marching orders. president obama will outline his plans for with drawing troops from afghanistan in an address to the nation tonight. severe storms. thunderstorms and heavy winds pound the midwest, stranding thousands of airline passengers and causing widespread blackouts. and status updates. a utah man who took a woman hostage has time to keep his facebook page up to date. captioning funded by cbs the good morning, everybody. and thanks for joining us. i'm betty nguyen. tonight president obama lays out his plan to with draw u.s. troops from afghanistan in a prime time address to the

nation. currently there are about 100,000 service members in afghanistan. that's about three times from when he took office. he will announce a phased withdrawal, it is expected. joel brown is in washington with more. good morning, joel. >> good morning to you, betty. after weighing this decision for the last several weeks the white house says president obama settled on a troop withdrawal number yesterday and tonight he'll reveal those plans to a war-weary nation. thousands of troops fighting in afghanistan will start coming home as early as next month. in a national address tonight, president obama's expected to announce the withdrawal of 5,000 troops in the coming months and another 5,000 by the winter or spring. the troops are part of the 30,000 sent to afghanistan during the surge last year, bringing some home this summer was always part of the plan. >> the president identified in december of 2009 that forces would begin to draw down in july of 2011. he is keeping that commitment. >> reporter: sources tell cbs

news bringing home the rest of the surge troops could take between 9 and 18 months. the pentagon wants a slow withdrawal so the u.s. doesn't lose ground but with the war costing $2 billion a week some democrats want troops out quickly. >> i believe it is time for us to rebuild america, not afghanistan. >> reporter: in a recent poll, most americans said they're ready for the war to be over and the united states top diplomat in afghanistan is showing his frustration with that country's leadership. over the weekend, karl eikenberry, the u.s. ambassador to afghanistan, responded to recent criticism to the war, made by afghan president hamid karzai and other leaders. >> when we hear ourselves called occupiers and worse, our pride is offended and we lose our inspiration to carry on. >> reporter: u.s. officials say military operation also be scaled back over the next three years. the president wants the afghans in charge of their own security by 2014.

so following the address tonight, president obama will visit the troops at ft. drum, the upside new york military base is home to the 10th mountain division, one of the most frequently deployed divisions oto afghanistan. >> thank you. cbs news will cover the president's address to the nation beginning at 8:00 p.m. eastern. overseas the greek government in the midst of a critical financial crisis survived a confidence vote earlier today. following the vote, protesters outside the greek parliament clashed with police trying to prevent greece from defaulting on its loans. the government must pass a massive austerity program by next week. unless that passes, greece will not receive its next bailout package and faces default in july. for the second night in a row, there was rioting in belfast, northern ireland. police say the trouble began when members of a paramilitary protestant group attacked catholic homes. this is the start of the

so-called marching season, the time of parades by protestant groups which triggered sectarian violence. back in this country a powerful storm system slashed through the midwest causing major blackouts and stranding thousands of airline passengers. the storm produced 50 toe 90-mile-per-hour winds from texas to wisconsin and is moving east this morning. severe thunderstorms hit illinois where over 200,000 customers remain without power. more than 300 flights were canceled at chicago's two main airports. thousands were forced to spend an uncomfortable night stuck in the terminals. some 11,000 residents of minot, north dakota, have been ordered to evacuate. the city is preparing for unprecedented flooding. flood wadwaters from the river,

and parts of the downtown will be swamped and some areas the high water is just about at record levels and the worst is yet to come. >> we finally got the house just like we wanted, put in new stuff and all of that floods. there goes all the work and i mean i'm crying inside. >> people living in the evacuation zone must be out by noon today. the national guard has been called in to assist. former utah governor and ambassador to china jon huntsman hits the campaign trail today after entering the race for the republican presidential nomination. if he becomes the gop nominee he'll try to unseat his old boss. manuel gallegus reports. >> reporter: former utah governor and diplomat jon huntsman told a crowd at liberty state park he wants to turn america around. >> i'm jon huntsman and running for the president of the united states. >> reporter: huntsman and his family made stops in new jersey and new york thursday, promising tax reform and job creation. >> for most american families

