i'm natasha curry. >>> alaska governor sarah palin will soon be out of a job. the former vice presidential candidate says she is leaving her post on july 26th with more than a year left to go in her term of office. although some republicans say it may eventually turn out to be a smart decision, others say it was the wrong move, especially if she has future political ambitions. palin didn't spell out her exact reasons for quitting when she made the announcement yesterday, but she did say she was never the type to follow trends. >> though it may be tempting and more comfortable to kind of keep your head down and plod along and apiece those who are demanding, hey, just sit down and shut up, but that's a worthless easy path out. that's the quitter's way out. and i think a problem in our country today is apathy. it would be apathetic to kind of hunker down and go with the flow. >>> cnn's deputy political director has more on what palin's announcement could mean for the political landscape. >> natasha, definitely shocking news out of alaska. i guess the first big que

i'm natasha curry. robin meade is going to be back from assignment tomorrow. ♪ if you just smile >> that is jermaine jackson singing one of michael jackson's songs. it was an emotional day yesterday afternoon. another question, what about his burial. >>> plus a former skating champ is accused of being part of a drug team. we're talking about a former u.s. olympic team member here. >>> the man celebrated as the greatest entertainer of all time had a farewell ceremony fit for a king. ♪ >> jackson's brother's each wearinging a single white glove brought his casket into l.a. staples center and as the world watched celebrities like brooke shields gave us a glimpse of what jackson was like as a man. >> both of us needed to be adults very early, but when we were together, we were two little kids having fun. ♪ we are the world ♪ we are the children ♪ we are the ones who make a brighter day ♪ >> the entire jackson family came on stainch for a performance of "we are the world." organizers say that wasn't planned.

i'm natasha curry. a video posted on a website shows a u.s. soldier captured by the taliban in afghanistan. the pentagon identified him as private first class bower. bergdahl. he was captured on june 30th in eastern afghanistan. in the 28-minute video, he says he is scared he won't be able to go home. >> my girlfriend was hoping to mar marry, have my grandma and grandpas, i have a very good family that i love back home in america, and i miss them every day that i'm gone, i miss them, and i'm afraid that i might never see them again and that i'll never be able to tell them that i love them again, that i'll never be able to hug them. >> senior pentagon correspondent barbara star explains what the u.s. military is doing to try to get bergdahl back. >> since the soldier went missing on june 30th, there's been a very urgent but very quiet hunt, obviously, to scour that eastern afghanistan area to see if they can find him and get him out of there. this video, though, certainly the proof of life that everyone had been looking for that he is alive. i

i'm natasha curry in for robin meade this morning.'re having a good morning so far. >> even as we rescue this economy from a full-blown crisis, we must build it stronger than behalf. >> taking on his critics, president obama explains why he feels particularly rushed to get his health care plan approved. >>> police have raided the office of michael jackson's doctor. why they're now considering manslaughter charges. >>> and the last time he left the country, it was to see his mistress, so what kind of trip is south carolina's governor mark sanford taking now? >>> last night on national television president obama made his pitch to you for a complete ov overhaul of the health care system. it's costing you more and more. is president said something must get done. >> if we do not control these costs, we will not be able to control our deficit. if we do not reform health care, your premiums and out-of-pocket costs will continue to sky rocket. if we don't act, 14,000 americans will continue to lose their a health insurance every single day. t

i'm natasha curry in for robin meade. happy friday to you. >>> city mayors and even rabbis were among 44 people arrested in a massive sting accused of everything from bribery to selling human organs. you can see here fbi agents bringing them in by the bus loads. correspondent richard lui, let's talk about how it unfolded here. >> good morning. the sting itself, was it was huge. 300 fbi agents making arrests in 54 locations across new york and new jersey but the investigation itself, it dates back about a decade. prosecutors saying at first they focused on an alleged money laundering by a handful of rabbis. the fbi used an informant to go after nearly 30 poll turns and public officials, at least. >> big investigation here. let's talk more about that. informant, what do we know about his alleged role in this? >> authorities are saying their informant is a real estate developer. several new jersey newspapers reporting he became the key witness in the investigation three years ago after he was charged with trying to commit $5

