candidates. the response, huge. and komen bombshell. a huge shakeup at the breast cancer foundation, the president stepping down. the founder moving out of management. did planned parenthood funding change komen's focus from pink to green? and history on the track. an american breaking a record 44 years old. leo manzano bringing it in the 1,500 meters. "newsroom" begins right now. good morning, everyone. i'm fredricka whitfield in for carol costole this morning we begin with a political competition this morning called the veep stakes. and any day, we are expecting the answer to this very critical question. who will innit mitt pick? let's bring in cnn reporter. tim pawlenty. a familiar name on the trail, says he is honored to be considered but that 2012 is about more than mitt romney's number two. let's listen. >> the main issue here isn't the vp process or who's going to be the vp. the main issue is what do we do to get this country and economy moving again and provide jobs for people. and the vp thing will reveal itself soon enough. >> all right. pawlenty, rob portman, and now paul ryan all part of the speculation. is there a front-runner out there that you can reveal for us? >> i wish i could. fred, the only people who really know for sure are mitt romney, his wife, and beth myers. and they are not talking to me, you, or anybody else. they are very tight lipped on this. but l's talk about tim pawlenty on this. there is a lot of speculation about him. he ran against mitt romney last year for the gop presidential nomination. his name comes up a lot. and i think, you know, a lot of people think he would be a very good fit with mitt romney. also rob portman, the senator from ohio. here is another name that comes up a lot. and people consider both portman and pawlenty very safe picks, smart picks, that would not outshine mitt romney. of course, ohio is such a crucial battle ground state as well. and the other name that comes up, paul ryan, the house budget chairman from wisconsin. another important battle ground state. in fact, the "wall street journal" today their editorial page, and very influential with conservatives, they urged romney to go bold and choose ryan. of course, ryan known for his budget plan which conservatives loved. could be a problem with moderates, though, and independents. you heard pawlenty just a few minutes ago saying it's really not about the running mate. but what do americans think? here is a poll asking how important is that running mate choice. about a quarter of the people said, you know, it matters a lot to me. almost half said, the choice matters somewhat. and you can see at the bottom about one in four people said it really doesn't matter who the running mate is. it matters who is at the top of the ticket, not the bottom, fred >> but there is some importance on the timing of this. it seems like it's taken a long time. or perhaps not. we are just a couple of weeks away from the convention. >> timing does matter. we are 2 1/2 weeks away from the start of the republican convention in tampa. there's a lot of speculation on when. you look at recent years and cycles, and most of the picks came and the announcements came just before the convention. back in 2004, john kerry named john edwards about three weeks before the convention. that was the earliest. lately they have been closer to convention time. the olympics end on sunday. we are then two weeks away. mitt romney starts a four-day bus tour this weekend. we'll see, fred. stay tuned. >> we'll all be watching as you will too. thanks so much. paul steinhauser, appreciate that. president obama is agreeing with mitt romney on at least one controversial issue. both oppose the boy scouts ban on gay members. every u.s. president since 1910 has been the honorary president of the boy scouts. president obama did not comment on that point, but our carol costello talked to a former eagle scout about that issue. >> do you think president obama ought to remain the honorary president of the boy scouts? >> i think he should look at it after november and think about it. i think that there are bigger issues for the country to address right now. but i think it's something that he and other politicians who accept awards from the boy scouts should think very seriously about. >> and white house correspondent dan lothian is at the white house. joining us now. dan, what's with the timing of this matter? last week, the dnc ennidorsing marriage. are they related in any way? >> all of these announcements really play to the president's base. and you remember just back in may the president finally sort of evolved on this issue of gay marriage coming out in support of gay marriage saying that everyone should be treated fairly. and as you pointed out, it now seems likely that gay marriage will be part of the democrats platform in the upcoming convention. so again, this is something that plays to the president's base. and that's at least for democrats and for the president critical in this very, very tight race. but as you pointed out, you know, the boy scouts have been debating this issue for the last couple of years. but only yesterday did the president come out on this issue. while he was out in colorado campaigning, and actually the announcement was made in statement form by a white house official saying that the president opposes discrimination in all forms. while they went on to praise the organization as building character, as helping young boys. the statement went on to say that the president opposes this policy that discriminates on the basis of sexual orientation. so i think when you put it into the context of everything else that the president and the white house and democrats have been supporting, i don't think there was any surprise here, fredricka. >> dan lothian at the white house. thank you so much. all right. now let's turn to a major shakeup at a charity that has come to embody the fight against breast cancer. over the past 30 years, the susan g. komen for the cure foundation has raised nearly $2 billion. well, much of it through its signature pink ribbon events like race for the cure. but turnout has fallen since the group pulled its funding from planned parenthood. a national firestorm both for and against led to the funding being restored. alison kosik is here to break it all down for us. the group says the national outcry is not why its founder and ceo are leaving their posts, but clearly there is a lot of money at stake, isn't there? >> oh, you said it. there is a lot of money at stake, fredricka. and it's not just money in this. it's also the foundation's reputation at stake. think about it. for any business out there, the image that you project is extremely important. that's really what helps to drive your revenue growth. the "wall street journal" says that susan g. komen is already raising less money because of that planned parenthood controversy. and this management shakeup that's in the works right now could really wind up going either way. it could either throw another wrench into things or it could be a good thing. you know, the sign of a new beginning. now, nancy brinker founded the organization and she is stepping down when a successor is found. she'll stick around in a new management role. she'll handle revenue growth and strategy. now the president heather thompson is leaving next month and two board members as well. it looks like susan g. komen is cleaning house. but brinker told the "wall street journal" that these changes have nothing to do with the controversy over planned parenthood. she says this change is natural. fredricka? >> all right. thanks so much. i'm sure there will be much more that will be revealed in the coming days on this. alison kosik, appreciate that. the man accused in the colorado theater massacre is expected back in court in just about five hours today. but it will be the news media taking center stage, not defendant james holmes. major news organizations want the judge to unseal documents citing the public's right to know. so with us now we have a reporter outside of the courthouse. what type of documents are we talking about specifically? >> reporter: we're talking about the actual court ric fredricka, normally