aig again? the bailed out insurance giant now wants to pay its execs millions more in bonuses. whatever happened to that $60 billion lesson? lights, camera, hearings. congress prepares to grill the woman likely to become the 111th supreme court justice. what kind of scrutiny will she face? we'll speak with an expert who pr prepped the last two sitting justices. flights of fancy. that man there took 135 flights in just 30 days. why would anyone want to spend that much time with his tray table in the upright position? we'll ask him. and battle on the high seas. our intrepid reporter bravely

heading out to conquer the maine lobster. who lives to tell the tell? early this saturday morning, july 11th, 2009. captioning funded by cbs good morning, everyone. welcome to "the early show." i hope it is beautiful where you are. i'm erica hill. >> i'm jeff glor in for chris wragge. >> good to be here. >> always wonderful to be here. >> he's serious. we have a great show ahead. that's a lot of big news though on a saturday morning. president obama is in ghana this morning, third u.s. president to make a trip to that west african nation, which in a lot of ways has seen a model of democracy in africa. >> it is a big trip for him. we're also going to talk about health care. the average american family, of their own money, spends $3800 a year on health care. we have an expert from money magazine this morning talking about ways your family can reduce those expenses. >> and wouldn't we all like to

save a little bit of money, especially on health care these days? plenty of fun stuff ahead too. we'll get to the news first. lawmakers and others questioning a bailed out company's plans to now pay out millions of dollars in bonuses. aig is reportedly consulting with others about whether or not it can make the payments. the insurance giant says it has no choice. but some on capitol hill are outraged. anthony mason has the story. >> reporter: the government has pumped more than $170 billion into aig to keep the troubled insurance giant afloat. but the company reportedly is seeking government approval to pay out another round of bonuses, totalling $235 million to about 400 employees. in march, aig set off a firestorm of protests over executive pay, when it was disclosed the company had paid out $160 million in bonuses to employees in the very unit that had brought the company to the brink of collapse. >> you have too much going on in

the financial community, particularly where people get bonuses if things go well and pay no penalty if they go badly. >> reporter: many of those employees returned the money. but in the wake of the controversy, president obama appointed a new compensation czar to oversee executive pay in companies saved by government bailouts. aig which lost $99 billion last year has argued that it is contractually obligated to make the bonus payments. now the company's asking the government to sign off on the bonuses to avoid another outpouring of protests. anthony mason, cbs news, new york. just how will lawmakers and the public react to this reported $2.4 million bonus package? joining us this morning, republican senator jim demint of south carolina. he's also the author of a new book titled "saving freedom." good to have you with us this morning. >> thank you, erica. if you told me last year that there would be a compensation czar in the white house, who would decide what the top executives of america's largest

company would get paid, i would have thought that would never happen in america. so to start out with, that is the hardest thing to deal with, these bailouts and takeovers. but once it happens, the taxpayers are on the hook and they have every right to be mad. >> a lot of outrage understandably this morning. this is taxpayer money because aig got a sizable bailout, $180 billion back in september. when it comes to bonuses, though, the company is saying, look, we made this deal in early 2008 before we made this deal with the government for a bailout, they have cut back on what the actual bonuses are and now we're going to the government for approval, even though they feel they have to do it. in some ways, is aig learning a lesson saying, all right, we'll come to you and ask for your blessing? >> well, once the company asks for government help, they give up their rights. the government now controls them. the problem is, when your company can't succeed on its own, we need to allow it to fail. so the government made the first

mistake by coming in and bailing out aig, general motors and these other companies. now the taxpayers are on the hook. if they had been allowed to go under, these contracts would have been void. but now they're -- >> since they did and since the tax payers are stuck with this, the government is stuck with this, basically the taxpayers would probably like -- and hopefully the government would like to see this company succeed. aig, like a number of other companies is arguing, saying, look, we can't keep the top people in the company to do their job and bring us back to being profitable unless we give them sort of incentive. >> well, that's probably true. but the government can't manage these, and you can't have millions of americans making $30,000 or $40,000 a year paying taxes so that you can give millions of dollars worth of bonuses to companies that are failing. it makes no sense. >> what do you feel the answer is then, senator? since we're stuck in this position, they have the money, it has been handed over,ow do you move forward from this, make sure it doesn't happen again? >> we got to get out of it.

we can't have politicians running companies like aig and general motors. we're deciding what dealers we're going to keep open for heaven's sakes in the auto industry. we have got to break them up. there is a lot of aig that is very profitable and we got to get out of the business. the taxpayers are going to lose money one way or another because politicians made a huge mistake had they decided to bail out this company and many other companies. washington cannot run the private sector business. that is socialism. that's what i write aboutn saving freedom. the only way to deal with this now is to get the government out of aig, and these other companies. >> can you really get out, senator, quickly, without further harming the u.s. economy though at this point? >> well, it won't be easy, but most of the harm is already done. we put up $180 billion in this. if we stay in it, we'll have to put more an more money at it. every time they decide what executives are going to get paid, all the congressmen and senators will express outrage. but these are the same congressmen and senators who

voted for this bailout. so they got us into this and now we need to get out of it. the government is not set up to run private sector companies. if a company can't succeed on its own, it needs to fail. that's what freedom is all about. >> i have a feeling you'll be talking to a few of your colleagues on the hill to try to convince them to come over to your side. senator jim demint, good to have you with us this morning. thank you, sir. >> thanks, erica. a lot of action there. i have a feeling it is not the last we're going to hear about the bonuses. there is another scheduled payment coming up. >> i think you're right about that. speaking of action here this morning, we have more on supreme court nominee sonia sotomayor, spending the last weekend on last minute preparations for monday's confirmation hearing before the senate judiciary committee. just how does a supreme court nominee for the most important hearing of her life get ready? joining us now from washington with some answers is former u.s. assistant attorney general rachel brand, she prepared chief justice john roberts and justice samuel alito for their confirmation hearings.

thank you for joining us. >> good morning. good to be here. >> this is the last weekend of cramming. you've been inside these rooms when this takes place. what is happening there? >> well, at the last minute here, they're just going over some last minute refinements of e answers that she expects to give to the hardest questions. but no doubt they have been doing this for weeks now and gone over these questions over and over and over. by this time, she probably has a pretty good idea of what she's going to say. >> rachel, we talk about the hardest question what will the hardest question be and how might she answer it? >> the points the republicans seem to be focusing on is some of the comments they made in speeches about the role of her background, her personal experience, her ethnicity in judging. the president made empathy in using a judge of heart and background, he said that's important to judging. many republican senators disagree with that and senator sessions and others have said they're going to ask her about that and really push that issue. that's probably the most important thing that we'll come

up with. >> you're talking about the wise latina comment, which she said many times over her career, that a wise latina woman would reach a better conclusion than others. is there a way for her to talk about that without getting in trouble? >> well, i think it is going to be delicate. the white house came out and said they thought she probably could have said it a little bit better. so i expect that senators will ask her, well what exactly did you mean, how would you have said it differently? i think she will have a hard time, though. it will be a hard one for her. >> what about the ricci case in connecticut, the controversial discrimination case involving the white firefighters. her decision was overturned by the supreme court. what might she be asked about that? and if you're counseling her, how would she respond? >> well, she'll probably be asked questions about the decision itself. but nominees to the supreme court tend not to give specific answers about past decisions they made. they don't want tolaborate past the words of the decision itself. i think senators will ask

