look at that. i wouldn t want to let go either. cries and hugs from maldonado, yanira, as she walked into the long awaited embrace of her husband, gary. she was freed after a mexican judge saw the video of the couple last week boarding that bus, carrying just some blankets, bottles of water and her purse. that was enough for him to drop the drug smuggling charges against yanira maldonado, a u.s. citizen born in mexico. soldiers, mexican soldiers accused her of sneaking 12 pounds of marijuana under her bus seat as she took this trip returning from a funeral back into the states. i m free. i yelled i m free, i m free. i was innocent. so i was very, very happy to be out. maldmaldonado s family belie
underneath her bus seat. we are live from nogales, what s the latest? reporter: john it has been both an emotional and joyful morning for yanira maldonado. only 24 hours ago, she was facing the prospect of subpoenaing years in prison. instead this morning, she is getting ready to be reunited with her three children and four stepchildren. it happened just before midnight an american mother of seven jailed in mexico for more than a week, finally leased. tearfully embracing her husband, thanking her supporters. i want to thank first god that i m free now. and he sent good people my way, and i m very grateful that i m free. for my family, my children, and special thanks to my lawyer, my
free. finally free. this just happening overnight. the arizona grandmother falsely accused of smuggling drugs in mexico, she s out of jail and she just spoke moments ago. we ll tell you what she said. a brutal night leads to a dangerous morning. tornadoes, wildfires, and a sizzling heat wave. what you need to know about the severe weather assaulting so much of this country. and a developing story this morning. a man being questioned after a poison laced letter is sent to president obama and mayor bloomberg. i m christine romans. i m john berman. let s begin with breaking news this morning. an american woman who spent a week in a mexican jail facing pot smuggling charges, she is free this morning. all of this developing overnight. authorities arrested yanira maldonado after they said they d found 12 pounds of marijuana under they are bus seat last week. but new video evidence introduced yesterday in court apparently saent the
7 grams of protein the new fiber one caramel nut protein bar. it s not for colds. it s not for pain. it s just for sleep. because sleep is a beautiful thing™. zzzquil™. the non-habit forming sleep-aid from the makers of nyquil®. welcome back to starting point. i m john berman. and i m christine romans. we have breaking news. the arizona mother jailed in mexico and accused of smuggling drugs is a free woman this morning. overnight, a mexican judge released yanira maldonado. police claimed they had found 12 pounds of pot underneath her bus seat last week. maldonado walked out of her cell less than six hours ago, thanking god, thanking her family, thanking her attorneys. casey wian is live from
that a lot of americans are concerned about, i think, which is the one of yanira maldonado. she is this mother of seven on her way back from a family funeral in mexico when she was arrested, and she s facing these charges of having 12 pounds of marijuana under her bus seat. tom, what do you make of this case? well, i think it s a tragedy for this family, and i think the heat is going to be so intense on the mexican government that she ll be released at some point. you have mexican public officials saying they think she was set up. you have very conservative, very experienced law enforcement veterans in america saying they think she was set up. she has no history of any criminal behavior at all. she sounds very credible. how would she get 12 pounds under her seat and attach those 12 pounds with metal hooks without somebody seeing it, and i also am informed that the police officers who detained her have given conflicting stories on where they found the marijuana. one says it was all un