deadlocked. john edwards walks after jurors are unable to reach a verdict on five count of campaign finance fraud. michael bloomberg stands by his proposal to ban large servings of soda pop and other sugary drinks. and spell-binding victory. a 14-year-old san diego student is this year's national spelling bee champ. this is the "cbs morning news" for friday, june 1, 2012. good morning, everybody. happy friday to you. i'm terrell brown. prosecutors could move to retry john edwards. legal experts say that seems unlikely. edwards' six-week trial on campaign fraud charges ended in

a mistrial. jurors aquilted him on one count but they couldn't agree on whether money edwards received from donors was a campaign contribution or a gift. manuel gallegus reports from greensboro, north carolina. >> reporter: john edwards left the greensboro, north carolina, courthouse, saying he broke his marriage vow but not the law. >> while i do not believe i did anything illegal or ever thought i was doing anything illegal, i did an awful, awful lot that ws wrong. and there is no one else responsible for my sin. >> reporter: edwards was acquitted of one count of campaign finance fraud but the jury deadlocked on the other five. prosecutors said edwards accepted almost a million dollars from two wealthy supporters as campaign contribution well above legal limits. edwards' defense argued the 2008 presidential candidate considered the donations gifts. the prosecution relied heavily on the testimony of former aide andrew young.

young testified he accepted the money to pay living expenses for rielle hunter, edwards' pregnant mistress. >> the witnesses who did testify, andrew young and his wife, obviously this jury said wasn't credible enough to -- upon which they were going to find a guilty verdict. >> reporter: edwards did not testify in his own defense, but after the judge declared a mistrial, he thanked his family and said he may not be through with public life. >> i don't think god's through with me. i really believe he thinks there's still some good things i can do. >> reporter: manuel gallegus, cbs news, greensboro, north carolina. to the crisis in syria. diplomatic efforts to end the bloodshed have failed. defense secretary panetta says he cannot envision the united states taking military action without an okay from the u.n. speaking yesterday panetta said it's time for the international community to act more aggressively. >> this is an intolerable situation. we cannot be satisfied with what's going on. and the international community has got to take further steps to

make sure that assad steps down. >> he also said the pentagon is planning for any contentious. presidential campaign played out on both coasts thursday with the candidates opening up new lines of attack on the same subject -- the economy. the day ending with mitt romney gaining the endorsement of a former first lady. susan mcginnis is in washington. happy friday. good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning, terrell. the president was not on the campaign trail yesterday, but one of his main surrogates was right in mitt romney's backyard. meanwhile, omney was more direct, taking aim right at the president's economic policy. mitt romney's day of campaigning in california ended with a handshake and an endorsement from nancy reagan. in a statement the former first lady praised romney's experience in private business. earlier romney attacked the president's approach on the economy, making a campaign stop at the former headquarters of solyndra in northern california. the bankrupt solar panel maker received a $500 million loan.

from the federal government. romney said, it is a prime example of government waste. >> you look at this building behind us. this is not the kind of building built by private enterprise. this is the kind of enterprise -- the kind of building that's not with $500 million of taxpayer money. >> reporter: on the other side of the country president obama's campaign held an event outside the massachusettsstate house. top aide david axelrod criticized romney's tenure as governor. >> romney economics didn't work then and it won't work now. >> reporter: the president's re-election campaign released a new tv ad, attacking romney's political record. that appears to be a shift away from the president's strategy to call into question romney's experience at bain capital. in an interview on cnn, president clinton hinted that attacking romney's private business record may not sell with voters. >> there's no question in terms of getting up, going to the office and, you know, basically

performing the essential functions of the office, a man who's been governor and had a sterling business career, crosses the qualifications threshold. >> reporter: in that same interview, he praised president obama, saying his economic moves have been better for the country. he also expressed some doubt, terrell, that romney would have ordered that raid that killed osama bin laden. >> so much to talk about. susan mcginnis in washington. thank you so much. a victory for supporters of same-sex marriage. a federal appeals court ruled against a key part of the defensive marriage act. it's a federal law that defines marriage as a union between a man and a woman. three-judge panel ruled denying benefits to married same-sex couples is unconstitutional. the case is likely headed to the supreme court. candidates in wisconsin's gub that toll recall election held their final debate. milwaukee barrett is running against scott walker. the spark that triggered the recall was walker's proposal last year to end collective

