>> an app for that. mitt romney's campaign will go high-tech to announce his successful running mission. michael phelps because the most decorated athlete taking two more medals in the london games. the federal health care law to send more 06 their profits back to consumers. this is the cbs morning news for wednesday, august 1st, 2012. >> good morning, everybody. one of the critical states that could determine if he gets to keep his job. mitt romney is back in the

united states and plans to go high-tech to announce his choice. susan mcguniess is live this morning. >> hi, good morning, terrell. they're doing some damage control after his trip overseas for the president after ohio for virginia and florida, his focus is on battleground states. president obama will board air force one to the swing state of ohio for mansfield and akron. the president plans to focus on the economy targeting the middle class. >> this is the president's second stop in akron in less than a month. he visited the news, weather, and sports eastern ohio city during his bus tour in july. back from his foreign policy tour, mitt romney returnst to the campaign trail on saturday. romney helped fuel speculation

that a pick might be announced soon when his campaign said they'll release the name through a smart phone app. >> before announcing his choice, romney has some business to wrap up from his foreign policy trip. >> reporter: in an ad for the national review, romney defends his statement that culture explains the economic differences between israel and the palestinian people. he wrote economic freedom is the only force that has succeeded in lifting people out of poverty. many palestinians were not happy with romney's comments. >> mr. romney's knowledge of our economy is breeching potential for the syrian economy. >> reporter: both candidates are now focused on the three-month stretch to the election. and the obama campaign also announced an ad. if you sign up, expect to be hit

up. also, the obama campaign has announced its choice for keynote speaker for the democratic national convention. >> susan in washington this morning, susan, thank you so much. in the texas primary, it may be its biggest victory. ted cruz easily defeated david dewhurst. cruz has never held elected office and becoming the overwhelming favorite in the general election. united airlines flight was diverted to boston last night after an unclaimed camera was found by a flight attendant. flight 956 departed from newark, new jersey with 157 passengers and 11 crew mm bers. it turns out it belonged to a passenger on a previous flight. the 767 escorted by two f-15 fighters. one had an emergency of its own

and had to return to its base. another united flight landed safely in denver after it was hit by a convertible. the 727 was about 125 miles whe it hit the bird. you can see the large dent and hole in the plane's nose. the justice department says republican report on the botched gun tracking operation is fast and furious is the story. reports that the obama administration changed strategy to fight a drug cartel. the justice department says those tactics date back to 2006. overseas now the battle for syria's largest largest escalad government forszs. charlie daniel filed this report. >> reporter: we drove down empty streets and back roads to try to

reach aleppo. the main highway is too dangerous. the rebels called ahead constantly to make sure the road was safe. >> is everything okay? >> no, he told us. fighting is broken up and many of our fighters are being killed. he said they had taken a wrong turn straight into an ambush by a government myilitia. this is the road to aleppo. they told us not to go any further, further, it's just too dangerous. there were snipers and check points and there's also the feared militia that's loyal to the assad regime. he told us that his family had fled the constant shelling of aleppo. the attacks came from the sky,

he said, everybody was crying. some of the children fainted from fear. >> what do you think happened? >> he found more refugees hidden away in a house in a nearby village. they told the same story how the fiercest fighting was right in their neighborhood. we were really scared for our children, he said. we really felt it. this woman told us she blames the shabiha for the government's thugs. she's trying to get her family out of the country and into turkey. away from the fighting, men from this village for those fighters killed earlier in the day before heading back to try to join the battle. charl charlie inside syria. >> following the world's largest blackout yesterday, half the country, an estimated 620

million people lost power when two power grids collapsed. it's unclear what caused the blackouts. the day before, another blackout left nearly 300 million indians in the dark. you probably knew who he was even if you never read one of his books. vidal died yesterday after a bout with pneumonia. one of his best selling novels, "lincoln," and "the city and the pillar." a fixture on tv talk shows, he opposed all war and said he had sampled every major. vidal was 86 years old. we'll take a quick break. when we come back, a dramatic rescue caught on camera. plus, the new york city parmt with a breathtaking view at a breathtaking price. how much do you think this pad is worth? turns the next person you see creamy, nonfat, and it into john stamos for five seconds.

honey! i think i'm getting burned! heh! eat. ♪ tastes pretty good, huh? ♪ best yogurt ever. yeah! [ men grunting ] open! [ male announcer ] dannon oikos berry flavors beat chobani 2 to 1 in a national taste test. oikos greek yogurt. possibly the best yogurt in the world. oikos greek yogurt. can rely on dulcolax pelaxative tablets overnight.ing they give you predictable overnight relief

to help get you feeling like yourself again in the morning. dulcolax laxative tablets. keep you moving. ♪ feeling free. ♪ [ female announcer ] weak, damaged hair needs new aveeno nourish+ strengthen. active naturals wheat formulas restore strength for up to 90% less breakage in three washes. for strong, healthy hair with life, new aveeno nourish+ strengthen. to find you a great deal, even if it's not with us. [ ding ] oh, that's helpful! well, our company does that, too. actually, we invented that. it's like a sauna in here. helping you save, even if it's not with us -- now, that's progressive! call or click today. no mas pantalones!

