bill: the vatican has severe protocol. everything is supposed to happen at an exact moment, according to tradition. this meeting is taking place in the late afternoon. most of the time, the meetings are in the morning. the vatican altered their schedule for president obama, coming out of the g-8 meeting, which shows the level of interest that both men have been talking with one another. pope benedict certainly raising issues such as middle east peace. both have also talked about the reduction of nuclear arms. the issue of abortion? not only in this country, but worldwide, as well as a stem cell research, clearly two areas of disagreement. as we move away from that story, back in the u.s., the victims of bernie madoff finally getting some of their money back. according to reports, investors have been receiving checks. in all, $231 million will be sent out to compensate hundreds of victims. another 200 million could be sent out in the future, if money can be secured. megyn: it was tough to see, but it looked like one of the

pope benedict xvi welcomed president obama to the vatican. president obama's last stop in italy before heading to africa. the two men share similar views on pushing for peace in the middle east, fighting global poverty and reaching out to the global world but don't see eye to eye on stem cell research and abortion. president obama had a meeting with the vatican secretary of state before talking to the pope in his privacy study the pope has been interested in president obama's views and the vatican arranged a special meeting at the end of the president's trip to italy for the g-8 summit. before the president left the summit, he summarized three days of meetings saying the g-8 nations have taken significant steps forward on economic, environmental and security issues. >> as we work this week to find common ground we have not solved all of our problems, and we have not agreed on every point but we have shown it is possible to move forward and make real unprecedented progress together. >> reporter: having just secured a $20 billion african aid pa

theyanrotest as they want, but the vatican i ink was worried that this sent a partisanignal. they don't wt the church to be partisan, and think conservative catholics want to argue that abortion is the one an only issue a they want play down somef these other questions, including economics, and i think that when you saw what the pope did tay, he was saying, ye those life issues maerbut so do these other issues that i just wrote a 30,000 wd encyclical on. i think that's where argument is. not is abortion important or unimportant, but rather h do you weigh these issues a how do you include this very rich catholic social teaching that all of us who are catholic hve been taught. can you make a theological arnt that wouldsupport the tion that abortioshould be not only the number one issueon which to judge an american president by american catholics, bu the only one? at there's no reason, there's no need to look at y other sues as e. has just suggested andxecute a balance of them? >> i can make the gument that it's the number one issue, but i wouldn't even attpt nor want to make th

. >> jamie: of course a big trip, and we'll be talking shortly with the former ambassador to the vatican about the meeting with the pope and what else does he have on the i tinary. >> while in italy he'll be at the g8 meeting and big topics there, economy and climate change and meeting with the pope as you said and then, on friday, he heads to ghana an africa to talk about relations with that continue then. >> jamie: following all the details as the president gets ready to depart. thank you. >> eric: a "fox news alert" now, details coming if, awaiting the results of an autopsy on super bowl quarterback steve mcnair, the investigation into his murder now focused on his relationship with a woman who was found dead next to him, his body was found yesterday, in the condominium, in dot nashville, and -- downtown nashville and suffered several gunshot wounds and he was hired in 2008, he was shot several times including onces in the head and while, they say, the body of 20-year-old ka he'll kazemi was found nearby and had a single gunshot wound to the head and police fund the pistol near her bo

they are paying at the vat -- they are meeting at the vatican. and there was the traditional shaking of hands and pleasantries and gift exchange as well. the pope gave president obama a mosaic of st. peters basilica and the president gave the pope let earthical soul that was lying around the body of the first u.s. bishop to became a saint. his body is kept in philadelphia and it was given to the pope. allison and holly. >> molly, we were told that the family, first lady and girls along with their grandmother e expected to also meet with the pope. is that true? >> reporter: they are. not right now. not during the one-on-one meeting, which is the first for president obama as president to meet with this pope. they will be there. they will meet the pope after this meeting and they wilalso go on a tour of st. peters and the siftine chapel. there are a lot of members traveling in the entourage and they will have a chance to meet the pope as well. >> molly, we appreciate your coverage. >> reporter: thank you. >>> today marks the beginning of a new compa

obama had a busy day today, including a very serious discussion at the vatican. are chief white house correspondent chip reid is traveling with the president. >> reporter: at the vatican today, a warm greeting for president obama from pope benedict xvi. >> it's a great honor for me. thank you so much. >> reporter: it's a tradition followed by every american president since eisenhower. the pope is known for his eagerness to listen. but he stated in clear terms the church's opposition to abortion the vatican says president obama and-- an abortion rights supporters-- made a commitment to try to reduce the number of abortions in the united states, reaffirm ago pledge he made at notre dame university in may. >> let us work together to reduce the number of women seeking abortions. >> reporter: the pope also gave mr. obama a church document condemning research using embryonic stem cells, research the president supports. white house officials say the president asked the pope to pray for his family who made the trip to the vatican with him. he also gave the pope a letter

