Skip to main content

tv   CNN Newsroom  CNN  June 4, 2011 9:00am-10:00am PDT

9:00 am
>> dr. steve perry, good to see you, as always. looking forward to the special. thanks so much. it is coming up a, 2:30 eastern time right here on cnn. right now, it's time for me to hand it over to ron kuby in for fredricka. this is where i hand these your way. >> you want me to throw those away for you? you're out of here. we're going to begin with the trial that has captivated the nation, casey anthony. the young mother in floor accused of killing her 2-year-old daughter caylee back in 2008. court is in session again today. much of the testimony is focused on microscopic evidence found in the trunk of casey anthony's car. let's bring in sean laven who's outside the court for us in orlando. get us up to speed on what happened in court because saturday court is so unusual,
9:01 am
generally speaking. >> reporter: yeah, that's right. today was an intense day for forensic testing. the defense brought in this whole new theory of the car trunk and the possible dead body in the trunk. today they brought in a forensic expert from the fbi. she told the jurors why she thinks that caylee's dead body was in that trunk based on a hair she found that had a postmortem band around them. let's take a listen to what she had to say on the stand earlier today. >> the hair in the swap was microskopically dissimilar to the head hair sample coming from caylee anthony. there were similarities found to a hairbrush identified as belonging to caylee anthony. >> reporter: so that was the
9:02 am
expert there with some back-and-forth stuff between the state and the defense. >> a lot of this forensic evidence, defense attorney jose baez fought hard for it not to be admitted into court. why is that? he tries to say that it's not reliable, that it's junk science even. >> reporter: yeah, she's called this junk science. he's been fighting. right out of the gate today, he made another objection trying to stop this. the judge wasn't hearing it, though. the defense thinks it's not conclusive enough. they've cited other cases where there may have been problems with it but the judge didn't think that was totally relevant to this case. so he let it in and the defense is going to have to live with it and in two weeks when they have their chance, they're going to have to try and explain away this compelling testimony from the fbi today. >> compelling and tough to get your mind around what the prosecution is saying, that caylee anthony was in the trunk of her mother's car.
9:03 am
sean, thank you very much. in about 15 minutes, we're going to bring in our legal guys to talk more about this case. you don't want to miss what they have to say. i'm going to put a question to them -- should casey anthony take the stand? let's update your breaking news. suspected u.s. drone strike in pakistan may have killed a man considered al qaeda's military brain. a spokesperson for his jihadist group says he died along with some of his aides. the strike targeted a hideout in south waziristan, in pakistan's volatile tribal region. phil joins us from islamabad. if this turns out to be true, what would the impact be on al qaeda? >> reporter: well, it would presumingly be quite significant, richelle. this was a high-valued target. he was a man who's risen through al qaeda's ranks to become the military brains of the operation, the man who has job
9:04 am
it was to implement al qaeda's global strategy, if you like, by carrying out attacks, resourcing, planning and carrying them out ultimately by taking lives. so a significant loss from their ranks, particularly if it were to come so soon following the death of its leader, osama bin laden. but an indication of how significant this man had become within al qaeda in recent years is the fact about the speculation who would replace osama bin laden, kashmiri's name has been mentioned. we know in the way that this man's life may have been taken was as a drone strike, as you say. it was a drone strike conducted by a u.s. drone just overnight in an area of waziristan.
9:05 am
it's important to note a couple of things. the confirmation of his death comes from some of his followers. at this stage, it has not come from pakistani officials in the military, government or intelligence communities, nor is the u.s. confirming it at this stage either. and they're probably being cautious here for a few reasons. most importantly being that they had thought and claimed to have killed him previously back in september 2009. he was said to have died in a drone strike just like this one. in this case, they wanted to be pretty sure first before confirming that, yes, they got him. he was a man who was believed to be mounting or in the process of planning large, spectacular global attacks. that is why he is such a key target for the u.s., a man whose ambitions had become more global and a man who they believe had the ability and the resources to conduct strikes that could
9:06 am
attack the west, particularly in europe and possibly even the united states as well, richelle. >> phil black a major development, we'll have to see what the fallout is. phil, thank you. we're also following breaking news out of syria. security forces are escalating their crackdown on anti-government protesters and more civilians are dying, many of them children. cnn's arwa damon joins us live by phone from neighboring lebanon. arwa, get us up to speed on what's happening. >> reporter: richelle, hundreds of thousands turned out, according to one of the human rights organizations. funerals of dozens of people who were killed on friday. on friday we saw the determination to continue to fire lethal rounds directly into crowds of demonstrators. i witnessed an accident telling us that tens of thousands had gathered in various
9:07 am
neighborhoods. they were trying to converge on the square, calling for the downfall of the regime. then security forces opened fire on them. the death toll standing right now at 60, according to one human rights organization. however, they do believe that it is going to be much higher. they're still trying to get information from the hospital communications inside syria. incredibly difficult. and on friday, according to activists, the regime went so far as to shut down the internet in some parts of the country. they say that's to attempt to keep the news from getting out. >> arwa damon, thank you. there's a huge political event going on right now in washington. it's called the faith and freedom coalition conference. almost every republican presidential candidate is there courting the social conservative vote. the candidates are focusing on things like reducing government issue, abortion and gay marriage.
