million kids, now live in low income homes. and joplin recovers, joplin, missouri, reaches a milestone in its recovery from tornado disaster. 8,000 kids head back to school. captioning funded by cbs good morning, everybody. thanks for joining us. i'm betty nguyen. president obama wraps up his three-day listening tour in the midwest today in his home state of illinois but it could be more like a campaign event now that republican candidate rick perry is stepping up his criticism of the president. joel brown is in washington with the latest on this. good morning, joel. >> betty, good morning to you. we saw the president and the governor of texas both crisscrossing iowa tuesday. the president making his case on the economy, with rick perry not far behind. president obama will get to reach out to voters today in his home state of illinois.

he'll hold back-to-back town hall meetings on the final stop of his three-day bus tour. >> i hope i can count on you in the days ahead to lend your voice to this fight to strengthen our economy. >> reporter: the president continued pushing his economic message in iowa tuesday. he asked local business owners and farmers for their ideas, while also trying to reassure them. >> we can put the country ahead of party. i know that our future is bright. i no he that our best days are ahead of us. >> reporter: but the president wasn't the only one trying to woo iowa. just a few miles away, texas governor rick perry pulled in on a bus of his own. >> our nation can't afford another four years of the rising unemployment, the rising taxes, the rising debt. >> reporter: with the economy being the top priority for most voters, perry is campaigning on his record of creating jobs in his home state. >> we have tried two and a half years of government creating jobs.

it's time to let the private sector create the jobs that will create the wealth. >> reporter: the texas governor has been in the race for less than a week, still at least one poll already shows him ahead in the gop field. perry will try to keep that momentum going today in new hampshire but he'll have company. ron paul and mitt romney will also be making the rounds in the state that's home to the nation's first presidential primary. they'll have the field to themselves for now, as president obama and family are heading off on vacation when his bus tour wraps up later today. >> joel brown in washington for us, thank you. with the tenth anniversary of 9/11 less than a month away president obama says the u.s. is not letting its guard down against new attacks but he told cnn the major concern is to prevent a solo terrorist from carrying out a norway type massacre. >> when you've got one person who is deranged or driven by a hateful ideology, they can do a lot of damage and it's a lot

harder to trace those lone wolf operators. >> the president said such a lone wolf attack is more likely than a repeat of the kind of large coordinated strike that took place in 2001. in wisconsin, two democratic state senators survived recall elections. they were among the 14 democrats who fled the state in february, delaying passage of a law limiting the rights of public workers. republicans still hold the majority in the wisconsin senate. a new study finds a dramatic rise in child poverty in this country, from 2000 to 2009 an increase in 38 states. by 2009 almost 15 million american children were poor. mississippi ranks last with 31% of its children living in poverty. new hampshire ranks best with 11%. the survey also found that the high home foreclosure rate has affected more than 5 million kids nationwide.

on the "cbs moneywatch," stocks were mixed again today in asia. ashley morrison is in new york with the latest on that. good morning to you. >> good morning betty to you. a mixed day for asian stocks. japan's nikkei lost 0.6% and hong kong's hang seng was slightly higher. on wall street the three-day rally ended yesterday. worries about europe's economic and debt problems sent stocks lower, the dow finishes down 77 points and the nasdaq down 32. the leaders of france and germany are calling for greater economic discipline by european nations, but chancellor angela merkel and president nicolas sarkozy said it's not the right time to replace the 17 government bonds with a single euro bond, such bond would have allowed struggling economies like greece to borrow in cooperation with the stronger economies of germany and france. four of the five largest u.s. tobacco companies are suing the federal government over the

new graphic cigarette warning labels. the labels show the sewn-up corpse of a smoker and a picture of diseased lungs. the companies say the warning labels violate their free speech rights requiring them to carry an emotionally charged appeal against using their legal products. a federal appeals court ruled that many of the investors burned in the bernie madoff ponzi scheme are not entitled to billions of dollars they say they're owed. the investors argue they were owed all the money listed on their statements even though much of it never existed. and betty, what are the most affluent towns in america? number one is the washington, d.c., suburb of great falls, virginia, where the average resident pulls in more than $360,000 a year. great falls is followed by hillsborough, california, where the median tops $319,000 and scarsdale, new york, where the

