because of oprah. women will come in and talk about those secret things that have made them unhappy or kept them from their dreams coming true because oprah has made it possible to answer the questions that everybody has. so oprah was a pioneer in that way. oprah, we are going to miss you, although you're not going anywhere. it's like you're moving out of the neighborhood. you've been down in that house in the corner for all these years. we've always been able to stop by. you have good parties. and now you're leaving the neighborhood. quite frankly, the street's not gonna be the same without oprah winfrey. love you, girl. >> i remember when i was on the show for the first time with the entire cast of "steel magnolias" all in one frame, just sitting there thinking, "this can't be happening to me." that's probably my favorite, like, scared "oprah show" moment. i didn't really belong there, which i think you can see by the way i'm dressed. the nice thing about oprah is she has become such a part of, you know, our fundamental thinking and way of life. >> i know what the caged bird feels. amen. when the sun is bright... >> it's not even that "aha" moment anymore. it's just that feeling of comfort all the time. she's always there. she always has something positive to say, something comforting to say, some inspiration. it's just a constant. it's a constant "aha." oprah: hi, honey! >> couldn't possibly say farewell because number one, i'll start crying, and i don't have on waterproof mascara. and number two, i'm in denial that she will not be part of my every afternoon. how is it possible? my whole life, she's been part of my every afternoon. what a great thing to get to say. i love you, oprah. i won't say good-bye or fare thee well. i'll just say call me. >> aww. beautiful. lovely. oprah: thank you. come on. that was beautiful, you guys. thank you. thank you. well, the street won't be the same. yeah. >> this is horrible. [laughter] oprah: oh, but i really appreciate those words from both of you. >> there are people here who grew up watching you every day of their lives. [cheering and applause] oprah: and now--the people who grew up watching, and then watching with their daughters, as julia was saying, and then now they have daughters and sons. >> here's a phrase that we're gonna miss. "did you see "oprah" yesterday?" [laughter] >> did you see that on "oprah"? we'll just have to remember that. oprah: remember that. thank you. thank you both. >> love you so much. oprah: thank you. "larry crowne" is in theaters--"larry crowne" is in theaters july 1. delightful. you'll love it. and check out our "season 25: behind the scenes" on own this sunday night. all the producers and i will be dishing. 8 p.m. eastern, 7:00 central, and we'll be tweeting our little hearts out. that's when we tweet. >> names are gonna be named. oprah: names are gonna be named. thank you. thank you. >> for having us. oprah: bye, everybody. [captioning made possible by king world] [captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org--] [ male announcer ] nature is unique... ...authentic... ...pure... and also delicious. ♪ like nature valley. granola bars made with crunchy oats and pure honey. because natural is not only good, it also tastes good. nature valley -- 100% natural. 100% delicious. brush by earth about every six years or so. scientists knew this posed no danger. they keep a really close eye on asteroids. >> they see them coming so they can warn you. >> exactly. hopefully nothing's going to catch us by surprise. >> right. you don't want to be hit by an asteroid the size of a garbage truck. >> that's going to ruin your day. >> they were on it, rest assured. taking a look at your weather for the day best we have some showers and thunderstorms along much of the east coast with the heaviest downpours in the carolinas. drenching rain also spreads into mississippi. showers in the pacific northwest and northern california. >> comfortable 70s from sacramento to seattle. 90s across most of the rockies. 79 in the twin cities. 81 in kansas city. just shy of 100 in dallas. boston climbs to 82. baltimore 90. and miami 88. all right, superstars awaiting to be discovered now have a new outlet to turn to. this is sort of how you spend your weekends. >> fortunately for everyone else, no. it's called "karaoke battle usa." a new abc show giving singers a shot at stardom. thousands of people across the country have already taken to the stage to try out for the show. the first episodes were taped yesterday at the house of blues in las vegas. i'm telling you, people's ears would bleed if they heard me sing. >> i'm not a good singer either. although there's some people who really can sing. "american idol" hasn't always been around to get discovered. >> that's true. >> this is their chance. "karaoke battle usa" is expected to start airing in mid-august. it will run for six weeks. so check out the pipes on some of those folks. >> willis is a fantastic soprano. >> he's a great singer. >> a little-known fact. >> he's being awful quiet this morning. there he is. all right, everyone, we'll be back with more "world news now." hó zo can you believe this, summer is whizzing by so quickly. fourth of july weekend is almost here. summer vacations are getting going. depending where you're heading that could mean a lot of bug bites. >> unfortunately. there's good news thanks to the folks at vanderbilt university. they're building a better bug spray. as chris von guard of wkrn in nashville reports. look there's one right there. >> reporter: what's called an insectary. vanderbilt researchers keep more mosquitos than you'd ever want to see. >> most people don't like them. so they don't feel any problems with us working on them. >> reporter: greg pask works on a team led by dr. lawrence zweibel. the team discovered a compound said to be the most powerful insect repellent ever. >> used very basic studies, using mosquito larvae, for instance, to show this has a much more dramatic effect than deet. >> reporter: they say it works against all insects. >> we've tested against ants, we've tested it against moths. >> reporter: the researchers call the compound vuaa1. >> yes, that's what we call it. vanderbilt university allosteric agonist number 1. this compound turns on all the receptors on a mosquito's nose at one time and shouts, whoa! that is something mosquitos don't like. >> reporter: the researchers say vuaa1 could have many uses like keeping malaria-carrying mosquitos away, or insects from ravaging crops, or just us more comfortable in our backyards. >> the work that was done here really opens the door to developing a new generation of repellents. >> reporter: for six years the research has been funded by the gates foundation. potential profits here for vanderbilt university would go to the world health organization and plowed back into research. these researchers believe that day will come. they just can't say when. >> i'm actually wearing it right now. can you smell it? >> i can smell it. it is a very interesting fragrance. >> keeping the bugs away. no mosquitos in here. it's called bug-off. >> keeping the bugs and everyone else. did charlie sheen get a new job and lose a goddess all in the same day? >> oh, charlie. >> not the goddesses. >> losing or winning? which is it? and the truth behind the pippa middleton/prince harry rumors go on. you don't want to miss this morning's "skinny." ♪ skinny so skinny all right, and time now for "the skinny." you know what we were thinking this morning in the media is it's been a long time since we talked about charlie sheen. >> he kind of disappeared for a little while if that's possible. >> he did. this is something people have been wondering about. we did want to give you a quick little sheen update. just in case you weren't completely sick of it from the first time around. it turns out that sheen has got a new gig, a new gig back on television. and this is going to be with lionsgate television. he's got a development deal under way. apparently he'll be making more money on the back end if the show is a success. remember "two and a half men" he was making $2 million an episode. >> nowhere near that money necessarily. >> that's what they're saying. lower money up front. but then if it does well it would be a great success. a lot of people say the success of "two and a half men," their writers, such good writing. >> that's true. >> it's based on the character from "two and a half men." >> also a side note also with charlie sheen, we're talking about him being single again. one of the goddesses, the last of the goddesses, has bailed. >> his orgy of goddesses, it's all disappeared. >> apparently they've broken up as well. the other goddess, bree olsen, she left him back in april via text message, by the way. >> i don't know what else to say about charlie. i feel his whole life has gone off the rails. >> they said they were babysitting their twins. so creepy. that's why you don't do that. let's move on to prince harry and pippa middleton. >> go on. >> evidently they are not dating. just in case you're not sure about that. >> that's devastating. >> they say there's nothing going on between the two of them. prince harry did break up with chelsea davey again last month, but he says he's 100% single, nothing going on with the two of them, no hope of bringing both families together. which could be a little bit weird. >> i think the whole country when they saw them walk down the aisle thought, this would be a great matchup. he's single, she's single. there you go. >> evidently not going to happen. >> we'll keep watching it. somebody who's not about to be single, kim kardashian. she of course got this big engagement. they got engaged, they announced it, the