questions about her views on constitutional issues of race, statutory issues about race, and they will expect to get answers from her about her general views about race issues, even if she can't answer specific questions about the ricci case. >> former u.s. assistant attorney general rachel brand, we appreciate your time this morning. thank you. >> good to be here. >> to be a fly on the wall in those meetings, huh? >> amazing. cram sessions, yeah. >> that's for sure. we have a lot happening this morning. so we're going to check in with priya david now with the rest of the morning's headlines. good morning to you. >> good morning to you and everyone at home. president obama is in the tiny west african nation of ghana this morning, the final leg of i had three-nation trip. cbs news senior white house correspondent bill plante is traveling with the president and has more. >> reporter: good morning, priya. back home, the president's poll numbers may be slipping a bit as the financial crisis continues, but here, that's all in his rear view mirror. this is president obama's first trip to sub-saharan africa. here in ghana, folks are

experiencing what can only be called obama mania. the day began with a welcoming ceremony at the presidential castle. but the visit of the first african-american u.s. president was celebrated all across ghana, everywhere you turned there is obama mania. >> it is a plus to the nation. 153 countries in africa and he decided to choose ghana. >> reporter: why did the president choose ghana and not kenya, his father's country? this is how he put it yesterday. >> part of the reason that we're traveling to ghana is because you've got there a functioning democracy, a president who is serious about reducing corruption and you've seen a significant economic growth. >> reporter: it is meetings today with president mills, he's expected to offer continuing help but also to stress that africa needs to be self-reliant. >> i think he'll be particularly keen to hear from the recently

elected president mills about what that smart aid and smart investment looks like and how to help ghana grow over the years to come. >> reporter: the president will set out his vision of a future for africa today in an aggressive parliament. then the first family goes to visit the cape coast castle, which was britain's headquarters for the west african slave trade. sure to be a moving moment. priya? >> bill plante in ghana for us this morning. general motors says it is rolling along just fine and now that it emerged from bankruptcy after only 40 days. the nation's largest automaker is promising to build more cars and trucks that consumers are eager to buy and get them to market faster. the company also says it will become leaner and will create more fuel efficient cars. but with car sales overall stuck in neutral, may not be easy. the tributes to michael jackson continue. ♪ in his hometown of gary, indiana, last night, fans

re-created his "thriller" video. more than 6,000 people attended a celebration of the pop icon's life. jackson family moved from gary when he was 11. about the time the jackson five began climbing the charts. now about 13 after the hour. over to lonnie quinn with our first check of the we you know, apparently there were about 500 people that dressed up in zombie outfits and danced. >> gary, indiana. apparently joe jackson bought a house there for $80,000, i think $80,000, something like that -- $8,000 -- $800 -- no, $800, bought the house and the jackson family still owns that. let's go over to gary, indiana. here is what we're looking at. all throughout the midwest, we'll talk about the chance for showers and storms that is front will make its march to the east. on both sides of it today, the east coast doing just fine. also behind it, beautiful weather, the hottest air out there going to be around texas and oklahoma, temperatures securely into the 100s. we'll match that reading for portions of the southwest.

some of the coolest air, fort >> everybody making a great day wherever you are. where my pals are over here, talking about that wet weather moving to the east but not until tonight. we get guy saturday, good sunday as well. >> i'll take them both. >> hit the beach, guys. >> i'll take your advice, lonnie quinn. >> do it. >> thanks. still ahead, dangerous pets, exotic animals now on the loose and out of control. they could be in your own backyard. first, comedian mark melkof took 135 commercial airline flights in 30 days. why?

we'll ask him. you're watching "the early show" right here on cbs.

. mark malkoff is an internet star who likes to challenge himself with seemingly impossible tasks. his latest, literally eating, sleeping and living in the air, taking 135 commercial airline flights in just 30 days. let's take a look. >> i think my cell phone is going out. >> reporter: mark is a completian, writer and filmmaker. maybe the best title is adventurer. a man who youtubes like crazy. >> i can still say no. >> reporter: he's taken on some highly unusual challenges. >> how many starbucks are in manhattan? >> reporter: he visited all 171 manhattan starbucks locations in one day. ♪ >> wow. this is it!

>> reporter: his second challenge, his growing internet audience watched him live in ikea for one week while his apartment was fumigated. >> what are you doing? >> purchasing this chair. >> this is my chair. i live here. put it down! >> sorry. >> what i am going to do is stay on a commercial airplane for an entire month. >> reporter: his latest and greatest challenge had him living on airplanes for 30 days. >> my first shower, everybody. >> bring it on! come on! >> reporter: this adventure broke the guinness world record for most flights taken in one month. he took a whopping 135 flights. and mark is here to talk about his latest adventure. mark, welcome to you. i like the duckies. >> sure. >> on the tarmac. that was a solid look. >> that was the flint, michigan, fire department, hosing me dn on the tarmac.

one of the rare moments i was on the ground, the cleanest i was all month. >> you're afraid of flying, by the way. >> i was afraid of flying. one third of all americans are afraid. and airtran let me live on an airplane. i slept there. had to wash myself every morning with baby wipes. i stayed on for an entire month. >> that sounds look a lot of fun. >> yeah. >> were there particular days there were more flights and less flights? what was the worst experience? >> i did about four flights up to 12 flights a day. 14 hours a day of flying. i got used to it. i got over my fear very quickly. and the thing that was the hardest was having to sleep on the plane alone at night, which was kind of odd and -- >> i saw you trying to get into the overhead bin there. must be a comfortable experience. >> it is like living in a japanese hotel. it worked for me. but the -- >> a hyperbaric chamber of some sort. >> it was. the thing that got me through it, my wife christine and the airtran people. they have wi-fi on the airplanes

so 30,000 feet in the sky, and i was able to stay connected to people on twitter. that's how i got my food, by the way. i would twitter to denver, have a rveggie burger waiting for me. >> are you tp'ing the airplane there? >> if you do this, it will get sucked into an airplane toilet in three seconds. >> i want to talk about starbucks. this fascinates me. a lot of people talk about this. >> they do. >> on the internet. 171 starbucks in one day. >> yes. >> you had a beverage at every place? >> i did. i almost died. >> you went to the bathroom where? >> 11 or 12 times. i hit a store every seven minutes, 23 hours. >> and living in ikea -- >> i did. my apartment was being fumigated and i stayed there. i have a very tolerant wife, dimension that? >> yes, i like that. >> we celebrate our anniversary on the wing of the flight and airtran catered the meal. you can see all the ridiculous videos and what it is like for a guy to live on an airplane and get over his fear.

>> all right. mark malkoff, we look forward to the next adventure. >> oh, sure. >> thank you for being with us. >> i can live here for a week. >> there you go. you heard it. erica, over to you. >> poor mark. little does he know it is not nearly as exciting as an entire month on an airplane but we have showers here so maybe that's the upside. up next, correspondent versus crustacean, a battle at sea and not for the feint of heart. harry hurt taking on the maine lobster. plus, chef and i have a few lobster tales of our own and we may share them with you. you're watching "the early show" on cbs.

our resident adventurer harry hurt is taking america by smart car and this week that smart car is docking in rockland, maine, where he joins forces with a local fisherman in an attempt to take on one of the east coast's most notorious crustaceans. >> you're in charge. what are we going to do today? >> we're going to go out, haul some lobster trash, catch some lobsters, bait some traps and have some fun. ♪ >> reporter: lobsters actually smell the bait. >> yeah, they do. >> reporter: they got noses. >> yeah. they got a little bit of eye tight, but don't have very good eyesig eyesight. but they have antennas and the antennas smell through the water

