in johannesburg, kristen welker, nbc news. >>> from an astronaut to full-time caretaker. astronaut mark kelly is retiring from nasa and the u.s. navy after 25 years of service. he made the announcement on his facebook page today. kelly plans to spend more time with his wife, congresswoman gabrielle giffords. she's recovering from nearly being killed by a would-be assassin. kelly commanded "endeavour's" final mission not long ago. he said the decision to leave was not easy. the couple is also working on a book, a memoir. will be about their personal and public lives, and part of it will focus on giffords' shooting and recovery. >>> the gay marriage battle we are all familiar with is being fought in new york. new yorkers united for marriage and other groups rallied today outside the state house. inside, republicans and democrats were in the midst of marathon sessions to get deals done so the gay marriage proposal could come to the floor. the issue appears to be one vote short of approval, but it could all come down tomorrow. >>> smokers might not be able to ignore graphic n

dana hughes, abc news, johannesburg. >> you know, due to nelson mandela's ailing health, they weren't happen or not. it just sort of happened at the spur of the moment there. they were able to get together. >> i'm sure unforgettable. that picture is something the first daughters will never forget. >> it wasn't going so well here. >> and the president said, i'll take it. >> the baby stops crying. they're calling him the official baby whisperer. >> my favorite part is michelle's face and the president's face, i got this. >> she's just shocked. what? >> he has two daughters. does this frustrate you with the husband? >> he can come by any time to help me out. >> that's the news in america this morning. >> stay with us for "good morning america." have a wonderful wsd

>> kristen, traveling with the first lady and party in johannesburg tonight, thanks. >>> up next here for us, it's been so long. can you even remember anymore which airline was the first to charge for carry-on bags? wait until you hear the next thing they're going to charge us for. >>> spirit airlines is going to start charging $5 to print out a boarding pass at the counter. but the discount carrier which is known for its spirited press releases is advertising this as a new fare discount, $5 off all of your fares if you print your own boarding pass at home. starting in 2012, they're going to charge $1 to use the kiosk at the airport. >>> mark kelly retires after 25 years of service. the astronaut and u.s. navy captain was commander as you know, of the last mission of the space shuttle "endeavor's" last mission and he announced he's retiring to spend more time with his wife congresswoman gabby giffords. and they say they are writing a book about their relationship and the ordeal they've been through since her shooting in january. >>> and the white house would probably love to believe t

she has already met young leaders in johannesburg. she is an important role model for many here in the country with very few will models of its own. >> we back to you. we have more details on the power of asia. >> one of time nepos major cities continues to grow and grow and this is about urban development and progress. joining me now from beijing is -- thank you for joining us. what affect is the rapid urban development have enough resources like water? >> we are talking about the massive migration of chinese people into the city. china will move as many of the population in the u.s. in the next two decades. obviously there will be more demand for energy, there will be in need to build more pleased to accommodate their people. you need a transportation. there's going to be a huge environmental challenge for china. it depends on how china is going to build their city and how they will move the people. >> i wanted to find out, greenpeace is basically lobbying for china to have -- and to improve enforcement. has there been any progress?

nelson mandella today in a private visit at the home of the former south african president in johannesburg. the 92-year-old asked to meet them. mrs. obama, her mother and the girls were shown some of mandelll's personal papers. the first meeting between the african-american first lady and the political prisoner who became the country first elected black president. >> 99. 100. 101. pick your number there. >> once you get in triple digits, it's psychological near 100 anyway or monetary. [ laughter ] depending how you want to stay cool. look outside. we have flight departure delays out of lax. nothing is going slow at sfo this morning. we will talk about areas where we may set record highs today. we will show you when the cooler weather gets here. >> thank you. increasing the fear factor. new and frightening label put on every cigarette tax to date. >> why jet blue is dropping the popular promotion that allows people unlimited travel for a month. ♪ [ male announcer ] if you're ready to get more from your tv service than comcast can give, now's a great time to switch to at&t u-verse tv. make t

from johannesburg to cape town, to botswana, where she spoke at a women's leadership conference. >> it is a pleasure to be in this beautiful country that embodies what my husband has called a vision of africa on the move. >> reporter: a message that resonated for the young women in the audience. >> just felt that it's possible. it's possible to -- to realize your dreams. >> reporter: only her second solo official overseas trip, but clearly, the first lady's biggest moment on the world stage. kristen welker, nbc news, botswana. >>> when we come back, new best friends, together at last in joplin, missouri. >>> tonight, a survivor's story. one month after the deadly tornado that ripped apart much of joplin, missouri, folks from far and wide came to the city today for a chance to adopt hundreds of pets, orphaned by the tornado. tom llamas is there tonight. >> reporter: like many joplin residents, janice prior lost her home, her neighborhood and one of her pets. when the twister touched down, she scrambled to save her family, not her animals. >> i just told my family that i loved them and t

