embassy alert. a possible terror threat prompts the u.s. to shut down diplomatic posts throughout the middle east on sunday. >> you will die a little every day as you think about the 11 years of atrocities you consistently inflicted on us. >> one of the women held captive by ariel castro speaks as he's sentenced to life plus a thousand years in prison, but before he's led away, the convicted kidnapper and rapist tries to defend the years of abuse. >> i'm not a monster. i am just sick. and aaron hernandez sends a letter from jail. the former player of nfl says he's innocent of murder charges and vows to play football again.

captioning funded by cbs this is the "cbs morning news" for friday, august 2 pd this is the "cbs morning news" for friday, august 2nd, 2013. good morning. good to be with you. i'm anne-marie green. well, the state department is taking a potential terror threat very seriously. it's prompting embassies throughout the muslim world to shut down sunday. susan mcginnis has more. susan, good morning. >> good morning, anne-marie. without elaborating it says it's closing its diplomatic posts because of security threats but intelligence says they picked up signs of a plot by al qaeda. the state department reacted to a security concern thursday, ordering u.s. embassies and consulates across north africa and the middle east to be shuttered down on sunday. they include dip employee masts

posts in egypt, israel, and jordan. >> we continue our operations with security and safety. >> reporter: >> the state department stayed quiet but the closings are tied to a nonspecific threat from al qaeda. without knowing an exact location officials ordered all of the posts to close. embassies in qatar, kuwait, and tell man other places. >> depending on our analysis. >> security at u.s. embassies and consulates were tested last year. four americans including ambassador chris stevens were killed during a terrorist attack on the consulate in benghazi, libya, last september 11th. libya is among those diplomatic posts that will be closed and some will be shut down for more than day. the u.s. officials made this call despite not having all of the details. they say they're reacting out of an abundance of caution. anne-marie? >> susan mcginnis in washington. thank you, susan. well, edward snowden's attorney says the american fugitive haas no immediate plans

to leave russia. snowden was granted temporary asylum yesterday. that has further strained u.s./russia relations and jeopardizes september's summit between president obama and president vladimir putin. for the time being snowden is living in the home of an american ex-patriot. tara mergener reports. >> reporter: this photo shows edward snowden just before he got in a taxi and drove away from the moscow airport. the nsa leaker spent more than a month inside looking for a legal way out. thursday his attorney held up the documents granting snowden asylum in russia for one year. snowden's father told russian television he expected he's gratified. he'll listen to vladimir putin. he has stopped leaking. >> he's made a sacrifice.

>> reporter: through the wikileaks website snowden thanking russia and said in the end the law is winning. the white house is furious and says russia should send snowden home to face trial. >> mr. snowden is not a whistle blower. he's accused of leaking classified information. >> reporter: the president held a white house meeting thursday with lawmakers concerned about the scope of the nsa surveillance program snowden exposed. some senators are pushing for new limits and oversight, but at the same time, want snowden brought to justice. >> i think the american people are capable of separating the illegal, completely intolerable actions of a law breaker like snowden. >> reporter: snowden's location is being kept a secret, and he'll lose his temporary asylum if he leaves russia. tara mergener, cbs news, the white house. and now to major league baseball's drug scandal.

"the miami herald" reports that the u.s. attorney's office has launched a criminal investigation into the florida clinic accused of distributing banned drugs. espn reports that talks between baseball and alex rodriguez to cut a deal has stalled. marlie hall is outside yankee stadium. marlie, good morning. >> good morning, anne-marie. well, the future remains unclear for yankee's player alex rodriguez. one thing is for sure. he says he'll fight any suspension. alex rodriguez has been cleared to play ball again and will suit up for yankees' minor league affiliate in trenton, new jersey, if he doesn't get suspended first. >> major league baseball has to get this thing done by no later than sunday. >> reporter: rodriguez and 13 other major league players are faces tialleged ties to the biogenic clinic in florida.

