slammed again. mother nature's furious assault continues overnight with another round of powerful storms in the heartland. palin plans. speculation heats up as the former alaska governor takes another step towards a presidential run. and her town. nine years later, elizabeth smart finally gets the chance to nine years later, elizabeth smart finally gets the chance to confront her tormenter. captioning funded by cbs and good morning, everyone, on this thursday. i'm terrell brown, in for betty nguyen. another night of severe weather, and more tornadoes in the country's midsection. overnight there were tornado warnings and watches in a dozen states from texas to

mississippi. the ohio river valley. at least 81 tornadoes reported yesterday. no reports of death. but dozens were injured in missouri and indiana. it's been four days since much of joplin, missouri, was wiped out by one monster twister. at least 125 people were killed and more than 900 injured. randall pinkston is in joplin with the latest. randall, good morning to you. >> good morning, terrell. that search and rescue effort is inevitably transitioning into recovery. a team of local pathologists assisting a local coroner's office in identifying bodies. meanwhile the weather system continues to bring destruction throughout the region. the nation's heartland is getting pounded, again. >> it sounded horrible. i didn't even know if we were going to have a house. >> reporter: for a fourth straight day, powerful thunderstorms roared across several states with tornadoes touching down in indiana and missouri. >> all of a sudden felt this pressure and the wind came up and my mother-in-law says, there goes the roof, there goes. the grudge. residents in fredricktown inspect the damage. in indiana the fury of one

twister was enough to topple this semi and tear homes to shreds. the violent system followed tuesday's outbreak in arkansas, oklahoma and kansas, that left more than a dozen people dead. in piedmont, oklahoma, a tornado destroyed jamie zimmerman's dream home in a matter of seconds. >> i know it's going to be a year before i get to live in it again. >> reporter: here in joplin, missouri, hope is fading fast. rescues found no survivors yesterday, but the search continues. cell phones here are working again. authorities say that could reduce the number of missing, now in the hundreds. >> grew up here. >> it hurts. >> reporter: the shock is still wearing off for residents in joplin, and while it's tough, they say they've been touched by the outpouring of support. >> don't even know them, they were hugging me and helping me. coming from all over. >> reporter: the community will also have a chance to come together at a memorial service sunday, to remember those who lost their lives. and amidst the destruction, a

sign of hope here in joplin. the officials of st. john's hospital, which was destroyed by sunday's tornado, say they will rebuild. back to you, terrell. >> randall pinkston in joplin this morning. randall, thank you so much. among the newly confirmed victims in joplin, a 16-month-old skylar lodgeson. he vanished when the twister hit on sunday. his red shirt and pants found wrapped around a telephone pole. a facebook page drew more than 10,000 visitors. skylar's mother remains hospitalized with severe injuries. it's been six days now of relentless, the violence of a tornado is hard to comprehend until you see something like this. a tractor trailer on the road in shawnee, oklahoma, taking a direct hit on tuesday and shredded to bits. the driver had stopped, not knowing what to do. he suffered minor injuries. it's been six days now of relentless tornado action, part of the deadliest tornado season in almost 60 years. so far this year there have been at least 1,22 twisters, more than 500 people have been

killed. compared with the normal average of 60 deaths for an entire tornado season. this morning the senate is scheduled to take a final vote on a four-year extension of the patriot act. three provisions of the anti-terrorist law expire at midnight tonight, assuming it passes. the legislation will be flown to europe for president obama's signature. yesterday the democratic-led senate voted down that republican controversial republican proposal to privatize medicare. the plan was introduced by congressman paul rind. in other political news, more speculation that former alaska governor sarah palin will make a run for the white house. sarah mergener is at the white house with more on that. good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning to you, terrell. there are no definitive answers this morning but there are clues she may be inching toward that white house run. the latest fuel to the fire is a documentary that hasn't even been shown yet. titled "undefeated" the film is

about palin's term as governor of alaska. it premieres next month in iowa, whose caucus is open and nominating contest. speculation over palin's political plans quieted down a bit when she dropped out of the national spotlight earlier this year. but she restarted the rumor machine last week on fox news. >> i want to make sure that america is put back on the right track. and we only do that by defeating obama in 2012. i have that fire in my belly. >> reporter: then, there's the house. palin is reportedly purchased this $1.7 million home in scottsdale, arizona. aides have suggested it could be a campaign headquarters if she moves forward. she has also reshuffled her staff, rehiring some who worked with her in 2008, and she's expected to soon, as early as this weekend, resume a series of public appearances to raise her profile. >> the speculation now has turned, air is are palin could get in that race. people are suggesting that would be huge. a game changer for the republicans.