pictures were released of the engagement party. it seemed sort of staged. >> i don't know about this whole thing. >> it's apparently going to be in august. >> it's an immovable, absolutely certain, definitely going to happen wedding date. >> that's super hush-hush. >> until it moves or gets canceled and they do the reality show based on the breakup. right. we're going to get to this last story which is all about "us" magazine's sexiest vegetarians. >> whoop, whoop! >> topping the list, russell brand. >> i don't agree with that. >> from "saturday night live" and the recent "bridesmaids" movies. and our very own peggy bunker. >> although, you know i have to say, i'm sort of like a -- >> we're calling you the sexiest -- >> i veer off the path and i do eat fish. >> this is turning into a confessional? >> it's a bit of a confession. i had some chicken for dinner i have to say. it's very rare that i do that. >> that's all right. i think we'll forgive you for that. eat a bunch of lettuce later to make up for it. here are some stories to watch today on abc news. iowa will be the center of the political world when both president obama and sarah palin visit. the president will be speaking on manufacturing while palin will attend the premiere of a documentary about her. greece effectively shuts down for a two-day general strike. protesters will take to the streets to protest proposed budget cuts. as you gear up for july 4th picnics, usda launches a national campaign to highlight the simple steps required to prevent food-borne illness. we sat around considering this and it was actually pretty easy for this story. are you ready? it is our favorite story of the day. go ahead. >> there you go. stories like this put the world in "world news now." our tuesday morning update on that wayward penguin in new zealand. here's david wright. >> reporter: new zealand's favorite little penguin is starting to bounce back. after two operations, this is the chilly recovery room. >> his demeanor is good. yesterday he actually punched me in the stomach with his flipper. >> reporter: the emperor penguin, nicknamed happy feet, washed up on a new zealand beach a week ago. the lost and clearly hungry little guy promptly ate a lot of wet sand, thinking it was snow. that's when the wellington zoo stepped in, mounting an unusual rescue. >> we will try to save him. but there's no guarantees. he's pretty sick and it's quite serious eating that much sand. >> reporter: they prepped the little guy for surgery and even held its foot throughout the ordeal. with half of new zealand watching through the plate glass window -- >> and it's kind of gross but fascinating. >> reporter: a gastroenterologist went to work. >> i don't normally have tv cameras and reporters in the room when i'm doing an endoscopy. i'm not a penguin expert. >> reporter: dr. john wyeth probed deep into the penguin's tummy and found a lot of debris. they extracted 6 1/2 pounds of sand, one-tenth of the penguin's body weight. plus sharp little twigs. there's now an offer to give happy feet a ride back to the south pole on this russian ice breaker. but the experts at seaworld told us it would be better for happy feet to swim there on its own. >> if he makes it back, he's going to have some pretty strong genes to pass on to the next generations. >> great stories to tell at the penguin bar. >> absolutely. >> reporter: a memorable experience for happy feet's new doctors too. >> i think the important thing in this world is humanity and caring. if we don't care, where are we? >> reporter: looking after a lost traveler and helping it find its way. david wright, abc news, san diego. >> this poor guy. you know he's 2 1/2 years old -- >> guy or girl, we're not sure if it's a guy or a girl. incidentally we wanted to help out happy feet. >> we want to help keep him warm. >> we sent him a little t-shirt. actually he doesn't need to be any warmer, he needs to get back this morning on "world news now," final judgment. the verdict is in for rod blagojevich. >> the former illinois governor was found guilty on 17 counts against him and now faces years in prison. it's tuesday, june 28th. from abc news, this is "world news now." >> i'm daniel sieberg. rob nelson is on assignment. >> i'm peggy bunker. after being convicted on multiple counts of corruption, including trying to sell the senate seat once held by president obama, rod blagojevich will soon be heading to prison. what the future holds for the former illinois governor in a moment. >> just how many years he might be serving in prison. >> right, and also many people have been watching this from the start. at some point it seemed that nothing was going to happen. now obviously not the case. >> let's say observers not as stunned as blagojevich is. >> he said he was stunned. congresswoman michele bachmann has made it official. she's running for president. now the once-fringe candidate is the front-runner. how the tea party favorite is taking iowa and the political world by storm. her republican colleagues taking her very seriously as a competitor at this point. >> interesting poll numbers coming in about bachmann. as we sort of see all the different contenders throw their hat in the ring. this will be a story that will continue to grow. does the color of your eyes determine how successful you will be in life? if so, then the skies are blue for some lucky people. it's our facebook question of the day. so logon and weigh in. >> what color are yours? >> mine are hazel. >> that explains everything. >> i wish i had blue eyes. you've got the blue eyes. >> those are just special color contacts that i put in. >> those are creepy. >> all right. i'll try to recover from that. it matches my shirt. first, the fate of former illinois governor rod blagojevich. he pulled out all the stops trying to convince a jury that he was not trying to sell president obama's vacated senate seat. i expect he doesn't have blue eyes. >> right. we're going to have to look into that. the jury did not buy this. in fact, one juror said he was like a kid caught with his hand in a cookie jar, telling his mom that he wasn't stealing and he in fact was trying to count and protect the cookies. diana alvear has all the details. >> reporter: gone were the smiles and the handshakes. it was a somber rod blagojevich who spoke to the press. >> i frankly am stunned. there's not much left to say other than, we want to get home to our little girls and talk to them and explain things to them. and then try to sort things out. >> reporter: the former illinois governor has a lot to explain. in his second corruption trial, jurors found him guilty on 17 counts.ç deadlocked on two others. not guilty on just a single count. prosecutors said blagojevich used the power of his office to shake down associates for political favors and cash. even offering president obama's open senate seat to the highest bidder. unlike his first trial, where jurors deadlocked on all but one count, this time around blagojevich took the stand. while he acknowledged his use of profanity, saying "when i hear myself saying that on tape i'm an f'ing jerk and i apologize." he consistently denied any charges of corruption. it did not convince the jury. >> we had to put aside the fact that whether we liked him or didn't like him and just go by the evidence that was presented to us. >> we felt that it was very clear that he was trying to make a trade for the senate seat. >> reporter: earlier that morning when asked how he felt, blagojevich quoted his hero elvis presley song, "all shook up." >> my hands are shaking, my knees are weak, i can't seem to stand on my own two feet. >> reporter: blagojevich may soon be singing a different tune. now that he's facing a lengthy prison sentence. blagojevich already faces five years in prison for an earlier conviction for lying to the fbi. he's expected to ask for a mistrial, then appeal the verdict. diana alvear, abc news, los angeles. thousands of residents have left their homes in los alamos, new mexico, as an out of control wildfire threatens the town. the los alamos national lab is closed for a second day but officials say nuclear safety was never compromised. >> the fire is now stirring memories of a devastating blaze that happened more than ten years ago which destroyed hundreds of homes. >> the national lab at los alamos is not the only nuclear facility being watched this morning. the ft. calhoun nuclear plant in nebraska is now surrounded by floodwaters from the missouri river. >> and the nation's top nuclear safety regulator was among those getting a firsthand look at the plant. nrc chair gregory jazco said there was no immediate safety threat. the video game industry and proponents of free speech are celebrating the supreme court ruling on video games today. >> the justices shot down california's law that banned the sale or rental of violent video games to anyone under 18. the ruling basically says a parent should police what their kids do and what they're watching or what they're reading, not the government. of course a lot of these games are super violent. >> they are super violent. all of them come with ratings. make sure you look at the box. not a perfect system but better than not knowing what your kids are doing. >> parents have to pay attention to what you're buying. >> it's not easy these days but you've got to be involved. to presidential politics now and the latest candidate to run for the republican nomination. michele bachmann officially entered the race yesterday. >> the minnesota congresswoman ç will shake hands today in two key states, new hampshire and south carolina, before returning to iowa this weekend. karen travers has more. >> reporter: to announce her presidential campaign, michele bachmann