bargaining rights for most state workers. walker says the move is saving taxpayers money. that massive wildfire in new mexico, the largest in state history, grew overnight. the fire is racing in all directions in the gila national forest. fueled by wind and low humidity, the fire has already burned more than 190,000 acres. new mexico's governor says it's only going to get worse. "cbs moneywatch." the latest on america's unemployment worries. and a new plan to keep interest rates low on student loans. ashley morrison in new york with that and more. good morning. >> good morning to you. weak economic data from china dragged down overseas market. nikkei fell more than 1% while hang congress's hang seng lost a fractions. europe's debt crisis led to a weak month of may on wall street. the dow closed down 26 points on thursday to finish off a month in which it lost more than 800 points. the nasdaq was down 10. today investors will get the may unemployment report. economists expect job growth to

be slower than the pace we saw from september to february. applications for unemployment benefits rose by 10,000 last week, the highest level in five weeks. congressional republicans are making a direct offer to president obama on keeping interest rates on student loans at their current rate. house speaker john boehner, senate majority leader mitch mcconnell and other gop leaders sent the president a letter proposing new ways to keep stafford loan rates at 3.1%. without congressional action it will double one month from today. both parties say they want to keep the current rate but they're divided on how to cover the plan's $6 billion cost. and gvernment safety officials shut down more than two dozen low cost bus operations. ray lahood says the company ignored safety rules. and put passengers at risk. the curb side bus services operated mainly along the east coast and served more than 1800 passengers a day. terrell? >> ashley morrison here in new york. have a good weekend.

thank you so much. jerry sandusky, former penn state assistant football coach, accused of molesting boys, asked for a delay in his trial. the trial is scheduled to begin next week. he's accused of sexually abusing boys, some on the university campus. sandusky denies the allegations. police say an unidentified hero saved lives when a gunman open fire at a seattle cafe. ian stawicki had two hand guns, when he started shooting wednesday morning. he killed four people in that cafe and another when he hijacked a car. police say if it wasn't for the actions of one man, it could have been worse. >> the hero picked up a stool and threw it at the suspect, hit him. picked up another stool as the suspect is shooting, now pointing at him, and hits him with another stool. during that time, two or possibly three people made their escape. >> the hero told police his brother died in the world trade center attacks and he promised himself if something like that happened, he would never hide under a table. amazing story.

coming up on the morning news, sugar coating a beverage ban. a lot of ss and a lot of bs. new york city's mayor defends a radical plan. - [ announcer ] introducing hugs. - [ barks ] crispy, oven-baked dog snacks with soft savory centers, made with beef and cheese. beneful baked delights: a unique collection of four new snacks... to help spark play in your day. mine was earned off vietnam in 1968. over the south pacific in 1943. i got mine in iraq, 2003. usaa auto insurance is often handed down from generation to generation. because it offers a superior level of protection, and because usaa's commitment to serve the military, veterans and their families

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tomato soup from campbell's. ♪ don't go for second best baby put your love to the test ♪ hey, hey, hey, madonna expressing herself kicking off her world tour last night in tel aviv. with cover hits like "vogue" and "like a virgin." as well as new songs like "girl gone wild." she makes the rounds in the u.s. in august. she's still got it, i'm telling you. here in new york, a battle is looming between mayor bloomberg and soft drink industry as michelle miller reports, over the mayor's latest move to fight the obesity epidemic. he wants to ban large serving sizes of sugary soda. >> every study shows that you will eat a very big proportion of whatever's put in front of you. and if you have to make a

conscience effort to go to another cup, you're less likely to do it. >> reporter: mayor bloomberg has waged the most aggressive antiobesity campaign in the nation in an effort to cinch the waist lines of new yorkers. >> obesity is killing 5,000 people a year in new york city. >> reporter: in 2008, he banned artery-clogging transfats from new york city restaurants and insisted calories be posted on menus before setting his sights on soft drinks. susan neily is with the american beverage association. >> the mayor seems to have an obsession with soft drinks. i don't think it's going to solve the obesity crisis by any stretch of the imagination. the problem is, what, you're going to be at yankee stadium with your family and you can have as much beer as you want and you can have as much -- all the food that you want, and then you've got to are a limit on your soft drink? >> reporter: the mayor's ban only applies to restaurants, movie theaters and concession stands, not to groceries and

