surprise visit. former president clinton travels to north korea to try to win the release of two american journalists. toyota toll. the world's largest automaker suffers its third straight quarterly loss. and terror plot. an alleged plan to attack all australian military bases is foiled. >> the men's intention was to go to the barracks and kill as many soldiers as they could before they themselves were killed.

captioning funded by cbs good morning, everyone. thanks for joining us. i'm ross palumbo in for michelle guillen. former president bill clinton arrived in north korea this morning to try to secure the release of two american journalists held there since march. mr. clinton's unannounced trip comes amid growing tension over north korea's nuclear ambitions. tara mergener is live with the latest. >> reporter: former president clinton arrived in north korea with a warm welcome. he is there with two major goals. he arrived in north korea on a mission. to bring two american journalists back home. >> it may be a face-saving measure by the north koreans, saying we need a high level, prominent american person to come over, and then we'll go. >> reporter: euna lee and laura ling were working for al gore's

current tv when they were tried in march. they were tried, convicted and sentenced to 12 years hard labor for crossing the border illegally and committing grave crimes. >> all we can say to the government of north korea is we desperately beg for mercy. >> reporter: washington has been pushing for the journalists' release for months. the fear is they're using the women as a negotiating card to win concessions. pyongyang rapidly escalated tensions this year with several provocative actions, including restarting its nuclear facilities and test-firing a series of ballistic missiles. >> the fact that they've agreed to welcome the former president of the united states with a strong likelihood that he will see kim jong-il, the north korean leader, suggests that the north is still interested in some kind of accommodation with the united states. >> reporter: clinton was greeteded at the airport by north korea's chief nuclear negotiator suggesting the visit may win two purposes, winning

the journalists' freedom and improving ties between washington and pyongyang. and bill clinton is the second former american president to visit north korea following jimmy carter in 1994. live in washington this morning, i'm tara mergener. ross, back to you. >> tara mergener in washington, thank you. overseas, a bangkok airways passenger jet skidded off the runway this morning as it was attempteding to land at a popular resort island in thailand 300 miles south of bangkok. officials say there were 68 people on board. 40 of those were injured. the plane caught fire after it skidded out of control and crashed into the control tower. there were reports of heavy rains just prior to the accident. the taliban launched an early morning rocket attack in afghanistan this morning. one missile landed near the u.s. embassy. at least eight rockets landed near various neighborhoods in the capital of kabul. the rockets caused some damage, and a child was injured.

the taliban wants to disrupt this month's presidential elections. yesterday a roadside bomb killed at least 11 people in western afghanistan. police in australia say they've broken up an alleged al qaeda linked terrorist plot. this morning authorities launch predawn raids in melbourne after a seven month surveillance operation. four men with ties to an extremist group were arrested. they planned attacks on military braces. >> there is an enduring threat of terrorism at home here in australia as well as overseas. only too recently we've been reminded of the consequences of this threat in the tragic jakarta bombings in which three australians lost their lives. >> police said the plot had the potential to inflict significant casualties. on the cbs money watch, stocks in asia gain ground this morning while toyota battles plunging sales. claire leka is here in new york

with more. >> asian markets were mostly higher overnight. japan's benchmark nikkei gained a quarter of a percent. south korea stocks tacked on a fraction. now to wall street, the bulls are hoping to stretch their legs again today. a better than expected report on manufacturing signaled the recession. looks like it is nearing an end. that sent the blue chips surging to a fresh nine month high. the dow starts the day up 115 points. the tech heavy nasdaq gained 30 points and begins above the 2000 level for the first time since last november. and the s&p starts above the 1000 level for the first time since november as well. this month we get key economic reports on income and spending and pending home sales, which probably rose for a fifth straight month last month as lower prices and mortgage rates attracted buyers. toyota turned in a smaller

than expected quarterly loss of $818 million. the japanese automaker also sees less red ink for the rest of the year despite plunging auto sales and a stronger yen. toyota, which makes the popular hybrid prius raised its outlook, citing improving sales in japan. back here at home, automakers got a boost in july from the cash for clunkers program. gm had its first sales increase in 19 months, but it's sales were down. ford is the clear winner here. its sales are up 2.3% over last july, making it the only automaker in two years to see a year to year gain. south korean police commandos stormed bang yong motors factory this morning, which has been occupied by hundreds of fired workers for more than two months protesting massive layoffs.