returned to her roots. >> everything i need to know, i learned in iowa. >> reporter: born in waterloo, bachmann's the only candidate in the republican field who can boast to iowa voters that she's one of them. >> this is where my iowa roots were firmly planted. and it's these iowa roots and my faith in god that guide me today. >> reporter: her announcement couldn't be better timed. a new "des moines register" poll has her neck and neck with mitt romney for first place. when it comes to the conservative voters who make up the bulk of iowa caucusgoers, bachmann crushes romney. >> we have to recapture the founders' vision of a constitutionally conservative government. >> reporter: she's the darling of the tea party. the conservative "weekly standard" magazine even crowned her queen this week. as she makes her campaign official the scrutiny is increasing on statements the three-term congresswoman has made. calling for an investigation into whether members of congress have anti-american views. >> are you a flake? >> well, i think that would be insulting to say something like that. >> reporter: wallace later apologized for the question. like the others in the republican field, bachmann has her eye on the general election. >> we cannot afford four more years of barack obama. >> reporter: the latest abc news poll found that in a head to head matchup, bachmann trails president obama by 13 points. karen travers, abc news, washington. the white house wants u.s. automakers to beef up fuel economy and is laying out a time line. the goal is cars and light trucks averaging 56.2 miles a gallon by the year 2025. the change would increase the cost of those vehicles. that money would be recouped in fuel savings. a formal proposal is due in september. libyans have been dancing in the streets of tripoli after the international criminal court issued an arrest warrant for moammar gadhafi for crimes against humanity. world leaders are now asking the libyan leader to step aside so his country can begin to restore order. t.j. winick has the details. >> reporter: after more than three months of fighting, it appears civil war is inevitable in libya. now moammar gadhafi is officially an international outlaw after an arrest warrant was issued by the international criminal court. >> moammar gadhafi, in coordination with his inner circle, conceived and orchestrated a plan to deter and quell by all means the civilian demonstrations against the regime. >> reporter: the struggle between gadhafi's regime and rebels trying to topple him from power after 42 years has now raged on for 101 days. >> i will die to protect me and my people. >> reporter: from the beginning the dictator's claimed to have the support of his country. but according to the hague's indictment, which includes his son and intelligence chief, gadhafi is wanted for orchestrating the killing, injuring, arrest and imprisonment of hundreds of civilians during the first 12 days of the uprising. even supported by nato air strikes it has been slow going for the rebels. still, they continue to make progress not just to the east of the capital tripoli but to the south and the west. >> they love me, all my people love me, they love me all. >> reporter: nato has intensified its bombings in libya in recent weeks. feeling the heat, the regime has armed 1.2 million civilians with ak-47s in anticipation of a clash. t.j. winick, abc news, new york. we're learning dramatic new details about the russian spy ring that was broken up last year. the double agent who betrayed his ring of ten sleeper spies, including anna chapman, had to make a run for it after his identity was revealed. >> how about this, with russian agents hot on his heels colonel alexander patoyev fled to the u.s. his wife found out only after receiving a text message which said he was leaving not for some time, but forever. a new salmonella outbreak has triggered a warning from federal health officials. >> the fda says alfalfa sprouts and spicy sprouts by evergreen produce could possibly be linked to 20 cases of salmonella poisoning. officials are warning people not to eat the vegetables. but so far they've not been recalled. people have been sickened in idaho, montana, new jersey, north dakota, and also in washington state. >> some stories make me hungry. that one not so much. >> not so much. it was probably the sprouts and the salmonella part. here is your tuesday forecast. this might make you feel better, or not. stormy in the east with showers, thunderstorms, and periods of heavy rain from new england to florida and across the deep south. showers out west from seattle to san francisco. triple-digit heat in parts of texas and arizona. >> how about that little rascal flatts we're listening to. as we get through the weather here. a stifling 116 degrees in phoenix. 98 in salt lake city. 92 in billings. fargo gets up to 76. omaha 81. detroit coming in at 80. a hot 99 in dallas. 93 in new orleans. 83 in new york. >> kudos to the music choices here, as always. the yankees trounced the rockies over the weekend but there's much ado about an amazing hit by the losing team. >> how about this. colorado shortstop troy tulowitzki slammed a line drive over a-rod's head but it was actually a double hit. slo-mo replay shows the ball making contact with the bat at two different points. boom, and a double right there. >> baseball geeks i guess are totally into this. or not. we were talking about this in the meeting. some folks underwhelmed. sportscasters say it sounded like a broken bat. sort of a double crack thing going on. >> i think no surprise from tulo as some folks call him. it's easier to say than tulowitzki. very impressive. >> nicely done. >> very well done. >> we're going to get out of here. is this our third out? foul ball, double play, triple something? >> and one and -- >> a double whammy and a -- >> you're out. you go next if you had a hoveround power chair? the statue of liberty? the grand canyon? it's all possible ith a hoveround., tom: hi i'm tom kruse, inventor rand founder of hoveround., when we say you're free to see the world, we mean it. call today and get a free overound information kit, that includes a video and full color brochure. dennis celorie: "it's by far the best chair i've ever owned." terri: "last year, 9 out of 10 people got their hoveround for "little or no money." jim plunkitt: "no cost. absolutely no cost to me." breaking news...when you call today, we'll include a free hoveround collapsible grabber with the purchase of your power chair. it reaches, it grabs, it's collapsible and it's portable. it goes wherever you go. get it free while supplies last. call the number on your screen to get your free video, brochure and your free hoveround collapsible grabber. call the number on your screen. today is the 30th day of testimony in the casey anthony murder trial. it does follow an intriguing disclosure by the judge. >> that's right. it had to do with the reason saturday's court session was abruptly canceled. it's important to remember that the jury wasn't there to hear it. steve barrett reports now from orlando. >> reporter: casey anthony entered court with a smile and a peppy attitude as those in the gallery wondered what would happen next. attorneys came and went from the courtroom until an hour later, when judge belvin perry finally announced the delay. >> on saturday your defense filed a motion to determine competency to proceed. based upon that motion, the court ordered that the defendant to be examined. >> reporter: three different doctors evaluated casey anthony saturday and sunday. all determining she is competent and the trial continued. the first witness since friday, detective yuri melich. baez questioned if he'd asked for a cadaver dog to check the ant@ooys' home. >> at any time did you ever request that cadaver dogs go through the home to see if they picked up on any scent? >> no. >> reporter: the answer was the same for george and cindy anthony's vehicles. jose baez pointed out only casey's car had been the focus of the cadaver dogs. >> at any point in time did you receive a report that the car of george anthony smelled like there had been a dead body in it? >> no. >> at any point in time, did you receive a report that the car belonging to cindy anthony had the smell of a dead body in it? >> no. >> reporter: the defense got a witness on the stand that the state didn't want the jury to hear from. a man who they wanted to discredit some of the evidence the state had of decomposition in casey's trunk. reporting in orlando, steve barrett for abc news. >> such a spectacle. >> it really is. so many people are really watching this. especially in florida where actually many different things are being preempted so they can carry the trial live. >> did you know the judge in this case has a following now? there are two facebook pages in support of belvin perry jr. >> the judge. >> the judge. many people seem to like what he's doing to keep order in this case. >> that tells you how many people are watching this so closely. the 30th day of testimony, there's more to come. when we come back the small new york town that has a recipe for job creation. >> it's abc's latest "made in america" adventure and we'll have more "world news now," which is made in america, in one minute. for the last couple of months the folks at "world news with diane sawyer" have been bringing us their "made in america" series. >> it's all about jobs and how more of them can be created right here at home. very important in this economy. >> exactly. and sharyn alfonsi went to a store that's really all about being made in america. >> reporter: this time our journey took to us one of the great american vacation spots, niagara falls, a place to get soaked and pick