i think they were counting on blagojevich testifying.hey believed the hype. >> reporter: jurors have heard plenty. hours of wiretapped conversations, where prosecutors say a foul-mouthed blagojevich tried to sell barack obama's senate seat. >> i mean, i've got this thing. and it's [ bleep ] golden. and i'm just not giving up for [ bleep ] nothing. >> reporter: the defense argues that was all bravado. no money ever changed hands. but that might not matter. >> the crime was committed if he attempted to do it. the crime was committed if he threatened to do it. >> reporter: blagojevich had parting words for reporters. >> i learned a loft lessons from this whole experience. and perhaps, maybe, the biggest lesson i've learned is that i talk too much. >> reporter: starting next week, jurors will decide if the former governor's words could cost him ten years in prison. barbara pinto, abc news, chicago. >>> a federal judge has ruled that competitive cheerleading in not an official college sport, under the title nine gender equity law. quinnipiac

. >>> now to the corruption trial of former illinois governor rod blagojevich. the judge will rule on a defense motion to throw out the charges against blagojevich. experts say that's not likely, but the trial has already had some surprises. on wednesday, blagojevich decided against testifying, something he had been promising to do for months. >> the government proved that i never took a corrupt dollar. i never took a corrupt dime. not a corrupt nickel. not a corrupt penny. i've learned a lot of lessons from this whole experience. and perhaps maybe the biggest lesson i've learned is that i talk too much. >> blagojevich has pleaded not guilty to trying to sell president obama's former senate seat and other corruption charges. >>> in los angeles, the sheriff's department is investigating a claim that mel gibson was the target of an extortion scheme by his former girlfriend. detectives interviewed gibson's ex-girlfriend oksana grigorieva earlier this month after she claim gibson abused her in january. the extortion claim comes from gibson's lawyers and investigator

i think they were counting on blagojevich testifying.reporter: jurors have already heard plenty. hours of wiretapped conversations in which prosecutors argue a foul-mouthed blagojevich solicited bribes and tried to sell barack obama's senate seat. >> i've got this thing and it's [ bleep ] golden. and i'm just not giving it up [ bleep ] for nothing. >> reporter: the defense argued that was bravado, no money changed hands. but that might not matter. >> the crime was committed if he attempted to do it. the crime was committed if he threatened to do it. >> reporter: blagojevich had parting words for reporters. >> i learned a lot of lessons from this whole experience, and perhaps maybe the biggest lesson i've learned is that i talk too much. >> reporter: starting next week, jurors will decide if the former governor's words could cost him ten years in prison. barbara pinto, abc news, chicago. >> barbara mentioned the word outfoxed. some trial lawyers are now saying this last-minute change of heart to not testify probably forced the defense --

. >>> rob blagojevich's attorney could be sited for contempt.lagojevich is accused of trying to sell president obama former senate seat. >>> a wild fire in concern county. more than three square miles burned since it started this afternoon. 500 firefighters are battling the fire. several structures burned and homes are threatened. >>> temperatures were on the cool side today. same thing for tomorrow. tomorrow 7:00, dense dog and drizzle close to the coach line. the fog will peal back by noon. even though we will see sunny conditions tomorrow, temperatures will not warm up that much. still quite cool. inland in the 70s. antioch up to 82. fog blanketing the bay area. 6:00 a.m., covering the delta, inland valleys. by 9:00 hovering around the bay shore, pushing back to the coast. that's where it's going to stay. temperatures are going to be on the cool side. even though we will see sunny skies, temperatures will warm 5- 10 degrees from what we saw today. temperatures today were 20 degrees where they should be. 82 in antioch is the warmest. 65 in oak

. >> home of rod blagojevich. >> mayor daly is still there. in chicago, they figured out how to tweak it a little. >> no kidding. >> thanks a lot, scott. >>> we have another reason for you to be bay area proud this

blagojevich has long maintained he would tell his side of the story. >>> lindsay lohan spent her firstight in jail, the beginning of a 90-day sentence for a probation violation. as sandra hughes reports, lohan's jail time is likely to be dramatically reduced. >> reporter: gone are the designer duds. lindsay lohan's new outfit is a jailhouse jumper. she's now a prisoner of l.a. county. her arrival at the krekdzal in lynwood south of l.a. couldn't be farther from her hollywood lifestyle. it was low key as she was whisked in through a back entrance. >> as with any inmate, miss lohan was treated just like any other. obviously, this crowd is a little different. >> reporter: this isn't the first time lindsay lohan has been at the lynnwood facility. she serve the 84 minutes here for a dui arrest a few years ago. this time the sentence is 90 days, but that will likely be cut down due to jail overcrowding. in fact, the l.a. county sheriff's office says she could be out as soon as august 2nd, making her stay a mere 14 days. employing every hollywood plot twist she could to stay out of jail, the