9:08 am
>> we're united tonight in a lot of things. we're united in the love we have for this great country. we're united in our belief in the sanctity of human life. we're united in our belief of the significance of marriage between one man and one woman. >> traditional marriage matters. we need to tell each other and the country that we need to keep traditional marriage elevated on a platform. it needs to be protected. >> the family is the bedrock. the educational system should be through the family and the church. we should be promoting homeschooling and private schooling and not depending on our public school system. >> ron paul, fired up there. let's turn to shannon travis who's live at the event. tell us the significance of this event. it's clear when you see the kind of people that are there. >> reporter: absolutely.
9:09 am
you see these kinds of events a lot. conservative conferences, gatherings of conservative activists. this is significant because this is one of the largest efforts to merge different factions of the conservative movement. what i mean by that is, you have here traditionally christian evangelicals, values voters who vote based on religion and social issues, trying to merge with the tea party movement, economic conservatives, the grassroots activists who are out there talking about spending and debt. they're trying to bring those factions together here. just moments ago, i spoke with ralph reid, the organizer of this event, and i said, hey,s this is one of the biggest efforts i've seen in trying to bring these factions together. and he said, yes, putting those different factions together, they believe they will have electoral success against the democrats and barack obama.
9:10 am
reid says he thinks 40% of the electorate could sympathize with the ooeevangelicals. >> what do the candidates get out of going to this event? >> reporter: they get exposure. they get media time, us being here. hopefully -- they're hoping they get votes. but what they're also hoping for is attention. and some of these early states like iowa where christian evangelicals vote in numbers in force. and places like south carolina where the same is true. they're hoping to get attention and buzz in some of those early states. most recent cnn poll shows that among republicans, it's almost evenly split among the people who say that they are christian evangelicals versus not, 48% and 47%. so this will help these candidates, the mitt romney, ron paul, michelle bachmann.
9:11 am
this will get them attention and hopefully votes in some of these early states. >> shannon travis, thank you very much. president obama is congratulating america's big three automakers for making a pretty major comeback. he focused on their financial turnaround during his weekly address which was delivered from the chrysler plant in toledo, ohio. just a couple of years ago, the government helped rescue the big three automakers from the brink of collapse. now the president says cloudy skies ler, gm and ford are all turning a profit. >> we could have done what a lot of folks in washington thought we should do -- nothing. but that would have the rescission worse and put a lot of people out of work. i said if gm and chrysler were willing to take the difficult steps of restructuring and making themselves more competitive, the american people would stand by them. and we did. >> the president says chrysler
9:12 am
has repaid every dime of the government rescue package, six years ahead of schedule. homeowners at risk of foreclosure and their lenders, they're all coming face to face at an event in washington. both parties say they mean business. that's up next. and the food pyramid has been replaced by lots of fruits and vegetables, and you do not need to break the bank to afford it. ♪ [ male announcer ] thanks to advanced natural gas turbine technology from ge, the power that will help make our nation more energy independent is right here in america. [ crickets chirping ] ♪ [ cheers and applause ] advanced gas turbine technology from ge. ♪
9:13 am
agents, let's welcome beast, an exchange studentne technology from the x-men school. - so, what do you guys study? - um-- - do you know about discounts? - do you have a cafeteria? - what about ways to save people money? - do you have taco tuesdays? - have you guys started combining policies? - i like your hair. agents, please. i don't know what the x-men do at their school, but i hope they're treating our guy better than we're treating beast. kinda looks like a target. not cool. we are insurance. ♪ we are farmers bum-pa-dum, bum-bum-bum-bum ♪
9:14 am
try capzasin-hp. it penetrates deep to block pain signals for hours of relief. capzasin-hp. take the pain out of arthritis.
