john edwards is humiliated, he is discredited. he is appropriately out of american politics. but i don't see any reason why this case should go forward. >> jurors deliberated the case for nine days. outside the courthouse, edwards was happy, but contrite. >> while i do not believe i did anything illegal or ever thought i was doing anything illegal, i did an awful, awful lot. that was wrong. and there is no one else responsible for my sins. >> cnn's joe johns has been covering the trial. and he is live in greensboro, north carolina. i've got to tell you, i was watching you yesterday as you're running in and out of the courthouse bringing in all of those little nuggets of details that we're sprinkling through. now what happens? a lot of people say there will not be a retrial. >> that's for sure. and it's anybody's guess, you know. the government didn't really hint at what they plan to do. it is their right to bring the case if they want to. just wanted to show you the greensboro, north carolina, news and record this morning. edwards walks free. the question, of course, what happens next for him. you know, that statement on the steps of the courthouse here last night was really calibrated to encourage the government not to reprosecute this case. he certainly expressed a lot of contrition there. he talked about his family, especially his daughters including quinn, the daughter he had with rielle hunter, his mistress while his wife elizabeth edwards was alive. so when you look at the situation, anything could happen. what's also clear, though, is that john edwards is talking about something he's talked about before, and that would be starting some type of a law practice or something to help poor people, especially poor children. listen to the sound bite from last evening. >> i don't think god's through with me. i really believe he thinks there's still some good things i can do. and whatever happens with this legal stuff going forward. what i'm hopeful about is all those kids that i've seen, you know, in the poorest parts of this country and in some of the poorest places in the world that i can help them. >> one thing is clear and that is that if the prosecution tries to retry this case, it's probably not going to get any easier for them than it was this time around. so many of the witnesses are just simply not available, including elizabeth edwards. of course, she's deceased, fred b barron, he's also deceased. he's a texas trial lawyer. bunny mellon, the other big contributor in this case, 101 years old, lives in northern virginia, can't see very well, and didn't testify at trial. john edwards himself did not testify in this trial. and neither did rielle hunter. so a whole list of people who didn't get on the stand this time and probably wouldn't get on the stand next time if the government were to decide to retry it. >> and one would imagine a very expensive retrial, right? >> reporter: that's for sure. we've been trying to figure out just how much all of this would cost. and it's very difficult to calculate, partly because you have to wonder what some of these expensive attorneys particular already for the government might be doing if they didn't have this case to do. so it's a little hard to calculate that. but it's one of those kind of keeping them honest things you might want to look into. >> joe johns live for us, thank you very much. a big victory in the courts for supporters of same-sex marriage. a federal appeals court in boston ruling that the federal defensive marriage act was unconstitutional. prosecutors called it discriminatory and the judges agreed because federal benefits like social security were being denied to gay couples in states where same sex marriage is legal. this is the first time an appellate court has declared any part of the federal doma laws it's known as unconstitutional. all this in the face of a story we ran yesterday about a pastor in seneca, kansas, who had some pret things to say about what he thinks the government should be doing about gay people. have a listen. >> we punish pedophilia, we punish incest, we punish polygamy, and various things. it's only homosexuality that is lifted out as an exemption. if there is a man who lies with a male as those who lie with a woman, both of them have committed a detestable act. they shall surely be put to death. >> pretty offensive comments according to many. and i made comments yesterday that ended up getting a lot of traction out there yesterday not only on twitter but elsewhere. and i want to be very clear about what my comments were about. i want to be very clear. when i said that incest and pedophilia involve people who don't have a choice, victims who don't have a choice and then said a gay relationship you do have a choice, they are not crimes. gay people involved in relationships are not committing any crimes at all. however, those who perpetrate incest and perpetrate pedophilia are committing crimes. i don't know