coming right at us. coming right at us, guys! >> running for cover. a string of powerful fast-moving tornadoes blast through america's heartland. flooding fears. mass evacuations ordered as minot, north dakota braces for what could be catastrophic flooding. historically high water that could shut down the city for weeks. and walmart wins. the supreme court hands america's biggest retailer a huge court victory, potentially america's biggest retailer a huge court victory, potentially saving it billions of dollars. captioning funded by cbs and good morning, everyone. appreciate you joining us, i'm terrell brown, in for betty nguyen. we begin with a terrifying

barrage of tornadoes that struck the central plains overnight, on this official first day of summer, residents in nebraska, kansas, and iowa are picking up the pieces and assessing the damage. the storm system that spun off those twisters is moving north and east this morning towards the great lakes. and causing havoc in the plains. >> oh, my god, that thing is incredible. >> trains were tossed like toys as the twister tore across the nebraska countryside. it packed winds as high as 100 miles an hour and spawned dangerous thunderstorms and golf ball size hail. >> incredible. i had to come off the highway because i wasn't sure what was going to happen. then when i found that one as big as my palm, i thought, i don't want to get around any of that. >> reporter: a swarm of tornadoes, by some reports as many as six, took aim at the midwest late monday, touching down in kansas, nebraska, and iowa. at least four people were hurt and at least five homes were destroyed. that number is expected to rise as authorities assess the damage overnight. terry had only moments to save himself when he saw the monster twister headed straight for him.

>> it didn't last long but it was -- i don't ever want to redo it. >> reporter: he was okay. his barn torn to shreds. in omaha, tornado sirens sounded at the college world series. fans and players were ordered inside the stadium as the storms moved through. no tornado hit the field but the game was suspended. today closes the books on a spring that has seen some of the most destructive weather on record. already the tornado death toll for the year is 537, making 2011 the sixth deadliest year on record and the worst since 1927. and the fire-plagued southwest, strong winds are making things miserable for firefighters. but in southeastern arizona, some of the 10,000 people forced to evacuate were allowed to return home. that giant wallow fire on the arizona/new mexico state line, now 52% contained. it burned 800 square miles, and destroyed 32 homes. this morning, folks in minot, north dakota, are preparing for unprecedented flooding.

thousands are getting ready to evacuate. record high floodwaters are expected to top minot's levee system tomorrow or friday. thousands will be displaced and the heart of the city will be shut down. minot's mayor says there's a good chance parts of the city are going to look like a lake. >> we could have some really catastrophic type of event here. and it will be. there's not much of a hope. so i think people have to understand that, you know, even if you were on the edge before, you may not be on the edge the next time. >> the flooding is expected to last at least two weeks. and at least matching the disastrous flood of 1969. overseas at least 44 people were killed in the crash of a russian passenger jet. the russian-built jet came down on a highway near the finnish border, broke apart and burst into flames. there was heavy fog at the time and the airport's fog lights weren't working. four of the victims are described as having dual u.s./russian citizenship. eight people survived that crash. and iraq suicide bombers

attacked a government compound south of baghdad. at least 22 people were killed, dozens more wounded. the compound housing the regional governor's office was about 80 miles south of the capital. the attackers blew themselves up as the guards were changing shifts. president obama is preparing to lay out his plans for bringing american troops home from afghanistan. he'll make the announcement tomorrow. the drawdown of u.s. forces is scheduled to begin next month. the president has said only that the initial withdrawal will be significant. long-term, the plan is to turn over full security operations to afghan forces by 2014. but as of this morning, mr. obama is still finalizing the details. >> the drawdown will begin in july of 2011. that's what he said in december of '09. some skepticism. that is what will happen. that is the decision, the size and scope of that drawdown is the only decision on the table. >> the president may also set a specific timetable for withdrawing the 30,000 surge troops he sent to afghanistan in 2009. presidential politics now, and the ever-growing roster of republican candidates.