♪ rock lobster >> reporter: this is what pulls the traps right up out of the water, the hauler. >> what they do, they come in and try to get this bait. we don't want to feed them. we want to bait them. we put the bait in the bag. this is herring. we're going to take this old bait and dump it back into the trap. >> reporter: now am i trying to hook the buoy or the rope? >> both. >> reporter: both? if i can get one, i feel like i'm lucky here. come here. i'm going to have to jump in the water. what do we have here? >> we want to pull this up, pull this up, and you let this rope go at the same time. >> reporter: yeah. >> hey. look at this. >> reporter: we got two lobsters. >> we do. >> reporter: that's a little better. how do i get these out of the trap? >> want to reach in and hold him right back here like that. get your fingers out of the way. what we got to do is measure

him. in the state of maine, they got to be 3.75 inches long from the eye to the back of the carapas. this one is good. this is a good lobster. >> reporter: what is this called? >> this is called banding the lobster. put the bands on here, this protects them from biting each other. >> reporter: biting each other? how about biting me? >> well, biting you too. >> reporter: we could take this home and steam it and boil it, anything? >> steam him, boil it, bake, stuff it, saute it. >> reporter: what are we going to do with these things now? >> we're going to put them in the bag, we're going to take them to the store, we're going to have them cooked and we're going to eat them. >> reporter: we're going to eat them tonight. >> we're going to eat them tonight. >> reporter: can't wait. >> sounds look a plan. >> reporter: all right. ♪ rock lobster >> rough gig for harry hurt. >> not fair. >> it is not. we have been in the lobster trenches, both of us. >> my first job was a busboy at a restaurant called the royal pheasant in buffalo where they

had a $9.99 friday night lobster special. >> you don't always expect a lobster in buffalo. >> you don't. >> there are certain odors that go along with lobsters when you're busing a table that are pleasant. i worked on the fish tail, i worked in the lobster sand where i was in charge of killing the lobsters through high school and college. >> cruel. >> it was. but you know how they tell you growing up, they can't feel anything, once you close that wheel and slam the door of the steam pot shut, they're fine. except i learned in the research, they feel pain. they have a sophisticated nervous system. they feel pain until the nervous system is destroyed. >> you're not reveling in this? >> no. but i feel like i can't eat another lobster. but i prefer the butter. i don't like the mayonnaise, by the way. did you get sick of it? >> i'm a big lobster fan. >> all right. >> we have a lot coming up this morning including a segment on health care here.

five simple ways you can beat the skyrocketing costs of health care, some great tips for your family you start using today. embayed morning it's saturday july 11th and here hay people are talk about 11 people are without a home follow a fire in baltimore county it. happened at a apartment complex in the 3400 of firelight lane on the physician say the flame are under control and there are no reports of injuries. red cross is on the scene helping those who have been displaced. baltimore county police are investigating after a child was struck and killed by a car near the east point mall around 7:30 last night. list say the car hit the child lost control and hit two other cars. at least three people were injured. police have not released the name or age of the child who was killed. no word on any charges. the new fiscal year is beginning but maryland is facing a 700 million dollar budget shortfall. that number is twice the amount

previously estimated. force state law makeers to head to the chopping block. governor says the cuts will be painful but he he is aiming to preserve state programs and trying to avoid state layoffs. the giveor will present the solution july 22nd. today exclusive first warning forecast 86 degrees. slight chance of a little bit of rain later this evening. that's the report thanks for joining us. go out and make it a gray day. see you tomorrow morning.

congress is debating health care reform. health care costs, as you probably know, all too well, continue to soar. ahead in the next half hour, we have five six simple things you can do today to save your family a bundle of out of pocket expenses. i'm erica hill, also of cnn's "ac 360." >> i'm jeff glor. stick around to save big bucks on your vacation as well. we have the secret to the ultimate family getaway. >> doesn't get much better than this. >> national park, good idea. national parks are beautiful and budget friendly. >> and a few i didn't -- had never thought about visiting. i'm looking forward to learning more of those. plus, a young woman getting quite a lot of buzz, country pop

artist jessie james in our "second cup cafe." she toured with the jonas brothers. if that's not a ringing endorsement, i don't know what is. we'll get to that. but first back inside, get caught up on the morning's headlines. priya is standing by at the news desk. good morning, everyone. a rural florida panhandle community is in shock this morning. a generous couple with 16 jirn, 12 of them adopted and some with special needs, were murdered thursday night in their home. police say eight of the children were home asleep when at least three men broke in and shot bird and melanie billings. they're calling it a home invasion and say they're not sure about the motive. we'll have much more on this story later in the broadcast. a new federal report finds the bush administration's post 9/11 surveillance program went far beyond warrantless wiretapping. the report says the program included searching americans' e-mail messages. former president bush and some of the top advisers have defended the wiretaps, claiming

they prevented new terrorist attacks. but the report says their effectiveness in fighting terrorism remains unclear. baseball history was made last night when san francisco giant pitcher jonathan sanchez threw the first no hitter of the 2009 season. his triumphant return to rotation for the left-hander after nearly three week demotion to the bull pen. san francisco beat the san diego padres 8-0. sanchez's no hitter was the first by a giant since 1976. those are the headlines. time for another check of the weather with lonnie quinn. >> they're applauding the no hitter. >> very exciting. >> we have got -- we have one sign here which caught me off guard. hi, manny la. what does this mean? >> manny, louisiana. >> oh, of course, of course. that's your hometown. >> yes. >> okay. and you're saying hello to the whole town? >> right. >> all right, good. there you go, louisiana. here is what we see out there, a cold front stretches from the great lakes to portions of the

midwest. that will bring showers and storms to that area. also around southern idaho today, you'll be dealing with some wet weather, hot around texas, but temperatures above the 100 degree mark. >> all right, everybody. time now for lonnie's shoutout, one of my favorite towns, to our viewers in butte and bozeman, montana, who watch on channel 4 kxlf and channel 7 kbzk. it is the 71st annual folk festival out there. check it out if you can. the weather will be beautiful with temperatures into the mid-80s with lots of sunshine out there. 71 years in a row they have been

doing it out there. they're doing it again this weekend. that's it for weather. jeff, over to you. >> mr. quinn, thank you very much. up next on our "cbs healthwatch," healthare costs are skyrocketing. when we come back, five simple tips that can save your family thousands of dollars every year. this is "the early show" on cbs. (announcer) introducing a new era in mascara. (woman) vibrations. (announcer) turn on new pulse perfection vibrating mascara

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last year spending on health care reached $2.4 trillion, that is 16% of america's total gross domestic product. that is more than four times our national defense budget. for most americans with health coverage, that means nearly $4,000 in out of pocket expenses every year. so this morning, amanda gangler from "money" magazine joins with us five tips that can save you some cash this year or next year. good to have you. >> good to be here. >> $3800, that's a lot of money out of pocket. is that going up every year? >> that is 9% higher than just last year's number.

basically health care costs are across the board are going up. on top of that, employers are desperate to control their costs. so they're pushing more of the bill on to the workers. you're paying for more of your care. they're often doing that in not so obvious ways, maybe a co-pay where there wasn't one before. >> that doesn't mean you can't do something. you talk about some of the tips, you talk about in network pricing and bargaining with your doctor. for some people, that may sound strange, bargaining with your doctor. >> people are not used to talking money with their doctor. in today's health care world, it is more important. grow comfortable doing it, recognize this is something that the uninsured do all the time. it is nothing new. it is just that most insured patients don't know they can do it. there are a couple of different approaches. you can ask if you can get a discount if you pay up front or if you have a big bill, they may put you on a payment plan at no interest. then, of course, if you go out of network, asking for that in network price at a doctor's office, that can save you $120.