up a few souvenirs. where do you think these were made. what does it say? >> mexico. oh my gosh. >> you came all the way from texas to new york to buy a shirt from mexico. >> reporter: and that's not all. >> i love new york shirt, made in india. made in china. american hat, american flag, made in china. china. made in honduras. statue of liberty, made in china. >> reporter: now busloads of those tourists are making a patriotic pilgrimage to the tiny town of elma. about 40 miles away. their destination, the made in america store. >> i'm sharon. nice to meet you. >> reporter: shop owner mark andle opened the store a year ago with 50 products. today, he has more than 3,000 items. paper towels from arizona. flip-flops from georgia. cleaning supplies from illinois. even dog food from minnesota. all that patriotism is turning a profit. in just a year, sales here have doubled. why the sudden surge of tourists? >> a lot of them say, have you seen the "world news" series? once you guys did that it helps our store and i believe it's helping the country. >> reporter: he spends about 25 hours on each item, making sure every component of every item is 100% made in america. not just the t-shirt. what about the hangers? but the display. if it's not -- >> i cut it up. >> what do you mean? >> i cut it up with a torch and burn it up. >> reporter: and that commitment has created 40 jobs in his store and hundreds of others at factories across the country. >> it's the only place to shop. >> that's what it should be in every community in america. something -- this is ground-breaking stuff here. >> people travel 600 miles, 800 miles. >> again, thank you very much. and we'll see you next run. >> reporter: and then without any prompting, a song. ♪ land that i love >> i think it struck a nerve that people lost hope in the system. ♪ stand beside her and guide her ♪ >> consumers haíe!a lot of power in the country. they can change the country. this is so simple. ♪ my home sweet home >> reporter: mark is hoping to create a franchise and open up one of these stores in every single state. he says he imagines it to be like walmart, minus the foreign goods. sharyn alfonsi, abc news, new york. >> isn't that amazing. >> it's an awareness thing too. how often do you really look at the label of anything that you buy when you go into the store? do you even know where it's made? >> hopefully more now. the fact that the "made in america" store is a novelty store. it's such an unusual idea to have a store filled with things made in america. >> exactly. >> is unusual. he brought up the walmart. that's a lot of people's complaint about walmart is so many things are not made here. >> we're talking about jobs ultimately. after the break, does the color of your eyes determine your achievements in life? >> how about that. and the surprise one woman had for police when they pulled her over. gives new meaning to the term "got milk." when i got my medicare card, i realized i needed an aarp... medicare supplement nsurance card, too. medicare is one of the great things about turning 65, but it doesn't cover everything. in fact, it only pays up to " 80% of your part b expenses. if you're already on or eligible for medicare, call now to find out how an aarp... insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company, not paid by medicare part b. that can save you from paying .up to thousands of dollars... out of your own pocket. these are the only medicare supplement insurance plans... exclusively endorsed by aarp. when you call now, you'll get this free information kit... with all you need to enroll. put their trust in aarp p medicare supplement insuranc. plus you'll get this free guide to understanding medicare. the prices are competitive. i can keep my own doctor. and i don't need a referral o see a specialist. call now to get a free information kit. . . choose from a range of medicare r supplement plans... that are all competitively priced. we have a plan for almost everyone, so you can find one that fits r your needs and budget. with all medicare supplement plans, there are virtually p no claim forms to fill out. plus you can keep that accepts medicare. p your own doctor and hospital and best of all, these plans are... when they told me these plans were endorsed by aarp... i had only one thing to say... sign me up. and find out about an aarp medicare supplement insurance plan. you'll get this free information kit... as with all medicare supplement plans, you can keep your own doctor and hospital that accepts # medicare, call this toll-free number now. "world news now" delivers your "morning papers." >> ew! >> yeah. ew. me again? >> take it away. this first story. >> somehow i'm reading this story, i don't know why. >> you picked it. >> did i? let's start with this story from reuters. based in ohio. all right. so. a lactating ohio woman was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct for spraying her breast milk in the face of the sheriff's deputies who were not so happy with her. domestic violence behavior was going on. >> she was at a wedding. there was too much to drink at the wedding. you know. that's where it all went wrong. >> so anyway. we're not going to milk this story for too long. >> got mill snk >> you've got to get the idea it was a bit of a mess. >> i think this is in the realm of your world right now with your newborn, that whole thing. is it possible? could it happen? >> let's move on. >> it could get ugly. there's a ban in new york city, in fact, there's a ban in a lot of places across the country on smoking. >> yes. >> however, the ban has expanded beyond bars and restaurants to public spaces outdoors. >> public spaces, parks. >> parks, if you're walking around central park in new york city. turns out many people are saying this ban in new york is an absolute joke. that many, many people have been warned. >> i think they've given out one citation or something. >> one citation, 1,700 parks, 14 miles of beaches. there's only been one ticket handed out. they're staying the state of new york is not taking this seriously. i think it's actually they're catching on a little bit late. there's a lot of places where you can't smoke in public. >> i see people smoking, i will say that. all right. let's move on to this next story which was actually our question of the day on wnnfans.com. a lot of people weighing in on this. all about this -- this is an old study that we're talking about from 2007. whether people with blue eyes perform better academically. >> like you, than people with brown eyes, like me. >> coincidentally, didn't work out in school. what we're tying it to is this new story from josh hamilton, about josh hamilton, this texas rangers pitcher. he says that his poor performance during day games is because of his blue eyes. that he can't see the ball as well as he can at night. you're saying, just get some sun glasses. he says he can't get the ones that he needs right now. so anyway. this ties into this whole thing about blue eyes. >> what do you think about this? talking about brown eyes versus blue eyes, do you think you're superior because you have blue eyes, daniel sieberg? >> please. obviously. >> there's some people that might agree with you. they say while folks with brown eyes perform better at action-related tasks such as rugby, football, hockey, they have better reaction time, they say people with lighter-color eyes appear to be better strategic thinkers and those with blue eyes are saying they might be slightly smarter. >> what if you have one blue and one brown eye? >> i disagree, though. then maybe you're both. >> split personality? >> you have good reaction and you're smart. how about that? this morning on "world news now," no escape. wildfires bear down on top nuclear weapons lab raising new fears about the nation's evacuation plans. >> if there were a nuclear emergency at a plant near you, could you escape? it's tuesday, june 28th. from abc news, this is "world news now." >> good morning. i'm peggy bunker. >> i'm daniel sieberg. rob nelson is on assignment. the nuclear lab in los alamos, new mexico, is closed this morning as wildfires get dangerously close. with two nuclear facilities now being threatened, how prepared are you to evacuate? new investigation shows not as prepared as we should be. that report in a moment. something to think about with so many folks living within a fairly close proximity to a nuclear power plant. >> most americans, actually, i think a lot of people will be shocked to hear how close your nuclear plant is maybe to where you live or work. also coming up this morning the supreme court has ruled that states cannot stop kids from buying violent video games. some call it a victory for the first amendment. others say it will teach young children to be violent. we're going to show you how the court came to its controversial decision. you're the resident sort of video game -- you label yourself -- >> geek. >> i didn't want to say it, daniel. some people say these are really violent. >> some of them are absolutely way too violent for young folks. it does come down to this issue of free speech and that they're an art form and they should be protected under the first amendment. very controversial though. this has been working its way through the courts for several years and we'll get into that later. and the extremes that some people are going to these days ç to avoid paying of all things toll booths. >> who hasn't done it? >> have you done it, really? have you just driven right through? >> the tolls here in new york are not cheap. >> they're the dollars, not just cents here. they think they're outsmarting the law. but are they? we'll give them points for creativity. >> yeah, that cannot be safe. >> is it