>r a all thp trucks. >r vexing texting. tp the growithe growing tp the growithe growin dan wheel. and tornado tally, a string of twisters and the summer of storms. >> all this hail was just coming straight. it wasn't coming down. it was going straight. >> this is the cbs morning news for tuesday, july 28, 2009. good morning and thanks for joining us. i'm michelle gielan. this morning the associated press reports that michael jackson died after being given a

powerful anesthetic to fall asleep. it was given by his personal physician. dr. conrad murray's lawyer says he won't comment on rumor, inyou endoe and unnamed sources. >> reporter: on the day that michael jackson died. >> the doctor was the only one here. >> reporter: a 911 call, dr. murray, the man who attempted cpr. hours after jackson died, dr. murray's car was impounded from jackson's estate for possible evidence. now some believe the cardiologist could be responsible for jackson's death. according to the associated press, law officials say dr. murray injektd a lethal dose of diprivan. >> this is a criminal case that's being built. >> reporter: last week federal agents raided dr. murray's

houston clinic. they conducted a second search at a houston storage facility. tmz reports that two women who rented dr. mo-- the facility in dr. murray's name. he has questions for dr. murray but has not been able to reach him. murray's lawyer maintains the doctor didn't prescribe or administer anything that should have killed jackson. in los angeles, cbs news. seven suspects are under arrest in south carolina for allegedly creating a plot. they were arrested near raleigh yesterday. federal officials say boyd trained in terrorist carps and ran a military style training camp at his home. if you drive you probably notice other drivers text behind the wheel. a study finds the risk of

tesking while driving is a lot worse than previously thought. >> reporter: michelle, good morning to you. this is really not surprising, this study. they used cameras to monitor light vehicles and truckers iffer more than 6 million miles. texting while driving is even more dangerous than previously thought. >> people are not paying attention to the highway, you know, and they could hit something or you could get hit or i could get hit. >> reporter: in a new study due out today, researchers found that truck driver whose text were 23 times more likely to get into a crash or near crash. right before an accident drivers took their eyes off the road for nearly five seconds. at 55 miles an hour, that's plenty of time to cover more than the length of a football field. researchers say their findings should be applied to all drivers. >> i don't believe anyone should be texting whether it's a car,

motorcycle or truck. >> reporter: the habit is a new phenomena so there haven't been many studies looking at the real effect but a string of crashes have shown how hazardous it could be. this driver was texting his girlfriend moments before his accident. in chicago 25 a people were killed last fall in a commuter crash. the driver who also died was texting before the accident. but the dangers aren't just associated with texting. while less risky, studies show dialing or talking on the cell phone can increase your chances for crashes. the advice from researcher, ditch the device and keep your eyes on the road. and those behind the study say texting should be banned for all drivers in all states and cell phone use should certainly be prohibited for those just getting their driver's license,

mainly teens, michelle. >> what about voice-activated devices? were those looked at, and are they considered any safer? >> that's right. i don't have one of those. a lot of them have the voice-activated systems where you don't dial anything. you drive and talk. they say these are less risky as long as you're not punching any buttons while driving. still they frown on anything that distracts from the road. >> thanks. mixed results in stock markets this morning. claire is here with details. >> they ended mixed overnight despite merrill lynch raising its growth forecast for china's economy. hong kong's index jumped nearly 2%. the bulls are hoping to break out for higher ground on wall street today. mixed economic signs kept the gains in check yesterday. the dow jones industrial average starts the day up 15 points.

the tech-heavy nasdaq added two. new consumer confidence numbers are due out this morning. they are expected to show continued weakness as consumers remain on edge about their jobs which mean they'll be less likely to spend. consumer spending makes up 70% of the economy and is key to any sustained recovery. now to the health of the housing market there's new reason to hope the end of the slump may be in sight. the government reports the sales of new homes jumped 11% last month. that's three times as much as analysts were expected bchl u the new housing market is still facing its worst year on record and home builders continue to struggle because prices keep falling. the median price of a new home in june fell to $206,000, down 12% from a year ago. sagging profits are forcing telecom giant verizon to make more job cuts. it will slash 8,000 employee

contract jobs by the end of the year. it cut the same number last year. a new census report finds that some states spend a lot and some not so much. and the report shows uncle sam kicks in relatively little to k through 12 education. the national average was $9,666 per pupil in 2007. new york spends the most, nearly $16,000 per kid. utah spends the least, just under $5,700. >> and texas financier is stealing the heat. he wants to be removed from a private facility outside of houston because he was without air conditioning and shares a cell with another inmate. claire, thank you. just ahead on the morning news, the skyrocketing cost of being

obese, plus giant twisters touch down in wisconsin causing major damage. first katie couric has the news. clinics across the country are severely understafd. down hundreds of millions under the government solve the crisis? we'll investigate this tonight. light & fit has 80 calories versus 100 in the other leading brand. and a taste you'll find... [sluuurrrrpppp!] irresistible.