viewable by the public and the media, and that simply has not been accessible. the other thing that's really at stake here, what the media lawyers are saying, is that this is overreach by the judge. because what the judge did is not just take court documents under seal, but then asked that the documents related to james holmes at the university of colorado, that that also be sealed as well. so the media here is going to argue that there's no clear and present danger, that access here should become public and should become viewable by not just the press but also the victims of this community. >> so this is a difficult quandary for the judge, because the judge has to balance a defendant's right to a fair trial, and at the same time respect the fair freedom of information that would be compelled by this whole release of documents. >> reporter: he's got to listen to all of the arguments here. again, the media is going to say that there is no clear and present danger, that this is overreach by the judge. that this is an area especially when it comes to the university of colorado is usually falls under the colorado open records act. that this is something that normally people can get access to. and that's the way that the judge should behave. t what you're going to hear from the defense attorney as well as the prosecutor is that what they don't want is too much pretrial publicity, and that these documents can remain out of the public so that witnesses don't get tainted as well. >> and the prosecutors' argument will be that releasing this information might compromise the criminal investigation. but haven't police already said publicly that holmes acted alone, that they are not investigating other suspects? >> reporter: you're right. but what we're also expecting to hear is that what they don't want is that the court filings then affect witness testimony in a criminal proceeding. that maybe some of this information becomes public, and then that will affect witnesses and what their memory of the event is. so that's some of what we're expecting to hear as well. >> all right. you know, i'm going to ask you one more question. if the issue and the concern is about a fair trial, the court and the lawyers could do more. perhaps they could just stop talking and try and ask that there be this, you know, order that the media would be left out of it. there would be a gag order. >> reporter: there are a number of options before the court. and take a look at some of them. the court has several options. they could expand the number of people in the jury pool. the court could also allow for extensive questioning of potential jurors by the lawyers as well as seeking a change of venue if there's simply too much pretrial publicity. if the judge does see that and deem that, he could order a change of venue. so there are other options here for the court. >> lots on the table. thanks so much. appreciate that. his disappearance rattled a nation and has stumped police for decades. but today we may finally be closer to some answers in the landmark case. ttd#: 1-800-345-2550 ttd#: 1-800-345-2550 let's talk about the cookie-cutter retirement advice ttd#: 1-800-345-2550 you get at some places. ttd#: 1-800-345-2550 they say you have to do this, have that, invest here ttd#: 1-800-345-2550 ttd#: 1-800-345-2550 you kn what? 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>> so pedro hernandez. when he is expected back in court? >> he is expected back in court in october. you will recall after he was arrested this never reached the grand jury stage. there is no physical evidence linking him to the crime. but we do know he was being treated over the years for various mental disorders, and that he was -- they are doing a competency exam. that is not complete as i understand it. but he is due in court in october to go over some issues to see where the case stands and whether police are going to continue to move forward with it. >> all right. thanks so much, susan candiotti, for keeping us posted on that case. we're going to talk olympics coming up. u.s. women's soccer aiming for gold. the americans take on japan today in a rematch of last year's world cup. we'll take you to london for a preview. ♪ [music plays] ♪ [music plays] ♪ [music plays] who dreamed she could fly. like others who braved the sky before her, it took a mighty machine, and plain old ingenuity to go where no fifth grader had gone before. ♪ and she flew and she flew, into the sky and beyond. my name is annie and i'm the girl who dreamed she could fly. powered by intel core processors. ♪ one cap of downy protects $200 worth of clothes. prove it to me. ultra downy softeners protect fibers. there's no comparison. nic. downy's pretty much saving our clothes. yeah, ultra downy saves loads. let's talk olympic games now. there's been a lot of back and forth with the name oscar pistorius. now apparently he is back in the race. the double amputee and his south african relay team are in the four-by-four finals. zain verjee is following the breaking news out of london. tell us about this appeal that the south africans won. it seems as though everybody was onboard for a long time, that pistorius could run. what's going on now? >> well, there's a little bit of drama going on, and we're trying to follow all the different angles and developments going on here, fred. basically, it was the four-by-400 relay that was going on at the stadium behind me. what happened is that there was some kind of collision between a south african runner and a kenyan runner. and the result of that was that the south african fell to the ground, and apparently dislocated his shoulder. so he stayed on the ground. everybody else ran ahead. passing the baton and doing the relay. and it was supposed to be handed to oscar pistorius, who was going to make history, even just running it. and he ended up just standing there, not getting it. he fell on the ground, sank to his knees, and put his hands on his head was just like, oh, my god, i can't believe this. then after the race, there was this big appeal by the kenyans and the south africans. we got a statement a short while ago from the jury of appeal, and they said that they advanced the south african team to the final even though they did not finish the race because they had, quote, been severely damaged in the incident with kenya. pistorius himself sent a little tweet out a short while ago and said, it's on. we are in the final. and we are in lane nine. so it seems as though the kenyans did something in that collision, and they were disqualified, and the south africans and oscar pistorius amazingly are now in the finals and has a chance to win a medal. >> that's an amazing second chance. it doesn't usually unfold that way. >> no, it doesn't. everyone was completely horrified. they didn't even get to see him run. he was so dismayed, he goes in another tweet, he wrote, i can't believe it. with everyone's support back home, i'm not even going to run. and then there was this 180, and this decision that was taken, that has him back in. so, yeah, we'll get to watch him run. >> that is very lucky to be able to advance to the finals even with that kind of collision. all right. let's talk about the u.s. women's soccer team now going for the gold. and kind of going out for revenge too. >> yeah. this is all about revenge, fredricka. i spoke to the press officer a short while ago who said that the u.s. team is feeling good, feeling strong, and looking forward to the game. they're going to be playing japan, who they lost to, back at the world cup in 2011. so they have got something to prove here. the u.s. team is very strong. they play a very direct game. the japanese like to keep possession and play a much more technical game. but if the u.s. wins, it would be five gold medals out of six olympic games. so we hope they win. and they only i think lost to norway in sydney. that was it. so the stadium at wimbley is packed. 