nelson mandella today in a private visit at the home of the former south african president in johannesburg. the 92-year-old asked to meet them. mrs. obama, her mother and the girls were shown some of mandelll's personal papers. the first meeting between the african-american first lady and the political prisoner who became the country first elected black president. >> 99. 100. 101. pick your number there. >> once you get in triple digits, it's psychological near 100 anyway or monetary. [ laughter ] depending how you want to stay cool. look outside. we have flight departure delays out of lax. nothing is going slow at sfo this morning. we will talk about areas where we may set record highs today. we will show you when the cooler weather gets here. >> thank you. increasing the fear factor. new and frightening label put on every cigarette tax to date. >> why jet blue is dropping the popular promotion that lows people unlimited travel for month. honey...? [ mom ] yes. honey, i can't find my internet cord. oh, i'll borrow hailey's. you're downloading movies. fast! from here? where is her cord?! w

she has already met young leaders in johannesburg, an icon in her own right, she's an important role model for many here. the country with very few role models of its own. >> and a quick reminder of our top story tonight, the greek prime minister has survived a confident vote in the parliament in athens where demonstrators are still outside the building protesting those austerity measures but the greek prime minister has survived a confidence vote. that brings us to the end of today's program. you can get updates on our website. for all of us at bbc world news america, thank you so much for watching. funding was made possible by the freeman foundation of new york, stowe, vermont and honolulu. newman's own foundation, and union bank. union bank has put its global financial strength to work for a wide range of companies. what can we do for you? bbc world news america was presented by kcet los angeles. announcer: this program was made possible by: >> chuck e. cheese's, proud supporter of pbs kids, who know of all the things a kid can learn, one of the most important is learning to laugh

. >> she does visit botswana before leaving to johannesburg.down to discuss everything with her. >> reporter: mrs. obama came here with a message for the young. that even after apartheid there's still history to be made. patience, she says, pointing to the man she met for the first time this week. nelson mandela. >> yes, yes. >> reporter: what was it like in that room? >> surreal, something i never thought would happen in my lifetime for me. it was powerful because his presence in and of itself is powerful. >> reporter: what did you say to him? >> i told him, you cannot imagine how important your legacy is to who i am, to who my husband is. i just said thank you. thank you. sasha and 12-year-old maly d yashgs a portrait most children only see in a book. you have so protected your daughters from the media glare and admirably so but when they read "the cat in the hat" there were not only children smiling there but so many back home listening to their voices carefully. >> too cold to play ball. >> i look at them the same way and think, wow, you ha

traveling with them and reporting tonight from johannesburg, nbc's kristen welker. kristen, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, brian. there's a lot of excitement and anticipation and excitement surrounding the first lady's trip to botswana. people are telling me they're having a hard time putting their feels into words. michelle obama and her daughters touched down this evening, she is on a mission of diplomacy and goodwill, america's first african-american first lady visiting her ancestral home land. >> this trip to africa, will allow michelle obama to shine on her own. >> reporter: she will highlight her husband's agenda for subsaharan africa. which he mapped out in guyana two years ago. >> development depends on government governance. >> reporter: but it will be mrs. obama's voice that resonate this is week. >> i think it will be a strong symbol to the african-american people that the u.s. administration is very much focussed on african growth and development. >> reporter: mrs. obama will travel from the capital of pretoria to johannsberg to cape town, and

her mission begins in johannesburg. she will #-b talking about the importance of education and youth leadership. and she will be. >>> there next week. >>> for the first time a citizens commission, instead of politicians is deciding new voting districts. this is basedden on the -- on the any census. >>> john chiang is to decide this week whether paychecks will be handed out this week. they did sent a message to the go by the deadline. but the -- >>> a popular restaurant chain is about to grow. which part of the world will soon be able to have pancakes by i-hops. >>> and a spectacular sight in florida. an old power plant is brought down. we'll tell you what will be built there instead. >>> welcome back. time now 8:52. there is a new study out about the death penalty here in california. it says it cost the state $308 million for each of the 13 executions carried out since capital punishment was reinstate the in 1978. the study included the added cost of the legal representation for the condemned inmates. they found that th