>> reporter: the gop field, while not settled, appears to be taking shape. but none of debt claired candidates have strong tea party ties, which is the core of palin's support. and while palin does have a loyal following among conservatives, she remains a divisive figure in the general public.

g-8 meetings, the uprising in the arab world, the nuclear disaster in japan and regulation of the internet. just ahead on the "morning news," get ready for a world without wallets. plus why the man accused of january's shooting rampage in arizona will not be tried. this is the "cbs morning news." can't wait for summer? then get to sears big memorial day sale, plus get a $10 award card when you spend $50 on apparel. friday-tuesday at sears. 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 ] julie: ... i don't feel there's something out there better than what i've got now. vo: so to show her what she's missing, we built a pc store in her house. julie: (gasp) employee: thanks for dropping in!

julie: you've got to be kidding me! this isn't my house anymore! employee: have a little look around! julie: very nice! employee: this one is touchscreen. julie: i like that. so there is no tower anymore? wow! i admit i'm wrong on this account that there is a computer better than mine. vo: new pc in the house julie(to camera): i'm a pc and i'm gonna kill him. hey! hey! hey! that's our snack machine. you should try something new. activia parfait crunch! crunchy granola you mix right in to creamy and delicious activia yogurt. mmm! crunchy! and creamy! watch your toes! new activia parfait crunch.

i won't say good-bye. i'll just say, until we meet again. >> and with that, she's gone. oprah winfrey ended 25 years of her top-rated tv shauk show wednesday speaking about what her fans have meant to her. over the years she drew ehud auj jens of celebrity interviews and confessional interviews. now she'll try to build the audience for her cable network. here in new york, dominique strauss-kahn has a plush new place to await trial for alleged sexual assault. the former head of the international monetary fund was taken from a temporary apartment wednesday to a $14 million

townhouse. in a stylish downtown neighborhood. strauss-kahn is under house arrest accused of trying to rape a hotel maid earlier this month. tucson gunman jared lee loughner won't be going for trial for shooting congresswoman gabrielle giffords and a dozen others, at least not yet. yesterday a judged ruled he was incompetent. the case was put on hold. before the ruling federal marshals had to drag loughner out of the courtroom after he disruptded the proceedings. he mumled what sounded like thank you for the freak show. she died in front of me. u.s. attorney believes he will eventually face justice. >> we're going to make every step we can to ensure that this is individual goes to trial for the crimes that the grand jury found he committed. >> for now loughner will be held in a federal facility in missouri. his next hearing is set for september. in salt lake city, brian mitchell was sentenced to two life terms in prison for the abduction and rape of elizabeth smart in june of 2002. in court, smart confronted mitchell for the first time. kendis gibson reports.

>> reporter: elizabeth smart has begun a new chapter of her life. >> it's been a huge miracle in my life that i can be standing in front of you here today. >> reporter: a federal judge sentenced brian david mitchell to spend the rest of his life in prison for kidnapping smart nine years ago, and holding her captive. mitchell closed his eyes and sang hymns while smart, now 23 years old, confronted him in court. she told him, he took away nine months of her life that can never be returned. and that she will have a good life, despite what he did to her. >> that one day he will have to be responsible for his actions. >> reporter: smart was 14 years old when mitchell took her at knifepoint from her salt lake city bedroom. during his trial last year, she described how he took her as a bride and raped her repeatedly during the ordeal. her testimony helped convict mitchell of kidnapping and sex crime charges. >> brian david mitchell knew exactly what he was doing when he kidnapped me and all the events that followed. >> reporter: smart is getting on with her life. she just recently returned from

a mormon mission to france, and she plans to finish college. >> i am looking at all the different possibilities. i'm trying to decide where i can make the biggest difference. >> reporter: smart is also considering a career in law, to help other crime victims like herself. kendis gibson, cbs news, salt lake city, utah. "cbs moneywatch" time now on a thursday. a good day for stocks in asia. ashley morrison here in new york with that and more. good morning to you. >> good morning to you, terrell. asian markets rebounded today as worries eased over europe's debt crisis. japan's nikkei gained almost 1.5% while hong kong's hang seng also traded higher. and the price of oil also rose to nearly $102 a barrel. today, wall street gets the weekly jobless claim numbers, and the latest measure of gdp. on wednesday, stocks snapped their losing frequent. the dow gained 38 points while the nasdaq added 15. nearly a third of all homes sold last quarter were in foreclosure. the average sale price was