there is nothing more important than a job. >> reporter: huntsman's last job was at president obama's ambassador to china but he's carefully distancing himself from his former boss. >> he and i have a difference on how to run the country we both love. >> he's intelligent. >> if he can get past the primary the independents i think would find a lot of his positions attractive. >> reporter: huntsman joins a still evolving field of gop contenders. some big name republicans have yet to decide whether they're going to run and one candidate may have trouble staying in the race. newt gingrich's top fund-raisers quit tuesday, following the mass exodus of his aides. >> i'm not going to talk to you about campaign stuff. >> reporter: gingrich is pressing on with a campaign event in his home state of georgia tuesday night. other candidates are out crisscrossing the country, and

many are wondering if others like rudy giuliani, sarah palin and rick perry will ever join the race. manuel gallegus, cbs news, new jersey. first lady michelle obama begins her second full day in south africa today. yesterday she and her daughters visited a day care center where she and her daughters read from their favorite book "the cat and the hat." yesterday they met with nelson mandela. astronaut mark kelly is retiring from nasa to take care of his wife, congresswoman gabrielle giffords. kelly is also resigning from the navy. he wants to help giffords continue her recovery from gunshot wounds and work with her on a book. just ahead on "the morning news" a big bank pays a fine for its role in the financial crisis. plus the tale of the way ward penguin who swam the wrong way and ended up on the wrong continent. first scott pelley with a preview of tonight's "cbs evening news." one state is trying to make amends to thousands of people

sterilized against their will. we'll speak to one of the victims tonight on the "cbs evening news." we'll speak to one of the victims tonight on the "cbs evening news." [ male announcer ] it's simple physics... a body at rest tends to stay at rest... while a body in motion tends to stay in motion. staying active can actually ease arthritis symptoms. but if you have arthritis, staying active can be difficult. prescription celebrex can help relieve arthritis pain so your body can stay in motion. because just one 200mg celebrex a day can provide 24 hour relief for many with arthritis pain and inflammation.

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for a body in motion. 000 an attempted hit here in new york was caught on tape. newly released surveillance video shows the gunman on monday trying to shoot the owner of the tire store. police say both men have ties to the mob. the victim ran and was only shot in the hand and shoulder. the gunman tried to escape in a cab but was killed in a shoot-out with police. officials say he left two suicide notes with his family. a utah man holds a woman hostage and during the standoff updates his facebook page. jason valdez grabbed the woman friday and held her at salt lake motel and posted a picture of her. he made several facebook updates and the last sun saturday said, "well, i was letting this girl go but these dumb bastards made an attempt to come in after i told them not to so i popped off a couple of

shots and now we're starting all over at it again." valdez shot himself when police stormed the room. he is in critical condition. on the "cbs moneywatch" the housing market drops and hugh hefner's ex gets to keep her ring. you're busy this morning, terrell. >> that's right. tokee's nikkei gained almost 2%, and the hang seng was also higher. vote of confidence for the government in greece. wall street hears the fed's decision on interest race. ben bernanke will hold a press conference to, they're expected to keep interest rates at record lows. bernanke may say whether the fed plans to stimulate the economy. tuesday stocks had their best day in more than a month. the dow gained 109 points. the nasdaq up 57. jpmorgan is paying nearly $154 million to settle fraud charges. the s.e.c. says the bank misled customers about the complex

mortgage investments it was selling, all this as the housing market and economy were about to tank, investors who were harmed will get their money back, jpmorgan agreed to improve the way it reviews and approves transactions but didn't admit any fault. still no bottom to the housing market. last month sales fell 3.8% to their lowest level of the year. first time buyers made up 35% of sales in may. usually they account for more than half. if you're planning to fly this fourth of july, book fast. air fares for the holiday weekend are expected to jump 10% by tomorrow, thanks to rise in fuel cost and increased demand, air fares are higher than they were last year. the average ticket is $388, up 7% from last fourth of july. verizon is dropping its unlimited data options, starting next month, customers who pick monthly data plans, the carrier hasn't announced the prices but a two gig plan is expected to cost $30 a month. at&t and t-mobile have already