>> he needs more than a slap on the wrist. he needs to send a message to everybody. he tells cbs miami station wfor he did it to expose the clinic's owner tony bosch who was reportedly supplying steroids to an all-star roster of clients it's not me saying, ha, ha, buddy, look at the players, look at the players. look at what this guy is doing. you guys just happen to be clients of his. that's not my business. that's your problem. >> reporter: but alex rodriguez faces a much longer suspension than the others because he's accused of doing more than just using steroids. >> it's believed by baseball at least that he actively obstructed in the investigation. >> he says he needs to be made an example of. >> anything less than 200 games in baseball loses. >> reporter: rodriguez's attorney says he'll fight any suspensions handed down by the mlb. before joining the yankees in 2004 alex rodriguez admitted to using performance-enhancing

drugs while he was playing with the texas rangers between 2001 and 2003. anne-marie? >> thank you. marlie hall. bottle services. the postal service looks add delivering booze to help its bottomline. up next, a depraved kidnapper gets his punishment. we'll hear emotional testimony from one of his victims. this is the "cbs morning news." so do tire swings! this is our ocean spray cran-lemonade. it's good, old-fashioned lemonade. only better! whoa! [ splash! ] ocean spray cran-lemonade. a bold twist on an old favorite. so ditch the brown bag for something better. like our bacon ranch quesadillas or big mouth burger bites,

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what it was like living in that house with its windows boarded up, triple arms on the doors, the heavy chains, the pole they were tied to, and the dark. she shared it all with fellow captives amanda berry and gina dejesus. >> i cried every night. i was so alone. i worried about what would happen to me and the other girls every day. day turned into night. night turned into day. years turned into an eternity. >> reporter: knight had five miscarriages during her beatings and forced starvation by castro. he lured her into his home in 2002 with the promise of a puppy. you have taken 11 years of my life away. i have been living 11 years in hell. now your hell is just beginning.

i will live on. you will die a little every day. >> reporter: alternately apologizing for his crimes and then blaming a sex addiction for his actions. >> i'm not a monster. i'm a person. i need to be fixed. i have an addiction. >> reporter: he then claimed his three captives wanted sex with him and the household he headed was almost idyllic. [ inaudible ] these allegations about me being force ffl, that is totally wrong, but i do also want to let you know i was a good person. who fathered a daughter now 6 after raping amanda berry. neither his child, berry, or dejesus was in court, but castro cast a long gaze at michelle

knight before he was led away. and as he imposed a sentence of life without parole and a thousand years in prison judge michael russo told castro there's no place in this city, no place in this country, indeed, no place in this world for those who enslave others, those who sexually assault other, and those who brutalize others. dean reynolds, cbs news, cleveland. >> we'll be right back. you're watching the "cbs morning news." back. you're watching the "cbs morning news." and it's the only place i can get the brands she needs, like total girl, and it's totally affordable. [ female announcer ] this weekend, get $10 off when you spend $25. style. quality. price. now at jcpenney. with new all natural lean cuisine honestly good. it's frozen like you've never seen.

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here's a look at today's forecast in some cities around the country. new york, partly sunny today, miami, a chance of thunderstorms. a chance of thunderstorms in chicago as well. dallas, sunny, and partly sunny in los angeles, a high of 76. and time now for a check of your national forecast. showers and thunderstorms, some of which could be severe, will stretch from the dakotas to indiana. temperatures will range to around 100 degrees. rain is expected from eastern washington state through montana and across the central and southern rockies. and most of the south will be dry and hot as will the desert southwest. the northeast will be mainly dry and pleasant. on the "cbs moneywatch" now, fabulous fab loses his fraud case and the postal service finds a spirited way to earn cash, ashley morrison is here with us. good morning, ashley. >> good morning, anne-marie.