. >>> president obama continues his international trip with a visit to the vatican and the pope today. >> the president met with many world leaders and today set out with an audience with pope benedict. >> this was a personal meeting closely watched. the president and the pope disagree on one of the biggest issues, abortion, but that is not to say they cannot learn a little bit from each other, and they attempted to do just that. under the ornate and historic setting of the vatican, president obama met with pope benedict today during a highly anticipated sitting since they did not exactly see eye to eye. >> thank you so much. >> they spoke privately for roughly half an hour, discussing everything from immigration to the middle east. the right-to-life topic took center stage. afterwards, the pope presented obama with gifts that included a copy of the vatican document on bio-ethics, explaining the churches opposition to stem cell research and in vitro fertilization. >> i have some reading now. >> back in the district, outside the basilica, people said maybe obama would consider the pope

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the vatican has always been at its worst when it's all for central authority. so this central authority theme is really disturbing. >> yeah, it is disturbing, but i think wall street will just ignore it people the like in cyclical. to them, it's another papal post-it. they're going to carry along their merry way. but the issue is what is happening here in this country and when it comes to regulating the markets is we have bureaucrats deciding, bureaucrats who never put on a business suit. they're basically lawyers or, you know, career politicians. and so these are the ones deciding. you know, you have these guys down in washington redesigning the entire u.s. economy, you know, by writing them down on legal pads. that's kind of scary. >> i get a little scared when i hear about a world regulator. now, that's scary, and there are a lot of regional and national differences, and that could seriously hurt capitalism. that's where i say back off. david: could it be, quinton, that the pope is a bit naive about this idea of a central regulating authority in the world? >

stops included russia, italy, also the vatican city to see the pope, and a visit yesterday to ghana. >>> well, the president got a warm reception on that last stop. he praised ghana for showing the promise of democracy in africa. but as ed henry tells us, he didn't shy away from the problems plaguing the continent. >> reporter: a day of extraordinary moments, none more powerful than the first african-american president visiting a former slave fortress with his family. >> i think it was particularly important for malia and sasha who are growing up in such a blessed way to be reminded that history can take very cruel turns. >> reporter: after touring cape coast castle, which the british used as a slave dungeon, president obama compared the power to the recent stop at a german concentration camp. >> it is reminiscent of the trip i took to germany because it reminds us the capacity of human beings to do great evil. >> reporter: the parliament of ghana earlier in the day. >> we must start from the simple premise that africa's future is up to africa. i say this knowing full well the tragic

but what about the pope and the vatican trying to be political? the pope met with president obama and handed him something that many people would say is very political. >> right. he handed him the vatican's latest document on bioethics, which covers everybody from abortion to issues like in vitro fert lization and so on. they're trying to handle the obama presidency with real fines finesse. he's popular with catholics. they're trying to emphasize issues like environment, but also being very careful to make it clear that there's a vast gulf between the democratic party and the vatican on issues like human life. >> all right, great to have you on. thanks so much. >>> and now, we have some tape from "the new york times" right now. jim dow was embedded with the team in afghanistan. he was there when he learned that an ally of the army had been killed. >> i was with the team when an emergency call came in. an alley of the americans have been killed. >> not sure, it hit the truck, killed all five. he was one of those few good guys i was telling you abou

but the sit to the vatican is no ordinary state visit. michele obama joined as the president presented the pope with an historic stole that has connections to baltimore and an orally american saint. the sumt which brought president obama to italy closed with a somber tribute to earthquake victims who died in this region. the president vigorously denied that he failed to get his partners here to embrace tougher sanctions on iran. >> what we wanted was exactly what we got, which was a statement of unity and strong condemnation about the appalling treatment of peaceful protesters. >> and there was a revealing personal moment. president obama confirmed that he admonish african leaders attending e summit that they must govern better. he pointed to his own relatives living in kenya. >> in many african countries, if you want to start a business or get a job, you still have to pay a bribe. >> what made the moments so poignant, is it becameours before the president's visit to africa, not to canada, but ghana, where the africans are already claimin