9:15 am
it's official, the longstanding food pyramid is out, as in gone. now the government's using a simple plate to show you what you should be eating. and half of it is fruits and vegetables. if you're wondering how in the world to afford that, christopher romanyshyn has some tips in today's edition of "smart is the new rich." >> reporter: it's a message from the very top. >> we're going to do some fruits here. >> reporter: a call to arms from the first lady. her campaign to combat rates of childhood obesity. >> we're all here because we care deeply about the health and well being. >> reporter: but many people think eating better means spending more money. >> i've been on a crusade, if you will, trying to say that actually you can afford to eat fruits and vegetables much more than people think.
9:16 am
>> reporter: the usda calculates -- >> a little bit less for vegetables, a little bit more for fruit. but if you boil it all down. it's 50 cents a cup. that means for a 2,000 calorie diet a day, you would spend between $2.15 and $2.50 to meet that recommendation. >> reporter: it's not always easy. but you can actually save money. >> we know that in this country on average, a family of four is spending about $185 a week on groceries. if you follow a healthy diet plan, as we propose, you can bring that cost down to $175. >> reporter: buy fruits and veg tabls while they're in season. frozen and canned are also okay. and of course there's always your own back yard. you pack lunches, you try to pack sustainable lunches. >> definitely.
9:17 am
it gets a little dicey sometimes. i find the kids are watching over our shoulders going, don't put that in a wrapper, put it in a container that we can bring home and wash again. >> reporter: christine romans, cnn, new york. casey anthony caught in a web of lies. our legal guys are ready to jump in. ♪ what do you see yourself doing after you do retire? client comes in and they have a box. and inside that box is their financial life. people wake up and realize. "i better start doing something."
9:18 am
we open up that box. we organize it. and we make decisions. we really are here to help you. they look back and think "wow. i never thought i could do this." but we've actually done it. [ male announcer ] visit ameriprise.com and put a confident retirement more within reach.
9:19 am
9:20 am
more emotional testimony this week in the trial of casey anthony. she is charged with killing her 2-year-old daughter, caylee, in 2008. this week, her mother and her brother took the stand. did they help her? did this hurt? let's bring in our legal guys. avery freedom in cleveland and richard herman from las vegas. this is the trial that it seems people cannot turn away from. and what really grabbed people this week was those jailhouse tape, these tapes of casey visiting with her family.
9:21 am
we'd seen them before. but i think the reason maybe we see them in a different light is because of what the defense alleges. the defense alleges that, yes, you're going to see casey anthony lie a lot. but they say the reason is because she was allegedly molested by her father. so what is your take on the effect that these tapes will have on the jury when the defense has already said, yes, we know our client's a liar? richard? >> hi, richelle. what happened this week was devastating to baez's opening statement to the jury. we know she's a liar. the jury is not going to buy, she's a liar because of all this incest and sexual abuse, which, by the way, they're not even going to be able to prove, because the only way they can prove that is to put casey anthony on the stand. now, can you imagine when she puts her hand on the bible and swears to tell the truth? she is the most untrustworthy person in america. the jury is not going to believe
9:22 am
one word out of her mouth. therefore, she cannot testify in the case in chief. if the jury hates a defendant and begins to hate the lawyer, they're going to convict regardless of the burden of proof which i don't believe the government is going to be able to sustain. but regardless of that, if the jury hates you, they're going to bring you down. >> richard, we'll get to the burden of proof in just a moment. let me let avery weigh in on it. he's about to burst. >> sorry to interrupt. >> go ahead. >> the fact is that the burden of proof beyond a reasonable doubt, richelle, is overwhelming. and the fact is that the lack of casey anthony -- >> what trial are you watching, avery? >> i'm watching the same trial every day. and the fact is that despite whatever problem there is with the defense counsel, it is her behavior introduced methodically, carefully by the prosecution that's going to do this defendant in. and the very point that's been made that, well, when she takes the stand and puts her hand on
9:23 am
the bible -- they're going to have to put casey anthony on the stand for a variety of reasons, not the least of which the jury will see that there's clearly something wrong with her and that's what the strategy is here. >> go ahead. >> richelle, they have to prove, in order to get the premeditated murder, that casey was the one that put the duct tape on her face, on her mouth and her nose. they haven't proven that. they are not going to be able to prove that. they do not have a cause of death in this case. and therefore they should not put her on the stand in the case in chief because the jury is just going to hate her worse and she's going to get convicted and probably get sentenced to death. >> her mother, cindy anthony, also took the stand this week. i think that was some of the most emotional testimony that anybody has seen. they brought her up so they could play the 911 tapes or even her mother, cindy anthony, calls
9:24 am