tokyo's nikkei jumped more than 3%. posting its biggest gain in five weeks. hong kong's hang seng rose half a percent. the s&p 500 index ended 21 points higher on thursday, closing above 1700 for the first tim. the dow rose 128 points also finishing at a record high. the nasdaq was up 49 points. >> bank of america may be facing new legal troubles in connection with bad residential mortgages it made during the housing boom. the bank says the justice department is considering filing civil charges against it. add issues bundles of mortgage-backed securities known as cdos or collateralized obligations, many sold off and many of them soured. a former goldman sachs trader was found liable for his

role in a fraud case involving a toxic mortgage deal. a federal jury here in new york found fabrice tourre guilty on tuesday. he was accused of leading investors that ultimately cost them $1 billion. it is unclear whether he will appeal. american international group, the insurance company that received one of the most biggest and controversial controversial bailout packages during the financial crisis is reinstating its common stock dividend. it reported a net income of just over $2.5 billion in the last quarter. aig almost imploded after making big bets on investments that ultimately failed. well, "rolling stone" magazine made money in controversy. there was a public outcry when they put boston marathon bombing suspect dzhokhar tsarnaev on its cover last month, "rolling stone" now says it sold over

13,01 13,000 copies of that issue. that's almost twice the usual issue. the agency lost $16 billion last year. the postmaster general estimated that it could make as much as $50 million a year if congress revises the current law and allows the postal service to deliver wine and other alcoholic beverages. there's going to be a lot of alcohol there. >> indeed. they get points for creativity. ashley morrison in new york. thank you. well, an illinois man found a novel way to protest. roger herrin paid $150,000 in quarters. they filled 150 bags and weighed four tons. herrin had them delivered by truck to two law firms. in marion, illinois. the lawyers were not happy. the money was part of an insurance payment after car crash killed herrin's teen age

son. when we return, jailhouse letter. former new england patriot aaron hernan daze wrote a letter saying he will be cleared and return to football. r saying he will be clear and return to football. ♪ i, i got it, i got it made ♪ i got it made ♪ i got it made fresh at subway ♪ ♪ breakfast made the way i say ♪ i got it made ♪ i got it made ♪ i got it made fresh at subway ♪ ♪ breakfast made the way i say [ male announcer ] nothing better than a subway bacon, egg & cheese with avocado made freshly before your eyes.

wantchip egg wle south, banana peppers... hey, you say it we'll make it. subway. eat fresh. ♪ at subway on monday. and an observer explains what's going on ine the negotiations. plus - our exclusive cbs po reveals... which side has t public's support. and where new security conc forced u-s embassies to clo this weekend. join us for kpix 5 news this morning... beginning at 4:3 good morning. it's friday, ,,,,

here's a look at today's here's a look at today's forecast in some cities around the country, washington, d.c., mostly sunny today. atlanta, partly sunny. rain in st. louis with a chance of thunderstorms and late-day thunderstorms in denver. seattle, mostly cloudy. aaron hernandez says he is innocent and is vowing to play football again. hernandez is in a massachusetts jail cell. he's accused of murdering an acquaintance odin lloyd in june. the website tmz sports obtained a letter written by hernandez to a fan who said he spent time in the same jail. it reads in part i know everything happens for a reason and i know god has plan for me.

the world just makes things out of false accusations and it will all die down, especially when they say not guilty. hernandez signed the letter using his jersey number 81 and told the fan i can't wait to sign this again when i'm playing again. the former new england patriot also asked the recipient not to share it with social media. and now to baseball. a great ninth inn iing, red sox rally. trailing 7-2, boston scored five runs to tie the game, and the bases were still loaded. that brought up daniel nava. >> a high-driving win. that's going to do it. the red sox have won the game! you've got to be kidding me. >> the red sox stunned seattle with an improbable victory. boston maintains sole possession of first place in the a.l. east, moving ahead of tampa bay. in texas, yu darvish struck

