elaine quijano is live here in steamy new york city with the very latest.ine, good evening. >> reporter: good evening to you, russ. here in new york city, the high in central park reached 100 degrees, and across much of the country, millions of americans are wilting under intense heat. saturday brought no relief from the relentless heat. >> you can hardly breathe out there. it's very tough. >> this is the hottest day of my life. believe me. it is. >> reporter: some new york city residents took advantage of city cooling centers. as sidewalks outside sizzled like this one at 147 degrees. >> we're getting heated from above and below and all around. >> reporter: columbia university climate researcher stuart gaffin said cities tend to hold on to heat making people more vulnerable and miserable. even in the shade, the sidewalk was still 107 degrees. >> it takes a long time for concrete and granite and buildings to cool off. >> reporter: it basically means cities like this don't get any relief at night or much relief at night. across the country, heat advisories h

elaine quijano reports on the father who led the campaign to change rules. >> i have doubts, many, manyery pleased. >> reporter: last week greg keasling got the call from the white house he waited two years to receive. he learned his family's long wait for acknowledgment from the commander in chief was almost over. >> it was a very good moment that this has been worth it. >> reporter: since the suicide of keasling's son, 25-year-old army specialist chance keasling in iraq, greg and his wife janet have fought to receive a condolence letter. >> i miss you, chance, i do. >> reporter: writing to the president and asking their congressman for help. >> he was a good soldier, and so i think that's the part that i want to know that the country appreciates. >> reporter: keasling has been told he'll receive some kind of recognition from the white house, though not an official presidential condolence letter in memory of his son, chance. >> today we'll be reading "the cat in the hat." chance keasling shot himself on his second tour in iraq. military families received letters from the president only

elaine quijano in boston tonight. what you don't hear much about in the congressional debate is that if there is no agreement on the debt limit and that forces up interest rates on u.s. financial securities, that will also force up the interest rates on your adjustable rate credit card. chip reid has that part of the story. >> reporter: at tyson's corner mall in northern virginia, cristina salamone says she tries to avoid using credit cards. >> i try not to even use a credit card because of the outrageous rates. >> reporter: especially now with new baby daniel, and the last thing she needs is higher interest rates. but that is exactly what will happen if congress fails to reach a deal to raise the debt limit, according to john ulzheimer of smartcredit.com. >> if the u.s. defaults on this debt, it's highly likely the consumer who has a credit card with a variable rate is going to see their interest rate go up between 1% and 5%. >> reporter: what does that mean in dollars? on a 10,000 dollar balance, it would cost more

elaine quijano is at the courthouse in manhattan with the latest. good morning, elaine. >> reporter: good morning to you, armen. if true, these new developments represent a stunning reversal of fortune for the man whose political and financial career all but distinintegrated when h was arrested weeks ago. two law enforcement officials told "the times" the case against dominique strauss-kahn could collapse they have discovered major holes in the credibility of the housekeeper who filed the charles. >> this defendant is charged with criminal sexual act in the first degree. >> reporter: the woman charged that strauss-kahn assaulted her and forced her to commit a sex act when he came upon her while she was cleaning his 3,000 dollar a night suite at new york's softatel hotel. evidence confirms a sexual encounter between the two took place, but now prosecutors do not believe much of what the accuser has told them and they say she has repeatedly lied. investigators also reportedly have evidence that could link the unidentified 32-year-old guinen woman to dr

obama took action one week after elaine quijano first reported this story on our broadcast. elaine? >> reporter: well, scott, the president says he made the change to the condolence letter policy to remove the stigma associated with one of the unseen wounds of war, suicide. in a written statement, the president said, "this issue is emotional, painful and complicated. but these americans served our nation bravely, they didn't die because they were weak, and the fact that they didn't get the help they needed must change." the group iraq and afghanistan veterans of america, which has been advocating for more mental health programs for veterans, called the president's action long overdue. >> while we think this is a positive first step, i think a lot more needs to be done, that the white house really needs to redouble its resolve to addressing this suicide epidemic head on. >> would not try to seek honor, nor was he being a coward. >> reporter: if anyone can be credited with changing the policy it's greg and janet keesling, they have been fighting for the change since 2009. that's the y