my comments were taken in that light and i certainly hope they were, but in no way did i want to suggest that being gay is a choice. it is not a choice. i probably used the word lifestyle choice, not what i meant to say at all. being gay is not a choice, being in a voluntary gay relationship is a choice. it is not a crime. i hope that clears up any of the comments i made after that story of the pastor. and in no way do i agree with or standby any of the comments that that pastor made either. >> all right, thank you, ashleigh. police in seattle say a deadly shooting rampage could have been much worse. if it wasn't for a hero who took action when the gunman opened fire inside a popular coffee house. >> he was sitting next to the suspect when the suspect started shooting. and the suspect had two guns. the hero picked up a stool and threw it at the suspect. hit him. picked up another stool as the suspect is shooting and now pointing at him and hits him with another stool. >> they say the hero saved at least three lives. police also released witness 911 calls. >> what are you reporting? >> i'm at the roosevelt and 59th, the cafe racer, there's been a shooting. somebody came in and shot a bunch of people, i'm hiding in the bathroom. >> how many -- >> we need help right away. >> wow. a total of five people were killed in two separate shootings. the suspect identified as ian stewicki took his own life. the big may jobs report is set to be released in just over three hours and wall street's going to be watching it closely. the analysts surveyed expect to see about 150,000 jobs added last month. with unemployment steady at 8.1%. now, that would be better job creation than we saw in april, but significantly slower than the numbers that came out in january and february. and in about 15 minutes, our christine romans is going to have more. and then you'll want to make sure you tune in to cnn at 8:30 because the official report will be released. we'll have it live right after we hear from the vice chair of the house financial services committee. that's on "starting point" with soledad o'brien. and right now, new mexico is battling the largest wildfire in state history. take a look at that. it is getting even larger. nearly 200,000 acres are now destroyed. the fire is only 5% contained. the massive fire started in the national forest two weeks ago, but it's spread in all directions. rugged terrain is making it difficult to put out the fire that has consumed a dozen homes so far. an update on that breaking news story that we brought you yesterday morning, a harrowing ordeal for two american tourists who were kidnapped in egypt at gunpoint and later released. the americans are brandon kurtz, both from houston, and they told the affiliate kprc how they were forced from their car in the region and held for 24 hours. >> all the windows had bars on them and they nailed the doors shut and then they were outside shooting their assault rifles the whole night and all the way through the morning. they were all very loud and aggressive and speaking in arabic. and i mean, we didn't -- had no idea. what their intentions were. >> the americans were eventually freed in a trade for a relative of their captors who have been arrested earlier on drug charges. >> ten minutes past the hour. a grand slam. that's what the founder of space x is calling the first commercial mission to the international space station. the space x "dragon" capsule splashing down in the pacific two days ahead of schedule. five miles off the coast of baja california after dropping off supplies to the international space station, it returned with 1300 pounds of cargo including trash and scientific experiments. the company has two days to get that to nasa to have complete success. >> talk about a word of the day. are you ready? guetapen. ever heard of it? well, the winner of the spelling bee. >> guetapen, g-u-e-t-a-p-e-n-s. guetapens. >> and guess what? we have a champion. of the 2012 scripps national spelling bee. >> release the ticker tape. the san diego eighth grader who reads encyclopedias for fun called her victory a miracle. she finished 27th in last year's national spelling bee, and she says she plans to use the $30,000 in prize money, no surprise here, to save for college. her winning word guetapen is a french word and it means ambush, snare, or trap, and she'll be soledad's guest at 7:30 eastern time. >> sweet to watch. very nice. so the impossible may now be possible. check it out. this rat used to be paralyzed. more on this amazing treatment and what it could mean for humans coming up. strong sunscreen feel great? actually it can. neutrogena® ultra sheer provides unbeatable uva uvb protection and while other sunscreens can feel greasy ultra sheer® is clean and dry. it's the best for your skin. ultra sheer®. neutrogena®. support team usa and show our olympic spirit right in our own backyard. so we combined our citi thankyou points to make it