. >> we're following breaking news from the vatican now. pope benedict has been taken to a hospital in northern italy after slipping and falling during a vacation in the alps. a vatican spokesman said the pope slipped and got hurt but it doesn't seem to be serious. we'll bring you more details as they become available. >> now to a developing story out of indonesia this morning. bombs exploded at two luxury hotels this morning in jakarta, killing nine people and wounding at least 50 others. the bombs exploded just two minutes apart at the j.w. marriott and the ritz-carlton hotels. two u.s. officials said one other american citizen are believed to -- and one other american citizen are believed to have been injured but that is unconfirmed at this time. antiterror forces were on the scene of both blasts but officials have not confirmed what, if any, terrorist group is responsible for the attacks. we'll bring you more information, though, as soon as we get it. >>> now to the latest in a triple shooting involving an off-duty capitol police office

obama will make one last up at the vatican before departing italy. >> president barack obama leaves l'aquila, calling the three-day summit highly productive. >> we have agreed to take significant measures to address some of the most pressing threats facing our environment, our global economy, and our international security. >> his final stop before leaving is that the vatican. >> the president has been looking for an opportunity to visit the holy see and to meet in person with the holy father. >> pope benedict is setting aside rest over birth control, and stem cell research. he sees a chance to team up with president barack obama on problems like climate change. >> one of my highest priorities. >> the present program agreement to slash climate-warming emissions. he could not get developing nations to go along. >> his strategy is to curb global warming in america and then china will follow. china is not falling as any place barry >> >> we each have our national priorities and policies to deal with. >> what we need to do is to start in congress by stopping job-killing legislation like speaker

. >>> the vatican says that pope benedict xvi is learning to cope with a new cast on his arm. the 82-year-old pontiff had surgery yesterday on his right wrist. he broke it during a fall in italy. the pope, who is right-handed, will keep the cast for a month. the hardest part, giving up writing by hand, something he planned to do during vacation. >>> a hearing on the custody of michael jackson's kids has been pushed back a third time now. it is set now to happen august 3rd. a jackson family lawyer says jackson's mother, katherine, and his ex-wife debbie rowe have been working privately since jackson's death to try to resolve the custody issue over jackson's two oldest children. katherine jackson has been given temporary guardianship over the children. >>> the michael jackson prescription drug investigation intensifies. reports surface that investigators are reportedly targeting jackson's lengthy list of phony names used to get his hands on prescription medicine. at least five doctors are under investigation in the probe. nancy grace has all the latest developments at 8:00 and 1

>> bill plante in vatican city. thank you very much. >>> mr. obama's meeting with pope benedict certainly will be cordial, as bill pointed out, but as he also point out, they do have policy disagreements. let's go out to the vatican for papal expert and cbs consultant father thomas williams. how are you? >> hi. >> is there any hope that these two men with find common ground on abortion and stem cell research? >> i don't think they can on those particular issues. i think they definitely intend to work together. that's the most important thing about this meeting. they only have 15 minutes together. they're going to meet face to face and alone. they'll touch on these issues, but they'll also touch on many points in common as well. >>> in western china, several mosqued opened this morning for prayer following a week of riots. clashes between the minority mus lick uighurs and han chinese earlier this week left at least 106 people dead. >>> it is now 8:04. dave price is out on the plaza with another check of the weather. >> russ,tick with me for a se

. >>> before flying there, he made a quick visit to the vatican to meet with pope benedict xvi. they met about half an hour and were later joined by the first lady. mr. obama called the meeting a great honor and he looked forward to a strong relationship with the vatican. the president told pope benedict that the g-8 summit was productive. otherwise, it is not know what they discussed. >>> house lawmakers say they know how they want to pay for the proposed health care program, raising taxes on the wealthy, specifically those making over $355,000 per year. the money raised by it would be half of what the price tag calls for. the president wants to provide health care to 50 million americans who are currently not injured. >>> general motors is spending its first bite out of bankruptcy, officially approving air base at of bankruptcy. the ceos said this is over. they are planning a number of new ventures, including a plan to auction new cars on ebay. more than half of the new gm is owned by the federal government. >>> a food fight is underway in montgomery county. some outdoor for a

the vatican characterized the conversation as cordial. there was a exchange of gifts. >>> first came claims c.i.a. director leon pinetta admitted the agency has been misleading congress. now word aco vert program is being shut down. jan schickowski says even pinetta was not in. he's ending it. it has been running without congressional knowledge since after 9/11. >>> and sarah pillin's almost son-in-law says he knows why palin is leaving. he says it's all about money. he says during the two weeks he lived there he says it would be nice to take advantage of lucrativoffers for book deals and the palins say he's making it up. >>> and this might not be saving petro riders -- metro riders time. get the edge on a project that could slow things down. >>> and do you remember army guys after a battle scene laand lighting up a cigarette. now there is the edge to kick that habit. >>> and for a garden straight brewery, this could be a market store. a bar is making a brew name for each highway. >>> get ready for a red line rehab. a major overhaul in th