john huntsman, former governor of utah, and president obama's former ambassador to china, will announce today that he's seeking the gop nomination. joel brown is in washington with more. joel, good morning to you. >> terrell, good morning to you. you may not know the name john huntsman but he's been on the gop presidential radar for a few years now. that's until president obama tapped him for an ambassadorship, and now huntsman is back and running against his old boss. john huntsman's resume could be his biggest hurdle as he jumps into the race for president. after serving as utah's governor, the sometimes moderate republican accepted a job from president obama. serving as his ambassador to china for nearly two years. a fact that could hurt huntsman with the gop base. >> i think it's going to be very tough for john huntsman to actually define who he is. and if he tries to go too far to the right and beat up on barack obama, you know, is he going to look disloyal, and will voters believe it? >> reporter: huntsman was raised

mormon like mitt romney, the perceived front-runner among republicans. in a new gallup poll, one in five americans said they would not vote for a norman for president. when asked about the polls, romney said the election will come down to the economy. >> my guess is people are going to make their decision as to who to vote for on the person they think will get americans jobs again. >> reporter: huntsman's expected to announce his candidacy later today. that makes nine republicans running for president. and there are still some big names on the fence. former new york city mayor rudy giuliani and former alaska governor sarah palin have yet to decide. and an adviser to rick perry says the texas governor is 50/50 on making a run for the white house. >> let's stop this american downward spiral. >> reporter: whoever wins the republican nomination and takes on president obama will need plenty of money. the president is already raising funds and could bring in $1 billion for his re-election campaign. so after his announcement today, john huntsman heads to the early primary state of new hampshire, then, terrell, it's down to the crucial twin states of florida.

>> terrell brown in washington for us. appreciate it. thank you. and in washington, this is officially anthony weiner's last day in congress. weiner's resignation letter will be read on the house floor, and the two-sentence letter weiner says he's stepping down as of midnight tonight, adding that it was an honor to serve his constituents. weiner announced he was quitting last thursday, after he admitted he texted and sent lewd pictures of himself to six women. first lady michelle obama is in south africa this morning, beginning a week-long goodwill visit. mrs. obama and daughters sasha and malia arrived at an air base near pretoria. the first lady meets today with the wife of former south african president nelson mandela but it's unlikely she will meet mandela himself, who at 92 is in fragile health. back in this country a big legal victory for retailing giant walmart. in a 5-4 decision the supreme court threw out the largest sex discrimination case in u.s. history. jan crawford has that story. >> reporter: the case got to the

supreme court after betty dukes and five other female employees sued walmart, complaining the company was giving men more money and better promotions than women. they said they weren't alone. their lawyers argued that walmart had a companywide policy of discrimination. and that every woman who worked at any walmart nationwide since 1998 should have to join with dukes in a huge class action lawsuit. >> individually, we just don't have the resources to be up against some of the greatest corporations in america. >> reporter: today, the supreme court refused to go along, saying walmart's 1.5 million fee mail employees held different jobs in 3,400 stores across 50 states, and that they had little in common but their sex and this lawsuit. in a decision by justice antonin scalia, the court said there was no convincing proof walmart's policies, which give local managers discretion in some pay and promotion decisions,

triggered widespread discrimination. the court's four liberals dissented from that part of the court's decision, which they said was too broad. although they agreed to block the lawsuit, they would have given the women another chance to refile their claims. walmart's lead lawyer, ted butros. >> walmart's policy for discrimination is to support diversity. that's what's always been so wrong. >> reporter: the decision means the women now will have to sue on their own, and dukes is ready. jan crawford, cbs news, washington. coming up on the "morning news," new labels and tough warnings for cigarettes. plus summertime begins and it comes with a bonus. free admission to every national park. this is the "cbs morning news." i'm chef michael,

and my dog bailey and i love to hang out in the kitchen. you love the aroma of beef tenderloin, don't you? you inspired a very special dog food. [ female announcer ] chef michael's canine creations. chef inspired. dog desired.

so i took my heartburn pill and some antacids. we're having mexican tonight, so another pill then? unless we eat later, then pill later? if i get a snack now, pill now? skip the snack, pill later... late dinner, pill now? aghh i've got heartburn in my head. [ male announcer ] stop the madness. take prilosec otc for frequent heartburn. one pill a day. twenty-four hours. zero heartburn. no heartburn in the first place. great. [ male announcer ] use as directed for 14 days. let's go to stonehenge in england, shall we this morning? about 18,000 people, pagans, druids and onlookers gathering

around the giant stones to celebrate the summer solstice. this, by the way, is the longest day of the year with summer officially beginning at 1:16 this afternoon, eastern time. in mexico hurricane beatriz is battering the resorts and beaches along the pacific. the storm is expected to dump up to a foot of rain, causing dangerous flash floods and mudslides. authorities have closed several ports and are warning tourists not to leave their hotel. in case you didn't know that cigarettes are dangerous new warning labels will make that perfectly clear. later today u.s. health officials will reveal nine labels with very graphic pictures showing the harmful side effects of cigarettes and smoking. things like diseased lungs and a man on a ventilator. the images will appear on packages of cigarettes starting in october of next year. "cbs moneywatch" time on a tuesday. stock prices were up today on asian markets. ashley morrison here in new york with that and more. ashley, good morning to you. >> good morning to you, terrell. asian markets did make some gains today after the eu promised to keep greece's debt crisis in check. but tokyo's nikkei and hong

