security checks but veterans benefits, other -- >> right. >> that's a scary process. >> starts to get mathematical. we have to figure out what gets paid and what doesn't get paid. another big story right now, a massive and dangerous heat wave is gripping much of the nation. here's how it looks and feels across the country. take a look at the red quarter. temperatures expected to reach 104 degrees in parts of texas today, in the southeast, temperatures are expected to reach the upper 90s and more than just uncomfortable, it's dangerous. heat has already claimed the life of at least one person in illinois and adding to that, the heat is causing drought conditions in the deep south to intensify. also this morning, hundreds of thousands still without power in the chicago area after strong thunderstorms rolled through. officials warn the power there might not be back on until saturday. let's go live to rob marciano outdoors this morning, silly rob, in atlanta's piedmont park. sun still not up, so it's still probably manageable there. but a lot of the south waking up this morning to 80 degrees overnight or higher. >> yeah. that's the thing. really hasn't cooled down much overnight, ali. even if you're out before the sun comes up you're still feeling it. it hasn't been so much the record-breaking high temperatures that we've seen, because we haven't seen a ton of them, it's the amount of moisture in the air, the humidity, any time of the day you go out, middle of the day or middle of the night, you walk out and you're wearing it, you feel it. it's muggy, oppressive and that's what we're seeing now. in some cases the heat as well. many places, i mean the weather, it's cooking. >> reporter: yes, it's hot enough to fry an egg. >> oklahoma heat for you. >> reporter: it's so hot, it even buckled this road and caused this water main to burst through the sidewalk and it's been hot for a while in oklahoma city, where temperatures have broken 100 degrees 18 of the last 20 days. >> it's hot outside, it's hotter in the house. >> reporter: a brief power outage in wichita, kansas, makes an escape from the heat whatever virtually impossible. but it's the economic impact that is hitting these texas farmers hard. the drought has dried up grass that cows eat. >> we're seeing so many people selling their entire herd and that's like selling your factory. >> reporter: cotton and other crops aren't faring well either. even the ones plentiful, may run dry in west texas. the reality is when the underground wells dry up so does business. grain elevators in this area stand empty and the economies in towns like happy, texas, are depressed. originally named for its oasis like source for water, main street now resembles a western ghost town. lake meredith is the other water source feeding 11 cities including amarillo and lubbock. it's so hot and dry the lake is slowly disappearing. >> the average loss of water from lake meredith is 100 inches. >> just from evaporation. >> just from eprapvation. >> reporter: now hot and very hazy air is building into the east. where the heat index could soar to 116. >> reporter: all right. so there you go. the northeast getting a little bit of a break. not so much a cold front coming through yesterday, but more or less a drier front. with less humidity up there, but the southern half of the u.s. continues to sizzle. we'll see dangerous amounts of heat and humidity. as mentioned the number of heat advisories and warnings up stretch across 11 states. here's the forecast high temperatures for these areas. as measured in the shade, not including humidity, dallas, texas, may well get up and over 100 degrees. 97 in jackson, 97 expected in atlanta, georgia. we'll see some relief to this, not so much today, definitely not so much tomorrow but as we head towards the weekend. but with -- you couple the heat, the humidity, and the drought guys, this has been just an awful, awful way to start the summer. back up to you. >> how does that conversation go for you guys, rob? you know, where it's going to be really, really hot in the south. hey, rob, why don't you go report outside in piedmont park, tomorrow. like do you say that's a great idea or how about i don't and stay inside? >> yeah. it's right up there with there's a cat 5 coming in to hit miami why don't you stand in it? >> part of what you do. i get it. >> good to see you. >> you just can't -- you can't expect to do the same exact thing you normally do when it's this hot. you have to make changes, drink more water. we kept our daughter home from camp because they're outside all day. >> yeah. we'll keep following that and tell you how that weather system is moving across the country. >> it's a nice time to live in the north -- pacific northwest. i'll tell you that. rodney king booked on dui charges in southern california. he was pulled over yesterday and arrested after police say they witnessed him commit several traffic violations. king's admitted to a long-standing drinking problem. he made national headlines, of course, in 1991 when he was beaten by four police officers and it was caught on tape. the video of that incident and ensuing trial and the fact that they were then acquitted triggered the 1992 los angeles riots. tucson shooting suspect jared lee loughner can refuse to take his anti-psychotic medications. they say because laufer in has not been convicted of a crime he is entitled to deny treatment. he's charged with killing six and wounding 13 others including arizona congresswoman gabrielle giffords during a shooting rampage in january. new pictures of the california apartment where alleged crime boss james whitey bulger lived for the last 15 years. these are pictures of weapons. fbi agents say they found 30 weapons inside of that apartment, including handguns and automatic rifle and even a hand grenade. some of the weapons were discovered hidden behind the living room and bathroom walls. some home movies released showing how close police came to saving jaycee dugard before they did. she was kidnapped at 11 and held captive by convicted sex offender philip garrido. the eldorado district attorney's office released these tapes shows a parole officer going through the garrido home between 2000 and 2007, and talking with him and his wife and missing jaycee, who was being held prisoner, 30 feet away in the backyard. here is a clip of the officer, what he finds behind a locked door and it was where garrido's ailing mother was sleeping. take a look. >> this room here? >> we've been sleeping in there. >> why