and i m john berman. huge crowds at chick fill a s all across the country. they weigh in about the national debate about gay marriage and free speech. some people wanted a sandwich. another thrilling finish leads to gold for team u.s.a. this is cnn breaking news. breaking overnight a frighteningly close call in the skies. three commuter jets came within seconds of a mid-air collision. we re talk 12g seconds after confused air traffic controllers dealing with bad weather launched two flights at another plane that was coming in for another landing. the two closest plains were less than 1.5 miles apart and they were closing in at 400 miles an hour. they were operated by u.s. airways. they had a combined 192 people on board. listen to how it unfolded on the radio. 3329 stand by. hold on. we re trying to get a copy. stand by. okay, we really we ll get back to you as soon as i can. we ve got to get off the ground here pretty quick. everybody stand by, we ve got
one of our big stories here on happening now is fwriping much of country and it is only getting worse. the usda adding 76 counties to the official list of drought disaster areas. we have 1300 counties across 31 states. dry, hot conditions hitting farms this summer reigniting the food versus fuel debate. fox business network s jeff flock is live in illinois with more. hi, jeff. reporter: how to you. corn is pure gold these days. we re on top of an ethanol plant. these ethanol producers are competing with livestock producers now for this precious corn. if laurie pans out to the left, you see corn as far as you can see and it is $8 a bushel. double the price than it was at the start of this growing season. i have jeff cooper of the renewable fuels association. people are say, livestock producers, breaking news are asking president obama to issue a waiver of the mandate that this ethanol gets blended into our gasoline. they say it is driving up
rhode island. went into business in 1788. 224 years later it is closing. it has a new owner, aged 21, inheriting the story after his father died a month ago. the new owner, the son, says he wants to be a sports journalist and will sell the property. heather: that makes me sad. sad story. severe drought in the u.s., getting even worse. take a look at this. the federal government designating another 76 counties as drought disaster areas. that brings the total amount to 1400 counties across 31 states. the lack of rainfall taking a terrible toll on american farms with crops baking in the sun. casey staying gel is live in garland, texas. i imagine pools are pretty popular on a day like today, aren t they? reporter: that may be an understatement. i am baking as i m waiting
before too many thousands more die that russia and china will stop protecting assad and allow this council to play its proper role. because of the battleground states in the presidential race, florida is a big prize, and no surprise that president obama s campaign is there today. he kicks off with a rally in jacksonville, and it is scheduled to begin in 15 minutes from now. we will take you live to that event. as the president campaigns in florida another national poll shows him in a dead heat with mitt romney. in a cbs/new york times poll, romney has a slight edge over the president, 47% to 46%, and that is well within the margin of error, so it makes it a tie. dan lothian is traveling with the obama campaign in jacksonville. so, dan, the campaign is saying that the president is going to focus on the economy, and the middle-class, but if you look at flori florida s unemployment rate, 8.6%, and the fifth highest foreclosure rate in the country, and how does he cater his mes
this until the the cotton s picked and the beans and the kernels are counted. smart phones make calls, send e-mails and now you can set them to stun. it is going too far? hello, everyone, i m poppy harlow in tonight for don lemon. let s get you up to speed on the day r day s biggest stories. in syria, a senior government official with 34 years of service now says he s on the side of the rebel uprising. he was syria s ambassador to iraq, and he s the highest ranking diplomat to defect. he says he can t be part of a dictatorship any longer. you ll hear him his in his own words in just a moment. plus, i just spoke with the long-time american ambassador to syria. his reaction, our conversation coming up. an egyptian official says two americans kidnapped on the sinai peninsula are unharmed and well fed. their families want to know when they will be freed. the son of the reverend michel louis spoke to randi kaye about how the ordeal is taking a toll on the pastor s wife. it