ernor rob blagojevich set to get under way today. >>> now, a look ahead to the stories we'll be watchingnday. engineers have detected new seepage near the blownout oil well in the gulf of mexico and that is raising new concerns about the viability of that newly installed containment cap. the government i bp t asking bp submit a full report by tonight. >>> hoping to win over a skeptical pakistani public, secretary of state hillary clinton has announced more than $500 million in new aid projects for pakistan. her next stop, kabul, afghanistan, where she'll be taking part in afternoon international summit. >>> president obama is focusing on the economy this morning, he will deliver a statement from the rose garden calling on congress to extend the unemployment benefits. in the last few weeks, republicans have blocked the extension three times, arguing it takes away the incentive to find work. >>> former illinois governor rod blagojevich will be grilled by prosecutors on charges that he was going to trade president obama's senate seat. >>> heat wave in the north with temperatures up to 10 de

among other charges, blagojevich is accused of trying to profit from his power to appoint a successor to barack obama's former senate seat. >>> and one woman in egypt has a lot of diaper changing to do after giving birth to sextuplets monday. amazingly the six babies were conceived without fertility drugs. >>> and now here's an early look at how wall street will kick off the day. the dow opens at 10,537 after gaining 12 points yesterday. the s&p lost a point and the nasdaq dropped 8 points. taking a look at overseas trading this morning, in tokyo the nikkei rose 256 points, while in hong kong the hang seng added 117. >>> stocks were mixed tuesday after a survey on the nation's confidence in the economy showed job worries and anemic wage growth have americans worried. the consumer confidence index came in with a steeper than expected decline for july and now stands at the lowest point since february. >>> housing market news was somewhat more upbeat. home prices rose in may for the second straight month as federal tax incentives pulled in more buyers. however, the report also warned tho

, including blagojevich. outside the courthouse, blagojevich says he was ready to testify but he didn't need to he says the government proved his case when it played audiotapes purporting to show that blagojevich tried to sell the vacated senate seat to barack obama. >> in the tape that the government played they can proved, as i said all along that i did nothing illegal. in fact they proved that i sought the advice of my lawyers and my advisers they can proved that i was on the phone, talking to them, brainstorming about ideas. yes, they proved some of the ideas were stupid, but they also proved some of the ideas were good. >> there it was, a sudden end to a case expected to last for weeks. jurors could hear closing arguments next week. >>> a casino vote on the november ballot, richmond city council approved a measure this morning asking voters whether a casino should be part of point redevelopment. the measure is advisory only and not legally binding. the proposal, $1.2 billion casino hotel near the richmon

former illinois governor rod blagojevich is expected to testify at his corruption trial.ikely later this week. blagojevich is accused of trying to trade or sell president obama's former u.s. senate seat. the ousted governor's brother and former fund-raiser will be back on the stand today. attorneys also plan to call white house chief of staff rahm emanuel. >>> millions of americans still searching for work could receive an extension of their unemployment benefits if a bill passes the senate later today. the bill has been bogged down over republican concerns about how to pay for the additional benefits. they want to do it without adding to the national debt. president obama has accused the gop of playing politics. >> over the past few weeks, a majority of senators have tried, not once, not twice, but three times, to extend emergency relief on a temporary basis. each time, a partisan minority in the senate has used parliamentary maneuvers to block a vote, denying millions of people who are out of work much-needed relief. >> even though the economy is said to be slowly recov

that includes blagojevich himself. of his attorneys says blagojevich should testify in order to explain why he says he did not try to sell the former senate seat of president obama. >>> well, lindsay lohan is waking up this morning in her 8 by 12 foot cell after spending her first night in prison. >> from her court appearance to her arrival in jail, it was all a big hollywood production and media circus for that matter. don guevara is in l.a. with more. good morning, don. >> reporter: rob, vinita, lindsay lohan is spending her first night behind bars but she's not going to be there as long as many of us thought. after leaving a beverly hills courtroom in full view of cameras, an unmarked police vehicle drove lindsay lohan behind closed doors at the jail to begin her sentence. >> she has been extremely cooperative and everything is going smoothly. >> reporter: earlier in the day, lohan arrived ten minutes late to a beverly hills courtroom where she turned herself in. >> at this time to be remanded to serve her sentence