i'm natasha curry. a video posted on a website shows a u.s. soldier captured by the taliban in afghanistan. the pentagon identified him as private first-class bower. bergdahl. he was captured on june 30th in eastern afghanistan. in the 28-minute video, he says he is scared he won't be able to go home. i have my girlfriend who i was hoping to marry. i have my grandma and grandpas, i have a very, very good family that i love back home in america, and i miss them every day that i'm gone, i miss them, and i'm afraid that i might never see them again and that i'll never be able to tell them that i love them again, that i'll never be able to hug them. >> last week the u.s. military distributed two versions of pamphlets in eastern afghanistan to locate bergdahl. they were written in the pashto language. one picture shows him shaking hands with a message saying one of our men is missing. return the soldier to his home. the other one said if you don't release the soldier then you will be hunted. in a statement his family asks friend and family members

i'm natasha curry. the monorail system that moves people around disney world is closed today after a deadly accident. one train crashed into another. one driver was killed. five park guests were treated for injuries. the other driver was take on the a hospital but is okay. rick baldwin spoke to a witness. >> there was a family coming from the train -- the actual first train, the first car. >> were they getting off easily? did you see ems, emergency crews. >> when we got upstairs we were there for ten minutes, 15 minutes before police and fire rescue got on the scene. we got upstairs, we got the doors open and the family was able to come out. they were just shooken up. they didn't know what was going on because you can't see forward. they came out, the kids were crying. it was, i want to say a family of six, mother, father and kids. >> disney officials in orlando are working closely with law enforcement to find out exactly what happened. >>> former nfl star steve mcnair and the woman he was found dead wi

i'm natasha curry. >>> just after 7:00 p.m. eastern time today, sarah palin will be the ex-governor of alaska. she is officially passing the torch this evening to the lieutenant governor after her surprise resignation announced a few weeks ago. supporters gathered for a picnic sendoff yesterday in ank raj. many suspect the resignation is to prepare a 2012 white house run. she may have an uphill climb. an abc/"washington post" poll released friday said 57% of americans surveyed have a negative view of palin and don't think she's able to understand complex issues. her ratings are significantly better among republicans. this just in, we're getting reports as many as seven people have been killed in a traffic accident? west chester county, new york. associated press reports a van going the wrong way on a state parkway struck another vehicle. a third car was also involved in this wreck. ap says the dead include three children who were in the van as well as the van's driver. >>> harvard professor henry lewis gates is ready to move on

i'm natasha curry. >>> the voice that formed a generation is now silent. journalist walter cronkite has died. the former cbs news anchor was 92 years old and died at home in new york after a long illness. tributes from fellow journalists and friends are pouring in honoring the newsman routinely called the most trusted man in america. president obama is also reacting to the pass of walter cronkite. here are some of those tributes. >> in an era before blogs and e-mails, cell phones and cable, he was the news. >> it's hard to imagine a man for whom i had more admiration than cronkite. cronkite is just -- he was a superb reporter, an honorable m man, a fine friend, and i have nothing but -- but admiration. >> walter cronkite is survived by three children and four grandchildren. his wife betsy died in 2005. >>> walter cronkite's 70-year plus career in journalism covered most of the 20th century and beyond. he achkerred the "cbs evening news" from 1962 to 1981. he was visibly shaken but a consummate professional bringing u.s. the news of president john f. kenned