i've been to johannesburg. also some fabulous sightseeing.africa. she's going to take her mom and two girls. they will have a great time. we wish them a safe and very happy voyage. >> before i let you go, i want your two cents on this john edwards story. the media circus outside of this courtroom where he entered his plea, his not guilty plea, what did you make of the scene out there? >> it shows you how the mighty has fallen. it wasn't that long ago i moderated a presidential debate near the end of the campaign and there were three democrats left at the time. barack obama, hillary clinton, and john edwards. eventually he dropped out and endorsed hillary clinton. and even early on there was talk that john edwards, himself a lawyer, a former united states senator, vice presidential nominee back in 2 oh 004, he could emerge as the attorney general of the united states. now the justice department is going after him on these allegations of campaign finance irregularities. jeff toobin has described this to our viewers. it's by no means a slam dunk

tomorrow, her daughters and mother and niece and nephew arrive in johannesburg, the purpose is to improve us and african relations and wants to encourage young people to get involved. they will also travel to botswana. >>> we return to developing news. we of a live crew on the scene near a grass fire near homes in benicia. >> an unusual situation for one woman in california and how she ended up with dozens of alpacas living on her property. >>> helping those in uniform and the annual fundraiser that aims to give local police officers another line of protection. . >>> we return again to our top story, developing news in benicia, where crews are fight a grass fire. ktvu's eric rasmussen. >> ken i'm standing on the on- ramp to northbound 780 and chp just re-opened it a few minutes of the it was closed down to firefighters could fight this thing. this is the kind of dry brush they were worried about, you can certainly imagine how quickly it burned up this hillside today. we can also show you that this fire burned right up to the roadway this afternoon. firefighters got this two-acre fire cont

the the video from johannesburg south africa. moon appeared to disappear because earth moved into position between the sun and the monitor. another eclipse in six months and we will be able to see that one presuming there is not too much rai rain here in the seas. >> warm in other places around the country. >> across the southern tier of states high temperatures sizzling. phoenix 110. dallas 100. 97 new york. 93 atlanta. knotts in much more moderate the temperatures across the northern half of the country. on to highs in the bay area. tomorrow not just the bay area, statewide tomorrow warmer from sacramento to frez know. yosemite continues to see rapid snow melting and so that means that flood warning remains in thect for that part of the see sierra, nevada. high temperatures tomorrow in the bay area 10 degrees or lower than the inland locations. low 80s to mid 80s in places today that had mid 90s. a great day for baseball tomorrow. the a's take on the kansas city royals. 12:35 game time. temperatures ranging from 68 to 72. the a

nkepile mabuse for me in johannesburg.o much. >>> and now watch this. >> i'm a logical person. and that was my logic. that's what i came up with. >> hmm. what he came up with. it's a plot that's got a lot of folks scratching their heads. have you heard about this today? this man is accused of robbing a bank for a single dollar. but it's not the money he was after. >>> also, it is the tweet that has lit this firestorm online. we're going to talk more about roger ebert's comment that got "jackass" fans fuming mad. in here, the planned combination of at&t and t-mobile would deliver our next generation mobile broadband experience to 55 million more americans, many in small towns and rural communities, giving them a new choice. we'll deliver better service, with thousands of new cell sites... for greater access to all the things you want, whenever you want them. it's the at&t network... and what's possible in here is almost impossible to say. >>> this is not your typical bank robbery. so a north carolina man, he walks into a ba

obama and her two daughters met with the former south african president at his home outside johannesburg. mandela is 92 years old. he had not been seen in public since he was hospitalized at the start of the year. those are some of the day's major stories. now, back to gwen. >> ifill: former utah governor jon huntsman ended months of speculation today by officially launching his campaign for president. he was joined on his walk to the stage by his wife mary kay and the come us seven children. new jersey's liberty park which ronald reagan used to launch his 1980's general election campaign. the choice was no accident. >> what we now need is leadership, the trusts in our strength. leadership that doesn't surprise washington has all of the solutions to our problems but rather looks to local solutions from our cities, towns and states. leadership that knows we need more than hope. leadership that knows we need answers. [applause] >> the governor of utah most recently served as president obama's ambassador to china. when chinese president visited washington earlier this year the president pra

