but keep in mind, it only takes one. hurricane andrew was a quiet season, and already in august we get our "a" named storms and that was a doozy. first named storm in the atlantic, alberto. >> there was a fred a couple of years ago back in the day. >> i remember. >> i saved that news headline, hurricane fred. i like it. thank you very much, jacqui. >> sure. it is the top of the hour. you are in the newsroom. president obama's decision to support guy marriage is a focus of church sermons all across the country on this mother's day. congregations are divided over the issue. some obama supporters now say they won't vote for the president. others are rallying behind him. the message is, pastors are delivering today, are equally as diverse. cnn's athena jones has been listening to what pastors has been saying and she's joining us

now from washington. >> hi, fredricka. as you mentioned, there's been a whole lot of variety in the speeches, and in talking to ordinary churchgoers as well. i want to play some interesting comments from two pastors who disagree on this matter. one is pastor emmitt burns from baltimore, a church in baltimore. another is from a chump here in d.c. let's hear what they had to say. >> will this hurt the african-american community support for the president in the upcoming election? well, i would hope not. amen. [ applause ] we've got some larger challenges that we've got to struggle with. [ applause ] >> people i know, people come up to me, are saying that they don't support this. they don't like this. they're disappointed with the president. and they plan to stay home. i don't plan to vote for romney

for sure. and right now i plan to stay home. >> so some pretty explosive comments. it's going to get a lot of people's attention. you're hearing people say, we're going to stay behind. even if we disagree with the president, whether it's a pastor or congregants and members of the congregation at these churches saying while they may not agree with the president, they'll stick behind him. one woman said she will absolutely continue to support him. pastor burns has taken a different approach. >> it is shocking to hear those words coming out of a pastor's mouth. but as i listen to it again, is the pastor saying that others, members of his congregation, are saying that they will stay home, it's not that he would necessarily stay home because he doesn't like what the president's position is? >> well, the understanding is that he's talking about what he would do, and what people are telling him to do. he's not preaching.

he made it a point of saying, i'm not telling you what to think, as he said to his congregation. this is just where he stands. pastor burns is also a legislator there in maryland. just in march, governor o'malley there signed a bill into law that would make same-sex marriages legal starting january of next year. burns is making a drive that that issue gets up for a public vote for the ballot in november. really interesting reaction we're seeing from the folks around here. >> interesting, and still shocking. you look at the historical perspective here, how religious leaders were very much involved in the civil rights movements. and in the struggle for the right to vote. and to hear someone of cloth talk about not going to the polls, not voting, not electing to take part in november's election on this very issue, on one issue, is pretty extraordinary. >> it certainly is interesting.

but i should mention, too, when you talk to congregants, and i've spoken to people, producers in new york, baltimore, atlanta, and talking to people leaving church, going to church, a lot of people either have said they support what the president said or at least respect him for taking a stand. what they say he's done is courageous. others say i don't necessarily support him, but i'll still back him. let's listen to a little bit of what we gathered. >> when he said, when my children have asked me, and have friends who are like that, that was it for me. he made the right stand. it was a moral judgment. >> i felt very hurt and disappointed, surprised. i did not know that he would do that. i did not think he would. >> i felt that he is supporting just human rights, not just representing a specific population. >> it does change the way i feel about him, because i don't think he had that view when he first came in office. >> prior to that time, i didn't know whether i would support him or not.

so i'm not saying i do, and i'm not saying i don't. >> i support the president. i just disagree with him on the issue of gay marriage per se. i think it's between a man and a woman. >> i'm kind of in the middle of the fence right now. i just don't know how i'm going to proceed in november. >> and it's that kind of uncertainty that can't possibly make the white house feel too good. of course, there's been a lot of outreach on this. the president knew there was division on this. it's clear from the polling. we talked about this being a generational issue, about how the president's daughters helped lead him to this point of view. i was out yesterday nearby in the d.c. suburbs and spoke with a young black couple who might be more readily accepting of same-sex marriage and they, too, were a little bit on the fence. it's a really interesting issue. we'll have to see how many people do decide to stay home, or how many people are going to continue to support him. >> so this issue will continue

