>> all right, thelma, thanks so much. she certainly is an icon, will be missed, literally paving the way for so many people who got helped there. thelma, thank. >>> the world's newest country raises its flag for the first time. it is dependence day for south zu sudan. president obama speaking out on this. he released this statement this morning. qualify after so much struggle by the people of south sudan, the united states of america welcomes the birth of a new nation." >>> new defense secretary leion panetta landed in kabul, affection, this morning. speaking on the flight over, panetta said the purpose of his trip is to get out and talk to troops on the front lines. panetta says it's important to keep pressure on the taliban. >>> a spokesman for the orange county, florida, jail says casey anthony denied her mother's request to visit last night. tuesday, the 25-year-old was acquitted of murdering her 2-year-old daughter, caylee. her mother testified for both the prosecution and the defense. casey anthony is due to be rele

cnn's thelma gutierrez is in rancho mirage. what has been the reaction there, thelma? >> reporter: well, of course, fredricka, one of sadness. betty ford was part of this community for so many years. but people here are also celebrating her life and her legacy, the legacy she left behind with the betty ford center. she died yesterday afternoon. and her family, her children were here at her side. they have been mourning in private, but they released statements a short time ago saying that mother's love, candor, devotion and laughter enrichard our lives and the lives of the millions she touched throughout the great nation. to be in her presence was to know the warmen of a truly great lady. mother's passing leaves us with a deep void but it also fills us with immeasurable appreciation for the life we and dad shared with her. the fords were married for 58 years and her family was with her when she passed and they described that passing as very peaceful. >> so, thelma, you're outside the betty ford center, which is one of the nation's leading clinics for substance abuse. ha

thelma gutierrez is at the center in rancho mirage, california. the center is a large part of a legacy, thelma. >> reporter: absolutely, without doubt, fredricka. the betty ford center was one of her greatest legacies. it was founded in 1982 after her very public bout and her battle with prescription drugs and addiction to prescription drugs. also an addiction to alcohol. since then, since that time, in all those years, 90,000 people from all over the world, fredricka, have come to the betty ford center. many of them celebrities, very well known, they have come with their families to get help here. and, you know, we talked to some of the residents. they say they're celebrating her life and legacy at the same time, since the fords were such an integral part of the community. they were saddened by the news of her death. >> it was really hard to hear because i had seen her so much. she came by where i worked a lot. and it was really hard because she had such class, she was absolutely one of the most elegant first ladies ever. >> i know icon is an ove

but some people didn't have a chance like the couple you're about to meet as our thelma gutierrez tells us, carmageddon just happened to fall on the happiest day of their lives. >> i'm chris. i'm the bride. i'm about to get married in santa monica. >> i'm russ and i hope to make it to the church on time. >> we're getting married july 16th. >> also known as carmageddon. >> you guys are asking your guests to come in to the city on the worst day ever. >> yes. >> to pull it off, everyone from the bride and groom in los angeles to the best man in fresno, guests in riverside, camryio and huntington beach, even the photographer in venice were prepared to navigate what was being billed as the worst traffic jam in l.a. history, two to, as the ong says, get to the church on time ♪ get me to the church get me to the church, for pete's sake get me to the church on time ♪ >> going, i'll say two miles per hour. >> we have two hours to get to the saint monica catholic church in santa monica which is smack in the middle of the freeway closure. they warn guests of the ten-mile long freeway closure on th

thanks so much, thelma gutierrez. >>> meantime, let's talk about some news overseas now. the united states has officially recognized south sudan as an independent nation. the new african nation celebrated its independence from sudan today after a long and bloody civil war spanning 50 years. president obama says it's a reminder that after the darkness of war, the light of a new dawn is possible. >>> and despite today's celebrations, the new nation will face some big challenges. we'll have a live report from south sudan at the half hour. >>> and brand new, u.s. defense secretary leon panetta jumped right into the fight for afghanistan today. he landed there hours ago promising to take the fight to al qaeda. he says since killing osama bin laden, quote, we have them on the run, end quote. panetta says by applying maximum pressure, we can cripple al qaeda as a threat to this country. >>> the dalai lama is in washington, d.c. today beginning a ten-day spiritual ritual. with thousands gathered on the west lawn of the u.s. capitol, the leader of the tibetan buddhism discussed th

thelma gutierrez, cnn, riverside, california. >>> so will he or won't he? just ahead, the invitation one female marine hopes justin timberlake will accept. [ male announcer ] this...is the network -- a network of possibilities. 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. hey, dad, you think i could drive? i'll tell you what -- when we stop to fill it up. ♪ ♪ [ son ] you realize, it's gotta run out sometime. [ male announcer ] jetta tdi clean diesel. the turbo that gets 42 miles per gallon. ♪ [ slurp! ] [ female announcer ] hey, ladies, here's a little something [ chomp! ] you'll find irresistible, cinnamon toast crunch, with a delicious cinnamon and sugar taste that's amazin