>> ask for the in network price. talk about prescription medications which as you know can get very, very pricey. we're talking about mail ordering your prescriptions. >> find out if your drug insurer offers a mail order program for prescriptions that you regularly ke. this isn't the one-time antibiotic, but if you have some sort of chronic condition that you need the medication every month and you can have 15 to 35% discount by doing that. and the regular household spends about $500 a year on prescriptions. that's a net savings of $150. >> very nice. all right. you talk about using retail clinics. if you're not really sick, what is a retail clinic and what people should be using it. >> you have an allem, you know what it is, strep throat, an ear infection, they're popping up in chain stores all over the country to treat the basic ailments. you don't need an appointment. the prices are posted on the wall so you know what you're saying. and most accept insurance.

let's say you wake up saturday with an ear infection, go to the retail clinic, pay your co-pay and avoid the $100 co-pay in the three hours you might spend at the er. >> a financial savings account. you recommend that people have -- use these. why? >> basically the flexible spending account, it has been around for a long time, yet so many eligible workers don't sign up. they're leaving free money on the table. it is an account that allows you to set aside a set amount of pretax dollars so you're not paying income on it and you use it for health care costs, everything from co-pays and deductibles to even glasses and over the counter drugs. if you put $1,000 into that account and you're in the 28th percent tax bracket, that's $350. >> if we add all of this up for the average american family, spending $3800 a year, we can cut our expenses -- you think by about $900. if you would like more information on cutting your costs, go to our partner in health coverage and that is

webmd.com and search for health care costs. amanda gangler from "money" magazine, thank you for your time. >> thank you. >> now over to erica. >> just finishing writing down the tips. jeff, thanks. up next, we're saving you money on vacation. the ultimate vacation destination here in the u.s. and they're not going to break the bank. you're watching "the early show" on cbs. introducing one a day women's 2o. the first complete women's multivitamin in a drink mix. with more calcium and vitamin d... to support bone and breast health... while helping you hydrate. one a day women's 2o. refreshingly healthy.

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purina cat chow helps you nurture it in your cat with a full family of excellent nutrition and helpful resources. purina cat chow. national parks just may be america's best kept travel secrets until now, though. president obama pledged $750 million to spruce them up. an even better reason for you to check one out. for families looking to save big bucks this summer, turns out a

national park is your perfect getaway. here to tell us more, travel expert peter greenburg. good to have you with us. >> nice to be with you. >> this summer, even more than usual, it really is the time to go, take advantage of america's treasures. >> you would think it wouldn't be because of the crowds, but this is the summer of the sale. even the national parks are on sale. they're going to wave the entrance fees, also august 15th to august 16th, it is free. >> which is great. it is a national park, i'll go camming. there is more to it. >> there is driving, hiking, there is all sorts of great tours, the park ranger tours, most of the national parks are free. for a family of four, if you want to camp, two nights at 60 bucks, come on. >> that's amazing. i love the deals. you have some specific ones that you want to highlight. we're going to make our way across the country. you pick out four of the best, starting off with one of your favorites. >> and one of your favorites too, aqaeda in maine. it is so gorgeous and so

accessible because the shuttle buses are free, you can get up there on the ridge line, get great walks, great tours and it is not expensive. >> give me an idea of money in terms of not expensive. $50 for a family or $5. >> we're talking an entrance fee for the car for a week of under 25 bucks. and then, of course, if you want to camp, back to that two nights, 60 bucks, not bad. >> doable. a lot of deals depending on your age. senior citizens, a lifetime pass. >> a lifetime pass for the whopping fee of $10. i think we can work that one out. >> my father got one, very excited about it. he told me all about it. from maine, we'll head across the country, a little south, a little west -- >> to virginia, to shenandoah. shenandoah is great, skyline drive, if you want to drive this is where you drive. hundreds of miles of just great driving opportunities there. and, again, the entrance fees, even when they're not waved, are cheap. under 25 bucks. >> this is for folks not familiar with the area, it is the blue ridge mountains. >> a great day trip from washington, d.c., do it in northern virginia, very

manageable. all the parks are more accessible than you think fro major metropolitan areas. >> gas a lot cheaper, which makes it easier. zion national park, people probably heard about this one but it is so much larger than i realized. >> the red rock formations it so beautiful. the thing i love about zion, people don't realize, there are over 6,000 state parks in this country, but people don't realize many of which are right next to the national parks. you have the coral pink sand dunes state park, also 3700 acres and the admission fee next to zion, $5. >> can't beat that. $5 for a person or a whole family? >> let's not get pushy here. >> i'll take it. for folks who maybe wanted to get to grand canyon, you can rope it in. >> back door it absolutely. >> one of the most amazing places i've ever been in the country. and finally, off to washington -- >> mount rainier. name another national park that has 14,000 foot active volcano. >> i don't think we have many other ones. >> no. very cool place. a great day trip from seattle,

also manageable. once again, they're waving the entrance fees at most national parks. next weekend, and august 15th and 16th. >> the stimulus money, $750 million, there are hundreds of projects that are in the works right now. so even if there is a park you don't hit this summer, you can get an upgrade next summer. >> don't forget offseason. yellowstone, don't go in the summer, go in the winter. >> peter greenberg, he has much more for us but i have to cut you off. treat to have you with us. thank you. just ahead, is this the next superstar? you'll find out what everybody is buzzing about. jessie james in our "second cup cafe." pepto-bismol. nausea, heartburn, indigestion, upset stomach, diarrhea. yeah, my buddy's got all that. do we need to buy a bunch of different medicines? pepto guy: oh, no, pepto alone relieves all five symptoms. plus gas too. dude. we're covered. enjoy the game. easy. pepto guy: pepto-bismol. yup, you're covered.

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christina aguilera meets shania twain and you have our next guest, a country pop superstar in the making. jessie james' first single "wanted" has been heating up the billboard charts for the past 11 weeks now. her debut cd is out august 11th. dimension she opened up for the jonas brothers too? here to perform "wanted" ♪ ♪ i wanna lie in my bed and do nothing ♪ ♪ i don't care what anyone says i got you on my mind ♪ ♪ thinking about one thing gonna show you how i do it best ♪ ♪ put my lips on your mouth ♪

♪ keep you comin' around cuz i like it ♪ ♪ put your hands on my hips take me down ♪ ♪ sink this ship boy i can't resist ♪ ♪ i wanna wear my hair up in a mess ♪ ♪ cut off jeans can you get with that ♪ ♪ give you something like you've never had ♪ ♪ cuz i only wanna be wanted by you ♪ ♪ i wanna tease you till you're begging me ♪ ♪ and you're on your knees and it's hard to breathe ♪ ♪ and every other time is just a memory cuz i only wanna be wanted by you ♪ ♪ those other guys when they call i might answer ♪ ♪ but you're the one i'm thinking about ♪ ♪ so baby don't disappoint just move faster ♪ ♪ and show me what you're feeling now ♪ ♪ put my lips on your mouth ♪ ♪ keep you comin' around

cuz i like it ♪ ♪ nothing's wrong it's so right ♪ ♪ got permission from me tonight ♪ ♪ so turn off the lights ♪ turn off the lights ♪ i wanna wear my hair up in a mess ♪ ♪ cut off jeans can you get with that ♪ ♪ give you something like you've never had cuz i only wanna be wanted by you ♪ ♪ i wanna tease you till you're begging me ♪ ♪ and you're on your knees and it's hard to breathe ♪ ♪ and every other time is just a memory ♪ ♪ cuz i only wanna be wanted by you ♪ ♪ now i'm going crazy i'm tired of waiting ♪ ♪ my lips are on fire i just want you to know ♪ ♪ i'm losing my patience for the time you've wasted ♪ ♪ put your lips on my mouth ♪ ♪ put your lips on my mouth ♪ ♪ put your lips on my mouth ♪ ♪ i wanna wear my hair up in a mess ♪ ♪ cut off jeans can you get with that ♪ ♪ give you something like you've never had ♪ ♪ cuz i only wanna be wanted by you ♪ ♪ i wanna tease you till you're begging me ♪ ♪ and you're on your knees