convenience stores. >> i just heard someone on the radio say you're legislating the joy out of life for new yorkers. >> oh, come on. we're not taking away anything. you don't have to pay attention to calorie counts, stop buying big bottles or stop drinking two cups. >> reporter: americans consume 200 to 300 more calories a day than they did three years ago, largely due to sugary drinks that hold high fructose corn syrup. who do you hold accountable for the obesity epidemic? >> in the end it's people buying products, companies making products available that people want to buy. i don't know that you can go and hold either one -- either side of the equation responsible. >> reporter: in 2003 new york city also banned sugary beverages from all of its public schools. and the health commissioner tells us that they have seen a 5% reduction in obesity rates in those school kids in the last four years. michelle miller, cbs news, new york.

in medical news, the journal science reports a possible breakthrough by swiss researchers trying to cure paralyzing spinal injury using a combination of drugs, electrical stimulation and physical training they taught laboratory rats with partially severed spinal cords to walk again. researchers are now developing a similar study to determine if it works for people. up next, your weather forecast. in sports, a hometown thriller for thunder fans as oklahoma city tries to stay with san antonio in the nba playoffs. san antonio in the nba playoffs. we charge everything else... maybe it's time to recharge the human battery. only the beautyrest recharge sleep system combines the comfort of aircool memory foam layered on top of beautyrest pocketed coils to promote proper sleeping posture all night long. the revolutionary recharge sleep system from beautyrest... it's you, fully charged.

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here's a look at the weather. new york, afternoon showers, 76. thunderstorms, 86 in miami. showers, 63 in chicago. sunny, 84 in dallas. partly cloudy in los angeles, 78 degrees. let's check your national forecast. showers and thunderstorms, some severe, will stretch from eastern great lakes up to the gulf coast of alabama. severe storms will bring damaging winds and hail along with possible tornadoes. the leading edge of this system will reach parts of the east coast by this afternoon. the pacific northwest will have showers but otherwise the west will be sunny with triple digit highs in the desert southwest. in sports this morning, thunder brought lightning to a playoff game with the spurs. at home in oklahoma city, kevin durant drove for a one-handed jam in the first quarter. and the second, kendrick perkins soared on alley-oop pass from russell westbrook. james harden sent one westbrook's way in the fourth. nice.

thunder came out smoking. they won this one 102-82. san antonio's 20-game win streak is over. the spurs still have a 2-1 lead in the western conference final. to baseball, milwaukee at l.a. dodgers. rickie weeks hit an rbi single to right in the second and brewers were ahead to stay. zack greinke struck out seven dodgers over six innings. carlos gomez hit a two-run homer in the ninth. the brewers won this thing 6-2, completing a four-game sweep. in denver, the rockies' carlos gonzalez smashed a three-run homer to left in the first inning his fourth round-tripper in as many at-bats. scutaro hit a solo in the sixth. colorado beat the astros 11-5 for a three-game sweep. in boston red sox led early. the third inning, detroit's prince fielder with an rbi single to put the tigers ahead. in the ninth, a rare triple for the big first baseman.

he smashed one deep to right center that went all the way to the wall to score another run. tigers win this one 7-3. to tennis and america's mayor than man at the french open. two years ago john isner won the longest match in tennis history, more than 11 hours at wimbledon. yesterday the 6'9" isner found himself in another endurance contest. playing matteau of france for six matchpoints over 76 games, finally losing after five hours and 41 minutes. back to baseball for one of the wildest plays you will ever see. the batter hits a pop-up in front of the plate, the catcher dives and just manages to tip the ball and the pitcher dives making a bare handed grab for the out. take another look at this. unbelievable. this is a high school championship game in ohio, by the way. teamwork, baby! that's how you get it done. when we come back, letter perfect.