thelma gutierrez, thanks so much. appreciate it. >>> i want to now an insider into the lives of the fords. gerald canon, former gerald ford aide is nice enough to join us now on the phone. mr. canon, thanks for joining us. take us inside the ford family. i was lucky enough to meet the fords back in the day. i worked in palm springs, which is right outside of rancho mirage. wow, what a family. they had such an impact in so many ways. >> they were a family. like her husband, like president ford himself, betty ford was honest and candid and forthright and she was a model of a political wife, in my opinion. she raised four fine children, and at the same time served as host for her husband and was by and large a credit to the nation. >> and mr. cannon, what some people may not realize, especially younger generations, that back if the day, even the word "cancer" wasn't mentioned. so for betty ford to come out and say, i'm suffering with breast cancer, not to mention that she had an addiction, and to open up the betty ford c

our cnn's thelma gutierrez is live in palm desert with a preview.a lot of people having a great deal of respect for the former first lady. who do we expect to see? >> reporter: suzanne, what we understand right now is that in a few hours, first lady michelle obama will be here as well as secretary of state hillary clinton, her husband, former president bill clinton, also former president george w. bush and former first lady, nancy reagan. all of this should begin in less than two hours. there will be a private visitation for the ford family and then at 2:00 local, 5:00 eastern, begins a national tribute. it will be a private funeral and you know, one of the things i found very interesting, suzanne, is that betty ford was very instrumental in selecting some of the details of her own funeral. this was years in the making. lots of plans for this. we're told that she selected the eulogists, including her very close friend, rosalind carter. >> the relationship that mrs. ford and mrs. carter had was one of the deepest and i think richest in mrs. ford's li

now financial crisis for thelma is that all is and with money in short supply for companies and what they're taking their operations and dollars to the cheapie. looks at how the american financial downturn has been great news for the indian economy. it's the great recession of the twenty first century what started as a collapse in the housing market in the united states has led to unemployment hunger and debt crises around the world and while countries are struggling to protect their interest increasingly western businesses are shifting their work east to cut costs welcome to go down a modern suburb of new delhi everywhere you look there offices of american companies at the sign of the importance the united states has placed on this country during the financial crisis according to rethink our sourcing reports american companies have been preproduction the country as much as seven times in the past three year. carrier corporations is a multi-billion dollar american heating and ventilation company they say that over the past decade their business has shifted from being seventy percent

it reminds me of "thelma and louise." these guys are screaming at each other and don't even know the cliff is there and to the extent they do, they have forgotten about it. if there was to be a solution, it may be that they kick the can down the road. republicans have leverage because barack obama is more responsible for the health of the country than the speaker of the house. it is possible there be some sort of short term solution which involves mostly spending cuts, but ultimately, you saw the president preparing his base for the eventual concession. frankly he was robbed -- he once wrote -- he wants what republicans have, which is a vote on the debt ceiling and that means they get to set the price. >> you have both heard the rumors that the treasury secretary is ready to depart after a decision is made. it seems he has moved to squash that and say he is here for the foreseeable future. i'm wondering about the lame- duck aspect about the treasury secretary since the word is out he is seriously considering leaving and h

i think i remember him from "thelma and louise."ly. >> evidently they've been together for six years, and according to "us weekly," it's their cover story, they're saying that brangelina will be getting married. >> well, if it's in "us weekly." >> then it has to be true. just like being on the internet. so this could happen in france. they're saying it would not be a huge, lavish, royal-type wedding. it would be more intimate. if it's happening. >> and they're saying it's because the kids want it. right? >> right, for the kids. >> although angelina, i've seen here in interviews saying basically these tabloids go through the cycle where they're getting married, then they're getting divorced, then they're adopting another baby, then they're expecting a baby, then they're getting married, then they're getting divorced, it's just a cycle. >> right. >> so we'll see if it happens. if it did then you'll have had the scoop, daniel. >> something like that. i'm sure the paparazzi are preparing already. >> for those who are not, most of them a

. >> thanks so much thelma. >>> in other news, a brazen escape in houston caught on surveillance camera. our affiliate khou says the two men new jailers would open the door to an area to break up a fight that was allegedly staged late last month. one inmate was caught two days later, the other didn't make it out of the jail. >>> casey anthony will be free a week from tomorrow. but there are signs of a family feud between her and her mother cindy. a florida official says that casey refused to let her mother visit her in the orange county jail last night. anthony who was acquitted of murdering her little girl after four years in jail, but she has been given credit for good time served. >>> in this season's "dancing with the stars jshlgsz he may have danced his way into a dui ticket earlier today. heinz ward posted a $1,000 bond and with that charge and with that bond also comes this mug shot of him taken at the dekalb county jail. >>> today atlantis astronauts are making sure that the shuttle is in good shape. it's on the final mission of nasa's space shuttle program. nay got an unusual w