happen. tom chipped in 10,000 points. karen kicked in 20,000. and by pooling more thankyou points from folks all over town, we were able to watch team usa... [ cheering ] in true london fashion. [ male announcer ] now citi thankyou visa card holders can combine the thankyou points they've earned and get even greater rewards. ♪ [ music plays, record skips ] hi, i'm new ensure clear. clear, huh? my nutritional standards are high. i'm not juice or fancy water, i'm different. i've got nine grams of protein. twist my lid. that's three times more than me! twenty-one vitamins and minerals and zero fat! hmmm. you'll bring a lot to the party. [ all ] yay! [ female announcer ] new ensure clear. nine grams protein. zero fat. twenty-one vitamins and minerals. in blueberry/pomegranate and peach. refreshing nutrition in charge! there are a lot of warning lights and sounds vying for your attention. so we invented a warning.. you can feel. introducing the all new cadillac xts, available with the patented safety alert seat. when there is danger you might not see, you're warned by a pulse in the seat. it's technology you won't find in a mercedes e-class. the all new cadillac xts has arrived. and it's bringing the future forward. made with only milk... cream... a touch of sugar... and pure natural flavors. coffee-mate natural bliss. from nestle. add your flavor naturally. new hope this morning for people paralyzed by spinal cord injuries. scientists in sweden report they successfully used electrical stimulation of the brain to train paralyzed rats to walk again. and even run. ten rats in all had the nerve connections to their hind legs surgically severed. scientists stopped short of completely severing the spinal cord, the spinal cord below the injury and within weeks, look at that. they began to regain use of their paralyzed legs. >> that would be remarkable if we could have the same results. 16 minutes past the hour. let's get you up to date. here's christine romans with the day's top stories. >> thank you. legal experts are saying john edwards will likely not face another trial. after nine days of deliberations, edwards was acquitted on one count of campaign finance fraud. and jurors were deadlocked on five other charges leaving the judge to declare a mistrial. edwards was accused, of course, of misusing campaign funds to hide an affair. he says he wants to devote his life to helping poor children saying god is not done with me yet. nancy reagan endorsing mitt romney for president. the former first lady had the romneys over for cookies and lemonade yesterday. they put out a statement saying her late husband ronnie would've liked his strong business principles and i have to say i do too. i look forward to him being elected president in november. a surprise guest on the last day of school. a 200-pound bear tracked down by animal control in bakersfield, california, wandering outside of an elementary school. >> oh, my goodness. >> also crashed a middle school graduation ceremony going on next door. >> some girls came in running, there's a bear on -- right in front of the school. >> a really big bear. >> we saw a bear. >> authorities cornered and tased the bear inside an apartment complex. >> oh, my goodness. >> it was released back into the wild later in the day. >> that's 250 pounds? looks like a baby. >> i know. >> inside an apartment complex. >> but they did release it into the wild. that's the happy ending to that story. but that was a confused little bear and a bunch of very -- >> excited kids. >> i was going to say frightened school children, but they didn't look frightened to me. >> i was going to say very brave animal response officers. i don't think i've ever seen a bear captured that way. looks like what the dogcatcher uses. >> usually they tranquilize them. and most we see -- they tased him and got a restraint around his neck and got him into the car. >> it was easier on the bear. >> thank you. >> thank you. 18 minutes past 5:00 on the east coast. the first of june. that also means the first day of hurricane season. rob marciano standing by. >> we're off to an early start not just for the show, but for the hurricane season. already two named storms. the averages are 12 named storms, six of those hurricanes and three major hurricanes. and we've already knocked two out of the way. so we're off to a quick start here. get used to this shot. the tropical atlantic, pretty quiet, although there's a little disturbance there southwest of florida. this would be the spot this time of year for development. in the eastern gulf of mexico where the waters are nice and toasty and we've got a little something brewing right now. but this really isn't tropical. it's going to be rainfall across parts of south florida today and up to the north, a little front across the eastern third of the country. that'll cause showers and storms, mostly east of chicago, but toward the i-95 corridor, as well. once this front pushes