. >> reporter: elaine quijano, contribution news, indianapolis. >>> in myanmar, once called burma, asuu kyi walking about freely, seven months after the pro-democracy leader was freed from house arrest, she took the opportunity to visit buddhist temples in the countryside. >>> the royal newlyweds continue their tour of canada's northwest territories. he tried his hand at street hockey with street children and he and his wife will wrap up their tour in southern california later this week. they did miss a supersize serving of britain's national food, fish and chips made from a single giant hajagiant halibut, more than 90 pounds, setting a world record. >>> this morning on "the early show" an in-depth look at the casey anthony not guilty verdict. i'm betty nguyen. this is "cbs morning news." ♪ [ female announcer ] we all want cleaner laundry. we all want a world with fewer chemicals. we all want the best of both worlds. introducing all free clear oxi-active. a powerful new detergent without dyes or perfumes that helps get out your toughest dirt and stains. its added natural cleaning boo

elaine quijano joins us now the late-breaking developments. >> reporter: scott, people wondered if the scandal overseas would head here. well, today it finally did. les hinton was one of rupert murdoch's most loyal lieutenants, but in the end, his more than 50 years of service to murdoch was not enough to save him. hinton resigned friday as head of dow jones and company, which publishes the "wall street journal" and is part of news corporation's media empire. but it is not his tenure at dow jones that has drawn attention. no one has questioned the reporting of the "wall street journal." instead, it's his 12 years-- from 1995 to 2007-- as chairman of murdoch's news international that's under scrutiny, amid scandalous and possibly criminal reporting tactics, including voice mail hacking by company employees, one of them, andy coleson, who went on to become an aide to the british prime minister. >> i believe absolutely that andy did not have knowledge of what was going on. >> reporter: this may be why hinton is in trouble. in 2007, he told members of a british parliamentary committee he b

elaine quijano brings us up to date with the father who led the fight to change the rules. >> i had many doubts. many, many doubts but we're very pleased. >> reporter: last week, greg kiessling got the call from the white house he'd waited nearly two years to receive. he learned his family's long wait for acknowledgment from the commander-in-chief was almost over. >> o'neil, my oldest son, came down, we had a hug and it was very emotional. and "dad, it's going to happen." and that was very good moment that this has been worth it. >> reporter: since the suicide of kiessling's son, 25-year-old army specialist chance kiessling in iraq, greg and his wife janet have fought to receive a condolence letter. >> i miss you, chance. i do. >> reporter: writing to the president and asking their congressman for help. >> he was a good soldier and so i think that's the part that i want to know, that the country appreciates that he fought, he did everything he was asked to do and it didn't turn out well for him. but at least the country could write a simple letter and the president represents our country

elaine quijano on the status of public workers and what that could mean for everyone. >> reporter: when emergency calls come in, it's hard for matthew bennett to sit still. >> i've got got to sit on the sidelines, like the basketball player who has a bad knee. wants to play but can't play. >> reporter: for nearly five years, he worked as a firefighter in camden, new jersey. in january he was one of 60 to be laid-off. one-third of the department. >> i don't know what i'm going to do. i'm 36, i've got a high school education, i thought i had a career and now i don't. >> reporter: public sector jobs like his were along considered one of the most secure in hard times but that's changing. since september of 2008, 464,000 local government jobs have been eliminated. nearly 100,000 of those cuts have happened this year alone. larry burns is more. you thought a government job would be safe. >> absolutely, absolutely. >> reporter: four years ago, burns took a job as a new york city employee, helping to maintain the grounds at a hospital. >> i thought this was a sekrur job. i would have a -- secur