out 14 arizona diamondbacks over seven shutout innings. it was his eighth double-digit strikeout game of the year. a.j. pierzynski hit one of three texas home runs as the rangers beat arizona 7-1. and now to college football and defending champion alabama. it tops the brand-new preseason college poll. the crimson tide with last year's championship team got 58 of 62 first place votes. rounding out the top five, alabama was followed by ohio state, oregon, stanford, and florida. and this morning college football is remembering heisman trophy winner dick kazmaier. kazmaier, who was a halfback at princeton was the last ivy leaguer to win the heisman. he never played pro football. he went on to graduate school and on to a successful career. he was named athlete of the year

ahead of sam musial. he died of heart and lung disease yesterday. he was 82 years old. it's good, old-fashioned lemonade. only better! whoa! [ splash! ] ocean spray cran-lemonade. a bold twist on an old favorite. to prove to you that aleve is the better choice for him, he's agreed to give it up. that's today? [ male announcer ] we'll be with him all day as he goes back to taking tylenol. i was okay, but after lunch my knee started to hurt again. and now i've got to take more pills. ♪ yup. another pill stop. can i get my aleve back yet? ♪ for my pain, i want my aleve.

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a 6-year-old boy in afghanistan was blinded when a bomb exploded near his home. he came to the u.s. for treatment he's now regaining his sight and childhood thanks to a family in north carolina. elaine quijano has his story. >> reporter: eight months ago, riding a bike would have been impossible for 6-year-old sajad. he lost his sight when a bomb went off next to his home in afghanistan. >> him and his sister and brother went to the hospital, and only he came back. >> reporter: since january he's sajad has been saying with the somji family in their mooresville, north carolina,home. sajad was blinded by shards of

grass that pierced his eyes and face. his desperate father took him to kabul where he heard an american organization called solace for the children could provide medical help. executive director patsy wilson was there when sajad arrived. >> he was in such pain and his father was so distraught as any father would be. >> what did sajad's father say to you? >> please help my son. >> reporter: wilson arranged for doctors in the u.s. to operate on sajad. the somjis agreed to have sajad stay with them. >> he had to feel the house, find where he was going. sometimes you knew he couldn't see but he could run around the house. >> reporter: soon after his arrival, sajad unts went eye surgery to restore his sight. >> when he came out and saw the mirror and suddenly he said two sajads so at that time i

knew he had some vision now. >> reporter: what did you think when he said that? >> i said -- my first thought was, we can tell his parents. that something's better. >> reporter: slowly sajad began to rediscover the world around him. >> i almost got it. >> reporter: he progressed so well that this summer he's attending camp, swimming, and playing sports. a third surgery is scheduled to take place this month. he will likely go home to afghanistan in october. >> it will take a lot of adjustment when he leaves. it will be quieter. >> you will miss that? >> i will miss it. i will definitely miss it. >> reporter: the departure will be bittersweet, but sajad will leave having seen how love from strangers can change a life. elaine quijano, cbs news, north carolina.

well, coming up after your local news on "cbs this morning," more on the u.s. embassy closures this sunday. we'll go live to the pentagon. plus, crime on cruise ships. peter greenberg has a new detailed report on crime figures never before made public. and the introduction of cronut sweeping new york city. that's the "cbs morning news" for this friday morning. i'm anne-marie green. have a great day. anne-marie green. anne-marie green. have a great day. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com

and i'm michelle griego. tis >> your realtime captioner: linda marie macdonald. >> good morning, what day is it, michelle? >> friday. >> super friday! august 2. >> hi, everyone. i'm frank mallicoat. >> i'm michelle griego. time now 4:29. super friday.

>> great day around the bay area. lots of sunshine around the area. still patchy fog fog temperatures mainly in the 50s. the forecast is coming up. >> "friday light" at the bay bridge. no big issues even though we have upper deck roadwork still out there and lower deck. we'll tell you when it's scheduled to wrap up coming up. >> 7 cars. >> that's about it. >> thank you. bart workers issued a warning at a rally in oakland. they could go on strike monday. christin ayers says union members from across the bay area marched with bart workers in oakland. >> music, celebrity -- >> bart workers have been [ indiscernible ] over the last eight years. >> reporter: and over 1,000 union members flexing their political muscle shortly before announcing this. >> we