scrapped the unlimited option. hugh hefner is maybe a generous man or maybe he's just got it like that. the "playboy" founder is letting his ex keep the $90,000 engagement ring and bentley despite calling off the wedding. harris practically left hugh at the altar last weekend. in return he gets to keep the dog. i don't know, betty, is it a fair trade? >> considering he gave her a parting gift or gifts. >> right. >> terrell brown here in new york, thank you. >> sure. listen to this story an emperor penguin in antarctica made a wrong turn and a 2,000 mile detour. the 10-month-old penguin was spotted on a beach in new zealand monday. it attracted hundreds of people who want to get a look. it appears healthy and well fed. the penguin may have come ashore after a rest for a journey that possibly took months. officials hope he'll be able to find his way home. we do, too. straight ahead your wednesday morning weather.

in sports, tears of joy as serena williams returns to center court at wimbledon. "moneywatch" sponsored by vigisil, the confident clean. ♪ [ 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.

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there. chicago, light rain, 73. dallas, partly cloudy, a hot 94. l.a. 79 degrees. time for a check of the national forecast. the latest satellite picture shows storms raging through the southern plains. rain showers are falling across the northern plains and clear skies can be found from the desert southwest up into the pacific northwest. later today though expect strong to severe thunderstorms from michigan down to arkansas. rain showers will come into the northern plains and mid-atlantic states. it will be seasonal in the central plains while the southwest will bake in 100-degree heat. in sports, serena williams makes an emotional return to womenble on it. the defending champ made her first grand slam appearance after being side lined with injuries for 11 months. it took her a three tough sets to win 3-6-3-6, 6-1, and when

she did, she broke down in tears. 11 seed andrea petkovic had no problem winning and to celebrate she did a little dance or hula hoop or whatever you call that. she's happy nonetheless. so are we. in baseball the shades were out in texas. former president george w. bush and baseball legend nolan ryan put their sunglasses on to watch the astros and rangers go extra innings. mitch moreland smacked a monster blast into the stands to give the rangers a 5-4 win over the astros. and in boston a fan in the upper deck got suds after a foul ball lands in his cup of beer. what are the chances of that? in the seventh, anthony rizzo sends it in the go-ahead run and the padres snap the red sox's six-game winning streak with a 5-4 win. nfl owners are scheduled to meet with players today. the owners were in chicago yesterday getting an update on a collective bargaining agreement that would give players just under 50% of the

total revenue. the league hopes negotiations go well enough to open training camp next month. when we return another look at top stories, from little kids crying to really irritating adults, we'll let you hear the most annoying sound in the world. the most annoying sound in the world. amy, you're gonna love college. best seven years of my life. i know, dad. your comforter. okay. mr. cuddles... toilet paper?

oh, hey, scott. here, scott extra soft tissue. it's their softest roll ever. check out the pattern. it's softness done right. same soft rolls we use at home honey! one more thing, guys. oh nice a shoe rack! actually, it's a toilet paper rack. sweet. huh. huh. [ female announcer ] do you know scott? scott extra soft is softness, done right. but a half-naked cross-dresser? no problem. why u-s airways allowed this guy to fly. plus.. pg&e answers a key question, in the san bruno blast. it's own crew installed the failed pipeline. the new concerns.. the admission is raising. the numbers didn't add up. so state lawmakers aren't getting paid. why this salary showdown could be headed to court. and... the proven way, to get some of the best sleep of your life. join us for cbs 5 early edition ... beginning at 4:30. ,,,,

on the "cbs morning news," here's a look at today's weather. strong to severe storms will impact half of the country, from texas to minnesota, stretching east to new york. cooler and drier air returns to the plains states and it will stay hot and humid in the southeast. here's another look at this morning's top stories, president obama will unveil his plans to withdraw u.s. forces from afghanistan during a national address tonight. the president is expected to

call for an initial troop drawdown of 10,000 within a year. severe storms tore through the midwest overnight. in illinois over 300 flights were canceled at chicago's two main airports and over 200,000 customers remain without electricity. a new study looks at the most annoying and distracting sound and the worst, well, parents know the answer to that. reporter carol carvasos of dallas affiliate ktvt has the story. >> reporter: here's a simple math problem. think you can figure it out? how about now? all that noise it distracting you, you're not alone. according to a psychological study of whines, cries and other distracting noises, people have the hardest time solving a simple math problem when -- just a second.