i'm natasha curry. >>> the monorail that moves around disney world is closed today after a deadly accident. one train crashed into another at the magic kingdom around 2:00 this morning. one driver was killed. guests were treated at the scene. the other driver was taken to the hospital but is oklahoma. rick baldwin spoke to a witness earlier. >> there was like a complete family from a train coming from epcot, the first actual train, the first car. >> were they getting off easily? did they see ems? emergency crews. >> when we got upstairs, we were there about 10, 15 minutes before the police and rescue got on the scene. when we got upstairs, like i say, we got upstairs and got the doors open. the family was able to come out. they were shooken up. i guess they didn't know what was going on because you couldn't see forward. they came out. the kids were crying. it was about i want to say a family of six, a mother and father and kids. >> disney officials at orlando says they're working closely with officials to find out what happening. >> detectives want to find out more about the relationship b

i'm natasha curry in for robin meade. she's on assignment this morning. michael jackson's fans are already pouring into the l.a. staples center and thousands and thousands of more are expected to give the king of pop a final fair well. then -- >> i'm glad it's going to be over so everybody can get on with their lives. >> a serial killer has terrorized a south carolina town and now it's believed the police have killed what they call a habitual felon. >> i can't see me being out of public service because that is within me. it's the way i'm wired. >> alaskan governor sarah palin finally tells us what she's saying. >> we're hours away from the historic good-bye from one of the world's greatest music icons. this is where jackson fans will be lining up at the nokia stadium and staples center in los angeles. those without tickets are expected to show up anyway. all weeklong we're going to keep up with the potential crowds that could cause problems for the city. many of them are hoping to catch a glimpse of all the celebrities co

i'm natasha curry. political analysts are trying to get to the bottom of alaska governor sarah palin's decision to leave office more than a year early. the announcement caught even palin supporters by surprise, including the man who will replace her when she steps down later this month. lieutenant governor sean parnell says once he spoke with palin he understood her decision. >> she told me what her decision was going to be up front and explained her rationale. i was very surprised at first, but as she began to explain why she was doing it, i began to see sarah palin was moving to put alaska's interests first. remember that basketball metaphor she used where she talked about the full-court press be an honor and how the it was time for her to pass the ball to a teammate so we could progress here in alaska with our agenda. i think that was an apt way of describe houg she perceives things. >> palin says she is leaving because she does not want to milk her lame-duck status for the next two years. her staff

>>> i'm natasha curry. here's some of the stories we're following for you today -- authorities in nashville have learned a little more about the death of former nfl quarterback steve mcnair. they say he was apparently dating the woman he was found dead with. their bodies were discovered saturday morning. mcnair was shot four times. the woman was shot once. while his death is being classified as a homicide, police haven't yet determined whether the woman was killed or committed suicide. >>> disney world's monorail is closed after a deadly accident. one train crashed into the back of another around 2:00 this morning. a 21-year-old driver was killed and five park guests were treated for injuries. >>> more than 1 million fans who registered for free tickets to michael jackson's memorial service are finding out today whether they were picked in a random drawing. more than 1.5 million requests were made for just a few tickets available to tuesday's service in los angeles. "your bottom line" with gerri willis star

>>> i'm natasha curry. here are some of the stories we're following for you today. two members of the space shuttle "endeavour" are on a spacewalk right now, installing the final piece of japan's space lab to the international space station. it's the first of five planned spacewalks for "endeavour's" crew. nasa says the shuttle looks to be in good shape. a large amount of foam broke off a fuel tank during liftoff damaging some of the shuttle's thermal tiles. >>> tributes are pouring in from across the world for legendary newscaster walter cronkite. one person remembering cronkite is president barack obama who said that cronkite, quote, was the news. the former cbs news anchorman died yesterday at 92. he is survived by three children and four grandchildren. >>> investigators in jakarta, indonesia, say they've found another victim in the rubble of yesterday's bombing attack. police say they don't know if the person is a hotel guest or one of the suicide bombers. authorities suspect a malaysian militant fugitive known as noordin top may be behind the attacks. he allege