and it's hard to breathe ♪ ♪ and every other time is just a memory ♪ ♪ cuz i only wanna be wanted by you ♪ ♪ i wanna wear my hair up in a mess ♪ ♪ cut off jeans can you get with that ♪ ♪ give you something like you've never had ♪ ♪ cuz i only wanna be wanted by you ♪ ♪ cuz i only wanna be wanted by you ♪ >> jessie james, well done. thanks for stopping by. i think some might be curious to know who that song was co-written by. >> kara dioguardi. >> "american idol" judge. you're opening for the jonas brothers. you're getting around. you moved around as a kid too, quite a bit, on military bases. >> my dad was an air force pilot. we moved all the time. my mom was in tv as well so we moved all the time. >> that affects your style. >> it did. it helped me so much.

i adapted to so many different places and met so many different people and it inspired me to write songs and change up my style a bit. it helped me a lot. >> jessie james, thanks. >> thank you so much. >> we'll be right back.

embayed morning it's saturday july 11th and here hay people are talk about 11 people are without a home follow a fire in baltimore county it. happened at a apartment complex in the 3400 of firelight lane on the physician say the flame are under control and there are no reports of injuries. red cross is on the scene helping those who have been displaced. baltimore county police are investigating after a child was struck and killed by a car near the east point mall around 7:30 last night. list say the car hit the child lost control and hit two other cars. at least three people were injured. police have not released the name or age of the child who was killed. no word on any charges. the new fiscal year is beginning but maryland is facing a 700 million dollar budget shortfall. that number is twice the amount

previously estimated. force state law makeers to head to the chopping block. governor says the cuts will be painful but he he is aiming to preserve state programs and trying to avoid state layoffs. the giveor will present the solution july 22nd. today exclusive first warning forecast 86 degrees. slight chance of a little bit of rain later this evening. that's the report thanks for joining us. go out and make it a gray day. see you tomorrow morning.

hail to the chief. president obama getting a hero's welcome on his historic trip to africa. but the political climate back home, far from cozy. an unspeakable crime. a florida couple known for adopting children with special needs brutally murdered in a home invasion. just who killed this couple and what's now to become of their 16 children? overboard or maybe just enough? the media obsession with all things michael jackson finally coming to an end, but did we really beat it into the ground? we'll debate that in our early line this morning. and tests that kill. exotic house animals growing so large, they are taking lives. we have the deadly pythons live on our set. the snake that had many people asking why not just get a dog?

all that and more early this saturday morning, july 11th, 2009. can see that sun coming up there, rising over the buildings. welcome to "the early show." i'm erica hill, als of cnn's "ac 360." >> i'm jeff glor for in for chris wragge. i like that question, why not get a dog. >> i have a dog, a cat. we're fine with that. you grew up with snakes around the house. >> my brother, does a lot of stuff with lizards, yeah, it was fun the one time when i -- the snake was missing for four weeks, walked out of the bathroom and there he is. >> there he was. >> hey. >> that's why i don't have snakes in my house. one manufacture reasons. in all seriousness, our good friend, from miami, will be back with us, he'll have pythons on set with us and other exotic animals that you don't want to

bring home. >> yeah. got to be careful with that stuff. also an amazing survival story out of washington. three friends on a mountain, one was badly hurt and one of them -- some were rescued, one had to stay there for five nights in a cold cave, thought he was going to die, he will tell his tale. >> what a tale to come back and share that with us. before we get to everything, though, we need to get caught up on the morning's headlines. degree is sta priya is standing by at news desk. president obama is wrapping up his three-nation trip with a historic visit to the west african nation of ghana. this morning, mr. obama met with his counterpart, president john adam mills. mr. obama cited ghana as a model of enduring democracy and a well managed economy. he reminded other african nations to learn from its success. separately, mr. obama urged americans to be patient with his economic recovery plan. in his weekly radio and internet address, he dismissed the idea of a second stimulus to jolt the nation out of its now 20-month

recession. cbs news learned the top u.s. military commander in afghanistan wants a significant increase in afghan police and troo to help fight the taliban. general stanley mccrystal reportedly says the war uld be lost unless the afghans expand their army. about 4,000 u.s. marines are battling increasing violence in afghanistan. more u.s. troops are expected in the coming months to help train anded a ed advise the afghanies millions of dollars in more bonuses for aig employees. sources state insurance giant is consulting with the government about the incentives which are called for in contracts signed before the huge federal bailout last year. much of the money reportedly will go to workers in the unit that is at the heart of the company's near collapse. supreme court nominee sonia sotomayor is getting ready f her close-up. confirmation hearings begin monday before the senate judiciary committee. it is expected she'll become the first in the nation's first

hispanic supreme court justice and the third woman on the high court, she could face some sharp questioning from critics. florida police this morning are looking for three men in a red passenger van. they're suspected of killing a wealthy couple with hearts as big as their large family. pat peterson of cbs affiliate wkrg in pensacola has more. >> reporter: tape holding back violent secrets of a horrifying crime. the double murder of a couple who opened their home and their hearts to children with special needs. >> i that i only adds to the hatefulness and senselessness of this act. and i can tell you that our community has an outpouring as i speak for the deaths of these two individuals. >> reporter: and investigators say three men broke into the billings' home and murdered them in cold blood. eight children ages 8 to 14 were inside the home when the billings were shot and killed. and investigators say one of the children called a family friend

who then notified police. >> bird and melanie billings, i believe, exemplified what is good and decent in society. >> have a good one. >> reporter: karla arnold manages the convenience store near the billings' home. >> they were just the type of people, they didn't lock their doors, they would help anybody. >> reporter: the beulah woman used to work for the couple. >> who could do something like that with all the children around? >> reporter: detectives questioned several people they consider persons of interest in the double murder. so far, no arrests have been made. pat peterson for cbs news, beulah, florida. general motors says it is business as usual now that it emerged from bankruptcy after just 40 days. the nation's largest automaker is promising to build more cars and trucks that consumers want to buy and get them to the market faster. the company also has plans to make itself leaner, but with car sales sagging, that may not be easy. investigators are not ruling out homicide in michael

jackson's death. los angeles police chief william bratton says detectives need to see the coroner's report first that won't be available for weeks. jackson's father said friday he suspects "foul play." meanwhile, 6,000 michael jackson fans in gary, indiana, celebrated the king of pop's life. ♪ don't let me hold you down and get up, get up ♪ >> 500 dancers dressed like zombies re-created jackson's "thriller" video. the entertainer spent the first 11 years of his life in gary. now about 6 after the hour. time for another check of the weather with lonnie quinn. big michael jackson fan. want to show us some moves out there? >> i'll show you some moves, but not my dance moves this started out as an urban street sport. it has gone global teams competing from all over the world, i'm talking about double dutch jumping. it is even trying to inch its way in as an olympic sport. here now, one of the top teams

in the world, jumpers in command. you're in control. show us what double dutch is all about. >> come on, easy. >> easy, boy. jump over. ♪ easy, shelly. come on, will. easy. there you go. good. bring it around. ♪ take it easy. and jump. easy. easy, sonny. flip it out. go! ♪ you know we got to do it right now ♪ ♪ it's now or never >> easy. easy. one, two. ♪ push it, push it to the limit, the limit ♪ >> one, two.

