mail messages. colorado shooting suspect james holmes allegedly mailed a package of handwritten letters to one of his instructors at the university of colorado. guns and politics. president obama and mitt romney opposing views on the need for revised gun control laws. >> i also believe that a lot of gun owners would believe that ak-47s belong in the hands of soldiers not in the hands of criminals. >> i'm a strong defender of the second amendment. i don't believe we need new laws. and parachute plunge. a daredevil jumps from a balloon nearly 20 miles above the earth a daredevil jumps from a balloon nearly 20 miles above the earth for a world record attempt. captioning funded by cbs this is the "cbs morning news" for thursday, july 26, 2012. good morning everybody. good to be with you. i'm terrell brown. the university of colorado received a package from alleged

theater gunman james holmes. the package containing handwritten papers was addressed to one of holmes' instructors in the neuroscience ph.d. program. meanwhile, the first of holmes alleged victims was buried. teresa garcia in aurora, colorado, has our report. >> investigators say a package from accused movie theater gunman was found in the mail room of the university of colorado denver. the package which was discovered monday was handled by a bomb squad robot and x-rayed to check for explosives. sources say the letter was sent to one of holmes' former professors, a psychiatrist. in it, he talked about shooting people and included crude drawings of a gunman and his victims. the letter may help investigators learn more about holmes but experts say not to expect closure. >> there is nothing that this individual could say to us that would cause us and the general public to sit back and say now i understand why you did this. >> defense attorneys got their first look inside holmes'

apartment where authorities say he had planned to kill police officers using a complex network of booby traps, explosives and chemicals. police have finally released holmes' apartment building from being a crime scene and displaced residents will now be allowed back home. work crews spent the day repairing damage to the building caused during the police investigation. people continue to heal as well. mourners shed tears at a memorial across the street from the theater. earlier, the first memorial service paid tribute to 51-year-old gordon cowden who took his teenage daughters to the movie last friday. his girls were not hurt. teresa garcia, cbs news, aurora, colorado. some of the colorado shooting victims who face costly medical bills do not have health insurance. three of the five hospitals treating the victims say they'll limit or completely eliminate the costs. a fund to help the victims has raised nearly $2 million. but it's not clear how much of that will go to pay medical

bills. the colorado shooting has prompted talk about gun control on the presidential campaign trail. president obama said he supports some degree of tighter gun control. mitt romney traveling overseas doesn't believe new laws are needed. susan mcginnis is in washington with more. good morning to you. good morning terrell. this is a topic we would probably not be hearing about without the colorado massacre. but right now, both candidates are being asked direct questions and they're offering very different views on what the u.s. should do next. mitt romney meets with british leaders in london today, including former prime minister tony blair and current prime minister david cameron. but, while romney tries to beef up his foreign policy credent l credentials there, an issue typically avoided by both parties is making headlines here. [ shots ] >> both romney and president barack obama are talking gun control. >> we have no greater mission as a country than keeping our young people safe. >> campaigning in new orleans, president obama embraced more restrictions on gun purchases.

>> i also believe that a lot of gun owners would agree that ak-47s belong in the hands of soldiers not criminals. >> he'll work with congressional members for tighter background checks to keep guns out of the hands of criminals, fugitives and the mentally unstable. >> these steps shouldn't be controversial. they should be common sense. while the president embraced the idea of more control over gun sales, mitt romney says he does not believe congress should pass any new gun control laws. >> i'm a strong defender of the second amendment. i don't believe we need new laws. i need we need a better effort to identify and deter the people who are deranged. >> romney pointed out that the suspect broke several laws when he booby trapped his apartment with homemade grenades and explosives. >> the fact that it's illegal doesn't mean that deranged people don't do these things. >> as governor of massachusetts, romney passed a ban on assault weapons but says that doesn't mean national laws need to change. the white house did say the president is unlikely to push for new gun legislation.

that's because of opposition in congress. terrell? >> susan mcginnis in washington for us. thank you so much. the senate passed a democratic plan to extend tax cuts to all but the wealthiest americans. while it stands no chance to pass the house, it was a political victory for president obama. it extends tax cuts on the first $250,000 earned by a couple but lets them expire for higher income earners. the senate rejected a republican version that extended all the cuts. >> all we're proposing is extending current tax law for one more year so that we can dedicate that year and do tax reform. >> we can do what needs to be done to solve the financial problems of this country. we showed that today. >> house republican leaders plan a vote on a plan similar to the republican plan rejected by the senate next week. arab nations are calling on the u.n. to approve a resolution calling for a political transition in syria. and the establishment of a democratic government. meanwhile, a showdown is looming

in syria's largest city, aleppo. rebel troops have the upper hand after battling government forces for six days. the assad government is rushing reinforcements to aleppo. rebel leaders expect a large counter offensive. syrian government troops have been using firepower against rebels forces. it's rare any reporter gets into syria. our clarissa ward did and filed this report just outside of aleppo. >> syrian tanks pulled out of this village yesterday and residents here tell us this they are thrilled to have their liberty. but look at the scene that was left behind. people here told us that helicopter gunships swooped in here on thursday and obliterated this entire street and just look at this crater. this is the result of those rockets slamming into the earth. it will take the residents of this village years to rebuild the damage that their own army has done and even though newfound liberty is not guaranteed, those tanks only went to join the battle that is