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i'm pretty much the same as i am in a plastic bottle? except that you'll save, like, $600 bucks a year. but other than that, we're pretty much the same. pur. good, clean water. that is not something you want to see headed for your house, but that's what it looked like for folks in southern wisconsin as powerful storms hit two counties. no injuriesere w reported after the twister struck but residents face a big clean-up today. one woman watched the twister strike her property causing damage but she said it could have been much rswoe. >> the vortex turning, and then we seen it drop. we followed itoi g g north and that's when i said that's heading toward my house. >> the twister kednockowno d a

barn and sever tesreuthe t house was luckily spared. winds up to 60 miles an hour and hail brought down trees and power lines. newly released transcripts from the box from the commuter plane raises questions of whether the co-pilot was too sick to die. 50 people were killed when the flight slammed into a house. before taking off from newark, the 24-year-old co-pilot rebecca shaw could be heard sniffling. she said if i call in sick now i've got to put myself in a hotel. i could always call in tomorrow. at least i'm in a hotel on the company's buck, but we'll see. i'm pretty tough. with congress debating how to cut the high cost of health care, a new report shows one big reason it is so high is americans are losing the battle of the bulge. reports say obesity causes the

nation's health care system as much as $147 billion a year. that adds up to more than nine cents out of every health care dollar. >> reporter: she shops at a market for fresh fights and vegetables. while it costs more, she believes it's worth it. >> it's very, very expensive to have unhealthy children or unhealthy people in general. >> reporter: a new centers for disease control study shows not eating the right things can cost you. obese people spend on average $1400 more a year on medical bills. obesity costs skyrocketed. former president bill clinton is working to fight childhood obesity. he told a cdc con fence it's important to look at the social and economic challenges. >> if we want to change this, we have to change what goes on at home and in the community and in

the neighborhood and in the schools. >> reporter: health leaders are hoping the three day conference in washington will help get lawmakers to find solutions to what's become a national epidemic. the cdc is urging communities to make healthy food and drinks available and affordable plus encourage exercise. experts say teaching your kids early can help them with a life long battle with wait and spending a little more now could end up saving everyone in the long term. joel brown, cbs news, washington. straight ahead, your tuesday morning weather. and in sports michael vick could be playing in the nfl by october. and as a progressive customer, you get to use any of our concierge claim centers. so i can just drop off my car and you'll take care of everything? yep, even the rental. what if i'm stuck at the office?

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protect all these areas. new crest pro-health enamel shield. here's a look at the weather in some cities around the country. new york, partly cloudy, 86. miami, 91. chicago, thunderstorm, 80. den version late-date storms and 82 degrees. ndlos legesu ylend a78. and time for a check on the national forecast. skies are mainly clearrom southern california to northern washington, and it's a gray and stormy morning from the southern plains to the lower midwest. later today scattered stomps will continue to develop over much of the south. some intense storms are expect around the great lakes.

it will also turn stormy once again along the eastern hills of the rockies but the big story will be the intense heat along the northwest coastline. highs will range from 95 to 105 degrees from portland to seattle. in sports michael vick is back. he's being conditionally reinstated into the nfl. after serving a 23-month prison sentence for dog fighting. vick could play in a regular season game by october if he find as team. in baseball a dramatic win for cleveland in the ninth inning in los angeles. victor martinez hit a three-run homer, and they beat the angels 8-6. and a grand slam night on the national league. chicago's alphonso soriano hit a walk-off grand slam in the bottom of the 13th inning to give the cubbies a win. 5-1 over houston. he hit a pinch-hit grand slam in the eighth inning and new york won its third in a row, 7-3 over colorado.

and washington's josh willingham hit two grand slam homers as the nationals beat the b 14-6. when we return a beer gathering at the white house to discuss. and president obama and michelle obama host a reception for the ambassador. i'm gary sinise.