to say, i haven't seen my granddaughter in 31 days, the car smells like a dead body. she broke down on the stand. what do you think this does for casey's case? >> well, it clearly hurts her because the jury is watching the dichotomy between a loving grandmother who literally falls apart on the stand and then they look over to the defendant who barely has a tear in her eye. so it's a smart strategy. but it's a reality that i think the prosecutors expect to see from the grandmother. and, again, it bolsters this idea that casey anthony is guilty of this murder, no doubt about it. >> and richard, i see you shaking your head. i understand you're saying that you don't think the prosecution is making their case so far. there's a long way to go. we'll have to see. let's turn to the man known now as the butcher of bosnia, ratko mladic. 's been in hiding for about 15 years. he's now been charged with war crimes, things like genocide,
9:25 am
ethnic cleansing, that massacre at srebrenica. >> he's going to have a stoic defense. he's proud of his military career and proud of the way he handled himself. i think he's proud of his accomplishments. i think he's going to say that's the course of treatment and the way i have to be as a leader. i had to take care and protect my people. this was as a casualty of war and i did nothing out of the ordinary. it's kind of absurd. >> avery, go ahead. >> yeah, they have to put some kind of defense on. to be honest with you, it would be baffling to figure out what it is. they actually have a videotape where he boasts about the revenge taken for the murder of serbians, what they were back in the 18th century. he says it. they have video and they have
9:26 am
his personal diary. so we even saw that sort of mindless macho behavior in the courtroom where he ignored the judge yesterday and said, i'm not going to enter a plea. the judge is bringing him back in july. >> horrific things he's charged with. >> you're exactly right. >> richard and avery, thank you so much for your take. you guys will be back in about 20 minutes to talk about the woman who left much of her estate to a doomzday prophet. can her family get it all back? and you see the signs everywhere, houses for sale. but many of them are foreclosures. now a d.c. summit brings homeowners and lenders together to help keep people in their homes. that's coming up.
9:27 am
we could've gone a more traditional route... ... but it wouldn't have been nearly as memorable. ♪ it was in my sister's neighborhood. i told you it was perfect for you guys. literally across the street from her sister. [ banker ] but someone else bought it before they could get their offer together. we really missed a great opportunity -- dodged a bullet there. [ banker ] so we talked to them about the wells fargo priority buyer preapproval. it lets people know that you are a serious buyer because you've been credit-approved. we got everything in order so that we can move on the next place we found. which was clear on the other side of town. [ male announcer ] wells fargo.
9:28 am
9:29 am
our top stories now. former yale university lab
9:30 am
technician raymond clark has sentenced to 44 years in prison for the killing of annie le. clark's dna was found at the crime scene. scientists are trying to find the source of a deadly e. coli outbreak linked to certain produce. it's blamed for 18 deaths so far. all but one of them in germany. about 1,800 people have gotten sick. four people who came to the u.s. from germany last fall are still in the hospital. a show of bipartisanship in washington. president obama and house speaker john boehner have scheduled a golf date. the president extended the invitation a few weeks ago. boehner accepted. they're scheduled to play two weeks from today. should be interesting. this week, we learned home prices hit a new low in the first quarter of the year, down more than 5% from a year ago. a high number of foreclosures are flooding the market. that's what contributed to this decline. repossessed properties are
9:31 am
selling at bargain prices. that's driving down overall values, affecting everybody. a summit in the nation's capital is focused on preventing foreclosures by bringing homeowners face to face with their lenders. that is key. skn's mark preston is live at the event. mark, are these lenders empowered with the ability to actually negotiate with these homeowners? >> reporter: yes, richelle. that's exactly what's happening at this seminar here today. lenders are actually here sitting at the table across from these folks facing foreclosure who are in the process of foreclosure right now. that's a big leap for a lot of these folks who are on the phones trying to talk to these lenders every week trying to get their loan modified and trying to figure out what their financial situation is. but they can in some cases actually sit down, talk to the lender directly and get an answer. in many cases, though, what they're being told is that they will have to take a couple of more steps. who i have with me right here is someone from the treasury
9:32 am
department, tim masset. how did we get to the situation we are right now? >> we had the first financial crisis our country really has ever experienced, at least since the great depression, 2 1/2 years ago. and that resulted in the situation we have, which is the worst housing crisis we've seen in decades. we still have many, many people at risk of losing their homes. that's why we've been very active in trying to provide programs of assistance like this. >> reporter: the treasury department is trying to work with non-profit groups, trying to work with the lenders. bottom line is the lenders -- the banks don't want these homes. they want people to stay in their homes because it doesn't make any sense for them to have to take a house and try to resell it. what you're seeing here today is part of that process. it's happening all across the country. in fact, two weeks this same seminar will be down in atlanta. richelle? >> mark, i certainly hope these people can get some help. mark preston, thank you.