vatican officials denied that the pope got dizzy or fainted. earlier this year he tripped as he left the alter after a ceremony but kept himself from falling. at st. peters square they are wishing the pope well. >> i feel terrible that the pope had an accident. too bad he had it. thank god nothing serious. >> i hope he makes a speedy recovery. >> reporter: he hosted the president and the first lady at the vatican. never skipped a planned event for health reasons t. right- handed pope is an acoch lisched pee -- accomplished piano player. it's unclear whether there will be any permanent damage. >> he has been vacationing in italy since monday and scheduled to remain until july 29th. no plans to cancel any trips. >>> sonia sotomayor gets her first public support today from republicans. senators from indiana, florida and maine all announced today they plan to vote for sonia sotomayor. solid backing from the democrats who enjoy a majority of the senate, it's no dot sonia sotomayor will be confirmed as the 11th supreme court justice next month. >>> h

directly from vatican city. we are understanding, at least from our correspondent ed henry who is traveling with the president that they will be discussing many issues. one of the first and foremost issues the situation with israel, palestine talking about the relations there and what more can be done. boy, oh, boy, how would you feel in a meeting like that with the pope and all the cameras flashing inches from your face. fascinating, fascinating pictures to see. there will be other issues they will be addressing. some may be personal ones, according to our correspondent ed henry who has been telling us about if the president will speak to the pope about his choices with religion and his thoughts and his position on abortion, of course, being one of them. so, again, we will continue to follow these pictures and this story as the president travels from here with these meetings with the pope on to ghana in africa, of course. i believe it's more of the discussions and issues that will be handled with the pope. we'l

but the two leaders disagree on what the vatican considers prime ethical issues. >> reporter: president obama told pope benedict the vatican meeting was a great honor. >> thank you so much. >> reporter: the two leaders jumped right into some of the more controversial issues during their 30-minute private talk. they don't see eye to eye on abortion or stem cell research. the pontiff presented the president with a document, explaining the church's opposition to the use of embryos for science. obama promised to read it on the plane. they also discussed immigration, middle east peace and aid to developing nations, areas where the two are more closely aligned. the first lady and a handful of the president's top aides, also got a chance to meet the pontiff. >> thank you so much. very grateful. >> reporter: along with a gift exchange, the president gave the pope a letter from ted kennedy and asked the pontiff to pray for the ailing senator. >> the pope asked the president how everything went at the g-8 summit here in italy. the president called the three days of tough negotiations very product

then, off to 2 vatican to meet with the pope. this is the first time that president [ [ will meet the holy father. he understands the profound influence the poep has around the world. the g-8 meetings have focused largely on climate change. the president urged emerging economies like india and china, to reduce pollution. and says the u.s. has a historic responsibility to address global warming. >> i know that in the past, the united states has sometimes falling short in meeting our responsibilities. let me assure you, those days are over. >> reporter: president lil la silva gave the president a signed soccer jersey. the president joked that the u.s. would never give up another 2-0 lead. michelle obama and the first daughters are in rome, as well. she god first-hand look at the damage in l'aquila, italy. george clooney was there, as well. he is trying to call attention to the area to help the thousands who have been left homeless. the o houmas will have a second audience, including maria, sasha, and grandmother marion robinson. a

the vatican said the pope broke his wrist after slipping in the bath while on vacation in italy. it didn't stop his morning rue tee teen. >> this morning the holy father celebrated mass and breakfast. >> doctors gave him a local anesthetic and made a small incision to realign the broken bones. they say he will be in a cast for a month. they deny the pope got dizzy or fainted. it is not the first time the pope benedict xvi has slipped. earlier this year he tripped as he went to the alter at ceremony but caught himself. they are wishing him welt. >> i feel bad the pope had an accident. thank god it is nothing serious. >> we will pray for him that he makes a speedy and full recovery. >> reporter: the pope benedict xvi hosted president obama and the first lady at the van vatican a week ago. in the four years since becoming the pope he has never skipped an event for health reasons. she an accomplished piano player. his broken wrist will bring an end to that at least for this vacation and unleer whether there will be any permanent damage. >> of course the pope was vacationing in northe

before leaving italy, the president will meet with pope benedict xvi from the vatican. joining us now is papal expert father thomas williams. >> good morning, michelle. >> father, what do we expect the pope and the president to talk about during their time together? >> they'll have about a half hour together. i think boast men have already expressed in past days different ideas they have they'd like to bring up with the other. president obama has spoken about the environment. he's spoken about the situation in the middle east. they'll both want to speak about poverty, the economic crisis, and all the points of conversion they have. the open undoubtedly is interested in these things but will bring up issues of ger divergence, especially life issues. both men have been looking forward to the meeting and will start out talking about all the different points they have in common and get down to brass tacks, especially the elimination of extreme poverty and other points both men are concerned about. then they'll probably move on to discuss the question of conscience, protecti