v.a. is reaching out to veterans who are thinking about suicide. reach back now. don't wait. call 1-800-273-talk and press "1." thousands of veterans have had the courage to call. how about you? on the cbs morning news, here's a look at today's weather. it will be another scorcher with record heat from portland to seattle. afternoon storms are likely across the midwest and much of the deep south. here's another look at this morning's top stories. michael jackson was given a powerful anesthetic wi his doctor the day he died, acco

according to the associated press. dr. conrad's lawyer says he won't comment on rumor and innuendo. texting is more dangerous than once thought. a study found that trucker whose text are 23 more times likely to get into an accident. harvard professor henry louis gates and the police officer will meet with the president at the white house. meanwhile the 911 incident raised more questions. >> reporter: the arrest that triggered a national debate about race began with a 911 call that made little mention of it. >> i don't know what's happening. i'm just having a lady standing here and she noticed two gentlemen trying to gain entrance into a house. >> reporter: the call brought sergeant james crawly to the home of henry gates jr. >> i know they kind of used their shoulder to try to barge in.

>> reporter: only when prompted by the dispatcher did the caller consider race. >> white, black, or hispanic. >> two large men. one looked kind of hispanic, but i'm not sure. >> reporter: police also released sergeant crowley's dispatch communications once he arrived at the house. crowley supporters say gas' arrest had nothing to do with race while gates' supporters have called it racial profiling. they will take closer look at the incident and take recommendations for how police can handle situations in the future. >> i hope it's an exercise not just for the cambridge police department but police departments throughout the nation. >> reporter: president obama who fanned the controversy with his initial comments is expecting sar yenlt crowley and professor gates for beers at the white house soon.

the president and mrs. obama were at their diplomatic best last night, welcoming ambassadors from around the world for a white house reception. mr. obama said dip ploem may is more vital than every. >> they come together to discuss war and peace, commerce, and exchange. but for now it is hard to think of an issue that matters to our people that does not depend in some way upon cooperation among nations. the president promised the diplomats the united states will engage every nation with respect. i'm michelle gielan and this is the cbs morning news.

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good morning. i'm andrea roane. thousands of beltway drivers will be avoiding construction crews during the day and night

time hours. this week vdot crews will be working between rush hours and overnight from the mick bowl to the dulles toll road. crews will be replacing overpasses and interchanges. the judge in in the banita jacks murder trial can announce his decision as soon as tomorrow. the prosecution and the made their closing arguments on monday. banita jacks is accused of killing her four daughters and living for months with their decomposing bodies. she faces life in prison. a reduction in man power at fire houses. at station 41 in calverton no firefighters or ambulances will be on duty for the foreseeable future. despite the lack of man power they say this doesn't mean the station is closed. howard is here with our forecast. good morning. >> not much change. yesterday we talked thunderstorms. we missed them. they hit the delmarva pretty

hard and today not talking thunderstorms, 20% chance stcbeo at a the most. a stray thunderstorm is all we have to worry about. this morning some cldsoudsbughout hi ere but ghhi and mid level ones. a decent amount of sunshine and with t nomuch noexpected it wil boost temperatures to e choms dr thanalin 60d-ah vs ome le shenandoah valley cu erepy lpcu w ne70in new and landan cambridge 72. here in town a sticky 74. we have a decent amount of humidity. it will be a hot, humid day with only a stray thunderstorm possible. in the lower 90s. angie is off but here's kenny burns. >> we are starting in virginia on eastbound 66 no problems orisons dents to report manassas to arlington. northbound 395 no problems to report from dumfries woodbridge to the capital beltway. over in maryland, 270 between frederick and the beltway, no problems or incidents in the

way. i'm giving you the all clear. here's andrea. a treasure none your own home. we'd all love to find money hidden at every turning and there is a way to do that you just have to know where to look. >> i remember that red top. i got $25 for it. it is free money. >> she raids her closet for free money. she sells her gently used clothes at a consignment shop. >> reporter: a yard or garage sale. it is not always an easy option. >> turning trash in to treasure at a yard sale can be a lot of work. you have to price everything and haul it in and out of the house and make signs and posters. >> reporter: the profits are all yours. skip the yard and reach more buyers, on-line retailers like ebay or amazon will charge 10 to 15% of the sale. >> see what similar items are

selling for on the website. on ebay click on advanced search and completed listings and this ipod sold for $75. >> or try your luck at consignment stores they take large items, too. >> i like getting a little check every month. >> a little motivation can be just the thing to help you clean out the closet. >> before you take your items to the consign temperature store check the cpsc g itbsweto e re suisinthnog isg th on the reca d ant se oand set 20% lower th an 20% lower th ananwhat you e the clearly labeled. bundle items for better sales and always be ready to deal. drivers on the beltway in virginia will need to watch out