to resonate, and it's getting a little bit of help from the magazine covers this week. let's take a look together, athena, "newsweek" showing the president, and then the headline there saying the first gay president, with a rainbow halo around his head, over his head. then the "new yorker" showing the white house with the rainbow columns there. likely to continue to illicit a lot of conversations, whether it be around the kitchen tables, or the water coolers. >> absolutely. or in churches, as we saw. it's one of those things, we know it's political. the big question is, what kind of impact is it going to have. i think it's really hard for us to predict. it's interesting, because a lot of people said this was a calculated move from the white house. and this and that. the bottom line is, it's not a one slam dunk either way. certainly the president has gotten support on those covers and hailed by certain communities. but then it's brought up some questions in others. so it certainly made for an interesting discussion these

last several days and it will continue, fredricka. >> athena jones in washington, appreciate that. thanks. yahoo's embattled ceo is out. scott thompson got into trouble after it was learned he embellished his academic credentials. he had been on the job only four months. overseas now, we're getting reports out of syria today, fresh rounds of gunfire, while the number of u.n. monitors increases in syria, opposition groups claim more than 20 people have been killed just today. information is limited because most foreign journalists are not allowed to enter syria. but cnn's ivan watson did manage to get in, and i asked him what he saw there. >> reporter: there is no sign in sight that the population is willing to give up this rebellion. you have people proudly flying the flag of the opposition. we met rebels that are -- look

to be better armed than we've seen in months past. they have better uniforms than they've had in the past. they seem to be better mobilized as well, and preparing what appears to be for what they think may be the next phase in the fighting there. >> monday night anderson cooper reports live from the syrian region. watch "ac 360" live monday night 8:00 eastern time. back in the u.s. big events for president obama and presumptive republican presidential nominee mitt romney this week. >> coming up, what you and athena were talking about, coming off president obama's announcement he supports same-sex marriage. he will attend a fund-raiser in new york on monday. that event will be hosted by singer ricky martin, who is currently on broadway.

on tuesday, meanwhile, the president plans to sit down for an interview with the women of abc's "the view." on friday, change of pace for the president, he will be at camp david for the g-8, the world's richest nations. it was moved from chicago to camp david. g-8 meetings generally attract large protests. mitt romney has a fund-raiser in chicago on tuesday. he also has several this week on wednesday and thursday in florida. he will be visiting miami, coral gables, tampa, jacksonville, and boca raton. florida is expected to see huge sums of money in tv advertising, heading up to the election in november. and think of it as what some call veep watch, or vp watch. marco rubio from florida will be speaking to the gop silver elephant dinner on saturday. that's in columbia, south carolina. for details on this, and more, check out cnn.com's ahead of the

curve. it's all linked up for you at my pages on facebook and twitter, josh levs. coming up in 20 minutes, i'll tell you about something big happening this week for the first time in 18 years. what it is, and how to see it, we'll have that at the bottom of the hour. >> look forward to that. thanks so much, josh. the crime, too terrible to describe. it's not just what was done to 49 bodies, it's why. that has a whole lot of questions unraveling there in mexico's drug war.

it's showtime for savings. excuse me, sir, how much are you charging for your popcorn? $4.00. $4.00. i'm just going to let the people have a choice. $1.00 for popcorn. come and get it. guess we'll make it two. you got it. progressive showed me my options, i'm showing you yours. $1.00, fresh popcorn. enjoy the show.

you should have an option, just like with car insurance. that is a really great price.