82,000 people are going to be in that stadium, and that's the biggest crowd ever to watch a women's soccer/futbol match here in this country. >> that's going to be really exciting. >> where are you? you didn't call me. >> i'm so sorry that we couldn't catch up. i had no idea trying to keep up with my dad would be as busy as it was. but we were -- i did get a chance to see your post where you are, because we were sitting at one point just over your left shoulder there in the stadium. and so i at least kind of gave you a big shoutout and a wave, hey, zain, from afa but i'm sorry we didn't actually physically get together. you and i will talk later on in the next hour. >> i know you had more interesting plans than to meet up with me. >> well, i wouldn't say it was more interesting. i did want to get you in there, but it was interesting nonetheless. we'll talk again in the next hour. thanks so much. we'll find another opportunity to get together face-to-face, though. it will happen. zain verjee in london there at the olympic park. less than three months in counting until the presidential election. and in the next few days, we could know who will be mitt romney's running mate. our political panel will weigh in on his potential choices. [ male announcer ] let's say you need to take care of legal matters. wouldn't it be nice if there was an easier, less-expensive option than using a traditional lawyer? well, legalzoom came up with a better way. we took the best of the old and combined it with modern technology. together you get quality services on your terms, with total customer support. legalzoom documents have been accepted in all 50 states, and they're backed by a 100% satisfaction guarantee. so go to legalzoom.com today and see for yourself. it's law that just makes sense. stories we're watching right now in the newsroom. syria's embattled government is ratcheting its assault on aleppo, the nation's largest city. rebels say helicopter gunships are pounding residential neighborhoods. the white house says all options are still open, including a no fly zone that would help rebel fighters. meanwhile, a peaceful transition for a government toppled in the arab uprising. libya is now in the hands of its general nation congress. the latest step towards democracy since last year's ouster of moammar gadhafi. it's the country's first peaceful transfer of power in more than 40 years. in germany, same-sex couples get a big boost from the nation's constitutional court. it rules couples in registered partnerships can get the same tax benefits as a married man and woman. outside the court, citizens and politicians are still locked in a bitter debate. to u.s. politics now. and unless you just completely unplugged from the world, you know that mitt romney is close to announcing his running mate. and if you didn't know, well, team romney is working hard this week to make sure that you do know. on tuesday, the republican candidate's official twitter account page urged followers to download the special app that promises supporters will be the first to know. romney's wife ann following up on tuesday tweeted the announcement is coming soon. and in a fundraising email, romney's son, craig, says i can't wait to find out who dad will choose as his running mate. even i haven't been able to get so much as a hint out of him. all right. so here to help us read the vp tea leaves our cnn contributor roland martin, who leans to the left. and john avalon. good to see both of you. >> likewise. >> john is an independent. you're kind of in the middle then? so no leaning? >> yes. >> he's actually like on a swivel. >> ok. very good. john, let's begin with you. we've heard several names so far. romney is under some pressure to kind of go bold, but at the same time, i guess some kind of familiarity is going to be important. what names do you like? >> sure. yeah. but the conservatives have been amping up their pressure on the romney camp to go bold, go big. the names they have been pushing are paul ryan in particular, marco rubio, chris christie. and the thing is that mitt romney, by all accounts, as a businessman anas a politician, seems to be very risk averse. he's traditionally conservative. and the first test of a vp nominee is first to do no harm. so the requequestion is whetherl go with a safer candidate like a rob portman or tim pawlenty, or listen to the voices encouraging him to go big, really excite the base. and the last time the gop tried a game changer it didn't work out too well. so the palin shadow is hanging over the process as well. >> bold and mitt romney do not go together. let's just be honest, ok? so more like boring. look, the most important thing that he has to do is pick a vice president who is ready day one. in 2008, senator john mccain chose governor sarah palin, and he took away his biggest argument against then senator obama, and that is the question of experience. so the last thing mitt romney wants to do is to pick somebody who can be torn apart as to whether or not they are ready to lead the country just in case anything happens to romney if he is elected president. that is the most important thing. not satisfying the right. not satisfying any other constituency. is that person ready to lead. >> so when you say ready day one, though, might the romney camp think that could potentially upstage mitt romney? because all these names on the list, yes, there's familiarity. you know, some would dispute whether some of them are bold. but ready day one, none of them really have the kind of experience, executive office experience, anyway. so won't it be -- won't it really be kind of a test whether anybody is really ready day one? >> if you look at then senator obama, the time he spent in the united states senate previously, it was a question of governors. some people are on the list who have been ceos of states. but again, does that person have the background? when obama chose then senator joe biden, look at his foreign policy experience. 30-plus years in the united states senate. that speaks to a level of qualifications. that's what i mean. what romney cannot afford is to go through two, three months of attacking his vp choice as not being ready. that would take away -- because this is the biggest decision romney will make prior to the election. >> ok. you know, john, what are the characteristics that need to be in that vice presidential pick? we were talking about tim pawlenty, rob portman, paul ryan, marco rubio, chris christie. magnetic would be one. but then again, the fear of upstaging, you know, mitt romney. what are the characteristics that any of these names, and even bobby jindal, kind of share? is there a common denominator? >> you know, this is actually a pretty diverse group that's being talked about in the consideration set. reasonably diverse in terms of age and even background to some extend. the number one characteristic, and you can't make this process from a position of insecurity, will they upstage me. the real question, and the only question that matters at the end of the day, constitutionally to the american people, can this person be president? and whoever they pick has to fit that. and also another thing that's important that roland touch onned o onned on. one of the arguments is acceptability. he should get one that's been an executive on a statewide level rather than someone who perhaps has just served in congress. but i do think that's going to be the kind of criteria. what kind of message do you want to send? vp picks do matter. s it sends an enormous signal about the qualities of presidential judgment. that's the key question here. >> john and roland, always good to see both of you whether you're in a swivel chair or one that leans one way or another or not. >> thanks so much. all right. he is a seven-time grammy winner with more than 20 million records sold. a familiar name, familiar face. but now country singer randy travis is having more public struggles with alcohol. we have details on his latest arrest. i love how clean my mouth is now. but why doesn't it last? 