$168,000. that's about 27% lower than a home not in foreclosure. once again, nevada, california, and arizona had the highest percentage of foreclosure sales. you may want to do your christmas shopping now, because toy prices are expected to go up in the coming months. china, which is struggling with high inflation, is raising prices on u.s. toymakers, including hasbro and mattel. it will soon be a lot easier to bank using just your phone. bank of america, jpmorgan chase, and wells fargo are teaming up to launch a service called clear exchange. it will allow users to send payments using only a cell number or e-mail address. removing the hassle of tracking down a routing or account number. the service, which should be available in the coming months, is widely seen as a major challenge to paypal. ahead of that, google will unveil its own mobile payment service today. it will be available on phones from sprint/nextel. the service will let consumers

with specifically equipped phones that have google's android operating system pay for items and redeem coupons at cooperating stores. and pretty soon everything is going to be right there in your cell. better not lose it. >> right. it's like a dream come true for slopers. ashley of know of one in the studio with me this morning. her name's ashley. >> moi? >> ashley morrison "moneywatch" sponsored by vagisil. bring yourself back 7

with the red, white, and blue. ocean spray cranberry, white cranberry, and blueberry juice cocktails. [ coughs ] okay, i believe this one is yours? [ clears throat ] [ female announcer ] nutri-grain -- one good decision... can lead to another. ♪ ♪ with real fruit, more of the whole grains your body needs, and a good source of fiber. nutri-grain can help you eat better all day. but when she got asthma, all i could do was worry ! specialists, lots of doctors, lots of advice... and my hands were full. i couldn't sort through it all. with unitedhealthcare, it's different. we have access to great specialists, and our pediatrician gets all the information.

everyone works as a team. and i only need to talk to one person about her care. we're more than 78,000 people looking out for 70 million americans. that's health in numbers. unitedhealthcare. here's a look at the weather in some cities around the country. in new york, sunny and 81. 87 and sunny in miami. 49 with showers in chicago. 79 and sunny in dallas. and sunny and 74 degrees in los angeles. check your national forecast now. latest satellite picture shows clouds lingering over the northwest. skies are mainly clear across the southwest. it's clear over the southern plains, but much of the ohio valley and southeast have cloudy skies this morning. later today, strong thunderstorms will develop in the ohio valley and southeast, bringing damaging winds and hail. the southern plains will get a break with sunny skies and temperatures in the 80s. scattered showers will stick around the northwest throughout the day. while much of the west coast has a beautiful day ahead with sunny

skies and temperatures in the 70s and 80s. in sports this morning, the dallas mavericks are going to the nba finals. dallas rallied in the fourth quarter, including a dirk nowitzki three pointer to put the mavericks ahead of oklahoma city with 1:14 left. dallas wins 100-96. they wrapped up the western conference finals four games to one. the mavs will play the winner of the chicago/miami eastern conference playoff for the nba championship. in baseball, the longest game of the season so far. in philadelphia, bottom of the 19th inning, raul ibanez hit a bases loaded sacrifice fly to drive in the winning run. the phillys beat cincinnati 5-4 in a game that took 6 hours 11 minutes, ending after 1:00 a.m. in san francisco, 12th inning, florida scott cousins scored the winning run in a violent collision with buster posey. posey was helped off the field. ooh. the marlins won 7-6. in the american league,

boston pounded cleveland with seven runs in the first inning and never looked back. visiting red sox went on to blast the indians 14-2. and in new york, the yankees andrew jones hit two home runs in a win over toronto. even without a save opportunity, yankees closer mariano rivero entered the game in the 19th. he became the first pitcher in major league history to appear in 1,000 games. for one team. when we come back, a recap of our top stories. and the latest crash test results on small cars. which ones will keep your safe? this is the "cbs morning news." depression is a serious medical condition. i feel like i have to wind myself up to deal with the sadness, the loss of interest, the lack of energy. [ male announcer ] ask your doctor about pristiq -- a prescription medicine proven to treat depression. pristiq is thought to work by affecting the levels of two chemicals in the brain -- serotonin and norepinephrine. tell your doctor right away if your depression worsens or you have unusual changes in mood, behavior, or thoughts of suicide.

anti-depressants can increase suicidal thoughts and behaviors in children, teens, and young adults. pristiq is not approved for children under 18. do not take pristiq with maois. taking pristiq with nset pain relievers, aspirin, or blood thinners may increase bleeding risk. tell your doctor about all your medications, including those for migraine, to avoid a potentially life threatening condition. pristiq may cause or worsen high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or glaucoma. tell your doctor if you have heart disease, or before you reduce or stop taking pristiq. side-effects may include nausea, dizziness and sweating. for me, pristiq is a key in helping me treat my depression. it's not just in the midwest. what's behind freak tornadoes, in northern california. the first look, at the man accused of beating bryan stow. what police are revealing about the suspect's lineup. and the photos that could hurt their case. a get- out- of- jail free card for hundreds of inmates. the computer glitch that put them back on the street.

paying more for using less. how pg&e rate hikes will affect your bill. join us for cbs 5 early edition, on the "cbs morning news" here's a look at today's weather. strong thunderstorms will develop across much of the ohio valley and southeast. these storms could produce damaging winds and even large hail. elsewhere, scattered showers linger around the northwest, while the southwest remains hot and dry.