worth it, though, people? come on. >> the tolls here in new york, awfully spendy. first, thousands of people in los alamos, new mexico, have been ordered out of their homes ahead of a raging wildfire. people spent the afternoon packing up and heading out on the city's main highway. >> crews are struggling to keep this massive fire away from nuclear material stored at the los alamos national lab. lab officials and the new mexico governor are trying to reassure the public that there's no danger. >> and here's the thing, that is not the only nuclear plant that is worrying officials. there are also concerns about nuclear safety in nebraska as floodwaters surround the ft. calhoun plant. >> the nation's top nuclear safety regulator was among those getting a firsthand look at the plant. nrc chair gregory jaczko said there was no immediate danger to the health and safety of those living nearby. certainly still unsettling though. >> after everything we saw happen in japan after the tsunami, a lot of people are really concerned about this. we'll be watching it really closely. with two nuclear facilities under watch this morning a new report finds almost 40% of the u.s. population now lives within 50 miles of a nuke plant. >> if a warning siren suddenly sounded, would you know what to do? jim sciutto takes a look. >> reporter: for so many americans, nuclear plants aren't just nearby, they're neighbors. tom and judy zimmer had just moved into their home near the braidwood nuclear plant outside chicago in 2005. when plant owners showed up on their doorstep to tell them the plant had leaked radioactive tritium onto their property, a radiation hazard when ingested. >> i didn't know what it was when i first came out here. i knew anything radioactive is no good for you. >> reporter: the zimmers can't sell their house. judy has developed cancer but cannot prove a cause. plant owner exelon says they are nearly finished cleaning up the leak and that the tritium levels were below epa danger limits. still, across the country according to the government's own data an ap investigation has found radioactive tritium has leaked from three-quarters of u.s. nuclear power sites. the number and severity of those leaks increasing. even as federal regulators extend the plant's licenses. even more troubling, the ap found, in the event of a serious accident like the one at japan's fukushima, evacuation plans for some of those communities are unchanged in 30 years. even as populations around them have exploded. as these population centers have grown, have the evacuation plans grown with them? >> they have not taken into account the issues associated with this uncontrolled population growth. >> reporter: what's more concerning, the u.s. only requires evacuation inside a ten-mile radius of an accident. not the 50-mile radius which america's top nuclear official recommended for americans in japan after the fukushima disaster. take new york's indian point nuclear plant. evacuating a 50-mile radius there would mean moving more than 17 million people. 6% of the u.s. population. and constricted by two-lane roads and busy bridges. we asked the chairman of the nuclear regulatory commission if america's evacuation plans are safe. >> we have a very good system right now to -- to i think protect public health and safety. >> reporter: if you're ever near an accident the general rules are time, distance, and shielding. decrease your time near the accident. increase your distance. and any shielding, even the windows of your car, can protect you. but in general, it's recommended that residents go to their local authorities so they know their evacuation plan well. jim sciutto, abc news, washington. >> and some optimism this morning in minot, north dakota, where the rain-swollen souris river is receding, already down about six inches. good news there. >> officials from the army corps of engineers warn it will be mid-july before they consider the danger over. and for home and business owners needing help to move forward, three flood disaster recovery centers are now up and running. and former illinois governor rod blagojevich says that he's stunned, stunned he tells you, that a chicago jury found him guilty of corruption. >> there are folks who are stunned that he's stunned. he was convicted on 17 of 20 counts for trying to sell or trade president obama's vacated senate seat. the charges carry a possible sentence of up to 300 years in prison. although most legal experts say blagojevich will likely serve between 10 and 15. >> which is still pretty severe when you think about it. you consider the whole scheme of events. this has been an ongoing reality show. in fact his wife even did a reality show during all of this. >> he and donald trump battling it out for worst hair i think on "the apprentice" at one point. >> i think he's got more of it, blagojevich, more hair. >> he does. now to a controversial supreme court ruling raising a lot of eyebrows this morning. the top court has overturned a california law that bans stores from selling or renting violent video games to kids. >> essentially the justices say parents should decide what's right for their children, just like they do with movies and books, not the government. t.j. winick is here with more on the court's ruling. good morning, t.j. >> repk2:er: good morning, peggy and daniel. the supreme court spoke loudly and clearly. video games are no different than movies or music. they are protected speech. $18 billion. that's how much americans spend on video games in 2010. the industry got some more good news from an unlikely source. the united states supreme court. the high court ruled 7-2 that a california law banning the sale of violent video games to minors was unconstitutional. >> the judgment from the court was crystal clear, that california's statute was flawed in every legal regard. >> reporter: justice antonin scalia writing for the majority said, there is no tradition in this country of specially restricting children's access to depictions of violence. some conservatives and the california state senator who brought the suit strongly disagree. >> these games will continue to be sold to our children. these games have a harmful effect to our children. >> reporter: california had asked the court to carve out a new exception to the first amendment, much like it had for obscenity. their argument, video game violence has a more lasting and negative effect on children than it would for an adult. >> in the past, we've protected them from alcohol and cigarette ads. and pornography. and we felt that this was on that level. >> reporter: the court ruled the state had not demonstrated any direct link between playing violent video games and actual harm to minors. >> it has to be the choice of the parent. the parent determines what's appropriate for their child based on the culture in their home and based on the sort of environment they want. not just their child to grow up in but they want their family to exist in. >> reporter: along with california, nine other states passed laws banning the sale of violent video games to children. but because of legal challenges, none of them ever took effect. peggy and daniel? and the newest republican presidential contender is on the road today in the key states of new hampshire and south carolina. tea party favorite michele bachmann entered the race as a front-runner among iowa voters. bachmann portrayed herself as the bold choice as she spoke from her birth place in waterloo, iowa. we're getting our first detailed description this morning about tucson shooter suspect jared loughner and his behavior behind bars. according to his attorneys, loughner threw a chair during an interview with a psychologist and spit on one of his lawyers. loughner has been in solitary confinement since arrest in january. the woman loughner is accused of shooting got a standing ovation last night. congresswoman gabby giffords appeared at an awards ceremony for her husband, astronaut mark kelly. she arrived in a wheelchair but stood up and hugged her husband when he received his award. people who were there say giffords seemed upbeat. she was chatting, smiling and waving to the crowd. >> great to hear. really nice. now to an important consumer alert. safer cribs are now the law of the land. >> starting today the government is banning all drop-side cribs. it's now illegal to manufacture or sell those cribs which have been blamed in the deaths of dozens of children. the resale of drop-side cribs are also prohibited, even at a neighborhood yard sale. the new cribs must undergo more rigorous safety tests. >> that's one of the things they say if you ever try to get baby equipment that might be used or second hand, you have to look out for some of these recalls. >> absolutely. >> some of the equipment is not safe any longer. >> cribs so essentially get the ones that are safe. you just never know. >> and those little babies, both you and i know, they can scoot around. >> yes, they can. ours is just getting going. taking a look at your tuesday forecast. a wet day along the east coast with showers and thunderstorms from new england to florida. that also stretches all the way through louisiana. showers out west from seattle to san francisco. it's a scorcher from texas to arizona. >> a sizzling 116 in phoenix. it's a dry heat you hope. upper 90s albuquerque to boise. near 80 in minneapolis and chicago. a relatively comfortable 83 here in new york. 88 in atlanta. 