easy. good! get out. come on, easy. come on, come on, hook it up. easy. easy. ea easy. >> here's what we see out there. around the midwestern section of the country, that brings showers and storps and showers and storms around portions of nevada to idaho. heat, big time heat in in texas and oklahoma, around the southwest. temperatures securely into the 100s.

as promised, we're going to -- how are you doing? it is a little scary. >> go! >> go. yeah, baby. go! ♪ push it, push it to the limit, the limit ♪ >> are you kidding me? are you kidding me? ♪ push it, push it to the limit, the limit ♪ >> that was so cool. >> all right! >> i would like to see dave price try that one, lonnie. not since the death of princess diana 12 years ago has the world been so fixated on the death of a public figure. over 30 million americans tuned in to watch michael jackson's memorial service on tuesday, capping off nearly two weeks of wall to wall coverage.

the media overkill begs the question, when is enough enough? so we thought what better subject than this for today's early line. here to discuss with us this morning, brenda leskom, rachel sign, and joining us this morning from pittsburgh, robert bianca, tv critic from "usa today." good to have all of you with us this morning. a research poll found 64% of americans say the coverage was in fact excessive. do you agree? >> i don't agree. if you take another pew research poll, 85% thinks we cover celebrities too much anyway. that's a bit less. i think what happened was we don't have many opportunities for expressing grief for public grief. so when somebody like that dies, somebody we all knew, it is a feeling you want to share. what you saw there was the community coming together over something that we very rarely come together over. somebody died, somebody extremely famous t was something we wanted to show.

>> you're saying the media did their job just right. rachel, you're not disputing the amount but the content itself. >> yes. i think that there -- now that we have the internet so many more gory details are able to slip out so much fast and it can feel like a lot of really inappropriate information flying at you. where michael jackson's brain is, what drugs he took, who was with him, whether or not there was foul play, all the details seem almost like overkill, i think. >> a little bit like overkill. robert, you think enough is enough, right? >> well, i think to be honest, you know, excessive is the media's default position. we do tend to go on as -- i think it is true that 3 1 million people were interested in the funeral. and this was an event that people wanted to know about. i don't know that that interest extends now to people dancing in gary, indiana. >> you say the memorial from last night wasn't doing it for you? >> i think perhaps with the

memorial, the story should be coming to an end. >> how do you move beyond? we're in this culture now, cable news, the internet, it is kind of impossible to ignore it. if you don't cover it, then as a media organization, you're not doing your job? >> well, i think that there comes a point in the media we make those choices all the time. we don't cover everything every day. that's part of our job is deciding -- trying to define what is newsworthy. and surely that extends beyond what people are interested in to what is important. but it also includes, you know, surely it includes what people want to know and i do think that as -- as we said, 31 million people, this was the second highest rated memorial service ever. people were tied up into that. i don't think that means talking about every detail now. >> that's what you brought up as well, rachel. maybe the details were too gory. but there is -- sadly in a lot of ways, there is an appetite

for that, for knowing all these things, where was the brain? how many needle marks were there, were there not, on his body. you're going to be able to find it no matter what. >> absolutely. i think that says a lot about us as a culture, we want to know how many track marks were on his body. >> can you come back that from that? can you go back to the time when people weren't seeking out the details that makes them queasy but they want to know? >> i don't think we can, especially with the rapid information you can get on the internet. he minute he died, and from then on you knew everywhere his family was, everywhere his body was, every doctor that had ever touched him. i don't think we can go back. >> and we're probably not going to. belinda, the family, a lot of questions about how the family handled this. did they add to the media spectac spectacle, did they play it just right? >> i think you to cut anybody who is suffering grief for a family member a lot of slack. some things were said, we should know the jacksons are not a completely normal family. we have seen them long enough to

know that. add grief to that cocktail and you'll get some weird behavior and some very intense media interest. i think some of the things that were said are going to be regrettable. some of the things they did. i think to get up on stage like that, that's a showbiz family, that's where they are at home. they are at home in front of an audience. and if they are processing their grief that way, god love them. you got to cut them some slack. >> people need to deal with grief in their own way. >> whatever you do, you do, i think. >> this is not the last time we'll debate the media overkill question but a pleasure having you all this morning. thank you, all. >> thanks. >> thanks. and that's going to do it for the early line. we're not done here on "the early show." jeff glor back with a little preview of what else is to come. jeff? >> coming up, the latest on the michael jackson investigation -- no. that's not -- find out why the man you're about to see here is lucky to be alive and amazing rescue story. you're watching "the early show." we'll speak to them coming up next.

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the mountainous cold and that name proved all too accura accurate. jason shilling was climbing the mount within a few friends when one friend fell and was seriously hurt. jason kept the friend company while the others went for help. and when rescuers finally arrived, bad weather forced jason to remain behind. he wound up stranded for four nights and five days before he could be rescued. jason shilling joins us from seattle this morning along with his friend, steph abeg also on

the mountain. good morning to both of you. >> good morning. >> glad to hear you're okay. tell me what happened, jason. steve fell, your friend steve fell. tell me what happened. >> well, the four of us were climbing. steve and steph were on a rope together and steve was up ahead and he fell approximately 60 feet, fractured his femur and his left leg and shattered his heel in his left leg in addition to having some head trauma. so it was pretty much out of the question that he could continue climbing and in need of immediate attention. >> he couldn't move much at that point. so you guys tried to move him to a safe location and then got him out of there. >> yeah. we kind of stabilized him, assessed his injuries and made sure he wasn't going to fall off the mountain. we had to -- steph and our partner don had to continue to make a phone call to get a helicopter and eventually later that day to pick him up. >> eventually steph and steve all got out of there.

then how did this happen that you were forced to stay? >> well, it was a tricky evacuation. they weren't able to do it until the last possible minute that night, which was very fortunate for steve. but they weren't able to pick me up because it was too late. and by the time they got around to the next morning, weather had moved in. i had to hang out and wait for the next weather window, which didn't happen for another three days. >> i know they had sent you a backpack and put some supplies in there, this must have been incredibly frightening because you're inside this cold, small cave for four nights and five days. were you delirious? what was it like in there. >> at first i was a little panicky. but it was pretty tight. i could roll over on my side and wedge myself. i say more of a crevice than a cave. so, yeah, after a couple of days, you know, i was staring at the wall the whole time and it was -- it was interesting.