get another look at this morning's top stories. more powerful storms and tornadoes pounded the country's midsection overnight. at least 81 tornadoes were reported. at there were warnings and watches in 12 states. no deaths were reported, but dozens were injured. rescue crews are still looking for survivors in joplin, missouri. the death toll there stands at 125. and following his visit to britain, president obama arrived in france this morning for the g-8 economic summit. the arab uprising, nuclear safety, and regulating the internet top the agenda. with gas prices nationwide around $4 a gallon, lots of americans are buying smaller, more economical cars. if you're thinking about doing the same thing, there's good news in the latest crash test rules. small cars are getting a lot safer. sandra hughes explains. >> reporter: drivers of small, fuel-efficient cars, no longer have to skimp on safety. researchers with the insurance institute for highway safety say a record six gas sippers have earned the distinction of being

a top safety pick. >> they are the ford focus. the four door honda civic, the hyundai elantra, the lexus ct-200h, the nissan juke and the toyota prius. researchers ran the cars through a battery of tests, including front, side, rollover and rear impact crashes. they say none of the 13 cars earned a poor rating in any test. and that is a big change from the last few years when small cars struggled to earn top ratings. researchers say the credit goes to the car companies that are making what used to be extra features standard. for example they all have standard side air bags and most have electronic stability control that can prevent many kinds of crashes. still researchers say nothing beats the protect irarmor of a bigger, heavier car, proving that the laws of physics are always in effect, even when gas prices seem to defy gravity. sandra hughes, cbs news, los angeles. and this morning on "the early show," how a new movie may paint the way to a sarah palin presidential bid.

and inside the world of storm chasers. i'm terrell brown. this is the "cbs morning news." [ male announcer ] using frontline plus shows your pet you care... by unleashing a complete killing force against fleas and ticks. and not just adult fleas. what makes frontline plus complete is that it breaks the flea life cycle -- killing adults, eggs, and larvae. and it keeps killing fleas and ticks all month long. that's why it's the #1 choice of vets

for their pets, and yours. unleash a complete killing force in every dose of frontline plus.

one of the bright spots in the still-sluggish economy is the turnaround of general motors. the automotive giant that needed a huge government bailout just to survive the recession, gm now restoring thousands of jobs in the detroit area and elsewhere. among those benefiting from the gm turnaround are the people of lordstown, ohio. seth doane reports. >> reporter: this is the sound of an entire town being jolted back to life. by 4,000 pounds of steel. >> my heart just bursts, i'm just that excited to be here. >> reporter: just to have a job? >> just to have a job. >> reporter: bobbi marsh had been unemployed for a year and a half. we first met her back in january 2009, one month after being laid off, like 2,200 others, when gm

cut production of the thank you-defunct cobalt. >> i want to be able to provide. >> reporter: and it's tough. >> very tough. >> reporter: she tightened her budget. and used her mother's piano lesson money to help save her house. ♪ all the time, anxious about the stress on her son. >> i love you. >> love you, too. >> reporter: how about you and your son? what's changed at home? >> i feel like i'm a better mom. >> reporter: why? >> because i'm not worried about where my paycheck is coming. >> reporter: for a good month, not a single car rolled off this line. now this plant is up and running at capacity. employing about 4,500 people. and turning out a car a minute. >> going from telling people they're laid off to telling people hey, we're hiring, come on back in, i mean that gives you a sense of gratification right there. >> reporter: plant manager bob parse l is proud of the new car coming off the line now.

the fuel efficient chevy cruze. mayor michael chafee says 75% of his town's revenue comes from the plant. >> it was hard to turn a television on and see u.s. senators talking about letting the industry go away. >> i think about it a lot. >> reporter: when we first met john tarcheck he had been furloughed and was filling time with house chores. he was laid off for four months, just as his son was heading to college. >> we were really scraping together in order just to make ends meet, because we didn't know what the future was going to be. >> reporter: but now, he's working again. not far from bobby marsh. >> it feels like that i've conquered something by overcoming being on -- being laid off. and being able to survive, because it makes you feel like i'm a winner. >> reporter: that's the way the whole town feels. seth doane, cbs news, lordstown, ohio. coming up a little later on "the early show," the latest on the struggle for recovery in

tornado-stricken joplin, missouri. including how the disaster is affecting the children. then, will sarah palin run for president? a new movie may offer some clues. and fighting arthritis with exercise. what kind? and how much? all that and more coming up a little bit later on on "the early show." and that will do it for this thursday edition of the "cbs morning news." as always, appreciate you watching. i'm terrell brown. take care, everybody, have a great day. ,,,,,,,,