vatican meeting was a great honor. the two leaders jumped right into some of the more controversial issues during their 30-minute private talks. they don't see eye to eye on abortion or stem cell research. the pontiff presented the president with a document, explaining the church's opposition to the use of embryos for science. obama promised to read it on the plane. they also discussed immigration. middle east peace and aid to developing nations, areas where the two are more closely aligned. the first lady and a handful of the president's top aides, got a chance to meet the pontiff. >> thank you so much. very grateful. >> reporter: along with a gift exchange, the president gave the pope a letter from ted kennedy and asked the pontiff to pray for the ailing senator. >> reporter: the president called the three days of tough negotiations very productive. >> reporter: speaking at the end of the summit, the president said leaders took a united stand against the iranian treatment of protestors after the disputed presidential

obviously, the president in rome at the vatican. where he and the first lady, can we take them full? we'll have an audience with pope benedict, the president, the pontiff expected to discuss global warming, some social issues such as abortion, but we understand that they may also discuss the financial crisis. that meeting taking place maybe about 25 minutes or so ago. as you know, the pope made a strong statement this week saying that the u.s. should take the lead on regulation, particularly on the financial markets and the pope also blaming the global financial crisis and there it is. pictures of the vatican. just give you a look at some of those pictures. we will, of course, be following this story and the rest of the president's trip. he leaves italy later today and makes his way to ghana. >>> the insurance giant that got to $180 billion of your tax dollars is reportedly preparing to pay its top execs millions more in bonuses. just four months since aig paid out multi-million dollar bonuses and this time they say aig wants to pro

that's savannah guthrie in vatican city this morning. dee dee myers was president clinton's first white house press secretary. she's now contributing editor for "vanity fair" magazine. former republican presidential candidate pat buchanan is an msnbc political analyst. good morning to both of you. >> good morning. >> good morning, matt. >> dee dee, let me start with you. two camps it seems. when you look at the popularity numbers for the president right now down from 68% to 57%, one camp says, it's just the afterglow of the election is over. the other camp, and i think pat falls into this camp will say, no, this is about this president, and this administration screwing up with the stimulus plan and the economy. what's the truth? >> well, the truth is that this president started his term with a tremendous amount of political capital, and he made clear from the very beginning that he was going to spend that trying to do not small things but big things. he started with the stimulus, we're now in the midst of a very complicated health care r

the vatican says the pope broke his wrist overnight while taking a bath. it didn't stop his morning routine. >> this morning, the holy father celebrated the mass and the breakfast. >> reporter: doctors gave the 82-year-old pontiff a local anesthetic and a small incision to realign the broken bones. they say he'll stay in a cast for about a month. vatican officials deny that the pope got dizzy or fainted. it's not the first time he slipped. earlier this year, he tripped but kept himself from falling. at st. peter's square, they are wishing the pope well. >> i feel terrible that the pope had an accident. it's too bad he had it. but thank god he's okay. >> reporter: just a week ago, pope benedict hosted president obama and the first lady at the vatican. in the four years since becoming pope, he's never skipped a planned event for health reasons. the right-handed hope is an accomplished piano player. his broken wrist will bring an end to that, at least for this vacation. and it's unclear whether there will be any permanent damage. >> reporter: charlie d'agata,

jon: let's take you now to the vatican. these are live pictures of president obama meeting with president benedict, pope benedict 16. mr. obama there at the vatican, the meeting taking place -- just a moment. robert gibbs, the president's press secretary, david axelrod, a chief adviser, the entire red new getting introduced to the pontiff right here. julie: this is symbolic for many reasons. he is going to go on to ghana where he will be the first african-american to visit a black african country. jon: you can see a painting their by rafael. our correspondent is there. >> the president has broad and his staff and his wife -- he has brought in his set and wife. but the tone is very warm, and they are exchanging gifts there is a relic of a missionary saint here which the pope is giving out. what we can tell from here is that it was a cordial meeting. they're obviously going to have a civil meeting. they're doing a group picture. this is an american archbishop lining everybody else. the president is expected to have left by no

>>> president obama will meet at the vatican with pope benedict xvi today in just a couple of hurs. it will be the first time they have met face to face. the two will have what the white house says will be a frank discussion covering topic of agreement including the push for peace in the middle east and the disagreement including abortion. michelle obama, the obama children and their grandmother will all have a chance to meet the holy father. after the vatican visit, the president travels to ghana where he is expected to outline the administration's plans for heaping africa. >>> the road to health car reform hits another rod block as the house had hoped to release its version of the bill today. the bill would be made public on monday at the earliest. >>> metro enacting a zero tolerance policy now for operators caught teching or talking on cell phone while at the controls. the transit agency says starting on monday, any train or bus driver caught using a mobile device on the job will be fired. this after video post john loon showing a driver allegedly texting on the job. another vide