the raid comes after weeks of tension that has seen workers use sling shots and molotov cocktails against riot police, who have responded by dropping tear gas from helicopters. the car maker has been in bankruptcy protection since february amid falling sales and mounting red ink. ross? >> claire leka here in new york, thank you. that cash for clunkers auto rebate program has hit a patch of rough road in the senate. the senate is considering a $2 billion extension already approved by the house, but many republicans remain skeptical. joel brown has the story 37 >> reporter: with time and money running out, supporters pushed the senate to refuel the cash for clunkers program before l lawmake lawmakers' summer break. >> we think another $2 billion can take the program through september, and that's a good thing. >> reporter: the white house and auto dealers want the senate to follow their lead and extend the

program which already burned through its $1 billion allowance. critics argue that just proves the program has been badly managed and does not deserve more attention. >> we were told the program would lost several months. as it turned out, it ran out in a week. >> reporter: lawmakers launched cash for clunkers with $1 billion in the bank. that money is pretty much gone. dealers nationwide report they've sold nearly 250,000 new cars. >> in a good month, we'll do 250 cars or so. 39 cars in a week. looking at what it could be, this could be 100 cars a month, 120 extra. >> reporter: fuel efficiency standards have improved some 60%, numbers the president hopes will sway lawmakers to keep cash for clunkers on the road. joel brown, cbs news, washington. just ahead on the morning news, a judge rules in the latest michael jackson hearing. plus in flight scare. dozens injured as turbulence rock the continental airlines plane. first, katie couric has a

preview of tonight's "cbs evening news." >> it's one of the country's most popular off-road vehicles, but it's linked to a disturbing number of injuries and even deaths. why are there no government safety standards to regulate it? an exclusive cbs news investigation tonight only on "cbs evening news."

toxic fumes sent 119 people to hospitals in new bedford, massachusetts, and two remain hospitalized in critical condition this morning. it happened yesterday at a trash disposal facility. the nature of the fumes is not yet clear, but investigators traced it to a load of trash at a construction site. a los angeles judge has ruled on several issues regarding michael jackson's estate and his three children. at a hearing yesterday, he confirmed jackson's 79-year-old mother katherine as the children's permanent guardian. he rejected a motion from a doctor who claimed a "special relationship" with jackson's two

older children, and he left the two men jackson himself chose to manage his financial estate in charge of it for now. experts say clear air turbulence nearly impossible to detect may have caused yesterday near disaster for a continental airlines jet that made an emergency landing in miami. whatever caused it, the 179 people on the plane will certainly never forget it, as nancy cordes reports. >> reporter: continental flight 128 touched down in miami just before dawn, carrying dozens of bruised, gashed, and bloodied passengers. >> all of a sudden, the plane takes a dip and rises up. you see people going off their seats, people screaming. >> reporter: the boeing 767 had hit a pocket of turbulence so violent and unexpected that flight attendants in the aisles were flung against the ceiling and a few passengers were knocked unconscious. >> i hit my head on the light above, and it broke the light out and was shourd in glass.

>> reporter: those with the most severe injuries were lowered to the ground using catering trucks then rushed to the hospital. the rest were treated at the airport. >> everybody bumped the head against it twice because it came down again and very sharp. >> reporter: a doctor on board did what he could during the hour it took to divert to miami. continental said the fasten seat belt light was on, but many of the sleeping passengers on the overnight flight either didn't see it or ignored it. >> nothing was happening, and then all of a sudden the plane just dropped. >> reporter: each year approximately 58 air travelers in the u.s. are injured by turbulence while not wearing their seat belt. this computer simulation created for the faa showed how much more dangerous turbulence can be for an unbelted passenger on the right, then the belted passenger on the left. that's why many pilots recommend you wear your seat belt at all

times while flying because even the most sophisticated equipment can't predict every patch of rough air. nancy cordes, cbs news, reagan national airport. there was bubbly when a couple renewed their vows in spain. the ceremony was performed in an aquarium tank with sharks and turtles as witnesses. whose idea was this? the couple's 9-year-old son, who also played flower boy. straight ahead, your tuesday morning weather. in sports, clete thomas digs in.