she hasn't moved to the smart suburbs of johannesburg. sat down with her and really spoke about her life, the struggle, and, you know, the marriage ended so she never became the fist lady of south africa. >> how rare is this, first of all, for her to sit down and interview like this? >> she doesn't like giving interviews because sometimes people misinterpret what she says and she has had a very interesting and very multicolored history. you know, she's either totally lauded, heavily criticized as well for things she did. one of the things you spoke about, why the marriage ended. she made certain comments, first of all she was implicated in the murder of a young man so that was very destructive. then she said things like with our boxes of matches and necklaces we will liberate this country. well, necklaces are burning tires. so towards the end, nelson mandela decided, is this woman going to be good for my image? is she someone who will take me to the presidency? it was obviously a very difficult decision. he was very much in love with her

showed how reading is fun and fundamental by sharing an american classic with the children of johannesburg. seuss' "the cat in the hat." >> i know some good games we could play, said the cat. i know some new tricks, said the cat in the hat. >> terrific stuff. robin, you can be sure the girls will have plenty of fodder for the how i spent my summer vacation essays they'll have due. >> "cat in the hat" is universal. >> that plus saying, nelson and i, we hung out. >> we were in town and decided to stop on by. >> great to see him again healthy enough to receive them. he was terrific. >>> let's get over, now, to sam. good morning, there, sam. >> good morning, robin, george, josh, everyone. thunderstorms, a lot on the board. look at that red zone spread out. from shreveport up to detroit and back over to philly. this will kick up in the afternoon. some big heat, searing heat opens up in the southwest. we're not talking records yet but it's taken a while to get this kind of heat. eye cool there, 109 in palm springs. 106 in vegas. excessive heat warnings from palm springs, to phoenix, to yuma invo

dana hughes, abc news, johannesburg. >> not bad. >> about four, five push-ups there.he did. they love their football, obviously. soccer, sorry. in south africa. >> sorry. >> home of the last world cup. saw them kicking the ball around. >> it's also amazing to see her -- desmond tutu, 79 years old. >> yeah. >> doing a great job. >> a great tour for her there. >>> taking a look at your weather for the day we have some strong storms and flash flooding coming up along the east coast from the carolinas to albany, new york. severe weather also sweeps in from south dakota to tennessee. showers and thunderstorms in seattle, portland, and also the northern rockies. showers from san antonio to miami. >> new orleans, atlanta, and baltimore hover around the 90 degree mark. just 68 in chicago. 78 in fargo. and 81 in kansas city. phoenix hits 109. and albuquerque 98. >>> you could call it a case of back-to-back double vision at last night's nba draft. it all went down about midway through the first round. >> that was when the phoenix suns chose marquis morris from the university of

obama, her daughters, mother, niece, and nephew will arrive in johannesburg. the purpose is to improve u.s. and african relations. she also wants to challenge younger people to get involved. >> whether you live in new york, new delhi or nairobi, so often we share the same values, the same goals. more importantly, the same dreams. >> mrs. obama and her family will also travel to botswana. on wednesday, she's going to give a speech to a group of young women. she also is planning to meet with former president nelson mandela. >>> you may have no need to make breakfast in bed today. where your dad can eat for free. >>> plus, it's a father's day he'll never forget. what one man gave to save his son's life. >>> we have a fabulous forecast for you and the beginning of a big warming trend. more on that coming up. ♪ let's go out to the dmv ♪ it's ok that we're number four hundred and three ♪ ♪ we'll find ourselves a comfy seat ♪ ♪ and watch some shows and stuff ♪ ♪ ♪ let's follow that lady with the laptop ♪ [ male announcer ] now you can watch hit tv shows on your lapto

obama met mandela who's 92 years old and frail health at the johannesburg home. in addition to malia and sasha, mandela's wife was present for the historic event. president obama met mandela back in 2005. matt? >> all right. christin, thanks very much. >>> coming up, new drama at the casey anthony murder trial while the judge suddenly canceled proceedings and warned lawyers on both sides they could be headed toward a mistrial. but first, this is "today" on nbc. ♪ [ male announcer ] spare toothbrush, just in case: $4. ♪ home cooked meal: $28. ♪ first date finest: $33. ♪ having time on your side: priceless. mastercard paypass. bringing you the most convenient ways to pay. learn more at mastercard.com/paypass. >>> just ahead, a mother sending threatening letters to a little league official after her son failed to make the steam. >>> la toya jackson's claim her brother may have been part of an assassination plot. team. >>> la toya jackson's claim that her brother may have been part of an assassination plot. i'm good about washing my face. but sometimes i wonder... wh