raging just north of here in aleppo and if regime forces manage to crush that rebellion, you can be sure they will be back here soon. clarissa ward, syria. take a quick break. coming up on a thursday morning, leap of faith. a daredevil sky dives 97,000 feet above the earth. and that's just for practice. this is the morning news. practice. this is the morning news. son yoe into john stamos. honey! i think i'm getting burned! eat. ♪ tastes pretty good, huh? [ men grunting ] open! [ male announcer ] oikos. possibly the best yogurt in the world.

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so it's still pretty much true that whatever goes up must come down. the balloon carrying parachutist felix baumgartner went way, way up yesterday in southern new mexico. the giant helium balloon reached nearly 97,000 feet, more than 18 miles. then baumgartner jumped, hitting 536 miles per hour on the way down before landing safely. his next jump will be from a record 120,000 feet. first time you do it you're lucky. second time you're pushing it, all right? he hopes to be the first jumper to break the sound barrier on the way down.

the trustees of penn state university are relieved they didn't get the death penalty shutting down the football program completely. in a statement they called the sanctions imposed on penn state for the jerry sandusky sex abuse scandal unfortunate but they believe the death penalty would have been much worse. to the jackson family feud now. michael jackson's mother, siblings and children are redefining the term. it all appears to be over money. in court yesterday, a los angeles judge appointed michael jackson's nephew, t.j., the son of tito as temporary guardian of michael's three children because their official guardian, michael's 82-year-old mother has been gone for days. apparently at an arizona spa. her mysterious trip was arranged by four of michael's siblings, including janet. but the key to the puzzle may be the children who stand to inherit much of michael's huge estate. talk about drama. dra-ma. cbs "moneywatch" time on a thursday. a big day for facebook and "newsweek" magazine could be

turning the page on print. ashley morrison here in new york with that and more. ash, good morning. >> good morning, terrell. stocks rebounded on signs europe will boost its bailout fund. tokyo's nikkei added 1% and the hang seng gained a fraction. today we'll get the first ever earnings report from facebook. it is a chance for the company to show investors it can continue to grow through advertising revenue before going public. facebook admitted its mobile users are growing faster than the ads on the mobile apps. facebook stock was pulled lower in after hours trading following a disappointing earnings report from the maker of online games such as farmville and words with friends lost nearly $23 million last quarter. facebook relies on zynga for about 12% of its revenue. stocks on wall street from mixed. the dow broke a three-day skid gaining 58 points while the nasdaq was down 8. a new report out this morning by realty trac finds california is the king of foreclosures. the golden state is home to 7 of

the top 10 metro areas with the highest rates of new foreclosures. meanwhile, the commerce department says americans are buying fewer new homes. sales of new homes in june fell more than 8% from may. that is the biggest month-to-month drop in nearly a year and a half. a warning to investors in pharmaceuticals. fitch rating service expects fewer drugs to be approved by the fda this year. fitch blames the slowdown on fewer experimental drugs entering late-stage testing and disappointing test results on other medications. ben bernanke may have to open the federal reserve's books. the house voted yesterday on a bill that would give congress greater power over the central bank. the legislation allows lawmakers to audit the fed's decision-making on monetary policy and its agreements with foreign central banks. and "newsweek" may be leaving magazine racks in the future. the head of the parent company says producing a weekly print magazine isn't easy. one option could be to shift to

an online only publication. another would be to publish less frequently. i think we're going to be hearing more and more about that trend happening. >> i was about to say, signs of the time ashley. what are you going to read on the airplane or in the lobbies. >> i don't know. >> ashley morrison here in new york. good question. up next your thursday morning weather and in sports, an early start for olympic competition but a diplomatic dust-up. the latest soccer game in scotland. we'll show you what happened coming up. st-up. the latest soccer game in scotland. we'll show you what happened coming up. i'm going to read one of these. i'm going to read one of these! [ female announcer ] unlike sprays and dust rags, swiffer 360 dusters extender gets into hard to reach places so you can get unbelievable dust pick up in less time. i love that book! can you believe the twin did it? ♪ [ female announcer ] swiffer. great clean in less time. or your money back. ♪

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here's a look at the forecast in some cities around the country. thunderstorms this new york, 90 degrees. mostly sunny skies, 91 in miami. thunderstorms in chicago, 86. partly sunny skies in dallas, 100 degrees. partly cloudy skies in los angeles, 76. let's check your national forecast. a large storm system across the great lakes and new york. damaging wind and hail. a cold front moving south from new england will add to the severe storm threat. another cold front, some severe from the upper ohio and mid mississippi valleys into the southern plains. the south will remain hot and humid. the west will stay mostly dry and hot. in sports this morning, it's good cole hamill is popular in philadelphia. he'll be staying there a while. the 28-year-old left-hander could have become a free agent this fall. wednesday he signed a $144 million six-year contract with the phils. they'll have three starters making at least $20 million a season.