there is a quote at the time from the iranian deputy foreign minister when he is in talks with the vatican in 1994. >> a future war is between the religious and material is. collaboration between religious coverage in support of outlawing abortion is a fine beginning for the collaboration of other fields. this alliance, although they're very much that each other's throats when it comes to women's rights specifically on the international level, there is a year ecumenical cooperation you saw when bush delegates would be negotiating very closely with iran inside arabia whenever there is a resolution or initiative came up at the un. you continue to see it, there is something called the world congress of families that happens every two years which brings together representatives of various social at and traditional movements more men evangelical catholic muslim a couple of rabbis, eastern orthodox, and they sometimes very high-level people, come the people from the vatican the bush administration and the promise is they can momentarily put aside they're very severe theological differences and j

we're getting that line from the vatican. we don't have clarification about that from the white house officials yet. now, right now, the president is on a plane to ghana and that's a highly anticipated speech there. his first trip to black africa and he's expected to really lay out his vision on how his administration hopes to help africa really get a hand up and not a handout. chuck? >> the first lady and the two girls, were they in the audience, as well, with the holy father? >> it is interesting. we definitely saw michelle obama in the pictures. she was wearing, of course, the black veil which is protocol when you meet the pope. the first daughters were there but not in the official photographs. no doubt white house officials are describing it, really, as an honor for the entire family. >> paula newten with the latest in rome. paula, i appreciate the update. thank you. >>> a story just in to hln. associated press is now reporting the former senator bob dole of kansas, the gop presidential nominee, of course, in 19 94, actu

. >> right now, president barack obama is at the vatican. he's meeting with pope benedict xvi. it's the first time the two have met face-to-face. that happened about 45 minutes ago. all of this happened just a short time after the end of the g-8 summit in l'aquila, italy. world leaders have launched a $15 billion initiative to help farmers in poor countries boost production. the plan is to help tackle world hunger. not all of it is new funding, though. several countries are already well behind pledges that were promised in africa four years ago. >> we have a report now from brooke hart. >> reporter: president obama leaves l'aquila, calling the three-day summit highly productive. >> we've agreed to take significant measures to address some of the most pressing threats facing our environment, our global economy, and our international security. >> reporter: the president's final stop before leaving italy is at the vatican. >> the president has been looking for an opportunity to visit the holy see and to meet in person with the holy father. >> reporter: experts say pope benedict is

. >> at the vatican, president obama was warmly welcomed by pope benedict. they are at odds on abortion and stem cell research but completely in step on many issues. the summit ended with a pledge of $20 billion to help poor nations, and the president paused blunt assessment that the global financial crisis is not over yet. >> while our markets are improving, we know that too many people are still struggling. we agree that full recovery is still a ways off. >> what the president has been traveling, he has been taking heat at home for his so-called stimulus investment. >> where do you think your plan went wrong? >> treasury secretary tim geithner went on the offense, saying that signs of economic free fall have stopped. >> those are critical importance signs of economic progress and they are due entirely to the actions that the congress and the administration took to put in place the largest economic recovery plan. >> horsefeathers, that is not the way it happened. let's get this country back in shape and let's do it together. >> the president and republicans

alamo denied the charges, claiming they came from a vatican-led conspiracy against his ministry. back to you, vic. >> thank you, sally. alamo's apocalyptic outline outlined his hate of the vatican. >>> and a suspected meth lab inside a texas home. police say a 47-year-old man was cooking the meth while a 9- month-old boy was inside. the child was found suffering from a severe case of sun burn on several parts of his body. child protective services removed the baby from the home and maced -- placed him with other family members. >>> deputies have seized more than 100,000 marijuana plants in what they call the largest pot bust in the history of the state. the plants plants have an estimated street value of nearly a quarter billion dollars. more than 40 officers spent two days harvesting the marijuana. some of the plants were seven feet high. investigators say the massive operation is likely the work of a mexican drug cartel. >>> a successful spacewalk aboard the international space station. they have outfitted the structure with fresh batteries. it takes 7 1/2 hours to complete the

our top story, just hours from now, president obama and the first family will meet with probes at the vatican. mr.obama has spoken to the pope on the phone before but the two have never met in person. today's meeting will mark the president's week-long trip to russia and italy. following that visit, the president will head to ghana and head back to the white house. >>> some conservative democrats are backing way from the relation taking shape for health care reform concerned about cost and other issues. lawmakers are considering taxing the highest paid wage earners for help fund health care for the other million people who do not have it. >>> gm lawyers worked through the night to try to close the sale following a judge's ruling that gm could sell its assets to a new restructured general motors which will be largely government owned. >>> a metro operator allegedly asleep on the job. this exclusive fox 5 video highlighting what appears to be an alarming trend of distraction behind the controls. metro already implementing a zero tolerance policy when it comes to operators texting or talking on