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[ dr. rahmany ] introducing crest pro-health clinical rinse. it actually keeps your teeth 91% clean of plaque even at 2 months after a dental visit. new crest pro-health clinical rinse. it may seem obvious, but now there's scientific proof. a recent study finds that people are more likely to have strong healthy hearts if they live in a neighborhood that promotes a healthy lifestyle. >> i feel totally safe running up and down these streets. >> there's a healthy grocery store in the neighborhood. >> you can play football out here. they have a basketball court. >> it helps if residents feel safe and have please ability places to walk. having sidewalks and easy access to parks and tlrails also gets people moving. neighborhood grocery stores with plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables can make it easier to stick to a healthy diet. heart healthy people are more likely to have normal blood pressure and cholesterol levels and be at a healthy weight. >> they don't smoke. they exercise on a regular basis. about 150 minutes in a week of moderate exercise. and they consume fresh fruits and vegetables in their diet. >> if you're planning a move in the near future, factor in the health benefits of a healthy neighborhood. real life is starting to sound like a bit of a broken record for country singer randy travis. travis, who pleaded no contest to public intoxication after this year's super bowl, has again been arrested and accused of dwi. entertainment correspondent nischelle turner is joining me now from los angeles. good to see you. >> thank you. >> travis not just accused of driving while intoxicated but also threatening officers. give us more details on that. >> you know, this is actually a pretty serious and really interesting story here. this happened late tuesday after police found him naked smelling of alcohol and lying on a remote stretch of highway in northern texas just after midnight. authorities say they were responding to a concerned caller who saw a man lying in the roadway. the texas highway patrol tells cnn travis was driving his black 19 1998 pontiac trans am. police say he was the only occupant in the car. they also say while in custody, he threatened to shoot and kill the troopers on the case. not only is he being charged with dwi but also felony retaliation charges. the question, fred, on a lot of people's minds and that they are asking right now is what happened to his clothes? in the arrest video released by police, he is dressed in something, but police say, you know, he didn't have anything on at all or any i.d. on him when they found him. and travis, who is now out on bond, by the way, had to reportedly be given one of those paper suits, you know, to wear. >> this is humiliating. >> yeah. >> i feel so sorry for him. and then just to look at the misery in the photograph there too. because that will live on forever no matter, you know, what recovery or -- whatever happens after that. meantime, let's talk about another big name in hollywood. rihanna. but this isn't something that is in any way scandalous. instead, this is really about a parting of the ways between she and the skin care line nivea. or is there a story behind it? >> well, that's kind of being fleshed out right now. there are reports out that rihanna and nivea parted ways because the brand thought she was just too sexy, but that's not what they are telling us today. in a statement to cnn, nivea said they only planned to work with rihanna during 2011, and that basically this is just a natural parting of the ways. they specifically said that reports of the company firing her now based on points of view expressed in recent media interviews are erroneous, and basically what they said, fred, was she had a one-year contract. at the end of the year, we decided not to continue. >> so deal is up. simple as that. >> basically. >> ok. that's what they're saying, that's what we have to go with it. >> that's their story, and they are sticking to it. >> you'll be back next hour with showbiz headlines, including the latest stop in madonna's russian revolution. no stranger to controversy, she kind of sometimes stirs it up just coz i think. nischelle, you have more details on that coming up. all right. the keyword this summer, chill. that's because some places have been sweating through some pretty oppressive heat, and it turns out july was a record breaker. offee house. the lines, the cost, the hassle. ♪ express yourself [ female announcer ] why not try coffee-mate? 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certainly did. so that's right. government coming out with the new stats as of last night, and is the hottest and it was july 2012 the hottest month we have ever seen since records began in 1895, usurping the o record from july in the dust bowl era of the 1930s. but how did we get there, right? let's look at this map. the entire country for the most part has well above and was well above for the month of july temperatures. in virginia, they had their hottest july ever recorded. but take a look at some of these numbers. 118. so incredible temperatures. 118. they broke a record from 118 years. the dakotas breaking temperature records from 117 careers. so pretty dramatic. no question about that. but we talked so much about the heat, how about a little cold front? a cooldown coming for places that have not seen cooler air in about a month. we'll see temperatures drop about 10 degrees below average. and they certainly haven't done that. they have been 15 to 20 degrees above average. but they doll will do so at a price. from green bay to cleveland, michigan, illinois, indiana, temperatures dropping. but again this front moving through, firing off some storms. so in the next 48 hours, will we see rain? they've been begging for rain. the potential for even two to four inches for some of the isolated areas. it won't do much for the corn crop, but it may settle the dust around. so certainly it's good news. no question about that. so also what we're going to talk about as we head toward the next hour or so, some really interesting things happening in the antarctic. we'll talk about that a little bit later. talk about how cold it's been. and even there it has been a little mild. but temperatures certainly very relative. that's for sure. >> and timely to talk about that because we're also talking about the rescue, the relief effort being carried out there to get one person out of there who is in great need of medical care. meantime, back to the really hot summer. does this mean this is kind of a prelude to what will be a very drawn out summer, meaning we won't have much of a fall? or does it say something about the winter we can expect? >> well, it's hard to extrapolate what will happen. but certainly as we look towards the models, look toward kind of august and september and october, where temperatures go, the tendency certainly is for them to be above average. wet conditions won't see it. it looks as though it will be drier than average. and you certainly know the heat begets heat, and drought begets drought. it's really a cycle. toward october, temperatures still stay warm. but we have also talked a little bit about the tropics and of course ernesto. making land fall, emerging into the bay of the warm waters of the bay of campeche, making land fall again. and also now what we're going to look at, tropical storm gordon, perhaps, and the hurricane center saying there will be a 70% chance we could see this become our next tropical storm. so maybe gordon will be on our lips instead of ernesto. >> tropical storm gordon, get used to that name. all right, thank you. appreciate it. >> all right. mississippi river suffering in this record breaking heat. and beginning tomorrow morning at 9:00 eastern time, our own mart martin savidge will be live to show you the impact. [ male announcer ] this is the at&t network. a living, breathing intelligence helping business, do more business. in here, opportunities are created and protected. gonna need more wool! demand is instantly recognized and securely acted on across the company. around the world. turning a new trend, into a global phenomenon. it's the at&t network -- securing a world of new opportunities. ♪ . when you think of long distance runnings, you think of kenyans but a u.s. olympian may change your mind. leon manzano won silver tuesday. he's first u.s. medal winner in that event since 1968. he also has a compelling personal story coming to the u.s. from mexico with his family when he was just 4 years old. leo manzano joining us now from london as a