. >>> it now appears former governor rod blagojevich will not take the stand in his corruption trial. defense attorneys say they're going to rest their case without calling a single witness. before the trial, blagojevich has repeatedly said he would, in fact, testify. >>> time, now, for sports. and a heated game between two big-league rivals. here's don bell at espn news. >> good morning. i'm don bell with your espn news update. big night in the bigs. we go out to dodger stadium. tim lincecum and the giants taking on the dodgers. bottom five. dodgers up by four. and lincecum takes matt kemp with high heat. kemp doesn't like it both benches were warned. dodgers up 5-4. and lane kershaw, he hits aaron rowen. joe torre, the manager. he was ejected. so was the bench coach. runners on second and third. jonathan broxton intentionally walks aubrey huff. here comes don mattingly to act as manager. he starts to walk away. then, he goes back. he had bruce bochy noticed that. he's the giants manager. there's two meetings on the bound. so, broxton had to leave the game. in comes new pitcher, joe

what does blagojevich need to do on the stand? >> blagojevich needs to convince the people that he's just a blow-hard, that he was just venting, that he had no illegal intent, that he wasn't taking money from anyone and he was just conducting business like he thinks politics should be conducted. >> reporter: his testimony could be riveting, because as a lawyer, he knows how to handle other attorneys. as a politician, he knows how to handle voters. but this tiny constituency of just 12, the jury, just might be the toughest voters he's ever faced. cynthia bowers, cbs news, chicago. >>> time now for a check of the weather. let's turn to dave price. now, i'm no expert, but let me guess -- >> neither am i. >> it's going to be hot today? >> you got it, betty. let's go to the maps and try to explain why. in fact, let's head to the south. normally, there's a bermuda high and it's kind of sitting out here, and that's what drives a lot of the storms we see riding up and down the eastern seaboard, or i should say up the eastern seaboard. it'

blagojevich has pleaded not guilty to 24 counts, including trying to sell or trade an appointment to president obama's former u.s. senate seat. before instructing the jury yesterday, the judge said he did not expect a quick verdict. >>> and today president obama appears where no president has before -- daytime television. mr. obama taped his appearance on "the view" wednesday. he answered questions from the five hosts of the show and started with some jokes. >> i was trying to find a show that michelle actually watched. and so i thought, this is it right here. >> this is one of our favorite shows. >> all those new shows she's like, let me get the clicker. >> come on, michelle obama, you have to watch this show at least. the president said the country had gone through, quote, a tough stretch since he came to office. he said his administration is trying to create jobs. he also urged the senate to pass a package of tax cuts and loan relief for small businesses. >>> well, some long, private papers of president franklin roosevelt are now in the national archives. they include a 1933 lette

robert blagojevich said that he had no part in the alleged scheme.ve pleaded not guilty to all charges. >>> 5:39. >>> oil is seeping again from the well in the gulf of mexico this morning. but it appears to be seeping more slowly than previously thought. tara mergener now on why some say there is no reason to worry. >>> reporter: bp's containment cap is staying put for now. >> we do not believe this is consequential at this time. >> reporter: the government official in charge of the spill insists there is no cause for alarm, even though the 75-ton device is leaking oil and gas. two miles away, something is also seeping from the sea floor. >> the small seepages we are finding right now do not present, at least at this point, any indication that there is a threat to the well bore. >> reporter: bp engineers will continue keeping a close eye on the well, watching for any new leaks. pressure readings are slowly climbing, a good sign. but government scientists are still trying to figure out why they are so low. bp wants to keep the cap in place until relie

a direct quo egalrect quote from his legal 'sam's closing argument -- blagojevich considered appointinghe o t. senate. no one's going to say he's the no one's goi sharpest knife in the drawer." end quote. >>> and, the hat that launched >>> an headlinesdlines this morning. look closely. camouflaged under that floppy straw hit is bride to be chelsea clinton. clinton. into the fashion headquarters of wedding gown headquarters o wizard vera wang, perhaps concealing the wedding day hairdo. seemin big day iay is saturday. >> and coming up, a generous american heart, after so much missed opportunity. gs with my fs even with an overactive bladder. i don't always let the worry my pipes might leak compromise what i like to do. i take care with vesicare. because i have better places to visit than just the bathroom. (announcer) once-daily vesicare can help control your bladder muscle, and is proven to reduce frequent, sudden urges and leaks, day and night. if you have certain stomach or glaucoma problems or trouble emptying your bladder, do not take vesicare. tell your doctor right away if you have

blagojevich is accused of trying to sell an appointment to president barack obama's old senate seat.t's 5:46 right now. you're watching nbc bay area news. >> we're going to check your traffic and weather coming up in about five more minutes. >>> new this morning, a groundbreaking decision in oakland. late last night, the city council approved a plan that would make oakland the first city in california to allow industrial pot production. nbc bay area's christie smith this morning live in oakland with what this could mean for the once-underground plant. christie? >> reporter: good morning to you. for oakland, this means that medical marijuana is coming out of the shadows and going mainstream. this city council meeting went on for a long time, at least seven hours last night. but in the end, the oakland city council voted 5-2 in favor of allowing industrial marijuana production. at least four centers would be allowed in the city for the first year. the cost is about $200,000 for the permits per grower witgrowe year. there had been some pushback by those who felt the smaller mom and pop