average worker has to get by on a little more than $250,000 a year but when you think about the taxes they pay -- >> it adds up. great falls, virginia, i'll keep that on the list. >> google. >> thank you, ashley, joining us live. as we mentioned earlier, president obama and texas governor rick perry are trading barbs over job creation and the economy, it started when perry took a swipe at fed chief ben bernanke. >> plenty more money to play politics at this particular time in american history is almost treacherous or treasonous, in my opinion. >> the white house immediately pushed back saying calling the fed chief a traitor is unacceptable but the president said he'd cut perry some slack since he's new to presidential campaigning. the tough economy has changed the way americans shop and even

pay off their debt. jim axelrod looks at how the cutback in economic spending could take a cut in spending. >> reporter: the economy is stalling sales. new jersey developer russ lepino could have broken ground on this $12 million housing project more than a year ago. >> if the market sales were better, the rate of the sales we would have been started here already. >> reporter: lepino just turned financing on another project to cross town for the same reason. his banker, frank sorentino, said the lack of consumer confidence is what's contaminating the recovery. >> when you look at the hysteria in the marketplace people are second-guessing decisions they would ordinarily make. >> reporter: look no further than the changing credit card habits as proof. credit card delinquencies are at their lowest level in 17 years as consumers use cash not for new purchases but to pay down old debt. outside of philadelphia, xavier walter paid off all of his $20,000 in credit card debt.

he's got a strict cash only policy now. >> it's more a weekly budget now and daily budget and minute by minute budget. i'm constantly making a decision in my head, is this something that i absolutely need right now? every person who doesn't put on that debt they're not buying that flat screen tv, not going on that extra vacation, not going out to dinner. i'm not saying they should. all of those businesses get affected. >> that's why any recovery stalls and that's why we're in this what i think is the third or fourth inning of the recovery. we have a long way to go here. >> according to that banker, that long way to go is as much a matter of psychology as economics. as he put it, the fundamentals are fine but if we're not careful we're going to talk ourselves into another recession. jim axelrod, cbs news, new york. coming up just ahead on the

"cbs morning news," vice president biden heads to china for tough talk on the economy. plus the tabloid phone hacking scandal in britain that could affect the murdoch family directly. first scott pelley with a preview of tonight's "cbs evening news." >> many families lost everything when a tornado devastated joplin, missouri, three months ago. now as school begins we will speak to a woman who has figured out how to get new clothes for all the kids in town who need them. that story tonight on the "cbs evening news." them. that story tonight on the "cbs evening news." finally, there's a choice for my patients with an irregular heartbeat called atrial fibrillation, or afib, that's not caused by a heart valve problem. today we have pradaxa to reduce the risk

of a stroke caused by a clot. in a clinical trial, pradaxa 150 mg reduced stroke risk 35% more than warfarin. and with pradaxa, there's no need for those regular blood tests. pradaxa is progress. pradaxa can cause serious, sometimes fatal, bleeding. don't take pradaxa if you have abnormal bleeding, and seek immediate medical care for unexpected signs of bleeding, like unusual bruising. pradaxa may increase your bleeding risk if you're 75 or older, have kidney problems or a bleeding condition, like stomach ulcers. or if you take aspirin products, nsaids, or blood thinners. tell your doctor about all medicines you take, any planned medical or dental procedures, and don't stop taking pradaxa without your doctor's approval, as stopping may increase your stroke risk. other side effects include indigestion, stomach pain, upset, or burning. if you have afib not caused by a heart valve problem, ask your doctor if pradaxa can reduce your risk of a stroke.

of the new subway yogurt parfait. low fat and freshly prepared with a whole serving of fruit, it's parfait our way. and a delicious treat you can enjoy any time of day. subway. eat fresh. this flat-out delicious -- the new $3 flatbread breakfast combo. a toasty 6-inch flatbread breakfast sandwich and a 16-ounce cup of freshly brewed seattle's best coffee. all for just $3. build your better breakfast today. china is denying a report that pakistan let chinese examine the wreckage from the u.s. stealth helicopter from the raid that killed osama bin laden. the secret raid crashed the aircraft. the report says chinese agents were allowed to study it and take examples.