mexican-american. we say that because you were waving both flags. congratulations on your medal win! >> thank you so much. i'm super excited and just thrilled to be here. >> fantastic. give me an idea of what that moment was like. i got a chance to see the prelims before making it back to the states. from every country, ethiopia dominating the earlier heats, how did you go into this final? what were you thinking about strategy? what were you thinking about how to try and dominate this race? >> yes, ma'am. the biggest thingcy just had to be confident in myself. i had to prepare myself mentally and physically probably one of the toughest races i've ever been. i know a lot of you think it was slow, believe it or not, where i was, it felt like we were going extremely fast. and especially after the bell lap when the last 400 meters, we started going. the pace really picked up. >> i'm telling you, it was amazing being in the stands and watching and thinking to myself, wait a minute, this is a 1500 meter. people are running. you all were running as if it were a sprint, a 200 meter or a 400 meter. you know, the race has changed considerably over the years. you were attacking that track and what was it five -- almost seven laps. you were attacking it as though it is a sprint. what's the strategy? >> yes, ma'am, the thing about the 1500 meters, it's the perfect combination of distance running and also a sprint. so you definitely have to have speed and also have to have the endurance and strength to push yourself through that type of race. my strategy was just to stay focused. not to lose control and maintain as much energy as i could and let everybody else really make their move and, i mean it really was like a chess game. i tried to lay back and really stay calm. >> oh, my goodness. you discovered your passion of running in high school. what came together for you where you said, you know what? my pursuit is going to be about being an olympian? >> yes, ma'am. it really started in high school. and in high school, i've always had this -- it was a dream in the back of my mind that i wanted to go to the olympics. especially started after i started winning a couple races. i was a nine time state champion as a high schooler. and so that really inspired me to keep continuing and keep growing. i obtained -- i obtained a scholarship at the university of texas. ran there for four years. and that really bumped me up and gave me that burst to really pursue track and field. and the next thing you know, i made 2008 team and the 2012 team. here i am. >> there you are. congratulations. before i let you go. give me an idea of the emotions bubbling up inside you when you had that silver medal rarn yoar your neck on that medal stand. >> it was incredible. it's an honor and a privilege to be able to represent the u.s. >> congratulations. leo manzano, fantastic run and making your place in history. congratulations. >> thank you very much. the next hour of the cnn newsroom is just moments awa ♪ express yourself [ female announcer ] why not try coffee-mate? with over 25 delicious flavors for a fraction of the cost of the coffee house. add your flavor, with coffee-mate, from nestle. . straight ahead in "the newsroom," successful rescue mission. a crew flies to antarctica and back to save the life of an expeditioner. we'll tell you the challenges that rescue team faced plus this -- >> specifically, he told me that if you join the military and you're not a racist, then you certainly will be by the time you leave. >> a wisconsin temple shooting suspect, an accused white supremacist and he may have learned about hate groups in of all places, the military as you just heard. >> all right. stunning images from mars. we're getting new ones every day. you'll be surprised to hear why we almost didn't get to see some of first great shots. plus, it's been almost 65 years since the last olympic games in london. my father earned a gold medal -- two gold medals in those games and a bronze. now we return. there he is meeting up with other olympians where it all happened in london. 64 years ago. the "newsroom" starts right now. . good morning, everyone. i'm in today for carol costello. we begin this morning talking about how much money you're going to be paying, we're all going to be paying for gas. overnight the national average jumped another cent and a half. it's now $3.66 a gallon. it could be in part from this huge fire in ania. are expected skyrocket. this fire happened monday. the situation at the refinery is unstable. another small fire broke out yesterday. people who live in the area have bigger concerns than gas prices. hundreds of people were treated for breathing problems. >> first and foremost, chevron will take responsibility for all claims that come in. >> you putting this poison out here killing us. and it's not just happening -- is it happening in y'all neighborhood? no, it's not. >> do i have to look forward to having cancer? does my grandchild have to look forward to having kanser? >> this refinery isn't the only problem. last month there was a pipeline shut down in the midwest after a leak. and there had been problems at two refineries near chicago. >> gas prices are now 30 cents higher than they were just five weeks ago. and now the refinery could cause prices to jump nationwide. allison, what can we expect? >> brace yourself. several analysts we talked to say expect prices across the country to keep going up over the next few weeks. then you should see prices pull back around labor day after the summer driving season is over. but if you're on the west coast, you probably don't need to be telling you this, you're seeing sticker shock. you're getting hit the hardest. analysts from the oil price information service says that average for a gallon of gas in california is up eight cents since monday's fire. expect prices to keep going up for six to eight weeks you can see a gallon of gas top $4. now the issue here is supply. the thing is, with california, it uses a special cleaner blend of gas. and that cleaner blend of gas is made of 14 refineries. they're located in california. the richmond refinery you're talking about is a key unit. it's one of the biggest in california. and right now part of it is shut down. and that's squeezing the supply causing prices to go up. it's economics 101. the impact is going beyond california. it's hitting the entire west coast because gas supplies the northwest region, too. even then, it can change on a dime on political issues that come into play. >> all right. rescue mission to a u.s. research base is now complete. an australian medical team landed a few hours in new zealand. the patient is believed to be an american expeditioner is an american. he may need corrective surgery of some sort. landing a plane on one of the most remote lagss in earth can be difficult. the conditions in antarctica when the plane touches down minus 13 degrees. only a very narrow window of twilight as well. meteorologist alexandra steel joining me now. this was not an easy trip. >> it's precarious. it's winter. it is virtually dark for six months. as you said, there's a very narrow window of twilight. actually, the stars illuminate things as well. it is precarious at best. the summer is when there are flights going in and out. there are not native people that live there, per se. there is only this research station. and in the wier months, there's only about 60 or 70 of those. hundreds of them in the summer time. so here's where it was, of course at mcmurdo station. the jet fuel, temperatures outside must be warmer than 50 degrees below zero. okay, that may seem ultra cold, right? current temperature there is 25 degrees below zero. now that's about average for the winter. believe me in, the summer the averag high is only 59. it doesn't get that warm anyway. wind chill right now at this current time is 60 below. you know what? it's really all about visibility. now that airport, of course, it's dark all the time. and the pilot has to have visibility. now this airfield does not have any instrumentation for it to allow it to land in the dark. so the pilot has to be able to visually see without using any instrumentation and that is just an