obama and her daughters visited a daycare center in johannesburg where the children were welcomed withcing. >>> before the first lady left or washington, she learned >> fwfr first lady left for washington, she learned something about her husband. he seems to have a way with babies. they were greeting visitors on monday and mrs. obama was holding a baby that wouldn't stop crying. she handed the infant to the president. baby stopped crying right away. to his delight and the first lady's amazement. scott pelley now has a preview of tonight's "cbs evening news." >> good morning. one state is trying to make amends to thousands of people who were sterilized against their will. we will speak to one of the victims tonight on the "cbs evening news." now back to the "early show." >> it is now nine minutes past the hour. marysol castro is a well known baby whisperer as well. >> oh, yeah, those midnight wake-up calls. >> so much fun. >> good morning, jeff, good morning everyone at home. as we take a look at the national picture, you can see this slow moving storm system that is moving >>> this wea

johannesburg finished last in the 40-city survey. on to number two.nance" magazine, which of these countries hats highest price for a cup of coffee, including service? is it, a, paris, b, moscow, c, tokyo, or, d, beijing? richard? >> i'm going to go for moscow. >> that is correct. moscow ranks highest at more than $8 a cup, excluding the tip. on to number three. now to the other side of the coin. according to the mercer consulting group, which city is the absolute worst praise to live. is it, a, baghdad, b, kandahar, c, tripoli or, d, new york? >> i would -- i would say kandahar. >> incorrect. >> i mean, all right, i'm going to go for baghdad. >> that is correct. the answer is baghdad. i have nothing left to say about that. richard, you win yet again. well done, sir. >> two weeks in a row, richard. >> no, no. two weeks in a row with a clean sweep. >> yeah, you're right. >> that will do it for this week. >> i'll be back strong next week. >> we're back each thursday on "quest means business." >> and in the cnn newsroom at 2:00 p.m. eastern, keep the top

joining us with details from johannesburg.me, how did the meeting come about, and where did they actually meet? >> hey there, randi. i mean, since the announcement was made that the first lady of the united states would be coming to south africa, the question was asked repeatedly, will she be meeting nelson mandela, and the white house said, well, it will 2kethis wil his health. of course, this is a man who's 92, he's turning 93 in a few weeks' time, and his health has been an issue. doctors are constantly monitoring him. so the media didn't actually know that this meeting was going to happen. but of course mr. mandela probably admires the obamas just as much as they admire him. he had nothing but praise for president obama when he was inaugurated in 2009. so he was probably just as excited to meet michelle obama as she was to meet him, randi. >> oh, yeah. and i'm looking at the pictures of them that were taken all together. boy, those smiles, they're big. but how is mandela's health these days? >> he seems fine. i mean, he's

declerk told me he called mandela the day before he got out of jail and invited him to come to johannesburg the people and declerk, he said he went up ten-fold in declerk's mind. >> wow. >> so it would be mandela. >> ask you the flip side of that question, would yo like to bring up subjects that raise pain. >> go ahead, john. >> you have interviewed everybody, everybody, except for bruce springsteen. how did that happen? how did you not get the boss? >> that hurts. >> stop it. >> my producers' fault. they failed. >> awful. >> new jersey, i never got -- never got bruce springsteen. >> how can he resist you? >> i don't know. i have never met him. he would be one of my favorite people. you know, sometimes you fall between the contracts you can get people that other people don't get and sometimes you don't get someone. you can't hit it perfect. >> that is your biggest miss? >> i do four specials a year now on cnn. we did one on alzheimer's. we got one coming on johnny depp. he would have been on my all-time list. the person most wanted to get was castro. i wasn't to havana last year and met peo

i also want to thank the archbishop of johannesburg for honoring us today with his presence. and of course, i want to recognize our guests of honor -- these 76 extraordinary young women leaders from here in south africa and across the continent. [applause] these are young women transforming their communities and their countries, and let me tell you i am so impressed by all of them. i am so proud of everything they have achieved. and finally, i want to thank the leaders and the congregation of regina mundi for hosting us in this sacred space today. it has been more than three decades, but those bullet holes in the ceiling, this broken altar still stand as vivid reminders of the history that unfolded here. and you all know the story -- how 35 years ago this month, a group of students planned a peaceful protest to express their outrage over a new law requiring them to take courses in afrikaans. thousands of them took to the streets, intending to march to orlando stadium. but when security forces opened fire, some fled here to this church. the police followed, first with tear gas