9:33 am
john edwards, from political star to a felony indictment. we'll get some insight from our legal experts next. [ female announcer ] investing for yourself isn't some optional pursuit. a privilege for the ultra-wealthy. it's a necessity. i find investments with e-trade's top 5 lists. quickly. easily. i use pre-defined screeners and insightful trading ideas to dig deeper. work smarter. not harder. i depend on myself the one person i do trust to take charge of my financial future.
9:34 am
[ bell dinging ] try capzasin-hp. it penetrates deep to block pain signals for hours of relief. capzasin-hp. take the pain out of arthritis.
9:35 am
former presidential candidate and senator john edwards indicted on conspiracy and violating campaign laws. our legal guys are back for this one. avery friedman and richard herman.
9:36 am
john edwards actually went to federal court yesterday in north carolina. said he didn't do anything wrong. he's accused of basically using money from some wealthy donors to hide his affair with rielle hunter, which everyone says clearly is morally wrong. the question is whether or not it is legally wrong. avery, i'll let you go first this time. do you think the prosecution has a case here? >> well, there's something there, richelle. they are using a theory that is untested in american jurisprudential history. there is no case law supporting it. this is the first indictment, frankly, i've seen in decades, if ever, that relies on a "national enquirer" article. a federal district judge may very well throw the case out because of the unprecedented
9:37 am
nature of the case. >> richard, do you agree? is this ever going to get to a jury? >> i think there's a chance it gets to the jury, richelle. but the problem here is that he's relying upon -- edwards acknowledges, yes, this money was used to cover up his relationship with rielle towards his wife, elizabeth. but it was personal donations to him which he's allowed to use any which way he wants. that's going to be his defense. the statute is extremely vague. it's never been used before. there's a conspiracy element to it. there's also a false filing to the government. martha stewart got convicted of false statements to the government. i don't know. his hair is going to get a little messy on this one. >> oh, you had to do that. speaking of hair, former illinois governor rod blagojevich is back opt stand in his retrial -- >> great going, richelle. that was good.
9:38 am
good segway. >> he's facing 20 criminal counts. he is charged, of course, with trying to sell barack obama's senate seat. he is testifying this time around. he did not the first time. we all know he can talk. is it benefiting him to be testifying, avery? >> no. the bottom line -- no. u.s. district judge james agle who's presiding over this, you don't usually see circuses in u.s. district court. we're seeing one in chicago. this guy has warned blagojevich 16 times literally to stay on message. i think what blago is trying to do is make the jury like him. i don't think it's working. >> he didn't get enough people to like him to elect him governor -- richard, is it plausible what he's saying? he's saying, i did all these things for the benefit of my state.
9:39 am
i'm just asking. >> that's good. >> for the benefit of the state, except he wanted a major political appointment to support the benefit of his state. >> sure. >> i don't know how that supports his state by him getting a political appointment as a result of an office given. but here's the thing. when a defendant takes the stand, richelle, it's extremely dangerous because juries are very forgiving to government witnesses when they get caught up in a lie. but when a defendant is on the stand and gets caught in a lie, richelle, the jury just says, you know what? he lied here. i don't believe anything he's saying. and they come back and bang him. i think it's very dangerous. i think he can't keep his mouth shut. i think he's going to get convict this had time around. >> let's talk about this. we weren't supposed to be here past may 21st because of that doomsday prophet.