extra kind of really difficult aspect to the cold and the blowing snow and the other visibility factors. >> right. and the cold and the jet fuel and, you know, how it can sustain itself and that kind of -- those kind of conditions minus 13 below. it's amazing. all right. thanks so much. curiosity now is staying busy on mars. we'll go to the other end of the university spectrum. the rover is sending back new images from the red planet including a self-portrait taken by the navigation camera. but did you know that we almost didn't get to see those awesome shots? john zarrella explains. >> reporter: mike malet is the first to admit he's not real animated except when he is talking about his cameras, more precisely, his mars cameras. >> you can take this camera higher than that camera. and do a sweep from up there. you can look down on the rover. >> reporter: from nasa orbiting s satellites, his cameras have taken hundreds of pictures. this heart shape mound malin calls love from mars. this one, happy face. it's actually a crater. here's a gully on the red planet. evidence water once flowed there. but malin's crown ago chiefments m -- crowning achievements may be on mars. two of the cameras are his, two on the mast, one on the arm and the first pictures came back from his camera. it captured the stunning pictures as curiosity came through the martian atmosphere. pictures we almost never saw. to cut mission costs, nasa dumped the camera. it had already spent $1 million on. to finish the project, malin got some of the money he needed from extra funds in another mars project and picked up the remainder of the tab himself. >> so i paid for the rover camera. the phoenix project paid to put it on the rover. and nasa headquarters said okay under those circumstances, do it. >> reporter: how much did it cost you out of your own pocket? >> about $80,000. do you think it was worth it? >> reporter: this mars photographer says, no, he promises the pictures we'll see from all his cameras the next two years will be worth it. john zarrella, cnn, pasadena, california. and nasa expects to get more new pictures from mars this afternoon. right plane, wrong airport. the fendz want ds want to know plane landed away from its destination. touches your lips. the delightful discovery, the mid-sweetening realization that you have the house all to yourself. well, almost. the sweet reward, making a delicious choice that's also a smart choice. splenda no-calorie sweetener. with the original sugar-like taste you love and trust. splenda makes the moment yours. 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>> reporter: right. frankly, yes, you're bragging. >> i know, i am. it's fun. >> reporter: but, you know what? prepare to be dazzled. it is going to be the bolt show today. the 200 meter final happening in just a few hours. he wants to break his own record which is 19.19. he says it's his favorite race. he also said i'm never going to say i'm the greatest until i won the 200 meters. but there may be a lot of people who wouldn't to spoil the party. i can think of one guy, right? johan blake. >> oh, my goodness. that is going to be something else. and then, you know, speaking of 200 meters, really one of america's darlings, you know,al li -- you know, allyson felix nailed her goal. >> it was amazing to watch. third time lucky, right? she got two silvers in previous olympics. it was a fabulous race. she got the gold and also the u.s. placed third in bronze and jeter got that, too. in 19 minutes, the u.s. got seven medals, right? which is the biggest hold that they've had in track in one day since 1992, back in barcelona. so you know what i decided to do? >> what? >> i decided to get a team usa jersey here, right? it was such a fantastic day. i just want to make sure that you're really jealous. >> oh, yeah! that loo good. >> it zshdoes, right? >> i brought home something like that, too. only it says london on the back and usa in the front, not to be mistaken. that's fantastic. well, you've got quite the experience there. i know you've had a chance to take in some events, too, even though you've been working hard around the clock. >> i know. >> any favs? >> yeah. at the 100 meter final. and just want to show you a little picture. not looking so hot here. >> you look hot. >> i was wearing the kenyan cap and the u.s. flag there. but you know one of the cool things in the stadium was, you saw it right before the race, people are cheering and, you know, making all sorts of comments. and then someone in the stadium pushes a button and you hear this really big ssshhhh! >> i love that moment. >> and everyone just shuts up. >> it's so great. people are respectful of that, too. they really are giving athletes that moment, you know? >> right. the pin drop silence right before and the stadium just bursts. >> oh, good. we're going to talk more about our olympic experiences. it's been a lot of fun. you continue to have a little bit more fun for the remaining week before the games all come to a fantastic end. thanks so much. see you again in a few minutes. >> thanks. the last time the olympic games were in london -- and there's my little photo there. my little kodak moment with my dad mal whitfield. my dad won two gold medals and a bronze medal in those games. let me not undersell it all. it was a beautiful moment to be able to go back to london with my dad as he reunited with a number of his fellow olympians. that is a 1956 olympian who happened to be in the olympic park area running into. so it's been a beautiful moment after moment of reunions with olympians. great times there at the final there as well. we'll talk about that more on that later. it has been a year since m pawlenty dropped out of the race. why romney has him on the short list for vp. o dreamed she could. like others who braved the sky before her, it took a mighty machine, and plain old ingenuity to go where no fifth grader had gone before. ♪ and she flew and she flew, into the sky and beyond. my name is annie and i'm the girl who dreamed she could fly. powered by intel core processors. ♪ these are sandra's "homemade" yummy, scrumptious bars. hmm? 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"the washington post" reported sarah palin's wiki page revised 68 times just before mccain announced her as his running ma mate. and joe biden's page saw about 40 changes leading up to the announcement. so as npr reports, we're seeing changes to romney's potential picks. ohio senator rob portman's page was revice evised 16 times on t. someone even deleted the controversies section. and florida's freshman senator marco rubio's page was updated ten times. tim pawlenty's page saw four edits and chris christie's page has not been updated since july 24th. any signs in that? wikipedia even locked some pages or protected them from being he had at this timed after what a comedian told his audience. >> i may have designated ed t.p the pick but you get on wikipedia and edit any of their pages to give them the edge or maybe edit the page of more of a dark horse like mitt romney's dark horse. >> it's a whole different race. the website techpresident said that wikipedia could be trying to protect the pages from vandalism. it ruined any possibility that more wiki page changes could be a clue to the pick. you heard him naming tim pawlenty as the pick for vice president. the former minnesota governor does have a lot in common with romney. but there are some key reasons why romney may not pick him. cnn's chief national correspondent john king explains. >> reporter: tim pawlenty wants you to know, he likes beer. and corn beef. and he's more than happy to go pub to pub, ohio and elsewhere making the case against president obama. >> you have enough of sky high unemployment across america? have you had enough of run away federal spending? have you had enough of obama care? >> reporter: he is very much in sync with romney. but personally, he's the anti-romney. his economic views shaped not by personal wealth but by a blue collar upbringing on the streets of south st. paul. >> the dominant focus economically for the town back in the area 60s where the mammoth meat packing plants, they're shut down. as a young boy, i saw this