is this door locked? >> because -- >> this is -- >> we have to -- >> can you move out that out and open the door? >> convalescent. we use this bathroom. >> all right. this door right here? >> that's where we sleep. >> turn the light on. >> imagine knowing what we now know that jaycee dugard was 30 feet away in the backyard in tents, went undiscovered for years. these are also shots over 20 years ago of garrido videotaping children in public places. one shows philip garrido singing and playing the guitar while his wife films children around him. jaycee dugard was kidnapped in 1999, found 18 years later. this is her a few days ago on abc news. the garridos were charged and convicted of kidnapping and rape. they're both in prison for life. jaycee is now out with a book about her life in captivity called "a stolen life." new pressure this morning on media mogul rupert murdock after a phone hacking scandal that forced him to shut down the most read sunday tabloid in england. the u.k. parliament may force him to pull his bid to take over british sky broadcasting today. and they have the prime minister's support. the deal would give murdoch 40% ownership of all commercial tv in great britain. prime minister david cameron is expected to meet milly dowler's family today, the girl kidnapped and murdered back in 2002. her parents are suing murdoch's paper "news of the world" over allegations that her phone was hacked and her voice mails deleted giving her parents the false hope she was deleting the voice mails, meaning she was still alive. but the scandal getting bigger by the minute. dan rivers will join us live from london at 6:40 eastern with the update. to politics and the high stakes stalemate over increasing the nation's debt limit. the clock is ticking. we're now just 21 days from an august 2nd deadline to avoid a disastrous government default. president obama and congressional leaders from both parties will meet again this afternoon after nearly two-hour session at the white house yesterday. the president upping the ante in the debt showdown saying without a deal, millions of seniors and veterans might not receive their benefit checks. republicans call that a scare tactic. meantime the senate's top republican floated a backup plan that would give the president unilateral power to raise the debt ceiling in order to prevent a default. that plan crashed and burned within his own party. reaction from both sides to the impasse and it suggests the divide remains deep. >> the president talks a good game, but when it comes time to actually putting these issues on the table, making decisions, it can't quite pull the trigger. >> protect millionaires and cut medicare benefits instead. this approach is not balanced. it's not fair. it's not moral. it will not be accepted. >> cnn's dan lothian has been following the partisan warfare over the debt crisis live at the white house this morning. it seems they're not any closer, even though there is a lot of talk yesterday, a lot of rhetoric, to getting a deal done. >> no closer at all. this is the fourth day in a row these congressional leaders will be meeting here at the white house after yesterday's nearly two-hour meeting. one democratic source told us that the mood was, quote, weary as all of those in the room were getting tired of hearing each other's talking points. still, the sticking point remains, taxes on the wealthy and president obama still pushing for that big deal even as he's warning about the dire consequences they can't reach an agreement. >> can you tell the folks at home that no matter what happens the social security checks will go out on august 3rd, about $20 billion worth of social security checks that have to go out the day after the government is supposedly going to go into default. >> this is not just a matter of social security checks. these are veteran checks, folks on disability and their checks. there are about 70 million checks that go out. >> can you guarantee as president those checks will go out on august the 3rd? >> i cannot guarantee that those checks go out on august 3rd if we haven't resolved this issue because there may simply not be the money in the coffers to do it. >> reporter: some lawmakers are saying that they don't believe that a bipartisan agreement is possible, so you're hearing more talk now about this senator mcconnell, backup plan that you were talking about, which essentially would give president obama the power to raise that debt ceiling in three increments before the 2012 election. responding to that, in a statement, white house spokesman jay carney said, quote, senator mcconnell's proposal reaffirmed that leaders of both parties have stated clearly that defaulting on america's past due bills is not an option. it is time for our leaders to find common ground and reduce our deficit in a way that will strengthen our economy. at the same time you're hearing from business leaders, also large business organizations, trying to push lawmakers to find some kind of bipartisan agreement. of course that's looking very difficult now. kiran? >> all right. dan lothian at the white house for us, thanks so much. and, of course, as dan was mentioning president obama telling congress and the nation that social security checks could be in jeopardy if the government defaults on its debts. if that debt ceiling is not raised. that brings us to our question of the day. what is the impact of social security checks not going out on august 3rd? >> we want to know what you think. how will it affect you? what do you think will get blamed. will it really happen? send us an e-mail, tweet, let us know on facebook. we'll be reading some of your comments later in the show. coming up next, world cup fever, the u.s. women one game away from a trip to the finals. our resident soccer expert richard roth will be joining us to talk about today's critical matchup with france. >> if you don't rent movies because you don't need to because you have netflix, well you could be getting ready to pay more for your dvds and your streaming rentals. we'll tell you how much more coming up. and a controversial clinic in minneapolis offering gay clients counseling to change their sexual orientation. basically make them straight. it is owned by republican presidential candidate michele bachmann and her husband. cnn investigates. just ahead. i'm robert shapiro. over a million people have discovered how easy it is to use legalzoom for important legal documents. so start your business, protect your family, launch your dreams. at legalzoom.com we put the law on your side. launch your dreams. somewhere in america, there's a doctor who can peer into the future. there's a nurse who can access in an instant every patient's past. and because the whole hospital's working together, there's a family who can breathe easy, right now. somewhere in america, we've already answered some of the nation's toughest healthcare questions. and the over 60,000 people of siemens are ready to do it again. siemens. answers. 