kong's hang seng gained more than 1%. today, wall street gets the latest on home sales. on monday stocks made it a three up days in a row. the market's longest winning streak in a month. the dow climbed 76 points while the nasdaq added 13. there will be another round of debt limit negotiations today on capitol hill. this morning phipps became the latest ratings agency to warn it would slash america's credit rating if the debt ceiling is not raised by august 2nd. the federal reserve kicks off a two-day meeting today. fed officials are expected to leave interest rates unchanged. but they'll likely discuss what to do to help protect the u.s. economy if europe's debt crisis gets any worse. spirit airlines is tacking on yet another fee. the low-cost carrier will start charging $5 if a gate agent has to print out your boarding pass. you can avoid the fee by printing it at home or using the check-in kiosk at the airport. last august spirit got headlines

for charging up to $45 for carry-on bags. and if you're looking for a road trip, how about one of america's national parks? today they're a bargain. to celebrate the official start of summer, admission is free at any of the country's 400 national parks. but get there early. the deal will likely mean long lines, and crowded parking lots. and terrell, i figure it would be a beautiful day for us to go on a picnic after this. >> man, not a bad idea. of course, everybody else in america is probably going to be doing the same thing. so good luck finding a spot. ashley morrison here in new york. appreciate it. thank you so much. straight ahead we'll have your weather forecast. and in sports, healthy again. venus williams returns to centre court in style. but can she make it past the first round of wimbledon? it past the first round of wimbledon? ♪

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here's a look at the weather in some cities around the country. partly cloudy and 85 in new york. partly cloudy 92 in miami. chicago, thunderstorms and 85. thunderstorms and 96 in dallas. and partly cloudy and 81 in los angeles. time now for a check of the national forecast. latest satellite picture shows a large, swirling storm system in the middle of the nation. powerful thunderstorms are bringing heavy downpours. later today, temperatures in the southeast will rise into the upper 90s and low 100s. severe thunderstorms will deliver heavy rain, hail and strong winds from texas to pennsylvania. and lots of sun across the southwest. in sports this morning, the wimbledon tennis championship is under way and that means fashion takes over centre court.

venus williams did not disappoint. in her first round match she wore a trendy white sleeveless outfit. oh, and by the way, she played well, too. forgot all about that part. she won 6-3, 6-1. venus' first grand slam match since suffering a hip injury five months ago. in baseball, a cross-town battle on chicago's south side. in the first, the white sox blasted a two run shot. he's now hit a home run in four straight games. but the cubs carlos zambrano struck out five and allowed only seven hits over eight innings. the cubs win 6-3. in atlanta it was tim hudson versus the blue jays. the braves pitcher struck out a season-high eight. then in the seventh hudson hit his second career homer, a two-run shot to left field. the braves won it 2-0 over toronto. and the struggling florida marlins have a new interim manager jack mckeon now 80 years old. the last time he managed the marlins he led them to a weird series title.

he came out at the time to take the job and said his age is not a factor. >> maybe i'm not hip with the twitter or facebook or stuff like that, you know. but, outside of that, you know, i don't have any problem with disciplining my kids or disciplining these players. >> despite mckeon in the dugout the angels beat the marlins 2-1. florida has lost eleven straight games. when we come back another look at this morning's top stories. and help for your cell phone budget. the fcc cracks down on companies who sneak unauthorized fees in to your bill. 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 ] [ female announcer ] we all want cleaner laundry. we all want a world with fewer chemicals. we all want the best of both worlds. introducing all free clear oxi-active. a powerful new detergent without dyes or perfumes that helps get out your toughest dirt and stains. its added natural cleaning boosters help get your whole family's wash incredibly clean. tough on stains. gentle on skin. new all free clear oxi-active. plus.. local coffee shops, that look more like strip clubs. how angry wives helped expose, a san jose secret. pg&e's shoddy records.. should have been no surprise. the warning that came nearly two decades ago.