massive job loss, economic dislocation, heartache, worry. it's one thing to talk about it. it's another thing to have lived it and experienced it. >> reporter: friends who share the halls of the high school say what you see is what you get. >> he woke up in the morning and delivered pape brerz school. he bagged groceries to get through college. he's been working hard for a long time. >> everybody worked hard in this community. everybody lived moderately but not excessively. >> reporter: blue collar roots are just one pawlenty asset. other pluses, a catholic turned protestant, like romney, a gop governor who had to deal with democrats, record of holding the line on government spending and no washington baggage. his former chief of staff says pawlenty's skills and interests fit the mold. >> by the time he left, i think the average increase in state spending is 1%. no one talks about education and challenges, keeping up in a global economy. he gets fired up around that. >> reporter: and the down sides, he raised cigarette taxes which angered conservatives at the time. he limited foreign policy experience, there is zero evidence he would put deep blue minnesota in play and a rap that national ambition led to a cautious course as governor. >> people thought he could be a breakthrough figure that could bring different sides together. he got into office and became deeply partisan, unable to get much done. and in this case, spend most of his time running for national office. >> reporter: they say that tim paw lent ji a nice guy, talks a great game but tim pawlenty did nothing. wasted eight years of government. >> well, he is a spokesman for the obama campaign, i would expect nothing less of him. >> reporter: comfort level is a big reason pawlenty is on the short list. you chose those words. yes, they sparred at the beginning of this campaign. if it was obama care on fox news sunday, why isn't it here? he was quick to endorse romy. >> are you ready for mitt romney to be the next president of the united states? >> reporter: they were governors at the same time and they share a disappointment from the 2008 vice-presidential search. it left a mark on you. has that left an impact on you this time through? >> well, we don't talk about the vetting process in the romney campaign. but in general, you know, i've been through this before. so it's -- you've done something before, it's easy and more casual and relaxed the seco time. i don't want to say it's no big deal but it's familiar. i think it comes a little easier. >> reporter: john king, cnn, ohio. tonight on "the situation room,"" we talk to rob portman from ohio. the material girl is in hot water. but for a change, it's not about her music. why madonna is taking a stand against an anti-guy law in russia. that our sales have increased by... sorry, my liege. honestly. our sales have increased by 20%. what is this mystical device i see before me? it's an ultrabook. he signed the purchase order. with an ultrabook, everything else seems old fashioned. introducing the ultra sleek, ultra responsive ultrabook a whole new class of computers powered by intel. mom: ready t♪ go to work? ♪ ♪ ♪ every mom needs a little helper. that's why i got a subaru. announcer: love. it's what makes a subaru, a subaru. . madonna is no stranger to controversy. now the singer's actions and her plan to speak out in protest of a russian anti-guy law could actually get her arrested. we go now to los angeles and to entertainment correspondent nichelle turner. gay activists are asking her to back down after a concert in st. petersburg. ever since the law was passed, madonna said she is going to protest this law in person. how is she responding? hasn't she already made some very overt gestures about her feelings? >> yeah. the first thing she did, she posted on her facebook page yesterday, fred, that she is making available pink wrist bands to anyone at the concert tonight that wants to wear them in support of the lgbt community. she is performing in st. petersburg, russia. she once again is promising to deliver a little politics with this performance. she also plans to protest this law which criminalizes what it calls the promotion of homosexuality to minors. now although the way the law is written, activists say any mention of homosexuality could actually be considered a crime. it's something like, you know, what she did at the mtv awards show, that kiss between her and britney spears a few years ago would definitely be a no no. madonna promised not to shy away from this controversy. she posted this on her website a little while ago. she said i'll come to st. petersburg to speak up for the gay community and give strength and inspiration to anyone who is or feels oppressed. doinlt r i don't run away from adversity. i'll speak at my show about this ridiculous atrocity. this could be a volatile situation. the state department is warning that there could be physical violence against concert goers at this show and this comes after she got attention during her moscow concert by calling for the release of three women facing charges for protesting russian president vladimir putin. >> and then she underscored, you know, she has freedoms to allow her to speak out. but those freedoms don't necessarily apply, you know, in russia. so i wonder kind of waiting in the wings might there be, you know, armed guards, police, et cetera, who are ready to make an arrest if she, you know, does indeed make her statements about the anti-gay laws or rulings? >> well, you know, nothing happened when she made the statements about the band in moscow. nothing happened to her then. she did get the crowd going with her. so, you know, i have to think though, madonna has -- whatever you think about her -- she has been pretty, you know, consistent about speaking out for things that she does or doesn't believe in. so we'll have to see what happens. there. >> okay. let's talk about randy travis. he will never be able to escape the mug shot alone and, of course, there is still, you know, questions about what exactly happened. dwi, the bruising, not wearing clothes. what's the latest? >> yeah. you know, first of all, that will be a legendary mug shot. we'll remember this one a long time. he was arrested again late tuesday after police say they found him naked, smelling of alcohol and lying on a remote stretch of roadway in north texas just before midnight. now the texas highway patrol tells cnn that he was driving his pontiac trans-am when it struck several barricades. while in custody, they also say he threatened to shoot and kill the troopers working the case. so not only is he being charged with public intoxication and a m misdemeanor, this is his second alcohol-related arrest in the last year. he also had another one right after the super bowl. >> yeah. you can't help but feel so humiliated for him. those images will, you know, they have staying power forever. >> right. >> thanks so much. appreciate that from los angeles. >> sure. >> they take an oath to support the constitution against all enemies foreign and domestic. our nation's military is filled with those willing to risk their lives for others. but we're discovering hate groups are also using the military to grow their ranks. you know what's exciting? 