late yesterday china called that preposterous. speaking of china, vice president joe biden is headed there for what could be called tough economic talks. chinese leaders have been critical of the u.s. over its huge foreign debt. much of it held by china. biden will also visit mongolia and japan. there are new questions on britain's hacking scandal. a newly revealed letter for the former defunct "news of the world" tabloid contradicts testimony by top executives. mark phillips reports. >> reporter: the "news of the world" newspaper is gone, a casualty of its phone hacking culture. the latest bombshell comes from the only reporter at the paper who has actually gone to jail for phone hacking. clive goodman served a four-month sentence. the paper said he was a rogue reporter acting alone but now a letter he wrote to his bosses at the time has been released in which he claims that phone hacking "was widely discussed in the daily editorial conference

until explicit reference to it was banned by the editor." the editor was andy coulson. the man david cameron later hired to run his press office. coulson has always denied the hacking. now that denying is becoming more difficult. somebody's lying. and the version of the events given by the "news of the world's" owners, the murdoch family, is also being questioned. james murdoch, too, claims he knew nothing but the younger murdoch will likely be called before the parliamentary committee again to explain discrepancies between what he claims he knew and what others say he knew. in his letter, the "news of the world" reporter says he was promised he would get his job back if he didn't implicate anybody else in the murdoch empire so he kept quiet and took one for the team. the job promised was never kept. as for not implicating anybody else, it's too late for that. mark phillips, cbs news, london.

in syria, something not seen in quite a while, crowds cheering. tanks and soldiers left the eastern city of deir al lur yesterday. the government allowed journalists to see the event. the crackdown on anti-government protesters is now over. straight ahead your weather. and in sports a bang, bang, bang triple play in boston. bang, bang triple play in boston. discover customersl are getting five percent cashback bonus at the pump... and at many of the places their summer plans take them. it pays to switch, it pays to discover. took some wild risks when i was young.

but i was still taking a risk with my cholesterol. anyone with high cholesterol may be at increased risk of heart attack. diet and exercise weren't enough for me. i stopped kidding myself. i've been eating healthier, exercising more, and now i'm also taking lipitor. if you've been kidding yourself about high cholesterol, stop. along with diet, lipitor has been shown to lower bad cholesterol 39 to 60 percent. lipitor is fda approved to reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke in patients who have heart disease or risk factors for heart disease. [ female announcer ] lipitor is not for everyone, including people with liver problems and women who are nursing, pregnant or may become pregnant. you need simple blood tests to check for liver problems. tell your doctor if you are taking other medications or if you have any muscle pain or weakness. this may be a sign of a rare but serious side effect. lets go... haha. if you have high cholesterol, you may be at increased risk of heart attack and stroke. don't kid yourself. talk to your doctor about your risk and about lipitor.

here's a look at the weather in some cities around the country. new york sunny, 84, miami, thunderstorms 91. chicago thunderstorms as well, 83. dallas going to be sunny there but a whopping 103 and los angeles a sunny 85 degrees. time now for a check of the national forecast. the latest satellite picture shows a few storm clouds lingering over arizona and new mexico. a band of stronger storms covers much of the great lakes region. fair skies are returning to the northeast. it's clear on the west coast from canada to mexico. later today, though, heavy rains from scattered thunderstorms are likely in southern florida. there will also be storms, some severe in illinois and michigan as well as colorado and nebraska. the southern plains will remain hot and dry. the northeast and the west coast will have fair and seasonal weather. in sports, the red sox split a double header with tampa bay. in the first game in boston,

jacoby ellsbury blasted a three-run homer for a win. in the second game a triple play but the rays home run from desmond jennings won the night cap, 6-2. boston trails the yankees by a half game in the a.l. east. score tied bottom of the 14th inning in chicago, juan pierre gave chicago a walk-off 8-7 win over cleveland. and milwaukee walk-off single against los angeles, the brewers beat the dodgers 2-1, they've won 18 of their last 20 games. the ncaa is investigating gifts given to university of miami football players. nevin shapiro told yahoo! sports he gave money, cars, jewelry and other benefits to more than 70 hurricanes players between 2002 and last year.

the school is cooperating with the investigation. when we return, another look at this morning's top stories and three months after the devastating tornado, joplin, missouri, is beginning its comeback.