the vatican says his injury is not serious and that he celebrated mass at had breakfast before going to hospital. astronauts on the space shuttle endeavour carrying out an inspection of its wings and those factors parts of insulation broke away. the endeavor, which is on a mission to the international space station has been delayed by more than a month. we're taking the health of the american banks again, aren't we? and it may not be too good. >> no, it is not. it 36% rise in profits for jpmorgan, goldman sachs, citigroup and bank of america are expecting results today. it $1.4 billion loss from bank of america. what is the difference? the difference is that citigroup and bankamerica, they are retail banks. they rely much more on the consumers. these banks have gotten a lot more ratigan the subprime mortgage crisis. not looking good for them. >> coming up, it is not the first terror attack in indonesia. after today's bombings, we will get for the country is being pommell -- being targeted. and there is real progress in afghanistan, even if the fighting continues elsewhere. but other

the vatican now said he broke his wrist but he walked in to the hospital on his own. they don't believe anything serious. >>> angie will have traffic. a well-rested howard bernstein is here at 5:30. >> you know what it is like by the end of the week. >> but never 5 clock it would have to be 6:00. >> i have sleep envy. >> everybody was out of the house, the dog was sleeping too. and what can i say. >> the weather was so nice. you've should have been out and about. >> show you the radar. western maryland a couple of showers to talk about. they are light b@right now approaching hancock and west virginia. however, we will see more activity later on. on the weather computer you will see activity to the west in ohio and kentucky and southwestern virginia. look at that stuff firing. couldn't here later this morning before the noon hour. we will watch this carefully. were aseeing a warm morning. mid-60s in winchester. 75 in town. highs in the 80s but watch out. strong storms will be possible. 75 degrees. good morning angie goff. >> good morning. half way through the 5:00 hour

the vatican's key spokesperson said the pope is right handed and is most upset he won't be able to write. >>> up next, a local guy getting ready for his first- ever nfl training camp. no, not maureen or any relatives. it's someone else and you're going to made that -- meet that person. >>> and activities to coop your summer busy this summer. we have your attention now. >>> and and you know what? we have some great sunshine in our forecast. i'll lit know what to expect pes just where t ttuemra bel ila tefe thr break.  >> temperatures today below seasonal. 83 degrees at national and at dulles. 84 degrees at baltimore. we should be in the upper 80s. 66 at frederick and overnight lows will be on the cooler side clear skies over the washington area, partly cloudy skies. a few clouds to the north and the high pressure building in is going to hold us as we move into tomorrow. we do expect to see a fun- filled day. we'll have rain and a bit of activity to the south of us. other than that, the -- and we'll keep an eye on another system heading into the great lakes and with that, it's goin

obama speaking there in rome ending his g-8 summit with a papal audience at the vatican. the president giving pope benedict a letter from the ailing senator ted kennedy asking the pontiff to pray for him. anderson, you are where the president is headed tomorrow and as i imagine a lot of excitement waiting for him as well. >> reporter: yeah. to say the least. people here are incredibly excited. streets are lined with posters. people walking around with t-shirts with pictures of the president of ghana and also president obama. a lot of people want to know where the president is going to be. are they going to get to see him there is a lot of joy that the president chose ghana to come. he has family in kenya. he could have chosen to go there as he has three times before becoming president. he chose this country because the administration believes ghana is a thriving democracy. they have had successful elections, economic growth and they've been able to battle corruption in a way that many other african governments have not. they see this as a relatively successful model and o

but the vatican says that the injury does not appear to be serious. the pope's reportedly undergoing surgery to reduce the fracture, but the vatican has not confirmed that. despite the accident the pope celebrated sunday mass and had breakfast before going to the hospital. tough guy. another developing story, at least one american is among the dozens of people injured after two luxury hotels in indonesia were bombed. the suspected suicide bomber set off the powerful blast, one explosion ripped through the ritz carlton. minutes later, ripped through the marriott. no group so far has claimed responsibility for these attacks. but investigators say that it has the hallmarks of an al qaeda-affiliated group. well, it's rise and shine time for the crew of the space shuttle endeavor. they're getting their wake-up call right now. as they head toward the international space station. nasa says the insulation that broke off during the launch is not cause for alarm. didn't they used to wake them up with music? clayton: we fed in some oak ridge boys. ainsley: they