blagojevich is charged with trying to sell the senate seat vacated by president obama for money or somesort of power. his attorney told the jury his client never intended to bribe or extort anyone. >>> and american will be the new man in charge. bob dudley will replace ceo tony hayward. he'll take the job october 1st and big changes will take place. >> i'm going to take time, learn from the accident and we'll change the culture around safety. we're going to learn from it. >> he has his work cut out for him. a reported quarterly loss of $17 billion. if not for the spill, bp's second quarter profit would have been $5.6 billion. >> oil and gas are spewing from a busted well near louisiana's gu gulf. it's in the bay an area where they have been fighting. local leaders believe the well will be fixed sometime tonight. oil fighting equipment. that was moved inland ahead of last week's tropical storm bonnie. the raiders report to training camp tomorrow, they'll have heavy hearts. we remember the man they called the sassen. facing a pitcher with lowest e.r.a. in the majors. dwl we ask how do you

rod blagojevich is accused of trying to sell barack obama's illinois senate seat which mr. obama vacated after being elected president. >>> two employees of an international software company in san francisco are accused tonight of writing themselves more than $2 million in extra payroll checks. they worked for autonomy incorporated. the women were financial analysts and a payroll clerk. the pair operated the scam for four years cutting themselves at least $2.6 miin bonus checks. >> they essentially ended up being foxes that were guarding the hen house. >> investigators say that the scam was discovered only after she was fired for an unrelated reason, filed for unemployment and listed her annual salary as almost $450,000 instead of her $63,000 base pay. >> investigators probing the death of michael jackson have decided not to bring charges against seven doctors who treated the late pop star. attorney general jerry brown had launched an investigation to determine whether any of the doctors him properly prescribed medicine to jackson. one of the doctors has been referred to th

rob blagojevich has pleaded not guilty. >> back here at home bay area voters are being warned be on the lookout for what else. this alert comes after a young whale was found dead sunday a mile off the islands. biologists say it appears to have been hilt and killed by a boat. a large number of whales are feeding in the area. >> a 6:49 is the time. back up at the toll plaza we understand. let's check in with sal. >> that's right, pam and dave, good morning. there was an earlier stalled vehicle on the bridge. now there is a delay. those lights had to be switched on and more people are beginning to show up. not a huge delay but you should be aware it is there. san francisco more crowded as well, it is not stop and go. northbound 101 on the left up to the 80 split. this morning slowing on 880 and 237. westbound 237 slow at 880 continuing towards anchor road, 880 southbound busy no from fremont down to milpitas. here is steve. >> thank you, good morning to you all. low clouds, fog -- you know you could use an extra blanket at night. it is chilly. it is cold out there. no need for the air-cond

rod blagojevich is accused of trying to sell barack obama's illinois senate seat which mr. obama vacated after being elected president. >>> two employees of an international software company in san francisco are accused tonight of writing themselves more than $2 million in extra payroll checks. they worked for autonomy incorporated. the women were financial analysts and a payroll clerk. the pair operated the scam for four years cutting themselves at least $2.6 million in bonus checks. >> they essentially ended up being foxes that were guarding the hen house. >> investigators say that the scam was discovered only after she was fired for an unrelated reason, filed for unemployment and listed her annual salary as almost $450,000 instead of her $63,000 base pay. >> investigators probing the death of michael jackson have decided not to bring charges against seven doctors who treated the late pop star. attorney general jerry brown had launched an investigation to determine whether any of the doctors him properly prescribed medicine to jackson. one of the doctors has been referred

blagojevich paces up to 415 years in prison and millions of dollars in fines. during the coursest trial, prosecutors portrayed him as a greedy political schemer, determined to use his position of power to get rich. his own lawyer characterized the former lawyer as an insecure mumbler who never tried to profit from anything. >>> you can add ronald reagan day to your calendar now. former first lady nancy reagan joined governor schwarzenegger in simi valley today for a ceremonial signing of the bill making february 6th ronald reagan day in california. >> this will be a day in which our schools can teach our kids about ronald reagan's work for this state and country he loved so much. it will be a day also in which all californians can reflect on and remember with great affection his quick it wiwitt a charm. it will be a day in which generations can pause and honor the life and legacy of california's favorite son, ronald reagan. >> so now february 6, 2011 will late ronald reagan's 100 rnlg birthday. >>> ahead, condoleeza rice jamming with one of the world's great en

this could be a dramatic day in court as closing arguments continue in the trial of rob blagojevich.terday defense attorney sam adam junior clashed with the judge over whether he could mention potential witnesses the prosecutors did not call during the trial. well, the judge denied the request and said if adam does bring up the witnesses during his closing arguments today he could be thrown in jail. rob blagojevich has pleaded not guilty for trying to sell president obama's senate seat and other charges as well. >>> today the santa cruz city council is due to vote on temporarily lifting a smoking ban for an upcoming medical marijuana festival. now the women's alliance for medical marijuana, also known as wham, will be hosting its annual event sent tear 25th. organizers want council members to lift a smoking ban for five hours, so people who attend the festival can use medical marijuana in open air tents. >> the question of whether state comptroller john change mush issue minimum wage paychecks to state employees will remain unanswered for at least a few more days. a superior court de