a san diego teenager snags the trophy in this year's national spelling bee. chili's lunch break combos start at just 6 bucks. so ditch the brown bag for something better. like our bacon ranch quesadillas or big mouth burger bites, served with soup or salad, and fries. starting at just 6 bucks, at chili's. you've got to be kidding me. sweetie, help us settle this. i say this and this is called southern hospitality. well, i call it the clean getaway. [ scoffs ] you're both wrong. it's the freshy fresh. everyone knows that. i didn't know that. oh yeah, that's what they're saying now. [ female announcer ] nothing leaves you feeling cleaner and fresher

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here's a look at the forecast in some cities around the country. d.c., thunderstorms, 82. atlanta, thunderstorms, 80. partly cloudy, 68 in st. louis. partly cloudy, 79 in denver. showers and 66 in seattle. an unexpected guest turned up yesterday during graduation ceremonies at a middle school in bakersfield, california. a young black bear about 150 pounds wandered onto the school grounds, disrupting the graduation. i would have left the kids there and been gone. a teacher quickly called animal control officers. they caught it at a nearby apartment complex. >> it was going a little bit but they cornered it here and it just started making some weird noises.

they took it to animal control and they ut it in the cage. >> the bear was tranquilized. taken out of town and released back into the wild. champion, c-h-a-m-p-i-o-n, champion. take that, 14-year-old singdha nandipati. she is the winner, by the way, of the 85th annual scripps national spelling bee. at the finals last night in maryland, the 14-year-old from san diego was called upon to spell a french-derived word that means to ambush. >> guetapens, g-u-e-t-a-p-e-n-s, guetapens. >> i would have messed that all up. prizes include $30,000 in cash and $5,000 scholarship and that is t-r-o-p-h-y, trophy. congratulations to her. coming up on "cbs this morning," erica hill is in london with full coverage of the

queen's diamond jubilee. i'm terrell brown. that's t-e-r-r-e-l-l -- this is the morning news. [ whimpers ] - [ announcer ] introducing hugs. - [ barks ] crispy, oven-baked dog snacks with soft savory centers,

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a los angeles police detective is just a short time away from setting a world record. gus martinez is on the same ferris wheel at santa monica pier. at 8:30 local time he'll snap the record for longest ferris wheel ride in history, 25 hours. before you pass judgment, he is doing this to raise funds for the special olympics for southern california. martinez's son, who has down's syndrome, has joined him for parts of the record-setting ride. such a great story. former president george w. bush returned to the white house for unveiling of his official portrait. yesterday's ceremony featured a rare presidential gathering where political difference were set aside. norah o'donnell was there. >> reporter: it was one of those rare occasions in washington where politics gives way to tradition.

>> we may have our differences politically, but the presidency transcends those differences. >> reporter: those differences disappeared in the east room of the white house as three of the five living presidents gathered to honor president george w. bush. >> george, i will always remember the gathering you hosted for all the living former presidents before i took office. your kind words of encouragement, plus you also left me a really good tv sports package >> reporter: the unveiling of the portrait was a proud moment for the bush family. president george w.h. bush, who turns 88 next month, arrived in a wheelchair. it was a chance for the 43rd president to honor the 41st. >> i am honored to be hanging near a man who gave me the greatest gift possible, unconditional love, and that would be number 41. >> reporter: george bush joked the exclusive collection now starts and ends with a george w., referencing himself and george washington. >> when the british burned the

white house in 1814, dolly madison, famously saved this portrait of the first george w. now, michelle, if anything happens, there's your man. >> reporter: mrs. obama told him not to worry. >> and i promise you -- i promise, i'm going straight for -- >> reporter: president obama said his time in the white house has given him a deeper understanding for the men who came before him. and for today at least, that understanding seemed mutual. norah o'donnell, cbs news, the white house. i'm glad they could laugh about it. there could have been awkward moments there. coming up after your local news on "cbs this morning," more from jan crawford's exclusive network interview with mitt romney. plus the latest on the crisis in syria. we'll hear from former chairman

of the joint chiefs of staff, richard meyer. and erica hill is in london to kick off celebrations for queen's diamond jubilee. that is more a little later on "cbs this morning." that is the "cbs morning news" for this friday. as always, appreciate you watchings. i'm terrell brown. happy friday. have a great week. ,,,,

and when it family of benny's been man is making a tear fall play after here shot and killed on his way back from hurt. been