93 in new orleans. how about this. two recent college grads are taking a road trip like none other. in fact, they don't even need a car. >> still horsepower, though. technically. >> stop horsing around, come on. >> luke nolan and tyler smith are traveling across the country on horseback. they set off from north carolina. six months and 3,300 miles later they plan to end up in the redwood forest with some relatively tired horses. >> we feel bad for the horses, right? they are traveling about 25 miles a day. they rely on the kindness of different families along the way to put them up for the night. put up a couple of old cowboys. why are they doing this? they say simply to meet people and also hear their stories. >> it's got to be quite an adventure, obviously. >> yeah, and i bet people will put them up. >> i hope so. we'll be right back with more "world news now." well, we now know why the judge in the casey anthony murder trial abruptly canceled saturday's court session. >> it was a little mysterious. now we know it was to examine whether anthony was competent to remain on trial for the murder of her 2-year-old daughter. three psychologists interviewed anthony over the weekend and found her able to proceed. if anthony's convicted she could face the death penalty. also the waiting game has started in another high-profile murder case. this one involves amanda knox. most people have heard about this. she's the american exchange student who's in prison in italy for killing her roommate. >> she's now appealing her conviction. testimony in court yesterday didn't exactly help her cause as diana alvear reports. >> reporter: if her appeal goes well, amanda knox is hoping a fresh review of dna evidence and witness testimony could free her once and for all. two years ago the seattle native was convicted and sentenced to 26 years in prison for the 2007 killing of her british roommate, meredith kercher. monday, knox had to sit through testimony from the man who helped convict her and her former boyfriend, rafael sollecito. rudy guede has never denied he was in knox's apartment the night kercher was killed. investigators found his dna all over the crime scene, including bloody hand prints on the wall. he was sentenced to 16 years in this case. last week his cell mate mario alessi testified guede told him knox and sollecito were not involved. guede denied those claims and maintained the two were responsible. knox later told the court "he knows we were not there. i'm shocked and anguished by his statements." knox's mother was present at the hearing. >> it's unfortunate that he refused to answer questions. that would have been nice if he'd just gotten up and told the truth but that didn't happen. >> reporter: the court will be reviewing a report by independent forensics investigators on dna collected from the scene. evidence that could prove knox was not involved.ç >> you know, we're really hopeful. because these are supposedly really great independent experts, that it's all going to come out in amanda's favor. we know she's innocent and hopefully all of that will show that too. >> reporter: they're hoping the court agrees and exonerates knox, ending their four-year ordeal. diana alvear, abc news. >> it's really amazing. there's so many different factors to this case. we already have one person that's serving time for this crime. also just the continued claims of innocence from amanda knox, she was not there, she was not there, she was not there. >> not involved and not even physically present. she was saying she was at her boyfriend's house at the time so it couldn't be possible. >> the dna evidence is also interesting there. plus her family, they've put up a lot. they've not given up this fight one little bit. when we return, how the mighty have fallen at wimbledon. >> indeed. the top seeds are headed home. as the royals take in a day of a different kind of court. more "world news now" in just a minute. ws must have the tennis whites. >> i see you wore white in honor of wimbledon. >> this has been a really interesting wimbledon. as we said before the mighty are definitely falling. >> one at a time. i have a hankering for strawberries and cream, by the way. >> that's so posh. >> tennis, anyone? they're playing plenty of it these days over at wimbledon. >> among those no longer taking part are the williams sisters which a lot of people can't2 believe. we're talking about venus and serena. and also as tim franks of the bbc reports the brits sure do have something to cheer about. >> reporter: if week one of wimbledon was a warm-up, week two began at full burn. hot dogs and englishmen came out in the midday sun. andy murray and his french opponent richard gasquet playing under the gaze of the future monarchs, one of whom we're told turned out for her own school tennis team. to begin with, gasquet produced shots of panache and verve and other french words. at two sets up, murray didn't relent. this was a display not just of strength but of touch. >> gorgeous. >> reporter: gasquet was broken twice, which left match point. >> game, set, match. >> reporter: and a bow to match a command performance. >> it's nice. i think it's great for tennis. any time you can get royalty to come along, it doesn't happen that often so i enjoyed it. >> reporter: murray could face a semifinal against the top seed rafael nadal who won his fourth-round match. history may be urging caution. but there's a different feel about wimbledon now. week one, it was murray, mild enthusiasm. week two and the sense of expectation is growing. in the women's draw, in contrast to the fairly smooth progress of the men's, the seeds have been scattered. defeat for top seed caroline wozniacki says the world number one has yet to win a grand slam event. and the williams sisters are out. defending champion serena went first in straight sets. then venus also fell. the sisters had contested 10 of the last 11 finals. the old ways have parted. tim franks, bbc news, wimbledon. >> the royal wave. yes. >> the royal wave. yes. ♪ i'm on the right track baby i was born this way ♪ willis, get in here, start dancing. that makes me feel so old. >> jimmy's doing the one-armed dance, very well done. finally this morning, fighting the system even if it means putting your life in jeopardy. this is really dangerous. we're talking about the system in this case or the state of florida and its interstate highway tolls, that little tiny bits of amounts of money. >> we don't suggest people do this but some folks are going to extreme measures to remain anonymous when going through the tolls. as yunji de nies reports that's rather dangerous. >> reporter: the images are outrageous. a man riding in the trunk, hands over the license plate. this passenger on the car itself, using his body as a block. look at these daredevils on motorcycles using their feet to cover their tags. all to save a few quarters. meet april who wouldn't give us her last name. she regularly blasts past the camera. how many times do you think you've done that? >> a handful. >> yeah? you're smiling as you say that. i think more than a handful. >> it's been about a handful. >> you've never gotten caught? >> no, i've never -- not yet. i'm going to get a big old bill one day. >> reporter: florida police recently caught a man with $7,000 in unpaid tolls. he'd been taking a free ride for years. skipping out on a 75-cent toll may not seem like a lot of money. hi, there. thank you. but to the state it really adds up. last year they lost $20 million in revenue, enough money they say to build a whole new highway. police say there's no profile for toll cheats. look at this driver covering the tags of a $70,000 escalade to save 75 cents. >> it's not just somebody who makes $5 an hour. i mean, there are people for all reasons think they shouldn't have to pay the tolls. sometimes they don't want to wait in line. >> reporter: getting caught is costly. fines could run well over $1,000. you could lose your license. even go to jail. when you see someone doing that, as someone who is paying, do you ever get mad? >> i get frustrated. i feel like getting their tag number and calling it in. >> reporter: if it weren't for these outrageous pictures it would be hard to believe people risking life and limb for pocket change. yunji de nies, abc news, orlando. >> that's easily willis' favorite story. >> yes. >> he loves it. >> i have to say, coming into new york, eight bucks going in and out. it's not cheap. >> in some cases today on "world news now," double trouble today on "world news now," double trouble. not one but two nuclear facilities are facing mother nature's wrath this morning. >> authorities are closely watching as fires close in on a weapons lab in new mexico. while floodwaters swamp a plant in nebraska. it's tuesday, june 28th. from abc news, this is "world news now." >> good morning, i'm peggy bunker. >> i'm daniel sieberg. rob nelson is on assignment. the community of los alamos, new mexico, has been evacuated ç this morning as well as the nuclear weapons lab there. 