. >>> former governor, rod blagojevich, may tell his story on the witness stand today. he's on trial for allegedly trying to sell or trade president obama's former senate seat. yesterday, his older brother, who is a codefendant, said he had no part of the plan and never put any political pressure on anyone. >>> today there is a controversy with an african- american woman and comments she made at an ncaa game a few years. [ inaudible ] >> her resignation was announced this morning. she said she was forced out of the job. she said she was telling that story because it helped her see the issue is not about race but about people who have a lot and those who do not. >>> walnut creek is back to normal after a loud demonstration that started as a show of support for former b.a.r.t. police officer, johannes mehserle. >> about 300 demonstrators took part in this, about half supporting the former b.a.r.t. police officer accused of killing unarmed passenger, oscar grant. the rest were counter demonstrators supporting oscar grant's family. for about three hours, there was a lot of

. >>> closing arguments are expected to get under way in the corruption trial of rod blagojevi blagojevichd parts of the northeast have a big cleanup job on their hands after getting battered by severe weather that killed at least two peoples. the winds uprooted trees and power lines from new york to the washington area leaving more than 300,000 without power. >> for some of you, your local news is next. >> for everyone else, "america this morning" continues right after this. 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? if you can't come to us, we'll come to you in one of our immeles! what if mother won't let me drive? then you probably wouldn't have had an accident in the first place. and we're walkin'! and we're walkin'... making it all a bit easier -- now that's progressive! call or click today. award winning body wash. tone enriching ribbons. the white cleanses. the gold moisturizes with a touch of mineral shimmer to enhance skin's tone. for skin that shimmers. as they do at the beginni

in chicago, closing arguments in the rod blagojevich corruption trial start later today. the former illinois governor is charged with, among other things, trying to cash in on his power to appoint a successor to fill barack obama's senate seat. >>> in washington, president obama will mark the 20th anniversary of the americans with disabilities act on the white house south lawn. today's event will include a performance by patti labelle and actress marley matlin. >>> and the national scout jamboree in virginia kicks off today celebrating the 100th anniversary of scouting. >>> all day long, you can stay on top of the very latest developments in those stories and others as they break on msnbc. and tonight be sure to watch brian williams with nbc "nightly news." >>> and, finally, here's a look at what's coming up later this morning on the "today" show. bp shakeup. how will the reported departure of bp's ceo affect the gulf coast disaster. >>> also, where is kyron? are investigators any closer to cracking the case of missing 7-year-old kyron horman. >>> now keep it on this chan

. >>> former illinois governor rod blagojevich could testify as early as today in his corruption trialhe is accused of trying to trade or sell president obama's former senate seat. >>> the senate is expected to pass an extension of unemployment benefits for those who have been out of work for a long time. republicans who tried to block with questions over where the money would come from. >>> after a week-long delay, the senate judiciary committee is expected to vote in favor of supreme court nominee elena kagan. democrats hold an advantage on the committee. and they are hoping to confirm her before their august recess. >>> and lindsay lohan is set to start a sentence for 90 days probation. >>> for some of you, your local news is next. >> for everyone else, "america this morning" continues right after this. son: man, this is perfect. blue shirt: great. well, with every laptop, you get a geek so... take your pick. mom: look at all these fabulous geeks! there are so many! look at this one! it helps you video chat with mom! son: bingo! mom: look at this one. y with me, honey. son: bingo! s

that was supposed to be the big moment, rod blagojevich on the stand in his own defense.t this morning, this trial is essentially over, not with a bang, but with a whimper. for 18 months, it was rod blagojevich's mantra. >> i expect to be fully vindicated and clear my name. i can't wait to take the stand and testify and get the truth out. every day goes by i get closer to taking that stand myself. i will prove my innocence and i will testify. >> reporter: but when the time came for his highly anticipated testimony, he decided it wasn't such a good idea after all. >> i've learned a lot of lessons from this whole experience and perhaps maybe the biggest lesson i've learned is that i talk too much. >> reporter: defense lawyers didn't call any witnesses at all. they say prosecutors didn't prove their case that blagojevich tried to trade president obama's senate seat for personal gain. that means the only thing jurors will hear from the former illinois governor is from secret fbi wiretaps. >> i've got this thing, and if [ bleep ] golden, and i'm just not giving it up [ bleep ]