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[ clears throat ] [ deep voice ] yeah, babe. in a second. takin' care of some business. it's surprising just how affordable an rv vacation can be. gorving.com and get a free video. or visit an rv dealer. go affordably. go rving. personal pricing now on brakes. tell us what you want to pay. we do our best to make that work. deal! my money. my choice. my meineke. this is an interesting -- we've been talking about the pledges that republican candidates are being called upon to sign. mitt romney is not signing a controversial marriage pledge drawn up by a conservative group in iowa. the family leadership organization created the document in defense of, quote, traditional marriage. romney won't endorse it because of controversial language it originally contained and claimed black children born into slavery had better family structures than black children today. it said black children back then had a better chance of growing up in a two-parent household. >> than they do now. >> than they do now. they removed that language because it raised a firestorm. >> gop candidates michele bachmann, rick santorum, have signed it although they signed the pledge, they didn't feel they were signing the preamble which is where this is contained into michele bachmann is number one in a new poll of likely voters in the iowa caucus and according to the american research group, 21% of the respondents are backing the minnesota congresswoman. romney is now in second place with 18%. ron paul and the undeclared sarah palin also registering in double digits. this is a huge -- this is the first -- the first testing ground for the gop presidential candidates and she's leading. >> a lot of questions being raised about the bachmann family business. bachmann and associates, it's called, offers therapy to gay men and women in the minneapolis area. >> and the lead counselor is bachmann's husband. jim acosta has been looking into this clinic and joins us live from washington this morning. hi, jim. >> good morning, kiran and ali. michele bachmann and her husband run a christian counseling service that's come under scrutiny in recent years. the questions are now resurfacing again as she runs for president with a record of controversial viewses on homosexuality. the clinic outside minneapolis has faced accusations it encourages gay and lesbian to change their sexual orientation. we sat down with one who said he went to bachmann and associates when he was 17 to talk about his own homosexuality and told us he was skeptical of what one of the counselors said to him. >> it was therapy that would help me change from being homosexual to straight. >> that's how he described it? >> yes. >> he basically said, if you do this, what? you wouldn't be gay any more. >> if i do this and worked his therapy program, that could perform a miracle and i could no longer be gay. >> reporter: now this week, a gay rights group called truth released its hidden camera video recorded by one of its hidden activists who went undercover and posed as a patient. the footage shows a counselor who suggests homosexuality can be treated at the clinic but the counselor also says he's not an expert on the subject. >> reporter: we reached out to the bachmanns and they declined our requests for interviews but the campaign did release a statement to cnn saying, quote, the backmans are in no position ethically, legally or morally to discuss specific courses of treatment concerning the clinic's patients. the contender was asked about the clinic on the campaign in iowa, dodged the question only saying she is proud of her family business and by my account she has been asked this question three times, all three of those times she has not answered the question about this clinic. >> all right. well, great job, jim. digging a little deeper on that and to read more of jim's reporting on the bachmann family clinic, logon to cnnpolitics.com. thanks. easy, convenient, how much more are you willing to pay for netflix. everybody is talking about this new rate plan. here's the spoiler, the folks are not happy. we'll have details coming up. >> our question of the day. what would be the impact of social security checks not going out on august 3rd. the president saying in an interview yesterday that's a real possibility if the debt talks don't get worked out. we'll read some of your comments a bit later in the show. it's 21 minutes past the hour. right now, go to priceline for a sneak peek at recent winning and better than ever! hotel bids to find where you n save up to 60% on hotels. * we'll even email you other people's winning bids, so you'll know what price to name. *á with new hotel bid alerts, from priceline. you know, the ones who do such a super job, they're backed by the superguarantee®? only superpages®. wherever you are, wherever you're going, you'll find the super business you need. so next time, let the good guys save the day. get the superguarantee®, only at superpages®. in the book ... on your phone or online. 25 minutes after the hour. minding your business, markets ended the day lower yesterday. the dow, nasdaq, s&p 500, all dropped less than a percent toward the end of the trading day. stocks erased earlier gains after moody's slashed ireland's credit rating to junk in the afternoon. an uncertainty debt problems in europe could be spreading to italy have investors on edge this morning. top lawmakers there going head to head off budget cuts to increase financial stability and ease euro zone concerns. the extent of u.s. exposure to debt problems in european countries is still unclear. federal reserve chairman ben bernanke in for a grilling day on capitol hill. got nothing to do with the weather. the nation's debt ceiling, european debt, fears and the future of the u.s. economy are all fair game for questions from the house financial services committee. that testimony begins at 10:00 a.m. eastern time. investors rushing to gold on fears of a weak dollar after the feds released details from a meeting