through, you get in cooler, drier air toward the weekend. a severe threat especially through the mid-atlantic and the carolinas and the delmarva as this pushes off to the east continued very, very hot down across the desert southwest, but comfortably cool in chicago, 62 degrees, 73 degrees with sb intermittent showers. and the next one after you meal and beryl, chris. >> we were trying to figure out beryl, beryl, what is that? >> i'm glad that name's over for the next six years, at least. >> i always find it amazing how those computer generated names, just pick them out of a book. >> it's some secret -- very top secret committee that is somewhere way above my pay grade that decides that. >> and they wear hoods and they're crazy. thank you, rob marciano. issue number one in the race for president, jobs. hours away from a critical report on job growth in this country. christine romans on why it might be a bit of a downer this morning. that's coming up. you really thig is enough to keep it clean? while brushing misses germs in 75% of your mouth, listerine cleans virtually your entire mouth. so take your oral health to a whole new level. listerine... power to your mouth. so take your oral health to a whole new level. now's the time to move from to where you want to go. look up. with u.s. bank let's get the wheels turning. use our strength & stability to open new opportunities. to lend, and lift ...every business...every dream... to new heights of prosperity. good things are happening. just look up. with u.s. bank. [ young man ] whoo-hoo! ♪ so soon you'll take me there he is! the party's arrived. ♪ [ both hiss ] [ screaming, explosions ] oh, he-- [ crickets chirping ] [ owl hooting ] [ gasps ] ♪ fate ♪ up against your will ♪ through the thick and thin ♪ up against your will you know what's exciting? graduation. when i look up into my students faces, i see pride. you know, i have done something worthwhile. when i earned my doctorate through university of phoenix, that pride, that was on my face. i am jocelyn taylor. i'm committed to making a difference in people's lives, and i am a phoenix. visit phoenix.edu to find the program that's right for you. enroll now. it's time to live wider awake. only the beautyrest recharge sleep system combines the comfort of aircool memory foam layered on top of beautyrest pocketed coils to promote proper sleeping posture all night long. the revolutionary recharge sleep system... from beautyrest. it's you, fully charged. mine was earned off vietnam in 1968. over the south pacific in 1943. i got mine in iraq, 2003. usaa auto insurance is often handed down from generation to generation. because it offers a superior level of protection, and because usaa's commitment to serve the military, veterans and their families is without equal. begin your legacy, get an auto insurance quote. usaa. we know what it means to serve. welcome back, it's 24 minutes past the hour. we're minding your business this morning. and in just a few hours, the labor market is expected to release the big may jobs report. u.s. markets trying to rebound this morning after another day in the red yesterday. the problems, several negative reports on jobs and growth of the economy. and that really dragged the markets down. >> christine romans has a preview of what we can expect in the jobs report. not great news there. >> well, no, for stocks, no. i've got to tell you, may was a really terrible, terrible month for the stock market. and what we want to know what it was like for the jobs market. it's so important. the most important economic report for you because your personal economy is driven by whether or not you have a job. what we're looking for in may according to analysts, 150,000 jobs created in the month of may and probably 8.1% on the unemployment rate. that is the forecast. we'll know for sure at 8:30 what happened. but i want you to look at the trend here, guys. you can see there was concern in april. only 115,000 jobs created, remember? that was disappointing. that showed a lackluster recove recovery, especially since december, january, and february, were months when we saw some better job gains. there's concerns that we're going into this other period just like last year where we're having a little bit of a slowdown in the summer and what's that going to mean for job creation and people really getting -- really getting back into the swing of things in the labor market. i want to show you something really quickly. and this is the overall trend from the last months of the bush administration to this entire obama administration. and you can see, this is the recovery from that huge jobs drought. this is that terrible, terrible period of jobs, hundreds of thousands of jobs being lost every single month. and here is where we are trying to crawl out of that hole ever so slowly. this is last month, 115,000, you want to be seeing more than 115,000. the bottom line, you guys, for today, if we get a numbe