a battle over a citywide curfew divides local leaders. why the mayor is accusing some of using a toddler's death for political gain. making sure dangerous parolees don't slip through the cracks. the new bill inspired by the jaycee dugard kidnapping. it's the closest some of us will get to stanford. how you can take world-class courses absolutely free. plus.. how your morning cup of coffee could help prevent skin cancer. join us for cbs 5 early edition ... beginning at 4:30. ,,,,

on the "cbs morning news," here's a look at today's weather, scattered thunderstorms may form over new mexico and severe storms could reach into colorado and nebraska. the southern plains remain hot with highs in the 100s. in the northeast seasonal temperatures. here's another look at this morning's top stories. president obama talks jobs and hears plenty about them, too, as his midwest bus tour rolls on. and researchers predict long-term problems for the country, as the number of american children living in poverty climbs to one in every five. schools reopen in joplin,

missouri, today, as the city slowly recovers from the devastating tornado. it's been almost three months since the suisser flattened much of joplin. ten of the city's 13 schools including the high school were destroyed so classes are being held in other buildings. >> we've got a lot of people with a lot of heart, after the storm instead of crawling in the hole and saying come help me they put on the work boots and gloves and got out clearing debris, saving lives and everybody worked hard and well to make all of this come together. >> joplin hopes to have a new high school built within three years. in tulsa, oklahoma, a man spent six long days perched high on a television tower. finally late yesterday a retired police officer and fire department cherry pickered convinced the 25-year-old man to give it up. he was taken to the hospital to be treated for dehydration and will have a mental health examination. and an equally daring rescue overnight in southern california. los angeles firefighters

descended by rope to save two teenagers who somehow got stuck high on a 300-foot cliff over a normally busy highway. the dangerous rescue took hours, but both teens finally got down safely. and it's the slowest and slimiest race ever in france, of course, that's right, those are snails and yes they are racing at a snail's pace. the winner gets to slime another day and the losers think melted butter, garlic and escargot. i guess it's tough losing. this morning on "the early show," joplin, missouri, three months after the devastating tornado. we'll see how the folks are doing. i'm betty nguyen. this is the "cbs morning news." i'm betty nguyen. this is the "cbs morning news." [ automated voice speaks foreign language ] [ male announcer ] in here, everyone speaks the same language. ♪ in here, forklifts drive themselves.

no, he doesn't have it. yeah, we'll look on that. [ male announcer ] in here, friends leave you messages written in the air. that's it right there. [ male announcer ] it's the at&t network. and what's possible in here is almost impossible to say. [ male announcer ] it's the at&t network. and off we go! seeking inspiration from the world's best yogurts for activia selects in paris we discovered the inspiration for a totally new yogurt. activia selects french so silky and smooth with lots of juicy fruit. then our search took us to beautiful greece and this thick and creamy greek yogurt, so rich and full of flavor. it was a grueling trip! try new activia french and greek yogurt. a world of great new tastes.

china's booming economy has created a growing middle class, and they're buying more of everything, including meat, which is having a ripple effect in the u.s.

very good for business, as celia hadden explains. >> reporter: the lee family of beijing has been serving food fit for a king, well, since imperial times. mrs. lee's great grandfather was a cook in the forbidden city, home to china's emperors. today this tidy family restaurant still serves the palace's food. >> translator: this is what the last emperor used to eat. >> reporter: now many in china are rich enough to eat whatever they choose, especially meat. each chinese person devours about 111 pounds of meat a year, not as much as americans 239 pounds, but they're getting there. >> translator: people here want to enjoy themselves so they want to taste everything. we never saw bacon when we were kids but now it's available. >> reporter: that's no exaggeration. the lee's generation lived through china's epic famine in the 1960s. 30 million people starved to death when the government turned

farms into collectives and ordered many farmers to work in the iron and steel industry. the lee's daughter can barely believe their story. >> translator: people my age we're still very young so whatever we want to eat, we'll eat. >> reporter: china's new middle class is feasting on it, from juicy steaks and hamburgers to stir-fry and even the colonel's secret recipe but there's a problem, china's approximately the same size as the united states but its land has to support four times the population, 1.3 billion people. year after year of drought led to severe water shortages and that means trouble for a country trying to raise an expanding number of livestock. china's hunger is a boom to u.s. farmers. >> i don't think your average consumer realizes how much is going over to china and how important that market is for the u.s. economy. when something happens in china,

it directly affects my farm and our grain prices. >> reporter: china's move up the global food chain impacts american consumers, too. the department of agriculture warns grocery prices will rise up to 4% this year. the communist leadership's latest plan includes increasing military spending, increasing the structure from starvation to plenty within the memory of a single family. coming up later on "the early show," the comeback of joplin, missouri, three months after the city was destroyed by a tornado that killed 160 people. we'll see how things are going. this is back to class day for joplin's nearly 8,000 school kids. the weight loss myth about calorie counting and the top 50 websites. 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 have a great wednesday. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com

a controversial new solution to your realtime captioner is linda marie macdonald. i'm afraid to be out here