, shows arnold schwarzenegger, an unknown child, and the woman he is believed to have fathered a child with more than a decade ago. mildred patricia baena was a housekeeper at the mansion of the former governor shared with his wife maria shriver. she worked for the couple for 20 years. she and her teenage son live in this four bedroom home in a middle-class neighborhood. >> just a really, really nice kid. it's a kid you want to have. you know. my husband taught school, high school for over 35 years, and there's not too many kids like

this. >> reporter: the child was reportedly born in october of 1997. a week after maria shriver gave birth to the couple's youngest son christopher. divorce papers show that less than a month later, baena separated from her husband, claiming they had no children. schwarzenegger was supporting the child, and has been ever since. the former actor and politician has been hounded by cameras since admitting to fathering a child, and keeping it hidden for all this time. maria shriver, who moved out in january, says she is trying to move on with her life. she was in chicago for a taping of one of the final episodes of "the oprah winfrey show." the two are close friends. shriver is said to have first learned of her husband's secret child with their long-term employee in january. >> it's like, what else is in the closet? you know. so, we just have to wait and find out. you know, it's a shame. >> reporter: a 14-year-old secret now tarnishing his legacy, and splitting his

family. ben tracy, cbs news, los angeles. this morning on "the early show," world reaction to the message from osama bin laden. i'm betty win. this is the "cbs morning news." for those of us who have lactose intolerance, let's raise a glass to cookies just out of the oven. to the morning bowl of cereal. and to lactaid® milk. easy to digest and with all the calcium and vitamin d of regular milk. [ female announcer ] lactaid®. the original lactose-free milk. you carry them around everywhere. yes i do, because cravings are everywhere. would you take a craving for me, cartwright?

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katie couric will say good-bye as anchor of the "cbs evening news" tonight. her last show will feature a look back at some of the great news moments during the past several years. you can catch katie's last broadcast on the "cbs evening news" right here on cbs. and more big changes on cbs. some of your favorite shows will return this fall. but on a new night. plus, there will be a few new fun ones, too. katie mcgee from our new york station wcbs-tv has a sneak peek. >> reporter: leading off the drama category, "person of interest." >> you're holding that thing sideways. >> reporter: the crime thriller from mastermind j.j. abrams stars james caviezel as an ex-cia agent presumed dead who teams up with a tech savvy billionaire michael emerson, fighting crime in new york city. >> i think this is a thriller. and the only thing better than a

thriller is a high-style thriller. and i think our show is. >> reporter: there's "unforgettable." poppy montgomery is a former detective back on the job who remembers everything that ever happened in her life. something poppy says is a blessing and a curse. >> to never forget anything, bad and good. but the bad stays with you, too. >> reporter: you'll also meet a gifted man, patrick wilson is a surgeon whose life takes an interesting turn when his dearly departed ex-wife suddenly shows up. >> a hallucination, okay? but from what? >> well i think it freaks him out. it certainly rocks my -- rocks my world when my ex-wife just reappears. >> a taser! >> reporter: on a lighter note, "two broke girls." cat dennings and beth barras are two 20-something waitresses working at a brooklyn diner trying to figure life out. >> did you sleep on the subway? >> no. >> don't lie to me. we're not related. >> reporter: and "how to be a gentleman" starring david hornsby and kevin dillon.

>> life is a big jerk. it punches you in the face over and over again. >> reporter: the story of an etiquette columnist and his unlikely friendship with his less than poised personal trainer. >> friendship. >> my character's trying to turn him from a gentleman into more of a manly man. and he's going to try and help me out and turn me into a little bit of a gentleman. >> reporter: another new addition to the tiffany network, ashton kutcher who is joining tv's top-rated comedy "two and a half men." >> probably in my 13 years in show business, received more e-mails and phone calls from people congratulating me for this job. i mean, it's almost -- you'd almost think that i won the lotto or something. which, i kind of did. >> reporter: and two of cbs' other big hits are changing time slots. "csi" moves to wednesdays while "the good wife" slides over to sunday night. >> that was katie mcgee reporting. coming up later on "the early show," white house reaction to the newly released audio recording of osama bin laden praising anti-government protests in the middle east. plus the latest on the

separation of arnold schwarzenegger and maria shriver. she's reportedly hired a celebrity divorce attorney. and grammy winner ben harper performs the new hit single from his first solo cd in five years. that's the "cbs morning news" for this thursday. thanks for watching, everybody, i'm betty nguyen. have a great day. ,,,,,,