. >> thelma gutierrez, we appreciate it, thank you. >>> british tabloid owned by rupert murdoch comes a scandal. that report is next. >>> and we're going to take you live to l.a. for the latest on the british royal couple's visit to the u.s. >>> according to the u.s. census, more than 120 million americans are self-employed, some become business owners before graduating high school. steve perry introduces us to a couple in tonight's perry's principles. >> reporter: mia is not your typical 18-year-old, she's met the president, rang the bell at the new york stock exchange and started a business. >> you started a vegan cookie business in high school? >> yes, yes. the summer after tenth grade. my parents became vegan when my mom contracted breast cancer 11 years ago. >> what did you know about business? >> just what i learned in the month of nefty. it inspires students to stay in school, by tapping into their interest to create businesses. her bakery won the $10,000 grand prize. businessman turned teacher founded nefty in 1987. he was inspired after he was mugged by some kids in new york

. >> all right, thelma thank you very much for that. >>> celebrities, among those remembers the formerst lady today, former fleetwood mac singer stevie nix says she would not be here if not for betty. >> i went to betty ford at the end of 1985 for cocaine addiction and i was one of the lucky ones. no those days she would come and speak at betty ford two or three times a month and if you were lucky, you were there when she came to speak and i was. so i got to hear her tell her whole story about the pressures of being the wife of a politician and talking about being famous and being famous. you're like oh, i can't go to rehab because i'm too famous, i'm like come on, she's the first lady of the united states so that made me determined to fix myself even stronger because when you see someone else who's done it, and it changes you. i don't think she even really realized the impact she had on so many lives. she started her place, got people there and sometimes i think that truly great people don't really even realize how truly great they are. >> political leaders also expressed their other

thelma is the woman who struck such fear into adrian pap she manages to evade police for a few weeks is eventually arrested and charged with aggravated robbery. the three have yet to enter a plea. adriana doesn't get any of her belongings back, but now she knows she still has the most important thing, her life. and she says the episode has forever changed her. >> it changed the way i view things. it's changed my life. i think that i've become a more fearful person, a fear precautious person. more aware person. i mean, there's good and bad, but it's unfortunate that it had to happen this way. >> police always say if someone tries to rob you, don't resist. with time to think about what happened, adriana says if she had to do it again, she would have reacted differently. >> i would not put up a fight. it's not worth it. even if i had a million dollars with me, it's not worth my life. it's not worth giving my family that kind of pain and grief. it's not. >>> coming up -- >> i thought first that one minute he was joking with me, some customer. >> a bizarre robbery gets deadly serious. >>

>> you know what they should have gotten a clip of the movie "thelma and louise."hmann could have held hands while driving the car off the economic cliff. which is what they're doing. >> the tea party, not president obama gave the go ahead to crash all the servers and call capitol hill. he's saying that while it was the tea partiers who did that, after the president gave a speech the other night, asking the american people to engage. they have no boundaries. >> they have no boundaries. and it's -- i think their voters better figure out that they're smarter than these people they've elected. regardless, you look at all these plans, if john mccain was reading from the wall street journal today, and made that lord of the rings analogy. the one thing that's wrong about that analogy, they're not hobbits, they're orcs. >> you're going around the country, you're touring a lot. >> i am. >> seriously, what are you hearing? are people upset? is there a sea change out there? what's happening? >> people are upset. you know what they feel like? as they're learning about this de

cnn's thelma gutierrez joins me from the betty ford center in rancho mirage, california. betfy ford has helped countless and countless, so many people, it's unthinkable the amount of people who have been helped by her and how candid she was and outspoken about addiction. >> susan, absolutely. when you talk to people here in rancho mirage where the fords retired after public life from the people who are driving cabs to people who work in the hotels, they'll tell you they're very sad. this was a person who everybody here looked up to and as soon as the word got out yesterday of her death here in rancho mirage, there has been an outpouring of loving tributes. president obama released a statement saying, today we take comfort in the knowledge that betty ford and her husband former president gerald ford, are together once more. michele and i send out our thoughts and prayers to their children, michael, john, steven, and susan. former first lady nancy reagan said, i was deeply saddened this afternoon when i heard of betty ford's death. she has been an inspiration to so many thr