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[ earl ] save money with straight talk wireless. unlimited tal text and data for only $45 a month. only at walmart. . a shake-up in the management of the susan g.komen for the cure organization, the breast cancer advocacy group says president elizabeth thompson seen here on the left is leaving. and nancy brinker is stepping down as ceo for a new position. the organization came under fire over its initial decision to cut funding for planned parenthood projects. police in washington want to know how a man received an assault fle instead of the tv he ordered online. the shipping box was labelled with his name and address but the invoice listed a pennsylvania gun shop. he reported the mix-up to police because the assault weapons are illegal in the district of columbia. football fans rejoice. today the nfl preseason opens in earnest one of the big subplots is peyton manning ditching the horseshoe emblem of the indianapolis colts and taking snaps as a denver bronco. it will be his first action since several neck injuries side lined him for the 2010 postseason. >> scary scene for drivers in las vegas. a mannequin was hanging from a noose off a billboard. drivers called 911, worried it was actually a real person. police say it was a publicity stunt in very bad taste. the billboard's owner says it's a victim of vandalism. all right, that deadly shooting at a wisconsin temple sheds light on a problem many may have not realized. just how prominent are white supremacy groups on military bases? you might be shocked by what we found. pentagon correspondent chris lawrence explain. >> reporter: wade michael page's belief in power was tattooed over all his body. but back in ft. bragg, you couldn't tell by looking at him. >> he didn't have the tattoos when he was in the army. >> reporter: fellow soldier and friend says page wasn't shy about sharing his views and ranted against nonwhite people. >> he would often mention the racial holy war that was coming. >> reporter: a criminologist who interviewed page said he started identifying with the neonazi movement while he was in the army because he thought african-american soldiers got pre preferential treatment. >> he said if you join the military and you're not a racist, then you certainly will be by the time you leave. >> reporter: well before pictures like this were posted on facebook, the fbi had identified hundreds of veterans involved in white supremacist incidents. and federal investigators say small numbers of white supremacists infiltrated most parts of the military. while page was in ft. bragg in 1995, three soldiers were caught and convicted of murdering a black couple outside the base. all were identified as neonazi skinhea skinheads. the army cracked down on racists in the ranks and kicked out dozens of soldiers. the problem goes way beyond one base. >> every major military installation you have two or three active neonazi organizations. actively trying to recruit on duty personnel. >> reporter: he would know. he's a former marine and skinhead. he says some military units ignore overt racism. >> i used to hang a swastika flag on my wall locker. everybody in my unit all the way up to my commander knew it. the only time they ever asked me to take ut down is when the commanding general would come through. just so they wouldn't get in trouble. >> chris lawrence joining me now from the pentagon. chris, just how widespread is it believed that the white power movement might be within the u.s. military? >> fred, when you look at the shear size of the military, the millions that are a part of it, the numbers are actually very, very small. there was an uptick, a lot of federal investigators feel in the mid-2000s while the wars war going on. overall, you're talking about very, very small numbers. although, they do say everywhere from boot camp all the way into some special operations forces. >> and so, you know, is the pentagon vowing to do anything about scrubbing some of these, you know, this covert kind of operation taking place or even kind of modifying, i guess, their view or their approach to trying to single out or find people who might be suspect of this kind of behavior? >> they're already on the lookout. you can't be in the military if you're an active member of sort of a hate group, so to speak. they also look at some of your tattoos. you can't have overtly racist or sexist tattoos. that's not allowed either. but sometimes it come down to the individual commander and how much he or she is going to enforce the rule. t.j. laiden, the marine we spoke with, said it was very lax in his unit. but he said where his brother was, the commander was extremely diligent and really scrubbed all that stuff out whenever he found it. >> all right. chris lawrence, thanks so much at the pentagon. appreciate that. >> yep. we're going to change the beat a little bit. it was a trip back to where it all started from my dad. he won two gold medals and a bronze in london in 1948. we make a return trip to london 64 years later. 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[ sneezes ] . salmon contains something called omega 3s. theyre really important for maintaining high levels of serotonin which is a neurotransmitter that makes us happy. another food is cocoa. if we have dark it can elevate our mood. it mimics the same feelings that we have when they're in love. i like chocolate because better than love, it will never let you down. thirdly, blueberries can affect our mood. blueberries actually help with release of a neurotransmitter dopamine. so with these foods, we can change the way we view the world. . >> now that explains why all those things are my favorite foods, chocolate, blueberries and salmon. all right. so a family visit to the summer olympic games was a return to glory for my dad and an emotional one for me and my brother. my father as you see right there, back in 1948 winning two gold medals and a bronze in track & field in those london games. he won the 800 meter and was a member of that winning four by four relay team and then clinching bronze in the 400 meter run. zane is back with us from london. this was an incredible experience. i love you're wearing your usa olympic team jacket there. you know, yeah there you go. since we've been talking about sharing pictures and all of our personal olympic experiences, i figure let's go back down memory lane and how this first entire week of the olympic games is kind of unfolded. it was a great journey for me going with my dad and with my brother. so let's show you some pictures of our experience. beginning with that olympic day nine, that was at historic day of the bolt's 100 meter final. and there is my dad, far right with the usa hat. my brother lonnie. and then herb douglas was a 1948 bronze long jumper. and then here just getting through the olympic park with my dad, zane, is like an olympic feat in and of itself. people would stop him. they'd want autographs. and this man right here was a 1956 olympian who spotted my dad. they had to exchange their points of view on the olympic experience. it was really fantastic. and just seeing the crowds there, you see them every day. but sometimes i think on that day it was something like # hundr 200,000 people in the olympic park. there was something going on in all six venues. wasn't that extraordinary? >> it was really amazing. first of all, fred, i would have loved to have met marvelous mal. >> i know! >> didn't he get another gold in helsinki? >> yes, he did. he repeated it in the 800. >> i would have been -- it would have been awesome, exactly. yeah, you know, it's amazing being in the stadium. the energy is incredible. you have people from all over the world. everyone is talking to each other. and the ushers who work around and they make fun of the flags going in. you were at the 100 meter final, what was it like? >> it was amazing. i think it was an electrified stadium. there were so many other events taking place that evening, too. there were prelims and long jump and so many events going on. it was that 100 that everyone packed the stadium for. full house. not one empty se. then to seat flashes going off in the stadium. like you mentioned earlier, you know, over this speaker, the whole hush -- that's not a beer, by the way. that was a coca-cola. that is one of the bigsponsors. it was thrilling and cool. next time when we're all in the same confines, got to get you together with my dad. >> we were in the same stadium just on a different perspective. >> you were a still few hundred meters away. it was tricky. all right, thanks so much. we'll see you again. appreciate it. that's going to do it for me for atlanta. much more of the "mnewsroom continues. at purina one, we believe small things can make a big difference. like how a little oil from here can be such a big thing in an old friend's life. we discovered that by blending enhanced botanical oils into our food, we can help brighten an old dog's mind so he's up to his old tricks. it's just one way purina one is making the world a better place... one pet at a time. discover vibrant maturity and more at purinaone.com.