flash flooding from heavy rains in arizona stranded at least six people on highways near phoenix last night. firefighters safely rescued them all including at least one child. the monsoon storm dumped 2-4 impbls of rain in a matter of hours. there were wind gusts of more than 60 miles an hour. a road with a view in a $100 million price tag. a rare meeting of the minds on capital hill, good morning. >> it's a bit pricey. good morning, terell. investors are anxious to see if chairman ben bernanke will give the economy a boost. bernanke will take action if unemployment remains high. but investment has not slowed enough for the feds to start a stimulus. markets overseas were sluggish.

the pnc came up more than half of one percent. on wall street, the dow lost 64 points but stayed a hair over 19,0 0. the nasdaq was down 6 points. house speaker john baner agreed to keep the government running when the current budget ends. the threat of a shut down keeps the government running for six months after the deadline. and want to see what a hundred million bucks can get you in the real estate market? that is the asking price for this three-story house in downtown manhattan. six bedrooms, nine bathrooms and wrap around terraces on all three floors. the terraces are believed to be the highest out door residential spaces in new york city. >> i think i could get kind of comfortable there. >> i was going to say, it's really nice of you to show pictures of your apartment on television this morning.

that's really nice of you. >> thanks. >> invite me over sometime, will you? >> oh, i always do. >> we'll take a quick break. coming up, we'll have weather. and in sports, the olympic poll power of michael phelps. now the greatest olympian of all time and hep is not done yet. that's good morning, veggie style. hmmm. for half the calories plus veggie nutrition. could've had a v8. ♪ [ male announcer ] food you eat [ sizzling ] is a blt. but food you love ♪ is a blt with hellmann's.

nothing tastes like it. made with real ingredients like cage-free eggs and exceptional oils and vinegar ♪ for the unmistakable taste that can only be hellmann's. bring out the best. look at these teeth! they're made for meat! do i look like i'm stalking plants? [ male announcer ] most dry foods add plant protein, like gluten but iams never adds gluten. iams adds 50% more animal protein, yum! [ male announcer ] ...a naturally complete protein source. look at this body! under this shiny coat is a lean, mean purring machine [ male announcer ] iams. not just food, nutrition for life. i'm an iams cat. feed me what i'm born to eat. meow. here's a look at the weather in some cities around the country. thunderstorms in new york, 82 degrees. mostly sunny skies in chicago,

86 degrees. 106 in dallas. partly sunny in los angeles, 82 degrees. let's check your national forecast. your record heat is likely in the lower mississippi valley. thunderstorms will develop along the east coast from new england to north florida with heavy showers. thunderstorms likely from south dakota and nebraska across the upper midwest. monsoon thunderstorms in the monsoon region and north to wyoming. the west coast will remain dry. in sports, there's really not much left to say in praise of swimmer michael phelps. he won two more medals yesterday, his 18th and 19 thd. to cement his title of the greatest olympian of all time. mark phillips has the story. >> reporter: for someone with this many olympic medals, you wouldn't think getting a couple more would be that important, but it was. michael phelps had 16 in his collection before going into this game and showed them to

anderson cooper on "60 min uts." some of them he keeps wrapped in an old t-shirt. >> that's not one of my normal activities. >> after the u.s. silver medal and the relay the other night, his cap was up to 17. the threshold of something that had never been done before. only a russian gymnast from the 1950s and '60s had ever won more. and she told phelps the only time they met that she thought he'd surpass her, although she also said she still considers herself the graetest olympian ever. not anymore. phelps was in two races, the first, the 200 meter butterfly he was leading until the last stroke. he was beaten into second by .05 of a second. still, the silver tied him for the all-time olympic medal record. the free style relay, there was no suspension, just domination.

phelps swam the anchor leg in a victory. another gold, his 15th to go with two silvers and two bronzes, 19 medals. american fans knew they had seen something no one had ever seen before and may never see again. phelps almost didn't make it to london after his record eight goals in beijing, he fell off the training wagon, was once photographed taking a non-performance enhancing drug. but the most medaled olympian in history was enough to draw him back for one more game. >> i kind of feel like my old self again. everything is kind of konling ba back to me what it was, i guess, before '08. >> reporter: the u.s. relay win wasn't such a race as procession and a fitting one. michael phelps' races aren't over. he has three more races. so it's 19 medals and counting.

mark phillips, cbs news, london. >> and phelps is the only member to claim gold on wednesday. jordan weaver had a strong floor exercise as the u.s. took their victory. back in this pool, alison schmidt and the controversy of the day with the badminton doubles team. they appeared to throw their match to avoid playing another team in the elimination round. sketchy, sketchy. china and the u.s. tied. japan is 3rd with 13 total medals. when we come back, we'll have some more sports for you this morning. and could a pleasant surprise be in the mail from your health insurance provider? why they may be sending you a check. wrinkles? neutrogena® rapid wrinkle repair. its retinol formula visibly reduces wrinkles

in one week. why wait if you don't have to. neutrogena®.