and thelma scrimshire, 100 years young, was just crowned miss alabama nursing home.testants each representing a different nursing home. apparently it was her poise, her outlook on life and her involvement in her nursing home that won her the crown. isn't he gorgeous? >> that is a very cool story. what a good contest idea. congratulations. very good. did weweiss the swimsuit competition? joking, joking, congratulations. out of "the toronto star." too, bob richardson who lost 252 pounds at this gym. >> impressive. >> extreme fitness, they have 13 gyms across the area. heheon the $60,000 grand prize. the one thing they didn't share about the competition, neither he nor the gym, was that he had the gastric bypass surgery a month before. >> cheating. >> so, the runners-up in the contest are upset saying, that's false advertising. he didn't lose it on the treadmill. he got his stomach stapled the month before he joined the gym. they're like, we're celebrating someone who did good in his life. >> i can understand why the other contestants were annoyed. >>> the roseville dmv

thelma, you're on the air. caller: you were talking about the debt ceiling. thedidn't they phrase politicians -- that one up into the millions. that would have helped a whole lot. my family -- my husband draws disability. i work in a nursing facility. i make above minimum wage. half of my wages goes to insurance for me and my husband. if they cut the taxes or charge taxes to us, how do people like us suppose to make it? bus triprah palin's back in the news. host: that is from "the washington post" this morning. last call, anthony from long island. caller: i am concerned about the lack of coverage about the nuclear accidents whether they are in nebraska. three scientists have resigned in protest to the use of the general electric reactors in japan. they said if they lose cooling, they will crack open. all three of them resign. last year c-span, i wish you would have them back gone to see what they think about this energy source. it is dangers. when i was in high school, i did a report. the information said it was not a road we should have taken. i do not know

white house because they're trying to gin this up as it's the end of the world, go off the cliff thelma and louise style but 43% of independents say what's the big deal? >> what's the pugh research? they only talk to 764 people. >> they did it all yesterday afternoon. >> by the way, we have a panel of independent voters coming up to see how they're feeling about the debt ceiling debate because obviously, they are the coveted group. >> that panel, 765. >> all right. >> a little bit bigger. >> we go to a panel of one. steve winn is the ceo of winn resorts. they have those casinos and stuff like that in vegas. he was on a conference call with investors and investment banks yesterday and he really let the president of the united states have it. we've got some quotes from the conference call. he says, here you go. "i'm saying it bluntly, that this administration is the greatest wet blanket to business and progress and job creation in my lifetime. and i can prove it and i can spend the next three hours giving you examples of all of us in this marketplace that are frightened to death about all

. >> we found impressions of a thelma and three fingers.his is the page that he wrote on the way to gettysburg on the train. >> these could be the fingerprints of abraham lincoln. >> we should be able to take dna from that print. jefferson's first draft of the declaration of independence. >> in looking at the manuscript, we saw an area that was slightly blurred, and our scientists looking at this more closely began to speculate that what looked like a smudge under the might be a word in an of itself, that jefferson chose to obliterate, possibly in while the team was still wet. we were speculating on what this word might be. . might it be "patriot?" o have aere fortunate tha tour, where we asked observers, what do you think this might be? one of the people of the tour said it looked like the word subjects. a chill went through all of us because it seemed so logical that this was the moment that severs it might have changed his mind with the realization that we were no longer subjects. just speculating is not good enough. we had the task to c

. >> we found impressions of a thelma and three fingers. this is the page that he wrote on the way to gettysburg on the train. >> these could be the fingerprints of abraham lincoln. >> we should be able to take dna from that print. >> thomas jefferson's first draft of the declaration of independence. >> in looking at the manuscript, we saw an area that was slightly blurred, and our scientists looking at this more closely began to speculate that what looked like a smudge under the word citizen might be a word in an of itself, that jefferson chose to obliterate, possibly in while the team was still wet. we were speculating on what this word might be. . might it be "patriot?" and we were fortunate to have a tour, where we asked observers, what do you think this might be? one of the people of the tour said it looked like the word subjects. a chill went through all of us because it seemed so logical that this was the moment that severs it might have changed his mind with the realization that we were no longer subjects. just speculating is not go

release a thelma -- counted. we have reached that early in 2006. we knew that, by iowa, something dramatic was happening. that dramatic outcome is that we have one woman or man who is unemployed and not counted for every man or woman that is. 29. tribesmen who aspire to a whole employment. with tom's guidance as the senior senator from the state of biowatch and the run-up, we established the first of these task forces. it was called d horizon projects. the women and men named in the task force were involved in that initial effort it was taught and hugh others who suggested -- it was tom and others who suggested that we create a prescription to generate jobs. we knew we are committed as a party and as progresses to pay- go. we could not always impose on the government to have these initiatives undertaken. we would come up with ways for paying for these initiatives. if, hypothetically, the senate and the house tomorrow were to pass $3.20 trillion in cuts, we can prove that 1.8 million additional jobs would be lost almost instantly. so we would be dig