that's better. whining tops the list of the most distracting noises ever. >> it gets on my nerves. >> reporter: amanda simpson, out with her girls, admits when her girls whine, there's no going with the flow. >> if i'm even sitting somewhere and i hear someone else's kids cry i got to go. >> i'm not going to do it. >> reporter: other moms -- >> try to redirect and if they don't stop we have time-out. >> reporter: bottom line, if you're working on your bank statement, try to find a quiet place. in dallas, carol covasos, cbs 11 news. apparently president obama knows the secret to quiet crying babies. >> are you okay, baby? oh, no. >> the president watched as the first lady held a crying baby outside the white house. michelle obama was handing the infant back, but the mother wanted a photo, so mr. obama

took the baby which immediately stopped crying. nice work, mr. president. i'm betty nguyen. this is the "cbs morning news." vo: meet erika. she hasn't shopped for a new pc because... erika: ... my computer is the same as a new computer. vo: so to show her what she's missing, we built a pc store in her house. erika: (gasp) employee: come on in. make yourself at home! erika: this is my home! employee: let's take a look! erika: (lifting laptop) it's really light. honey, help me shop! employee: you can get up to seven hours on this battery. jesse: the color really pops out. employee: everything's wireless. wireless keyboard. jesse: that's impressive. i like this one better. erika: and i like this one... vo: new pc. what's it gonna be? erika: i'm a pc, and i got what i wanted. jesse: as usual.

some american combat veterans are learning to cope with their nightmares of war by going into virtual combat. veterans suffering from post traumatic stress disorder are being helped by a new virtual reality treatment. mark strassmann reports. >> we're taking rounds from this way. >> reporter: under that helmet jeff matthews, 27-year-old former army staff sergeant is back on the battlefield. >> there's bullets everywhere. >> reporter: this is the virtual reality combat he sees. >> zip, zip, zip. >> reporter: part of an experimental treatment at emory university for more than 90 vets with post traumatic stress disorder. >> not so much what's going on but how you're feeling while it's going on. and that i guess is where the

real therapy is. >> how are you feeling in your body? >> just like i'm going to get shot. >> reporter: dr. mary rose girardi coaxes him to connect with feelings like fear and panic that he thought he left on the battlefield. >> this immersive therapy gives you sights, sounds, smells if they're appropriate, makes it much more difficult to avoid. >> as you're telling what's happening she's keying gunshots, helicopters, rockets, i'm using my imagination too while i'm doing that. >> reporter: matthew served two combat tours, the if, in iraq in 2005. next tour in afghanistan is the one that haunts him. >> iraq was a cakewalk. afghanistan was a lot more austere, harsher. the enemy was a lot more bold, more bad stuff. >> reporter: one patrol. matthews and his squad were

face down in the dirt, pinned down by taliban fighters, his platoon sergeant and friend, matt blair was next to him and took a bullet to the head. he survived, but -- >> for that split second that i thought he was dead it was traumatic and i held that with me. >> at some point, you have to go back to those feelings that you've put aside and bring them back to the front and process them. >> i know it's not reality. i know i'm not there but you still get that, that rush of feeling inside of you. >> reporter: over and over, matthews repeated his story in five 90-minute sessions. >> god, man, that is a terrible feeling. >> reporter: and made peace with his combat memories. >> you want to be a big hot shot and you think that you understand what's going on, that you can do it yourself but sometimes you really got to just suck it up and go get the therapy. >> reporter: mark strassmann, cbs news, atlanta. coming up a little bit later on "the early show" an in-depth look at president obama's plan to draw down troops in afghanistan.

plus the latest on the midwest storms that stranded commuters and caused hundreds of flights to be canceled. and joplin, missouri, one month later. how that town is doing after it was practically destroyed by a massive tornado. that's the "cbs morning news" for this wednesday. thanks for watching, everyone. i'm betty nguyen. have a great day. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com