here's a look at the weather in cities around the country. new york sunny, 79 degrees. chicago, thunder, 87. l.a. sunny at 80 degrees. time now for a check on the national forecast. the latest satellite picture shows clouds scattered over the northwest and southwest. it's a cloudy morning across much of the southern plains and deep south. later today, scattered thunderstorms will be rumbling across the southern plains. the heat continues in the northwest with temperatures once again climbing into the mid-90s. some strong storms are likely over the southeast. and it will be hot and sticky for much of the southwest and the deep south. in sports, texas gave oakland nothing for eight

innings, but everything changed in the ninth with johnny davis' two-out triple down the right field line drove in the winning run as the a's scored three times to beat the rangers 3-2. in detroit, marcus thames took away an extra base hit, and he almost lost his glove doing it. this game was tied in the ninth until the tigers' clete thomas untied it. his home run beat baltimore 6-5 as the orioles gave up a five-run lead. milwaukee had a four-run ninth inning lead in los angeles until the dodgers started a comeback. they scored three times, then manny ramirez came up with the bases loaded. all he could manage was a lazy flyball. brewers win 6-5. nascar drivers hit the track for the pennsylvania 500 after a one-day rain delay. with ten laps to go, denny hamlin bumped his way past clint

bowyer to take the lead. hamlin would go on to win, his first victory in more than a year. when we return, another look at the day's top stories. and more on president clinton's diplomatic mission in north korea. or diabetics on medicare! i'm a diabetic and i want you to know over 230,000 u.s. doctors have authorized their patients to receive their diabetic supplies through liberty medical. and that begins with the one touch®ultra2 meter. easy to use, fast results... at no additional cost! liberty helps keep you on track by delivering diabetic supplies to your door... and filing your claims. i never feel i'm going to run out of anything. with liberty i always have someone to talk to and now they refill all my prescriptions. call now to receive a diabetic cookbook free. call to receive the one touch®ultra2 meter at no additional cost and find out why 230,000 u.s. doctors and over a million people with diabetes trust liberty medical.

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on the "cbs morning news," here's a look at today's weather. strong thunderstorms will be developing across much of the southern plains and deep south. it will remain unseasonably warm in the northwest, and the northeast will be dry and pleasantly warm. here's another look at this morning's top stories. an airliner trying to land on a resort island in thailand skidded off the runway this morning. the plane reportedly hit the control tower and burst into flames. officials say at least 68 people were on board, 40 were injured.

and former president clinton is in north korea this morning hoping to win the release of two american journalists. laura ling and ueuna lee were arrested in march after allegedly crossing the north korean border. for more on president clinton's mission to north korea, we're joined by barry petersen in tokyo. good morning, barry. >> reporter: good morning. >> is president clinton in his role as former president or as husband to the secretary of state? >> reporter: i think he's there as both. he obviously brings a lot of gravitas because he is the former president. he wanted to visit north korea when he was still president, and that came very close. more importantly, he really is the husband of america's secretary of state. that means he's been well-briefed. he knows what he's going there for. and the north koreans know that whatever they tell bill clinton, hillary clinton will hear about it. >> barry, what is the message

that north korea is trying to send to the united states by inviting mr. clinton there? >> reporter: i think it's a sense of conciliation that they have these journalists. they were under arrest. they tried them. they sentenced them to a long term. and now they've got something to trade. and what they've been talking about is the desire on the north to deal directly with the united states over this issue of north korea's nuclear weapons program. now, there are currently an effort at talks that include the u.s., south korea, north korea, russia, china, japan, the so-called six-party talks which are stalled. what the north seems to want -- and i think what this gesture is about -- is to try to start a dialogue just with the united states. cut these other parties out. that's a goal of the north because i think they believe they'll get a better deal from the u.s. than maybe all of these parties together. so far, the secretary of state, the president's wife, has said that's not going to happen. >> okay. barry petersen in tokyo, thank

you. this morning on "the early show," updates on president clinton's mission in north korea. i'm ross palumbo. this is the "cbs morning news." [ announcer ] you make healthy choices every day-- oh, max! and you want to do the same for your laughable, lovable dog. [ barks ] that's why purina fit & trim is specially formulated... with high-quality protein, including delicious real chicken, to help him maintain lean muscle and a healthy weight, so he can make the most of every day. long live your buddy. long live your dog. purina fit & trim. my daughter was with me. i took a bayer aspirin out of my purse and chewed it. my doctor said the bayer aspirin saved my life.

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in 30 seconds it will be 5:00. it is another nice summer morning, august