. >>> also, jurors in the rod blagojevich corruption trial get their deliberation instructions todayer illinois governor is accused of trying to sell president obama's former seat in the u.s. senate. >>> and new york public health experts plan to launch a new attack on a bedbug outbreak in the city. the mayor may appoint a so-called bedbug czar. i had no idea when i moved here that was a huge problem in new york. >> every time i get a bump or an itch i'll like, it's a bedbug! >>> finally this half hour, the countdown to the next summer olympics. in two years the 2012 games in london will be under way. >> as the bbc's james pierce reports, things seem to be right on track and people in london are ready for action. >> reporter: the opening of the bridge that in 2012 will be the gateway to the olympic park. a collection of athletes, children, tv presenters, and builders, the first to take a walk that in two years' time, hundreds of thousands more will follow. inside the velodrome, a little piece of history. sir chris hoy became the first to ride a bike at the venue where he hopes to add

. >> rob blagojevich did not testify at his corruption trial. he wanted to testify. turns out, he sold the seat he was supposed to testify in for $100,000. >> two more massage therapists are coming forward and accusing al gore of sexual misconduct. one woman said gore stood naked in front of her, pointed south and said take care of this. even bill clinton was like the student has surpassed the master. >> here's "larry king live." 3. >> larry: tonight, can killers be reformed? what about other criminals who one day could be walking the streets? >> come back out slicker than you were before you went in. >> the system itself rehabilitated me. >> larry: our guests were both locked behind bars before the system helped them. >> i think i'm a pretty good taxpayer myself. >> larry: their message -- save lives on the inside, will sahel on the outside. not everyone is cheering, though. the debate over prison reform next on "larry king live." we begin with judge greg mathis. he's host of "the judge mathis show." he's a retired district court judge. he's launched a prisoner prog

. >>> closing arguments are set to begin today in the trial of rob blagojevich.t was 20 months ago he was led out of his home in handcuffs. they have pled not guilty to scheming to seeming an appointment to president obama's former senate seat. >> the dark side of the force is with a bank robber in new york. police say a man dressed in a darth vader cape and mask walked into the bank. check out the picture,, he pulled out a gun instead of a light sabre of course. he was able to get away. police say he was apparently a yankee's baseball fan and he stored the money in a backpack. >>> he arrived after an eight thousand mile trip from san francisco. the 6 crew member -- member crew sailed into sidney harbor hours ago to a crowd that y ruptured in cheers, it is made from schierl recycled products including over 6000 plastic bottles the intent is to bring attention to trash in the ocean. >> how is the commute? >> so far so good. the traffic is doing very well around the bay area and this is a look at highway four. we don't have a lot going on and we like it nice and qu

. >>> there was a fight in the courtroom over the trial of former illinois governor rod blagojevich.dam was planning on mentioning witnesses that were never called in the trial but the judge instructed him not to. in response, adam accused the judge of gutting his closing arguments and said he'd rather go to jail for contempt. adam was told to change the argument or choose another attorney to make tomorrow's closing arguments. san jose's international airport is named for him and now former transportation and commerce secretary norm ann a minutea is getting a new honor. the man who became the first asian american to hold a presidential cabinet post is being recognized by the smithsonian. a portrait of a minutea will become a permanent part of the museum's national portrait gallery. president clinton appointed mineta commerce secretary in 2000. the following year, george w. bush appointed him transportation secretary. he had served in congress for 20 years by then. nearly 40 years ago, he was elected mayor of san jose, the first asian-american mayor of a major american city. >>> comin

. >>> rod blagojevich's fate is now in the hands of a jury.jurors will try to determine if the former governor try to sell an appointment to president obama's senate seat. lorenzen wright has been found dead in memphis. sources say it appeared wright had been shot several times. a power forward, wright played in the nba for 13 years. most recently with the cleveland cavaliers. >>> former first lady, nancy reagan, made a rare public appearance to honor her late husband. she attended a signing ceremony with california governor, arnold schwarzenegger, over at the reagan library. one bill makes the president's birthday, february 6th, ronald reagan day each year. the other establishes a commission to mark his 100th birthday in 2011. >>> in medical news this morning, two, new studies show saving a life may be easier than we thought.researchers now sa researchers now say cpr can be simply fayed with just chest-to-chest compressions and no mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. they found when cpr i on aned on an adult, the most important goal is to pump the c