i'm natasha curry. here are some stories we're following today. >>> a video posted on islamic website shows a u.s. soldier who was captured by the taliban in afghanistan. the pentagon identified the soldier today as private first class bowe bergdahl. the military says he was captured june 30th in southeastern afghanistan. in this video, bergdahl says that he is scared that he will not be able to go home. >>> indonesian police now say they have a laptop computer that may have been used in the jakarta hotel bombings. state-run media report that the computer contained information and codes the attackers may have used to communicate. the twin bombings killed at least nine people. >>> 30-year-old jacob shafer was arrested saturday in connection with the killings of six peel in two states. five bodies were found in tennessee. a sixth was found some 30 miles away in alabama. local media report one of the victims was the suspect's wife. >>> a private funeral service for legendary tv news anchor walter cronkite

i'm natasha curry. the monorail that moves around disney world is closed today after a deadly accident. one train crashed into another at the magic kingdom at around 2:00 this morning. one was killed. the other driver was taken to the hospital but is okay. one witness spoke to brooke baldwin earlier. >> the first train -- the first car. >> were they getting off easily? did you see ems? did you see emergency crews on the scene? were they able to walk away? >> when we got upstairs we were there about 10, 15 minutes before police and fire rescue got kids. >> disney officials in orlando say they're working closely with law enforcement to find out what exactly happened. >>> investigators in tennessee want to know more about the relationship between former nfl super star steve mcnair and the woman he was found with. both he and the woman >>> roger federer has made history at the men's final tennis match at wimbledon. he just defeated andy roddick for the championship. it was his sixth wimbledon title and reco

i'm natasha curry. a southwest airlines flight on its way to orlando was diverted when smoke was reported in the cabin. it happened this morning about an hour after takeoff from hartford, connecticut. the plane with 130 passengers and a crew of five detoured to long island and landed safely. a southwest airlines spokesman says a flight attendant complained of having trouble breathing. no one else reported any breathing problems. they were put on another plane and continued their flight later in the morning. >>> after today, slaip will ara will be the ex-governor of alaska. she's officially parching the torch after her surprise resignation announced earlier this month. supporters gathered if a picnic sendoff yesterday in anchorage. many suspect the resignation is to prepare for a 2012 white house run, but she may have an uphill climb. an abc/"washington post" poll released friday said 57% of americans surveyed have a negative view of palin and don't think that she's able to understand complex issues. but

i'm natasha curry, thank you for joining us. >>> let's get you up to speed on three separate plane incidents that have taken place in the past 24 hours. two men and three women were critically injured when a single-engine plane crashed in oklahoma city today. the pilot reported engine problems just after take-off. he tried to return to the airport, but crashed into two trees and went down near a busy street. an american airlines flight made an emergency landing an hour after taking off. flight 1937 returned to boston's logan airport after someone smelled smoke coming from the plane's rear bathroom. no one was hurt. maintenance workers are examining the plane to find out what happened here. >>> an 84-year-old pilot was injured when the plane he was flying yesterday crashed here into an unoccupied trailer near florida's turnpike. state troopers say no one else was onboard. the faa is investigating this crash. there may be a new lead in search of suspects wanted in a the shooting death of a border patrol agent. a injured man was arrested in mexico near the crime scene carrying a border patrol-i

i'm natasha currie from the hln newsroom.

i'm natasha curry. thank you for joining us. >>> the furor isn't dying down yet. president obama spoke about the arrest of his friend harvard professor henry louis gates jr. by cambridge sergeant james crowley. cambridge police officials may release audio tape evidence in the case and that could include the original 911 call and officer radio calls by cops who arrested gates last week for disorderly conduct. gates was arrested outside his home after a 911 call of a possible break-in. he says he proved his identity to officers and the dust-up leading to his arrest in his own home was racial profiling. the arresting officer sergeant james crowley says he did nothing wrong and was surprised when president obama said the police acted stupidly. fast forward to friday. president obama made a surprise appearance at the daily white house briefing yesterday. in the attempt to diffuse the situation. he said he spoke to both gates and crowley and invited them to the white house for a meeting and while giving the i