9:40 am
a woman left her entire estate, about $300,000 to this group, this family radio group, because she believed in this doomsday warning and she actually passed away on may 2nd. her family said she would not have done that had she realized we would all be here beyond may 21st. does her family have a shot at getting this money back, richard? >> yeah, i don't think so, richelle. i think this family radio network was important to her. there's testimony or there's statement that is she listened to it 24/7, in the morning, day, night. she found comfort in this station. she had a very troubled and tough life and she found comfort and she wanted to make this bequest. unless you can show that it was fraudulent or she was under some sort of duress, i think the will is going to stand. i think the family's out of luck. >> avery, you're nodding your head. you agree? >> yeah. harold camping, by the way, has attempted to vindicate himself. he's the doomsday prophet.
9:41 am
he said on the 21st, the world was destroyed spiritually. but he's now predicting the physical destruction in october. this guy is something. 89 years old. hey, dora schmidt has a right to do what she wants to do. other than fraud or if she is not lucid, the bottom line, $250,000 goes to harold. $25,000 goes to each of the nieces. >> guys, great talking to you. we appreciate it. i appreciate it very, very much. avery friedman and richard herman, thank you. >> see you, richelle. an estimated 2,500 young people are newly infected with hiv, according to a recent report from the world health organization. patricia soyu is making sure people get accurate information to stop the spread of this disease. that's why she is our cnn hero of the week. >> back in the 1990s, i believed
9:42 am
that aids was a punishment from god. when i passed an hiv positive test, it was, oh, my god, how could this happen to me? i fasted and prayed for years hoping that i would be healed. when i went public, i lost my job. my husband lost his job. the landlord wanted us out of his house. the stigma was terrible. i realized that i'd been wrong. my name is patricia sawo. my mission is to change people's attitudes about aids. all that you need is accurate, correct information. as leaders, we need to teach people that hiv is not a moral issue. it is a virus. when i'm helping somebody else who is hiv positive, i want them to know that you can rise above this. the 48 children at the center, most of them saw their parents dying of aids.
9:43 am
i provide that motherly love and all their basic needs. hiv, it's making me a better person. we want to be there for people. so if we have it, we share it out. it's what i want to do because it's what i'm meant to do. god has his own ways of healing. so, for me, i'm healed. >> we always want to hear from you. tell us about heroes in your community. send your nominations to cnn.com/heroes. there is no let-up in the oppressive heat in parts of the country. reynolds wolf will join us with the forecast. what is that? it's you!
9:44 am
it's me? alright emma, i know it's not your favorite but it's time for your medicine, okay? you ready? one, two, three. [ both ] ♪ emma, emma bo-bemma ♪ banana-fana-fo-femma ♪ fee-fi-fo-femma ♪ em-ma very good sweety, how do you feel? good. yeah? you did a really good job, okay? let's go back to drawing. [ man ] at ge capital, we're out there every day with clients like jetblue -- financing their fleet, sharing our expertise, and working with people who are changing the face of business in america. after 25 years in the aviation business,
9:45 am
i kind of feel like if you're not having fun at what you do, then you've got the wrong job. my landing was better than yours. no, it wasn't. yes, it was. was not. yes, it was. what do you think? take one of the big ones out? nah. ♪ fiber one. almost tastes like one of jack's cereals. uh, forgot jack's cereal. [ jack ] what's for breakfast? uh, try the number one! i've never heard of that. [ wife ] it's great. it's a sweet honey cereal, you'll love it. yeah, this is pretty good. are you guys alright? yeah. [ male announcer ] half a days worth of fiber. not that anyone has to know. fiber beyond recognition. fiber one.
9:46 am
this is stacy. who runs circles around asthma. and dan. he never lets high cholesterol get him too low. and amy with her arthritis well in hand. they go to walgreens... where their pharmacist not only refills prescriptions but gives advice... immunizations... and health tests. staying on top of your health starts right in your neighborhood. walgreens. there's a way to stay well. which can checking stories across the country.
9:47 am
people at a high school graduation in texas will be offered the chance to pray. a family filed a lawsuit saying their son, an agnostic, would suffer irreparable harm if anyone prayed. a judge ruled in their favor banning people from asking others to join them in prayer. but on appeal, that ruling was overturned. the valedictorian is being threatened and the school is now on security watch. >> my dad received a phone call this morning saying that there was a big threat given to the school via phone call that included my name and so it's intimidating. >> we've added additional staff to be there. we are utilizing staff from across the district to be there as well. we have added law enforcement. >> governor perry supported the appeal, calling the original ban on prayer reprehensible.