>> you were seeing certain things, i think, what most people can't blame you for at the time. how is steve doing these days? how is he? >> he's doing okay. we both have gone to see him over the last couple of days. right now he's at home. and he has a two-month recovery. his left heel is shattered which will take the most time to heal. but he's already planning on his next climb, which is scheduled for two months from the incident. so he's in good spirits. he's got a solid support group there. >> sounds like he's a little too anxious to get out there. jason shilling and steph abeg, thank you both for joining us this morning. we're thrilled to hear you're both okay. and also that your friend is recovering and will be out there again soon. thank you. >> thank you. up next here this morning, we are going to go under the radar. guess what, michael jackson aga again. see this one to believe it. 3

oh, one of our favorite times on a saturday morning, time to sit back, relax and join us on our weekly trip undeer the radar with a few of our friends on the plaza. the devil may wear prada, but this could likely be the outfit from hell. this is not an extra from the latest halloween movie, no, no. in fact, it is the new face of fashion or faces from designer michael lou. showcased at hong kong's fashion week and probably safe to say, this will not be appearing at the gap this fall. how creepy is that? >> little bit. all right. >> i'm not wearing the mask dress. >> up next, something that erica hill is doing next week. we're going to show you this because it is a pretty fascinating move by one of the wallendas here. this took place, check this out, balancing on a cable, only a nickel wide. >> i taught him everything he knows. >> nick wallenda across

pittsburgh's allegheny river, 200 feet above the water, using a 42 pound balance bar and no net. stunt took about 25 minutes and when it was over, wallenda kissed the ground. >> yeah. i would too. and then asked him if he was crazy, amazing, i couldn't do that. fear of heights. from that to check this out, busy public square, stockholm, sweden, is the place. a little tribute to michael jackson. hundreds of strangers begin dancing to "beat it." turns out the dance is the idea of a dance troupe called bounce. they gave folks in the square a quick group lesson which clearly paid off there. they started strutting their stuff we should try something like that with our friends on the plaza this morning. >> i think it is a good idea. lonnie could lead the dance. >> he's our resident choreography. maybe he could put together a number for you guys? >> this half hour. coming up. >> i think it will be a good way to go. we'll see what question do.

we'll try to make that happen here. stay with us.

oh, yes. there we are. our next fest out here on the plaza. ahead in the next half hour, pets that can kill if you're not careful. exotic species growing out of control, taking lives. we don't want it to happen to you. we're going to help you manage that this morning. welcome back to "the early show." i'm erica hill, also of cnn's "ac 360" along with my friend here, jeff glor. >> filling in for chris wragge. good looking guy. who is he going to hurt? >> not me because i'm not getting close enough to let him. >> we're going to hang out with him. also coming up here this morning, our "chef on a shoestring" reveals how to thrill at the grill this summer. and another hot performance from country's next big thing, jessie

james. >> i love it. nothing like a little barbecue in the summertime. >> just got a new drill. >> oh, perfect for you. you'll be taking notes, right? perfect. we'll get to that in a moment. first, one last look at the morning's headlines because it is a busy morning in the news world. priya is inside at the news desk. >> good morning, guys. good morning, everyone. president obama is expected back at the white house early tomorrow morning after a trip abroad. mr. obama is wrapping up his travels with the stop in the west african nation of ghana. this morning he cited ghana's enduring democratic government as a model for other african nations. the president's other stops included russia and italy where' tended the g-8 summit and visited the pope at the vatican. authorities closed an historic cemetery near chicago in the middle of a grave digging scheme after finding more human bones on the grounds. the county sheriff designated it a crime scene. hundreds of families visited the cemetery yesterday, looking for their loved ones graves. many found empty holes in the

ground. four former cemetery workers were accused earlier this week of digging up hundreds of bodies, then dumping them and reselling the grave sites. finally, we want to wish a big happy birthday to big ben. 150 years ago today, the great bell inside the london clock tower charmed for the first time. to mark the occasion, a sign reading happy birthday, big ben, 150 years, 1859-2009, will be projected on the clock tower tonight. those are the headlines at this hour. out to lonnie with another check of the weather. priya, i know this is supposed to be the time where erica sets me up to do some kind of organized dance thing. i couldn't -- i know, what? what did you just say? >> i'm getting your career started. >> whoa. >> the dancing part of it. not the weather part. you got that down. >> the gauntlet has been thrown

down this morning. >> love it. i will tell you, though, there is somebody over here i had to talk to, you reported and said don't you dare talk to me. and who are you? >> audrey. >> audrey. it is aunt audrey, isn't it? >> it is aunt audrey. >> let's talk to you about a little bit of weather. how did i do, audrey? >> really good. >> here is the part i -- chris wragge shoulhave been here, you think? let's get to the weather. this is the part they pay me for. there is the cold front around the midwest. i am calling for showers and storms there. showers and storp storms around nevada. big time heat around the southwest. triple digits, hot one in that area.

>> something tells me audrey comes with uncle stan. look at the big smiles on them right there. speaking of -- what's that look over there all about? >> i'm afraid i need jeff glor to protect me. i thought you were going to hurt me. >> you're over there way couple of living beings, one which of came to my wedding. >> i don't think it was ron mcgill. wasn't ron mcgill. we'll find out why ron mcgill is here, not just to see ronnie and reminisce about the wedding. here with this python, an albino burmese python, they're showing up all over the place these days, not where they should be. we want you to keep yourself safe and if you're thinking about getting one of these, you need to keep w with us. you're watching "the early show" on cbs. king up to breakfast delicious. now, we're making it more affordable. with five one-dollar-off coupons... in specially marked boxes of cereal. wake up to breakfast -- on kellogg's. the best to you each morning.

welcome back, everybody. this morning what is becoming in some cases a deadly trend. in fact, taking the life of an innocent toddler and one california -- florida, rather, lawmaker is calling for a crackdown on exotic pets because of this. >> reporter: charles darnell woke up to find his 89 foot long burmese python koild around shahana hair, crushing her. they think the snake may have been trying to eat the child. >> the worst happened last week in florida. >> reporter: since the tragedy, florida senator bill nelson ramped up his crusade to ban

burmese pythons. they're one of several exotic pets that people release into the wild. >> if it continues to proliferate, you'll find it all over the southern united states. >> reporter: the snake can grow more than 18 feet, threatening other wildlife, and humans. >> it is just a matter of time before one of these snakes get to a visitor in the florida everglades. >> reporter: over the past decade, the number of burmese pythons imported has increased five times to over 100,000. and pet sellers say the ban would kill their fast growing industry. terrell brown, cbs news, new york. >> incredible, the number of snakes being imported here. ron mcgill, our good friend from the miami metro zoo, here with examples of exotic pets that people have turned loose or sometimes escaped. they can have deadly results. you'll help us avoid that. great to have you back with us. >> this is a real big problem now. this is a burmese python, an

albino, they breed them to become this color and sometimes they're this size, sometimes smaller. about a year old this snake grows quickly. eventually it will turn into something like this. >> wow. and how quickly does it become something like that? >> you know, snakes grow, according to what they're fed and how big their environment is. a snake can grow to this size within five years. you can get to a snake to be within this size. these are not malicious monsters. they're not going out seeking people. they're not very bright. they feed on small, warm blooded animals. if you find a toddler or a pet, or anything like that, they don't decipher whether it is the human or a small deer. if it is something they can kill, they'll do it. >> it is not them. it is a beautiful animal. >> it is a beautiful animal. it doesn't belong here. in the ever gladz, we have over 100,000 of these animals in the everglades. >> you were saying they thrive in that environment because it

is warm. in new york city, if they escape this he die. >> the first frost and they die off. in florida, southern parts of the united states, we have a huge problem with exotic animals. they get to be a huge size. want to see really huge? look at this guy. >> do people just not realize how big they're going to get? >> look at this guy. >> this is -- a reticulated python. >> this is a reticulated python. how are you doing? >> this grows to be the longest snake in the world. >> hey, buddy. >> look at jeff glor bff with the big snake. >> he's coming around already. >> what you have to understand is i caught one of these on a beach with three full grown raccoons in its belly. >> why are we okay standing here with it? it is not hurting us? >> this has been raised in captivity, basically shown that humans are not a threat to it, well fed. >> you can teach your snake? do people at home teach it not to kill you? >> people don't look at the long-term commitment. there is an old saying, you can take the animal out of the wild, you can't take the wild out of the animal.