. >> home of rod blagojevich. >> mayor daly is still there. in chicago, they figured out how to tweak it a little. >> no kidding. >> thanks a lot, scott. >>> we have another reason for you to be bay area proud this morning. long time play by play man for the giants is now a hall of famer. john miller is this year's winner of the ford c. fricke award and was inducted into the hall of fame in cooperstown. he fell in love with baseball as a kid growing up in hayward. he listened to giants games on the radio and took his own place alongside baseball's immortals yesterday. around here in the bay area, he's the voice of giants for the past 13 years. and now he's in an elite club and he couldn't be happier. >> i walk into a room and look there! it's zeus, henry aaron. oh, look over there, it's apo o apollo, willie mays. i've been walking on air ever since i got into town. and, again, i'm not sure how it happened, but i'm grateful. >> the giants return home after doing miller proud. tim lincecum back on the mound. he tossed eight strong innings agains

. >>> the fate of ousted illinois governor rod blagojevich is in the jury's hand this morning. he arrived like a rock star, signing autographs before going in for closing arguments. his attorney said his client may not be the sharpest knife in the drawer, but never intended to bribe or extort anyone. he is charged with trying to sell the senate seat that was vacated when president obama became president for money or power. >>> time to check that morning commute, see how things are rolling out there. hopefully smooth for commuters. mike? >> we did get a report of a disabled vehicle in oakland, 880, where they had a ton of problems yesterday. this is in the southbound direction. yesterday's problems were all northbound. this is clear right now. the southbound side right here at fruitvale avenue, reports of a disabled vehicle, and maybe that car's drive shaft might be in the lanes as well. tow trucks should be arriving on scene soon. you have another four lanes to get by there. westbound 580 is a great option through oakland as well, as westbound 24 coming out of orinda, the calde

. >>> this could be a dramatic day in court in the corruption trial for rod blagojevich.terday, the defense attorney clashed with the judge over whether he men -- whether he could mention certain witnesses. the judge says if he does bring up certain witnesses today, he could be thrown in jail. >>> 7:49. music star jean is said to be considering a bid to become haiti's next president. the star helped haiti with the earthquake. family members say he will remain committed to helping haiti even if he decides not to enter the presidential race. >>> nike has agreed to help 500 people for people who had -- 1500 people for those who had worked for the subcontractor in honduras. they will pay those workers about $1.5 million. the subcontracting company paid -- i laid off the employees with no severance pay. >>> southwest is in hot water, this time for kicking a thin passenger off to make room for a obese teenager for two seats. they asked the woman to get off the flight. she was flying standby from las vegas to sacramento and paid the full fair for that last viable seat. but she w

basically they betrayed blagojevich as a benign, law- abiding, bumbling fool in some way to was the victim of slime ball aides that conservative -- and circled him. all the they were left with after a month of damning fbi wiretaps and the difficulties that they had in how they could make their closing argument given some key evidence theory rulings by the judge in the case. host: the judge picture on the front page, what is his background? what kind of reaction did he get in this chicago courtroom? caller: interesting guy, one of four children, a product of a biracial marriage. white mom, black bad. -- dad. very theatrical. yesterday in what the intended solemnity was supposed to be in federal court, there was something dissident about his performance. it works well in state court, has worked for his father four decades and for him in his short time in the court, but it is like having a jazz saxophonist stock in the middle of a string quartet. -- stock -- stocks in the middle -- stuck in the middle of a string quartet. he did not even -- he could not allude to the fact that names mentioned

. >>> jury deliberations continue in the rod blagojevich corruption case in chicago. pleaded not guilty to 24 counts. he is accused of trying to sell president obama's senate seat. >>> and finally this half hour, a college graduation six decades in the making. it's the story of one woman's dream that was initially held back by racism. >> she never forgot her dream and now with the help of her family, she will soon be holding a college diploma. here's linsey davis. >> reporter: when opportunity knocked 60 years ago, mary price walls was denied the chance to open the door. >> i would have made a wonderful schoolteacher. >> reporter: she was the salutatorian of her high school class. in 1950 she applied to what's now called missouri state university. worse than rejection, the school never responded. they weren't ready to accept a black student. >> i was sad, i was hurt. say that you had been a good girl and your parents promised you a special treat. then when you got ready to eat that cake, it was gone. how would you feel? >> reporter: four years later, in 1954, the supr