900 miles away, another nuclear facility is surrounded by water. just how worried are authorities? an update in a minute and what to think about if you live near a nuclear facility. >> which it turns out a lot of americans do. actually probably live closer than a lot of people thought. it's a very interesting story coming up. planet earth was buzzed by an asteroid the size of a tour bus on monday. anybody see that whizzing by? how close was this to hitting home? close enough to gain the attention of nasa. so obviously this was definitely on their radar. >> you could call this a cosmic close call. you think 7,600 miles sounds like a relatively far distance. in terms of the scale of our neighborhood, the solar system, that's really close. >> you're sort of geeking out. i just wanted to warn you. you're getting close. it's like, beep, beep, beep. getting close. >> nerd alert. and the wayward penguin named happy feet. >> oh, the penguin. oh, look at him. >> we love this guy. he's dancing into the hearts of millions around the world. >> i love this penguin. >> the latest on the little bird that found himself 4,000 miles from home. don't eat the sand. no, don't eat the sand. >> he thinks it's the snow. i'm telling you, i'm happy to pick that penguin up himself. he can live with me. >> poor guy. >> we've got a tub. >> he needs some help. we'll see how he's doing. two of the nation's nuclear facilities are being closely watched this morning. fire is coming dangerously close to the los alamos national lab. >> water has surrounded a new plant in nebraska. still, top officials say there's no immediate danger. brad wheelis reports. >> reporter: in new mexico, a fast-moving wildfire is threatening the nation's main nuclear weapons lab. flames have already scorched more than 44,000 acres and the fire could get much larger. >> we are preparing for the fire to go any direction. the swirling wind, we don't know which way the wind's going to go until it hits. >> reporter: at least 30 structures have been destroyed and the entire town of los alamos, 12,000 people, ordered to evacuate. >> it's pretty surreal. >> a lot of the people i know have already left. they said they've done this before so they're going to get out early this time. >> reporter: firefighters are struggling to keep the huge blaze away from the los alamos national nuclear lab where radioactive material is stored. there was a small spot fire on the property and the main fire came within 50 feet of the perimeter. but officials say the public is safe. in nebraska, the head of the nuclear regulatory commission toured two nuclear power plants that are threatened by the flooded missouri river. he said no water is leaking into the reactor core at ft. calhoun. >> the risk is really very low at this point that anything could go wrong. >> reporter: the nuclear plant was surrounded by water sunday after a flood barrier collapsed flooding transforms. workers switched to emergency generators. the plant's been shut down since april. nebraska's other nuke plant downstream is operating. workers erected a ten-foot wall to keep water out and officials say flooding is not a threat. brad wheelis, abc news. the normally gregarious rod blagojevich was virtually speechless, which is quite unusual, after a chicago jury convicted him of corruption. >> i think he said he was stunned. absolutely stunned. >> stunned, i say. >> the former illinois governor was convicted of trying to sell or trade president obama's vacated senate seat. he's set for sentencing later this year. most legal experts predict blagojevich will likely serve between 10 and 15 years. >> really interesting, that whole case, as we've followed that start to finish. also, this is getting a lot of attention as some controversy surrounding the latest ruling from the supreme court. one thing is sure, the video game industry is celebrating. >> it's been going on for years and the justices have shot down california's law banning stores from selling or renting violent video games to anyone under 18. terry moran has the details. >> reporter: this is a strong free speech ruling from the court, 7-2. no question about it. even though many of the justices were clearly disturbed by the kinds of video games they were dealing with. we're talking about games like "grand theft auto," "vice city," "postal city 2," "duke nukem 3d." "mortal kombat." children who play these games can kill, maim, rape, re-enact columbine, shoot john f. kennedy in the head. california wanted to ban their sale to minors. but this court said no. no way. that restricts free speech. justice antonin scalia writing for the court noted there's a solid distinction in american law about sexual material, which the government can shield children from, and violent material, which the court said it can't. he said state power does not include a free-floating power to restrict the ideas to which children may be exposed. he compared these games to "grimm's fairy tales," "lord of the flies," other violent materials kids have long had access to. bottom line from the court, it's not up to the government to parent our children, it's up to parents. terry moran, abc news, the supreme court. >> when it comes to parents, they have to remember to look at the ratings on video games. we don't talk about this very much. but every video game has a rating on the box just like with movies. rated "t" for teen, "m" for mature. you can go to the website for the esrb, the electronic software ratings board, and get all sorts of detailed information about what are in these games. >> what's in it. so as a parent you can make a choice. they fought that tooth and nail too. they didn't actually want the ratings on there. sort of like the movies, that was tough, they didn't want that. might prevent you from buying the video game. >> parents have to think about it for sure. >> very true. congresswoman michele bachmann begins her first full today in new hampshire and also south carolina. >> the tea party favorite officially entered the race yesterday in waterloo, iowa, the city where she was born. bachmann insisted that the nation can't afford another four years with mr. obama as president. it is perhaps the one issue creating the deepest divide between republicans and the white house. and that is, of course, the nation's debt. >> and with the clock ticking on a deadline to raise the debt limit, it seems the two sides are farther apart than ever. karen travers is in washington with details. good morning, karen. >> reporter: good morning, peggy. good morning, daniel. president obama has come under fire for not being more directly involved in these tense negotiations. yesterday, he jumped into the fray. but will it make a difference when the two sides are so far apart? with just five weeks remaining before the nation hits its credit limit, president obama joined the negotiations. >> we all agree on what the problem is. and we all agree on what the overall solution is. in washington, that's a huge deal. >> reporter: to try and move lawmakers past their logjam, president obama and vice president biden sat down at the white house with senate majority leader harry reid and senate minority leader mitch mcconnell. but the meetings were separate. the bipartisan debt negotiations led by the vice president produced little consensus after seven weeks and nearly a dozen meetings. last thursday, the talks seemed to break down. house majority leader eric cantor and senator jon kyl called it quits, leaving no republicans left at the table. they said the group had reached a stalemate over taxes. >> it's time for washington to take the hit, not the taxpayers. >> reporter: democrats have drawn their own line in the sand. no cuts to medicare or social security benefits. >> neither party should confront this crisis alone. and no one will be successful unless we confront it together. >> reporter: the white house expressed confidence a deal could be reached. >> if everyone is willing to abandon the my way or the highway approach, to accept that compromise on behalf of the american people requires tough choices, we can get significant deficit reduction done this year. >> reporter: it's unclear how they're going to get there. the white house couldn't point out any specific signs of progress or even say when the next meeting will take place. but it insisted the conversation will continue. peggy and daniel? and oil prices are inching higher in early overseas trading but still well below $100 a barrel. that has helped to drive the average price of gas down 8 cents to $3.57 a gallon according to the energy department. this does mark the seventh week in a row that retail gas prices have dropped. a total of 31 cents in that period. the l.a. dodgers shellacked the minnesota twins last night 15-0. that's about the only good news for the team. the dodgers owner has asked a federal judge for bankruptcy protection in order to meet a multi-million dollar payroll thursday. it's the latest step in a long legal wrangle which began when the owners divorced two years ago. very, very messy situation. >> very messy divorce. it's gotten a lot of attention, in fact, having major league baseball step in and try to mediate a little bit. >> the fans very frustrated with this whole thing too. >> understandably. a notorious gangster whitey bulger has not been exercising his right to silence. >> federal prosecutors objecting to bulger's request for a taxpayer-funded attorney have detailed his flagrant disrespect for the law. among his most egregious admissions, they say bulger returned to boston several times while he was on the run. quote, armed to the teeth, because he, quote, had to take care of some unfinished business, which i think we kind of know what that means. >> never want to be part of that unfinished business, do you. >> no. >> no, thank you. the planet has dodged a very big bullet. it was very much a close encounter. an asteroid as big as a garbage truck whizzed by earth yesterday sailing high above the atlantic ocean. >> the space rock came within 7,600 miles, considered just a stone's throw away from the earth in planetary terms. asteroids like that typically brush by earth about every six years or so. scientists knew this one posed no danger. they keep a really close eye on asteroids. >> they see them coming so they can warn you. >> exactly. hopefully nothing's going to catch us by surprise. >> right. you don't want to be hit by an asteroid the size of a garbage truck. >> that's going to ruin your day. >> they were on it, rest assured. taking a look at your weather for the day best we have some showers and thunderstorms along much of the east coast with the heaviest downpours in the carolinas and georgia. drenching rain also spreads into mississippi. showers in the pacific northwest and northern california. >> comfortable 70s from sacramento to seattle. 