take a look at the weather in some cities around the country. thunderstorms in atlanta, 93. partly sunny skies, st. louis, 72. . the obama administration's mandate requiring most insurers and employers to provide free birth control coverage goes into effect today, but only for new policies. it's one of the contentious parts of the president's health care law. dozens of lawsuits have been filed because they believe it mandates health care believes. a little known rebate for hundreds or even thousands of families. the checks could already be in the mail. >> it's confirmation that insurance companies took too much of what i paid. >> earlier this month, jamie court got a check in the mail from his health insurance company.

it was for more than $4,000. >> so what we got back was a very small percentage of our overall premium. >> he got the rebate because iz insurer fell short of the 80 -- 20 rule. it requires insurance companies to spend at least 80% of premiums. no more than 20% of premiums can be spent on salaries, bonuses and advertising. in california, anthem says it spent 79.9% of health care. the idea was to force health insurers to get rising administrative costs under control. >> what we're paying for physician services, hospital services, new medical technologies, prescription drugs, that's what's really driving the rise in insurance premiums. >> overall, 14% of insurance companies owe rebates, including

some of the largest. don't expect a check in your mailbox any time soon. most of us get health insurance through employers, so they get the bulk of the rebate checks. they can use the money to offset future premiums or improve benefits. jamie plans to put his $4,00 back in his bank account. the largest insurers will have to pay out more than $1 billion. the average rebate is $151. ben tracey, cbs news, los angeles. >> 7 suspects are being held after a half billion dollar drug bust. australia police seized several hundred pounds of methamphetamine and heroin. coming up after your local news on cbs this morning, the intense battle over the swing state.

how mi how mitt romney stacks up against president obama. try this. it's oikos greek yogurt. it's creamy, nonfat, and it turns the next person you see into john stamos for five seconds. honey! i think i'm getting burned! heh! eat. ♪ tastes pretty good, huh? ♪ best yogurt ever. yeah! [ men grunting ] open!

[ male announcer ] dannon oikos berry flavors beat chobani 2 to 1 in a national taste test. oikos greek yogurt. possibly the best yogurt in the world.

good morning and welcome to 9news now. today is wednesday, it is a brand new month, it is august 1st. i'm andrea roane. >> fire up the coffee machine because you are going to need

it this morning. >> he has only had two you know. >> two out of ten. good morning monika. >> i told somebody you have ten in the morning and they were amazed. >> i have green tea going myself. >> ten? >> no, ten green teas? we could see. i could go for it. the day is young. you know we have showers and storms especially down south. once again, same areas down toward the northern neck, southern maryland, and eastern shore. 83, 84 by noon with a 5:00 p.m. temperature of 86. a high up around 88, 89 degrees. that is code green on the air quality. yesterday afternoon and evening had showers and storms, a few warnings even. this morning though you'll notice the activity south of

washington. today everything is moving from west to east. more of the direction of the storms for us. look at all the lightning in the bay here, marine warnings in the bay. up toward leonard town going over toward the eastern shore. the same places that got it yesterday and i know parts of st. mary's county got an e-mail from a viewer who said it has been bone dry the last weeks. looks like yesterday and today they have been getting a decent amount aof rain. 67 in leesburg this morning. 61 in oakland and garrett county and 70 in manassas. highs today mid to upper 80s with the scattered showers and thunderstorms. a yellow alert kind of day. over to monika with timesaver traffic. >> reporter: good morning everybody. this morning on the west side of town we have quite a lot of construction. you see all this yellow and orange, it is causing delays through the area especially if

you are planning to head on the beltway near the georgetown pike. where there is only one lane getting by. you have construction on inbound side to the beltway as well. 95, 395 as you head northbound toward springfield, there are no delays to speak of. southbound 270 out of frederick looking good, no delays in clarksburg and german town. a live look outside in the college park. things are looking great, i'll be back with more traffic coming up at 4:47. andrea and mike? president obama will be back on the campaign trail today. >> while mitt romney is going to add a high-tech twist when it comes to picking his vice president. >> reporter: president obama will board air force one and head to the swing state of ohio in mansfield and akron.

the president plans to focus on the economy, targeting the middle class. >> the president is not satisfied with where the economy is. >> reporter: the president visited the north epeesern ohio city during his bus tour in july. back from his foreign policy tour, mitt romney returns to the campaign trail tomorrow. the next big focus of his campaign his choice for running mate. romney helped fuel speculation a pick might be announced soon. >> before announcing his choice for running mate romney had some business to wrap-up for his foreign policy trip. >> reporter: in an op ed for the national review, romney defends his statement that culture explains the economic differences between israel and the palestinian people. he wrote economic freedom is the only force that has continuously succeeded in lifting people