9:48 am
wildfires in arizona have burned more than 200,000 acres. they've spread so far so fast there's now a smoke alert in albuquerque, new mexico, 200 miles away. more than 1,000 firefighters in arizona are battling the fires burning in the eastern part of the state. and before his speech in toledo, ohio, yesterday, president obama made a surprise visit to a local hangout. rudy's hot dog is a 90-year-old diner and the president picked up the tap for the entire entourage. for a lot of folks this weekend, the best place to be is inside with the air conditioning blasting. reynolds wolf is here with more on the heat wave that is gripping parts of the country. it is oppress i have, it is mez rabble. >> surely this is not a big deal to you. you're from texas?
9:49 am
i have to give richelle a hard time. if you're in houston, you know what it's like. plenty of heat along the i-35 corridor. in memphis, talking 100 degrees. 93s in atlanta. humidity makes it feel warmer. in albuquerque, el paso, phoenix, it's very warm there. not only are you dealing with the heat in phoenix as richelle was talking about moments ago, we're dealing with the fire issues. in fact, we've got fire watches, red flag warnings in effect. one area we're concerned with is in parts of arizona where the wind is pretty strong, anywhere from 25 to 35 miles an hour. with that, you have very low humidity, anywhere from 6% to 12%. over 120,000 acres burned. it is a tremendous mess. but what's even more ironic, over towards california, just the opposite.
9:50 am
plenty of rainfall. a storm system bringing the rain all along the i-5 corridor down into the san joaquin valley. another spot where rain is likely is going to be in the ohio valley. got this frontal boundary that extends just from detroit back over towards the central plains. may be dealing with stronger storms in the afternoon. some damaging winds, perhaps an isolated tornado. some small hail and even flash flooding a possibility. richelle, that's your weather all wrapped up. >> thank you, buddy. up next, our exclusive interview with winnie mandela. nationwide insurance. talk to me.
9:51 am
should i bundle all my policies with nationwide insurance ? watch this. on one hand, you have your home insurance with one company. and on another hand, you have your auto with another. and on another hand, you have your life with another. huh... but when you bundle them all together with nationwide insurance... ... they all work together perfectly-- and you could save 25%. wow... it's all in the wrists. ♪ nationwide is on your side
9:52 am
9:53 am
news just in to cnn to tell you about. several loud explosions are being heard right now in the libyan capital of tripoli. at least eight have been heard. that's actually not that unusual. it is unusual because it's daylight. this week nato announced it would extend the mission in libya by 90 days.
9:54 am
there's an opera that premiered in south africa and a movie that has been shot with what you're seeing here with jennifer hudson playing winnie madonna louisiana but how does she feel about it? winnie mandela rarely gives interviews but she invited cnn into her home. and she said she's disappointed in the movie project. >> i was not consulted. i am still alive. and i think that it is a total disrespect to come to south africa, make a movie about my struggle and call that movie some translation of a romantic life of winnie mandela. i think it is an insult. i don't know what would be
9:55 am
romantic in our struggle. >> and there ms. mandela is speaking with our reporter. she attended the world premiere in south africa of the opera and was impressed with how that turned out. >> i made those remarks about the opera having been a lily white thing before. and i honestly found it difficult to imagine how you would translate a struggle into an opera. i think they did an amazing job. of course, not everyone would be happy about how that life was depicted. i don't think it is possible to show 18 months of confinement in an opera situation. and i don't think it's possible
9:56 am
to translate to a platform and dictate those 9 1/2 years of punishment. it is not possible to translate the actual torture each and every mother went through. i was one of those who got the bitter end of the apartheid. >> cnn contacted jennifer hudson's representatives. and her publicist says the actress would have love to have met madonna will but that the producer wanted, quote, keep the integrity on the book on which the story was based and so they didn't set up a meeting. the casey anthony trial has recessed for the day. that and other top stories right on the other side of the break.
9:57 am
9:58 am
9:59 am
let's check our top story. forensic evidence took center stage in the casey anthony trial today. she's the young mother from florida accused of killing her 2-year-old daughter back in 2008. an fbi forensic expert linked hair samples found in the trunk of casey anthony's car to

371 Views

info Stream Only

Uploaded by TV Archive on