90s across most of the rockies. 79 in the twin cities. 81 in kansas city. just shy of 100 in dallas. boston climbs to 82. baltimore 90. and miami 88. all right, superstars awaiting to be discovered now have a new outlet to turn to. this is sort of how you spend your weekends. >> fortunately for everyone else, no. it's called "karaoke battle usa." a new abc show giving singers a shot at stardom. thousands of people across the country have already taken to the stage to try out for the show. the first episodes were taped yesterday at the house of blues in las vegas. i'm telling you, people's ears would bleed if they heard me sing. >> i'm not a good singer either. although there's some people who really can sing. "american idol" hasn't always been around to get discovered. >> that's true. >> this is their chance. "karaoke battle usa" is expected to start airing in mid-august. it will run for six weeks. so check out the pipes on some of those folks. >> willis is a fantastic soprano. >> he's a great singer. >> a little-known fact. >> he's being awful quiet this morning. there he is. all right, everyone, we'll be back with more "world news now." hó zo can you believe this, summer is whizzing by so quickly. fourth of july weekend is almost here. summer vacations are getting going. depending where you're heading that could mean a lot of bug bites. >> unfortunately. there's good news thanks to the folks at vanderbilt university. they're building a better bug spray. as chris von guard of wkrn in nashville reports. look there's one right there. i got it. >> reporter: what's called an insectary. vanderbilt researchers keep more mosquitos than you'd ever want to see. >> most people don't like them. so they don't feel any problems with us working on them. >> reporter: greg pask works on a team led by dr. lawrence zweibel. the team discovered a compound said to be the most powerful insect repellent ever. >> used very basic studies, using mosquito larvae, for instance, to show this has a much more dramatic effect than deet. >> reporter: they say it works against all insects. >> we've tested against ants, we've tested it against moths. >> reporter: the researchers call the compound vuaa1. >> yes, that's what we call it. vanderbilt university allosteric agonist number 1. this compound turns on all the receptors on a mosquito's nose at one time and shouts, whoa! that is something mosquitos don't like. >> reporter: the researchers say vuaa1 could have many uses like keeping malaria-carrying mosquitos away, or insects from ravaging crops, or just us more comfortable in our backyards. >> the work that was done here really opens the door to developing a new generation of repellents. >> reporter: for six years the research has been funded by the gates foundation. potential profits here for vanderbilt university would go to the world health organization and plowed back into research. these researchers believe that day will come. they just can't say when. >> i'm actually wearing it right now. can you smell it? >> i can smell it. it is a very interesting fragrance. >> keeping the bugs away. no mosquitos in here. it's called bug-off. >> keeping the bugs and everyone else. did charlie sheen get a new job and lose a goddess all in the same day? >> oh, charlie. >> not the goddesses. >> losing or winning? which is it? and the truth behind the pippa middleton/prince harry rumors go on. you don't want to miss this morning's "skinny." we'll be right back. d ♪ skinny so skinny all right, and time now for "the skinny." you know what we were thinking this morning in the media, it's been a long time since we talked about charlie sheen. >> he kind of disappeared for a little while if that's possible. >> he did. this is something people have been wondering about. we did want to give you a quick little sheen update. just in case you weren't completely sick of it from the first time around. it turns out that sheen has got a new gig, a new gig back on television. and this is going to be with lionsgate television. he's got a development deal under way. apparently he'll be making more money on the back end if the show is a success. remember "two and a half men" he was making $2 million an episode. >> nowhere near that money necessarily. >> that's what they're saying. lower money up front. but then if it does well it would be a great success. a lot of people say the success of "two and a half men," their writers, such good writing. >> that's true. >> it's based on the character from "two and a half men." >> also a side note also with charlie sheen, we're talking about him being single again. one of the goddesses, the last of the goddesses, has bailed. >> his orgy of goddesses, it's all disappeared. >> apparently they've broken up as well. the other goddess, bree olsen, she left him back in april via text message, by the way. >> i don't know what else to say about charlie. i feel his whole life has gone off the rails. >> they said they were babysitting their twins. so creepy. that's why you don't do that. let's move on to prince harry and pippa middleton. >> go on. >> evidently they are not dating. just in case you're not sure about that. >> that's devastating. >> they say there's nothing going on between the two of them. prince harry did break up with chelsea davey again last month, but he says he's 100% single, nothing going on with the two of them, no hope of bringing both families together. which could be a little bit weird. >> i think the whole country when they saw them walk down the aisle thought, this would be a great matchup. he's single, she's single. there you go. >> evidently not going to happen. >> we'll keep watching it. somebody who's not about to be single, kim kardashian. she of course got this big engagement. they got engaged, they announced it, the pictures were released of the engagement party. it seemed sort of staged. >> i don't know about this whole thing. >> it's apparently going to be in august. >> it's an immovable, absolutely certain, definitely going to happen wedding date. >> that's super hush-hush. >> until it moves or gets canceled and they do the reality show based on the breakup. right. we're going to get to this last story which is all about "us" magazine's sexiest vegetarians. >> whoop, whoop! >> topping the list, russell brand. >> i don't agree with that. >> kristen wiig from "saturday and the recent "bridesmaids" movies. and our very own peggy bunker. >> although, you know i have to say, i'm sort of like a -- >> we're calling you the sexiest -- >> i veer off the path and i do eat fish. >> this is turning into a confessional? >> it's a bit of a confession. i had some chicken for dinner i have to say. it's very rare that i do that. >> that's all right. i think we'll forgive you for that. eat a bunch of lettuce later to make up for it. here are some stories to watch today on abc news. iowa will be the center of the political world when both president obama and sarah palin visit. the president will be speaking on manufacturing while palin will attend the premiere of a documentary about her. greece effectively shuts down for a two-day general strike. protesters will take to the streets to protest proposed budget cuts. as you gear up for july 4th picnics, usda launches a national campaign to highlight the simple steps required to prevent food-borne illness. we sat around considering this and it was actually pretty easy for this story. are you ready? it is our favorite story of the day. go ahead. >> there you go. stories like this put the world in "world news now." our tuesday morning update on that wayward penguin in new zealand. here's david wright. >> reporter: new zealand's favorite little penguin is starting to bounce back. after two operations, this is the chilly recovery room. >> his demeanor is good. yesterday he actually punched me in the stomach with his flipper. >> reporter: the emperor penguin, nicknamed happy feet, washed up on a new zealand beach a week ago. the lost and clearly hungry little guy promptly ate a lot of wet sand, thinking it was snow. that's when the wellington zoo stepped in, mounting an unusual rescue. >> we will try to save him. but there's no guarantees. he's pretty sick and it's quite serious eating that much sand. >> reporter: they prepped the little guy for surgery and even held its foot throughout the ordeal. with half of new zealand watching through the plate glass window -- >> and it's kind of gross but fascinating. >> reporter: a gastroenterologist went to work. >> i don't normally have tv cameras and reporters in the room when i'm doing an endoscopy. i'm not a penguin expert. >> reporter: dr. john wyeth probed deep into the penguin's tummy and found a lot of debris. they extracted 6 1/2 pounds of sand, one-tenth of the penguin's body weight. plus sharp little twigs. there's now an offer to give happy feet a ride back to the south pole on this russian ice breaker. but the experts at seaworld told us it would be better for happy feet to swim there on its own. >> if he makes it back, he's going to have some pretty strong genes to pass on to the next generations. >> great stories to tell at the penguin bar. >> absolutely. >> reporter: a memorable experience for happy feet's new doctors too. >> i think the important thing in this world is humanity and caring. if we don't care, where are we? >> reporter: looking after a lost traveler and helping it find its way. david wright, abc news, san diego. >> this poor guy. you know he's 2 1/2 years old -- >> guy or girl, we're not sure if it's a guy or a girl. incidentally we wanted to help out happy feet. >> we want to help keep him warm.