elaine quijano, cbs news, boston. >> and we'll be right back. and we'll be right back. you're watching "the early show" on cbs. ng. crispy bacon, rich cheddar cheese and creamy ranch dressing. not even the end of the world will make you put it down. get it before it's gone. and see "transformers: dark of the moon" now in theaters. you get so hooked you'll want to pass it on to a friend. go to getfreshwithafriend.com. tell a friend about fresh and you'll both get a cottonelle fresh reward. so fresh is always at your fingertips. they made me feel safe, trusting, cared for. [ giggles ] they saved his life. i owe all of them my son. [ female announcer ] alta bates summit medical center and sutter health -- our story is you. >>> coming up on "the early show" here, an update on the investigation into a suspected serial killer on new york's long island. cbs' "48 hours mystery" has been on the case and turned up some chilling information. >> it appears the serial killer was taunting the family members, daughter are in the hospital after their s-u-v cras

elaine quijano has this report. >> my entire life my weight has been an issue, up and down battle. >> years ago 46-year-old donna sharples weighed 275 pounds and suffered from health problems. this year her employer the phh corporation pays workers up to $1,000 a year to make measurable improvements to their health. >> i didn't think i'd gain any other benefit but the chance to earn extra cash was a motivating factor. >> reporter: it's called incentive-based health care. >> it is a win/win. >> reporter: adele barbato says the program benefits the worker and the company as employees get healthier medical costs go down. >> we have less claims cost, we have less sick time, higher productivity, more engaged employees because they're feeling good about taking control of their wellness. >> reporter: and it really works, for every dollar a company spends on a corporate wellness program, there is a $3 to $6 return on investment. at this company the path to wellness starts with a few simple steps literally. >> here's my pedometer. >> reporter: every step is counted. the more you walk, the more

. >> now after a story last week a story by elaine quijano joins us with more. >> good morning.ndolence letter policy to remove the stigma associated with one of the unseen wounds of war, suicide. in a written statement, the president said "this issue is emotional, painful and complicated but these americans served our nation bravely. they didn't die because they were weak, and the fact that they didn't get the help they needed must change." iraq and afghanistan veterans of america, which has been advocating for more mental health programs for veterans called the president's action long overdue. >> i think symbolically it is very big. symbolically it is a public acknowledgment that a lot of these issues, these invisible injuries that service members are dealing with we need to take more seriously. >> chance was not trying to seek honor nor being a coward. >> reporter: greg and janet keasling have been fighting for the tolecy change since 2009, the year their 25-year-old son chance killed himself on his second tour in iraq. they say acknowledgment from the president gives them so

elaine quijano has more on tomorrow's dramatic game. >> saved the usa's life in the world cup!posed to get this far but the united states women's soccer team, which last won the world cup in 1999, stunned the soccer world this week with a win against a power house opponent, brazil. host mark malousas of wfam radio sports in new york says in the end the american women's perseverance overcame the brazilian team's skills and americans are identifying with that fight. >> we're americans. we love people who don't give up. >> that's the american spearity. >> tenacity helped carry the american team three lays later in their win against france. >> britain played very well today. however, we found a way to win. >> perhaps most responsible is striker abby wambach, the leading scorer for the u.s. team. she isn't satisfied with just making the finals. >> i love my job and i love the fact that we're in a world cup and now we've achieved part of our goal. we're in the final. we want to complete it. >> reporter: now as the women's team takes on japan, history appears to be on their side, sinc

. >>> now to cbs news correspondent elaine quijano for the rest of this morning's headlines. good morning. >> good morning to you at home. it's not going to be much of a holiday weekend in minnesota. state parks and museums are closed, the result of a budget standoff between the democratic governor and republican legislative leaders. all highway rest areas are closed and you can't get a fishing license. social services are cut. 22,000 state workers are temporarily out of work. talks to end the deadlock are not expected to resume until tuesday at the earliest. >>> some 12,000 residents who live near the nation's top nuclear weapons lab in los alamos, new mexico, could soon be heading back home. the wildfire is no longer a threat. the lab has been closed for almost a week as a safety precaution. the fire burned more than 162 square miles in the past six days. there were no reported injuries. >>> the new york attorney general reportedly is promising to continue a civil fraud investigation of the bank of america. the investigation centers on whether the bank deliberately misled s