so christmas came early for the phillies who hosted the brewers. the game went to extra innings. in the tenth jimmy rollins, the walk-off rbi single to center. the phils in last place in the national league east won their fourth straight game, 7-6. in st. louis, the dodgers had a new third baseman acquired from the marlins. his first at-bat, ramirez smacked the triple off the center field wall and later hit an rbi single that tied the score at 2 taking the game all the way to the 13th inning. the cards, raphael furcal ended with an rbi single to give st. louis a 3-2 victory. in arlington, texas, red sox second baseman pedroia hit a home run. but the rangers took back the lead. in the eighth a homer by right fielder nelson cruz. gave the rangers a 5-3 margin that held up for the win. in london, members of team usa have chosen center mariel zagunis, a two-time gold medalist, to care the flag in the opening ceremonies.

meanwhile, competition is under way in women's soccer. the u.s. trailed france early. the game was tied at 2 before the half. they scored twice again in the second half to give the defending olympic champions a 4-2 victory. at another women's soccer match, an olympic size flag flap or fail involving north korea. when the north koreans were introduced in glasgow, scotland, their photos were accompanied by the south korean flag. not good. olympic officials apologized but outraged north korean team officials delayed the game for more than an hour. the north korean women won that one 2-0. when we come back on a thursday, more coverage of the olympics. including a smog alert. how air pollution threatens to slow down some of the fastest athletes in the world. slow down some of the fastest athletes in the world. i don't want healthy skin for a day.

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here's a look at the forecast in some cities around the country. in d.c., partly sunny, 91. partly sunny skies in atlanta, 97.

thunderstorms in st. louis, 96 degrees. same deal in denver, 91. mostly sunny skies in seattle, 81. top stories now on a thursday. suspected colorado theater gunman, james holmes allegedly sent a package of handwritten letters to one of his instructors at the university of colorado. sources say holmes wrote about shooting people. mitt romney is in britain and gun control has become a hot topic in the presidential race. romney says he sees no need for tougher laws. president obama's says he backs tighter gun control measures. maryland police are trying to figure out who abducted the mother of baseball legend cal ripken, jr. and why. a gunman forced 74-year-old vooi ripken into the back seat of her car tuesday morning, tied her up and blindfolded her. the kidnapper drove around for nearly 24 hours and left her in the car where she was found unharmed northeast of baltimore. as you know, the 2012 olympics summer games officially get under way with opening

ceremonies tomorrow night. it will be an eye popping show. doctors say what could really take the athletes' breath away is london air pollution. monica villamizar has more. >> health experts are keeping an eye on the air quality in london. as the summer games get closer. >> i haven't noticed it at all. so far it hasn't bothered me. it probably won't. >> doctors are warning olympic athletes, the pollution around london could cause breathing issues during heavy exercise. the pollution could trigger coughing, wheezing and shortness of breath. in athletes with asthma. or exercise-induced asthma. >> if you're an athlete and breathing hard, you're going to be breathing in a lot of air which isn't the cleanest quality. >> environmental groups are monitoring the pollution and they say recent sunshine and low winds are creating the perfect storm for smog. >> it is worrying having this smog episode so close to the games. we don't know what will happen over the next two weeks as the games progress. >> allergy and asthma experts

say exercise triggers asthma in about one in six athletes. it's not just the athletes who are at risk. richard martinez of colorado has asthma. he knows pollution can make his symptoms worse. >> it probably will by the end of the trip. have a little bit of impact. >> one clean air group has set up more than 100 stations across london to keep track of pollution levels. monica villamizar, cbs news, london. amid the heightened security, there's been an alarming airline security breach. an 11-year-old boy boarded a plane in england without a boarding pass or passport and fly to rome, italy. tuesday. the boy passed through five security checkpoints undetected. he was immediately sent back to manchester on a return flight. the airline jet 2 suspended the ground staff involved and launched a full investigation. coming up after your local news on "cbs this morning," author gillian flynn on her best selling thriller, gone girl. i am terrell brown. this is the "cbs morning news." t

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4 minutes before 5:00 on this thursday morning. marty is in the first weather center. >> it is pleasant and we begin the day. 70 on tv hill. 94 by lunch on its way to a high of close to 100. still 96 this evening. here's what we have our eye on today. a ribbon cutting set for this morning at the new marly fire station. >> 29 athletes representing donate life maryland. >> restaurant week in the city begins tomorrow. >> already making news this morning. safe and sound violet ripken is back with her family after being abducted. the latest on the search for her kidnapper. >> new details in the colorado

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it is 5 o'clock on this thursday morning, the last thursday in the month of july. very pleasant outside. christy is in for sharon and marty at first warning weather. >> it's really deceiving given the h