. >>> and president obama makes his first visit to the vatican. what was on the agenda for this historic meeting? >>> plus robbed at the atm, the chaos too much for the blind victim to take passing out before the criminal finished the job. what he says wasn't even the worst part of it coming up. >>> cia director leon panetta has terminated a covert program that the spy agency kept secret from congressman. an illinois congressman said even panetta was in the dark about the program just days before he informed lawmakers. now an internal probe is being launched of the program. its purpose is being kept classified for now but it's reportedly been run without congressional none since after 9/11. >>> protesters took to the streets of tehran for the first time in nearly two weeks today still angry about the election results keeping president ahmadinejad in power. ousands fled the streets thursday chanting death to the dictator. tehran's police chief reports few arrests. thousands of iranian americans are planning to march from capitol hill to the white h

overwhelmed everything in its path, even the presidential trip to russia, africa and the vatican, but also a journalistic earthquake that was heard above the endless jackson tributes. just as michael jackson became a cultural icon who transcending the world of music, sarah palin is a polarizing presence whose presence has taken her beyond politics. hailed by some, detested by others and likes by the likes of david letterman and "saturday night live." the aftershocks of palin's surprise resignation as alaska governor are still reverberating in part because it's hard to decipher just why she's quitting. palin's response, she secured the media on twitter and facebook for questioning her explanation and put on her waders and went fishing with several members of the media from the same. >> i knew i wasn't going to run against, i was going to say one term was enough. >> you wouldn't have finished the job, some would say. >> you're not listening to me. >> the pundits are having a grand time sioanalyzing palin for saying ditsy or somewhat suspicious. >> it made stanford sound shik shakespea s

the investigation that could jeopardize his role on the city council. >> visit to the vatican. president obama wraps up crucial meetings with world leaders. this morning preparations are under way for his audience with the pope. >>> good morning and welcome to "news 4 today." i'm joe krebs. >> and i'm barbara harrison. it's friday, july 10th, 2009. let's take a look outside, see what kind of day is developing out there. sun beautifully glowing on the horizon. i guess it must have been up for a couple of minutes now, hmm? tom kierein here to talk you about it. >> a lovely sunrise out there, tom. >> yeah, it occurred eight minutes ago. low humidity again in place. enjoy it while you can because it's going to be turning steamy for the weekend. here's how thingsre looki around the region now. no rain in washington as we look at the radar. there have been a few sprinkles southwest of fredericksburg, just to the east of charlottesville. ri ding southeast andri tending to dissipate. and it's a delig mfu wilnior th lowhu tydimi. temperures in the low and mid-nds diouar theou region. by

obama's next stop was the vatican. major garrett is traveling with the president. >> every presidential audience with the pope is a head of state affair, but this president has also portrayed it as a personal pilgrimage inspired by catholicism's call for social justice. the pope placed that issue in fresh relief with his church document on social and economic justice. in it, pope benedict notes a, quote, urgent need of a true world political authority, unquote, to tame globalization. it calls for global labor rights and income redistribution, profit, it says, must be rooted in ethics and morality. quote, once profit becomes the exclusive goal, if it is produced by improper means and without the common good as its ultimate end, it risks destroying wealth and creating poverty. senior advisors tell fox mr. obama read the the encyclical while attending meetings and said some postwar organizations, including maybe the g8, should go. >> we need to update, refresh and renew the international institutions that were set up in a

he's going to be the ambassador to the vatican. chris: he's pro-life. >> well, he's [speaking foreign language] . and sam kaplan is a very important donor but more important he was an original support of keith ellisson. and they're sending kaplan and his wife to morocco. he is very shrewdly working in america and global culture and trying to bridge them. chris: great reporting. next big question -- does barack obama watch his cloud on capitol hill? be right back. if we don't act, medical bills will wipe out their savings. if we don't act, she'll be denied coverage because of a pre-existing condition. and he won't get the chemotherapy he needs. if we don't act, health care costs will rise 70%. and he'll have to cut benefits for his employees. but we can act. the president and congress have a plan to lower your costs and stop denials for pre-existing conditions. it's time to act. chris: welcome back. this week barack obama began the second half of his first year in office somewhat rock ily. our big question has the president lost his

he's going to be the ambassador to the vatican. chris: he's pro-life. >> well, he's [speaking foreign language] . and sam kaplan is a very important donor but more important he was an original support of keith ellisson. and they're sending kaplan and his wife to morocco. he is very shrewdly working in america and global culture and trying to bridge them. chris: great reporting. next big question -- does barack obama watch his cloud on capitol hill? be right back. it's july 15th, and i'm erika, with a recap of the past 24 hours on royal caribbean's liberty of the seas. debbie from rhode island laced up the gloves in the fitness center. brooke molloy floated with friends through jamaica. late night explorers climbed mountains under the stars. and finally, jose rodriguez rocked the house in the karaoke club. that's the news. i'm erika, cruising with royal caribbean. why aren't you? chris: welcome back. this week barack obama began the second half of his first year in office somewhat rock ily. our big question has the president lost hi