be careful with this snake, all people should. this is not a conversation piece pet. people need to understand that. we have a lot of other problems with other animals here too. >> what does he weigh, by the way? >> he weighs a little over 100 pounds. he's probably 14 feet long now. >> whoa. >> look at this. >> look at this guy. >> a large toad. >> a large toad. this is a marine toad. this is introduced in the united states first to address a problem with sugar cane beetles. unfortunately it took over. they're all over the southern part of the united states now. >> i know you want to check it out. >> the problem with it is, see the large swellings behind its head, these are venomous glands, they release a venom from here. people in the southern parts of the united states know this problem. they bite the dogs and the dogs die. >> now they're taking over the wild. people have these as pets. >> they brought them in to try to control the beetles. it got out of control. you got to be careful with the exotic animals. now they're costing hundreds of thousands of dollars. it costs the united states over $100 billion a year to control the exotic animals and plants.

it is unbelievable. >> people don't know any bet, pets don't know any better. >> a classic example of something you had here in new york. >> a lizard. >> this is a cayman, a type of crocodilian. sold in pet shops, like this. this grows to be over 7 feet long. >> they're billed to try to get rid of these pets. should they not be sold altogether or do we need to teach people more how to deal with the animals? >> a combination of both. a lot of animals should not be imported anymore. listen, there are hundreds of thousands of dogs and cats looking for good homes and shelters all over this country. they'll give you companionship. a animal like this will never give you companionship. >> he won't curl up with you at night? >> i won't curl up with you at night. >> ron mcgill, always good to have you with us and protect us too. i don't want to get too close to that. that's why i have jeff over here. >> thank you. coming up this morning, one of america's top grilling experts will not be grilling

alligators or frogs or snakes. we have the secret to the ultimate barbecue. elizabeth karmel fires up a three-course barbecue on just $35. our "chef on a shoestring" coming up next. you're watching "the early show" here on cbs. (mom) i'm not going to be able to see her every day. or sit on her bed and talk about her day. but she's ready. thanks to walmart's unbeatable prices, i was able to get her everything she needed. as well as what she wanted. letting go? mom! (mom) that's the hard part. set them up for success, for less. save money. live better. walmart.

. banana and barbecue may sound like an unlikely combination. but in fact our next guest says you can grill anything, even a banana split. elizabeth karmel is our "chef on a shoestring" this week, executive chef at hill country here in new york city. she's going to fire up a three course summer feast for us all on the grill, all for under $35 as part of our "chef on a shoestring" challenge. great to have you with us this morning. >> great to be here. >> it smells fantastic where we're standing. let us know, what are we going to be diving into? >> this is my summer on a plate menu. fire roasted corn with a smoked paprika butter. we have got salt and pepper pork

spare ribs. and we have got a grilled banana banana split sundae. >> i'm intrigued by that. you'll make me wait for dessert. >> let's start with the ribs. they take the longest to cook. >> these are pork ribs today. >> pork ribs, spare ribs, coming from the belly of the pig. >> okay. >> they're really meaty. >> what do i look for in a rib? there are so many different types of ribs, how do i know which is the best for what i want to do? >> look for a meaty rib. this will feed two to three people, right? and you also want to make sure there is no bone shine, that means that you don't see any bone through the meat. >> all meat on top. >> right. all meat. that's basically it, you know? so what we're going to do to get started is we're going to season the rib and then cook them over indirect heat, that's low and slow. >> right. >> so why don't we get started? we'll season it. if you want to help me. we have hill country rub, which is salt, pepper and enough cayenne to turn it pink. that's great. you want to season it on both sides. >> okay. >> then i always hear different

things about ribs. i never made myself, it can take days, marinate ahead of time. we can do this in 30 minutes? >> not quite 30 minutes. i'll let you help me. if you hold this, we'll come back here, this -- these are really big ribs. they'll take between two and three hours. if you have baby back ribs, you can do them in like an hour and a half. >> you don't need to do anything before. some people put them in an oven -- a big no-no. >> just say no. you're losing all of the flavor. look at these. i put these on for three hours. >> i like your little rib rack. i've never seen that before. clearly i don't have a grill anymore. >> the great thing about a rib rack, it maximizes the space. if i didn't have the rib rack it would only hold one rack. >> do you have to turn them so you're getting -- >> no, just put the lid on, make sure there is no heat, directly underneath the rib, and then just put the ribs in there.

>> far too easy. the corn, you throw on directly. put anything on the corn before you put it on? >> a little olive oil and a little bit of salt. so let's cut them because, you know what, cutting them is really interesting. i'll show you the easiest way to cut a rib is to turn it upside down. take the corn off too and put this here. and you let the bone actually be the guide. and then, of course, for presentation, you want to turn them over. >> okay. >> isn't that nice? >> it is. i love that this is so simple. how long did you -- i might have asked you, but how long do you put the corn on for? >> ten minutes maximum. the fresher the corn, the less time you need to cook. this time of year, we have gorgeous fresh corn. >> i think we should test the ribs. >> want to test them? >> i do. as we test the ribs, tell us about this, a smoked paprika butter you made for the corn? >> this is so easy. i added a little bit of garlic salt and little bit of smoked paprika to the butter.

and it makes such a difference in flavor. plus, don't you love that color? >> it is gorgeous on the corn. >> isn't that great? and it is an easy trick to do. put all your favorite flavors. >> you can make it with anything. >> right. >> i love it. we have to get to the banana -- >> this is so easy. >> i'm testing your butter. i want to make sure -- it is call control here on "the early show." >> let me show you what we do very simple. drizzle the bananas with honey. and then what we're going to do is we're going to grill them over direct heat, for a few minutes to get some nice color on them. and then we're going to turn them over and put the lidback on the grill and cook them until the skin separates from the banana. >> we start them like this with skin side down and then turn it over. they don't fall out on the grill? >> they don't fall out on the grill. >> all right. >> it is done when the skin separates here. >> sounds like a plan to me. >> want to make a sundae. >> i would love to make a

sundae. i have a feeling my colleagues will mack a sundae too. let's see how you did with the challenge. the budget, $35, for four, how low can you go, $34.18. are you in the top three, elizabeth? >> am i. >> you're not. >> i'm not. >> doesn't mean it wasn't good. >> you got to pay for the ingredients. >> you do. this is fantastic. i love it. >> i may need -- >> stay with us. for the recipes, logon to our website at cbsnews.com/saturday. you can get the recipes and as well as a few more. just ahead, why the jonas brothers can't get enough of jessie james. plus, another performance. that's right, from the one and only jessie james. there you go. while you wait for that on "the early show," we're digging into breakfast. stay with us. ⌟

there we go. and early next saturday, can willow bark cure your headache? what is willow bark anyway? we'll examine herbal remedies that could be healthier for you than what's in your medicine cabinet. that's coming up next saturday. before we get to that -- >> yes. >> what is happening tonight? >> a little something happening tonight. "the cbs evening news" saturday edition, hope you can join us. priya david will have an amazing story. you heard of wife swap. you'll hear about a kidney swap that involve a lot of people and did save some lives. >> domino effect, eight kidneys swapped. >> tonight. >> with jeff glor. we'll see both of you then. monday, see you monday night too on cbs in new york city. hope to see all of you right here next saturday with us. come on down to the plaza if you're in town for priya, jeff and lonnie, i'm erica, have a

great weekend. we get more music now from jessie james. ♪ a funny glow that can keep you warm that can make you go crazy ♪ ♪ always got to be the show you never know what it's like being in the crowd ♪ ♪ i'm hearing people say you're on your way ♪ ♪ and somebody's got you ♪ you back to reality hope you see the things you may have been looking at ♪ ♪ i am burning bridges i'm trying to mend them ♪ ♪ i have apologize d if i ever hurt your feelings ♪ ♪ got my own convictions and i've got to listen ♪