. >> rob blagojevich. >> had a couple of bank robberies this weekend, this one which was great. darth vader who robbed a chase bank in long island and we also had a bouquet bandit who had no mask who basically robbed them with a bouquet of flowers. on the romance scale i think he gets a 10. >> yeah. >> but on a pun scale, all articles written about darth vader between references to jedis and luke skywalker. >> but he comes in with the huge bouquet and only got 4 hundred bucks. they probably cost more. bucks. they probably cost more. >> [ female announcer ] jobs leaving. a budget disaster. california on the brink. jerry brown's plan? you run for office and the assumption is, oh, i know what to do. you don't. i didn't have a plan for california. [ female announcer ] with our state in crisis, we need a governor with a plan. you need a real plan, something i'll acknowledge i did not have. [ female announcer ] jerry brown. no plan then. no plan now. meg whitman. a plan for jobs. log on. learn more. [ female announcer ] kids who don't eat breakfast may not be getting the nutrition the

from illinois -- on trial because it -- blagojevich is on trial saying a senate seat was worth a lot of money. charlie rangel making millions working for the government. mayor bloomberg spent $95 million of as own money to hold onto a job that pays $150,000 a year? what is going on here? guest: yes, what's going on? i think mr. rangel and his lawyers were a bit surprised yesterday at the length and specificity of the charges. in the military -- the term charges and specifications. there would be blank charge. you did x, and specifications would list the details. so, there were 13 charges that were enumerated by the committee. our -- we counted up -- i don't know the committee called them -- , and specifications, and there were 273. i can see what the caller is saying. come on, charlie, what is going on? and there it is. host: minneapolis. steve, republican line. your honor with richard sist from "the leader daily news." caller: thank you for c-span, appreciate this. i am afraid your guest is talking -- talking about this like a friend who made a mistake. the american public has had e

. >>> closing arguments in the rod blagojevich corruption trial could continue today unless the judge judge over what he can and cannot say in his closing argument. the judge then threatened to hold him in contempt. the lawyer insists saying he will defy the judge's order. >>> the southern california town of bell plans to cut the sky-high salaries paid to its city leaders. bell city council members vowed to slash their owns $100,000 a year salaries by 90%. a scandal erupted after reports revealed the city's manager's annual salary was nearly $800,000. the california attorney general has now launched an investigation. >> $800,000, not a bad payday. >> get a job out there. >>> here's a look at your tuesday forecast. 80-mile-an-hour winds, golf ball-sized hail, flash floods. isolated tornadoes from the dakotas to upper michigan. thunderstorms from central texas across the mississippi valley, gulf coast and southeast. heavy rain and flooding in arizona and new mexico. >> 86 in albuquerque. 95 in boise and 80 in seattle. 90s from the twin cities to dallas. 90 here in new york. 91 in atlant

governor blagojevich will testify in the trial as well. more on the blogo blog." back your phone calls, the issue we focus on this morning, writing about it at the nga meeting, j is joining us this morning. caller: thank you for taking my call. we have been through this before with respect to the federal budget. when clinton inherited a relatively large deficit from reagan-bush, he and the democrats -- without one single boat from any republican, basically that budget act solved the debt that we were in. this is no big secret how this all this. whether or not president obama will be able to do anything about it with this political climate is a different story. looking at the tax bracket, this is nothing new. raising the bracket up to the level, looking at how much revenue is taking it in, paying off the deficits. of course, you have got to come out of the so-called wars. we have got to come out of them. that is where clinton was wise to avoid getting involved in expensive military action. i think that these are senseless military actions. raise the taxes for those

you heard the news that governor blagojevich will not be testifying and the defense rests. here is "the chicago sun-times" a photograph. and "the chicago tribune." "the washington post" has a big lobbying story on its front page. most oil and gas lobbyist work for government. they write after their reporting -- today there are two hearings on capitol hill about the oil disaster in the gulf and how to repair and allay such situations in the future. also in "the new york times" this morning, democrats plan to aid small businesses hit to gop resistance. reporting that what republicans in the senate signaled that they would block a bill to expand government lending programs and grant an array of tax breaks to small businesses. the main point of disagreement is the centerpiece, a proposed $30 billion lending program that would make credit available to small businesses through local banks. some republicans decried it as any bailout. olympia snowe of maine and the senior republican on the committee said she firmly opposed the $30 billion program because it echoes the huge bailout

in the boston tribune, the blagojevich trial, an aid said the govern hid from his duties and also a story about lebron james, i'm not sure what that's about. they had a lead story about a court case that ensurers can continue to tie rates to credit scores. that was a michigan state court. and finally in the times pick kuehne out in new orleans. another court decision, court rejects fwoid restore drill ban. that's their lead story. and finally in the politico this morning is this story. darryl icea, congress darryl icea, republican from california, steel is not my leader is what he says. and he will be on our news makeers program for a half-hour this coming sunday at 10:30 a.m., or 10:00 a.m., sorry about that. a little error. 10:00 a.m., and here's just a little bit of congressman icea. >> michael steele, the -- issaa. michael steele the head of your party. >> the head of the republican national committee, not head of my party. >> you're a republican. is this somebody who should remain as the top executive of the rnc? >> michael steele is supposed to reflect a consensus of republican plat