don't count on getting a cab today in one bay area city. the car service offering cheaper fares, during a taxi strike. and.. nine new reasons not to smoke. the most shocking my name's reggie. just recently, my wife and i took in her sister's children. now, we already had 4, so i went from becoming a family man to a man with a bigger family. and you can't eat love, so i don't know how i'm going to feed them tonight. how was that, reg? i think i look more like denzel. that's cold, man. announcer: play a role in ending hunger. visit feedingamerica.org/hunger and find your local food bank. on the "cbs morning news" here's a look at today's weather. the threat of severe thunderstorms continues for several states from pennsylvania to texas. it will be a muggy, humid day in the southeast. and temperatures will be on the rise in the southwest and parts of california.

here's another look at this morning's top stories. a string of tornadoes tore through the country's midsection. in nebraska, one cloud threw a freight train. the twisters also hit kansas and iowa. at least four people were injured and several homes destroyed. and john huntsman, president obama's former ambassador to china, and the former governor of utah, will announce today that he's seeking the republican presidential nomination. when you get your next cell phone bill you may want to look it over closely. and when you do, you might find charges that you did not authorize. when that happens, it's called cramming. and now the fcc is cracking down. alexis christoforous explains how. >> reporter: samantha malone opened her cell phone bill one day, and discovered she'd been charged for a game she never ordered. >> i think it was for $9.99, and i didn't ever remember subscribing to anything that would warrant that charge. >> reporter: malone was a victim

of cramming. unauthorized charges that mysteriously appear on monthly phone bills. the federal communications commission estimates she's one of 20 million americans who've been scammed that way. >> the improper charges can be for voicemail, or long-distance service that the consumer didn't request. >> reporter: charges usually range from $1.99 to $19.99. but only about 5% of consumers realize they're being ripped off, because the fees on their phone bill are hard to spot. regulators are now working on new rules to crack down on the problem. and they're setting up a tip sheet to help people recognize and report suspicious charges. >> you can call either a third-party charge. that company, the phone number should be on the bill. or call your phone company. >> reporter: malone says her phone company didn't help, but her credit card company resolved the problem. alexis christoforous, cbs news, new york. this morning on "the early show," the new push to convince smokers to quit.

including graphic new cigarette pack labels. i'm terrell brown. this is the "cbs morning news." ,

a scary moment for a little spotted fawn in northeastern ohio, all caught on tape. it was crying to cross a raging stream, ended up getting washed away and struggled to keep its head above water. eventually the fawn finds its footing, scrambles up on the bank, and heads off in the woods to find its mom. president obama met yesterday at the white house with a delegation of mayors from around the country. the topic of the day, jobs. here's a county by county look at how unemployment has spread across the country since the beginning of the recession in 2007. brown is over 6%, the purple 7%, and the black is unemployment over 10% as of february of this year. john blackstone reports. >> reporter: on a busy city street, it can be hard to guess who is unemployed.

lock bingham, 32 years old, with an mba, has been searching for a job for almost a year. >> i've never looked for a job as hard or as long as i am now. comparing today to, you know, five years ago, it's a completely different world. >> reporter: he last worked in the finance industry in san francisco. a metropolitan area that has lost 166,000 jobs since 2008. the study by the mayor's conference predicts it will be 2015 before that number of jobs returns to the region. and san francisco is recovering more quickly than many cities. detroit has lost 323,000 jobs and won't get all those back until sometime after 2021. likewise, the metro regions of atlantic city, new jersey, flint, michigan, and reno, nevada, will wait at least another decade to replace all the jobs lost in this recession. it means the competition for every available job is daunting. >> the feedback that we've

gotten has been that there are a lot of candidates out there right now that have exactly the experience that they're looking for. >> reporter: that competition with others who are out of work is why candice williams is trying something completely new. >> i have a hammer. i have this thing. i don't know what it is yet. >> reporter: you're going to learn? >> i'm learning. i'm going to learn. >> reporter: after she was laid off from her desk job in customer service she enrolled in a san francisco city program to train construction workers. >> for me, i look at the big picture. i see the glass as being half full instead of half empty. i know that there's something out there. >> reporter: but the search will remain challenging. the conference of mayors report predicts that 75 metropolitan areas will still have double digit unemployment through the end of this year. and nationally, unemployment won't go below 8% until 2013. john blackstone, cbs news, san francisco. coming up a little later on "the early show," the latest on the swarm of giant tornadoes that struck the central plains overnight, and those dangerous wildfires in the southwest.

plus, another republican joins the race. former utah governor john huntsman, who was president obama's ambassador to china,. and the startling new warning labels ordered for cigarette packages. all that and more coming up a little bit later on on "the early show." for now that will do it for this tuesday edition of the "cbs morning news". appreciate you watching, as always. i'm terrell brown. take care, everybody, have a great day. terrell brown. take care, everybody, have a great day. ,,,,,,,,