a florida mom is spending mother's day in jail, sentenced to 20 years. marisa alexander says she fired a shot in the wall to escape from her abusive husband. she said he had read text messages that she had written to her ex-husband. she says he got angry and tried to strangle her. she was charged under the state's 10/20 life law. a conviction for aggravated assault, where a firearm has been discharged. instead of the standard ground law, as her lawyer had hoped, i asked kevin condon earlier today why this happened. >> it should have protected her from day one. when the police got to the home, they should not have arrested her because of the history they saw documented on their own police computer. they could see there was a history of domestic violence. but they arrested her on the spot. we believe that stand your ground should have protected her at the hearing we had, and that

there shouldn't have been a trial. the problem with the stand your ground law being interpresented, one way by one court, another way by another court. it's being aplayed differently all across florida. the people that are supposed to be protecting is failing. >> did you try to make the argument that she was being overcharged? it's an argument that one u.s. congresswoman has tried to make. >> we believe she should never have been charged in the first place. we believe based upon the facts and circumstances, she clearly fits the definition of someone who had rights under the stand your ground protection, under self-defense protection and never been charged in the first place. >> well, now what? what is the recourse? apparently prosecutors did approach you all, and did offer a plea deal for three years in prison. you opted to go and proceed with the trial. now she has a conviction and has been sentenced to a mandatory 20 years, a mandatory minimum of 20 years with the aggravated assault charge, and conviction,

when a firearm is discharged. >> in florida, the 10/20 life statute said the court has no discreti discretion. the court probably could have made a more just ruling. the legislators have taken that out of their hands. we believe that's wrong. because they never intended for this to be to work out under the advantage of that law. more importantly, another state attorney has argued they offered her three years. let me clear this up. this case was negotiated for over a year. trying to come up with a just position, understanding all the circumstances, that she was a battered woman. and on all the history. it was not until that friday afternoon before trial when the victim's own son came forward and said he had lied to protect his father and that my client was telling the truth. that's the only time the state attorney offered us three years. that offer was only open for that short brief time that afternoon. at 5:00, that offer was gone. >> he said they will appeal. a disturbing finding on a

highway that links mexico to texas. mexican officials found the mutilated bodies of at least 49 people. nearby, a message left on a wall referring to one of mexico's drug cartels, rafael romo is cnn's senior latin american affairs editor. with me now. what's the explanation behind what happened here? is this a result of some drug cartel wars? >> apparently this is a result of a turf war between two of the most powerful drug cartels in mexico. they're fighting for that territory because it's crucial as a transit point for drugs into the united states. now, 49 bodies. this is one of the worst massacres in mexico. there was one of 72 bodies last year in the same area. but the level of brutality and the way the bodies were found there, with a message right next to the body, indicates that this is a different level. now, just a couple of hours ago,

there was a press conference, and one of the officials in charge of the investigation says that the -- those responsible for this went to great lengths to make sure that police had a very hard time trying to identify the bodies. let's take a listen. >> oh, gosh. >> translator: in every single case, and in order to complicate the identification process, the victims were missing their head and they also had their upper and lower extremities mutilated. >> and now, fred, americans who live in southeastern texas are very familiar, of course, with mcallen, raynosa on the mexican side of the border. this happened 80 miles west-southwest of raynosea, the third largest city in mexico. so as you can imagine, a lot of people are very concerned. not because of just what happened, but also where it happened. >> i realize it's difficult for authorities to identify the bodies, but is it the feeling that these 49 people were working for one of those

cartels, or are these people who are just arbitrarily selected, and a message is being sent to a cartel? >> authorities say there are two possibilities. one is the one you mentioned, that they might have been involved with either one of these two cartels. the other possibility, which is something that happened last year, is that they were migrants from centralmaker on their way to the united states. in that part of mexico, which some people refer to as the bermuda triangle of mexico, they're very vulnerable and they fall prey to robberies and attacks by crime. >> that is so horrible. rafael, keep us posted on any developments of that investigation. >> sure. american veterans come home from the front lines to fight another battle. getting a job. army veteran and "dancing with the stars" champ, j.r. martinez joins me to talk about that.

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.

after serving our country overseas, many u.s. service members are facing another huge challenge. finding work at home. one vet, sergeant christopher wiley, said he was making $50,000 before he was deployed. now he's delivering pizzas and working for tips. >> there's no jobs out there. the problem is, there are so many people looking. how's it going? there might be 20 jobs open in one place. and there you go. >> thank you very much. >> have a great night. you have 2,000 people have applied for it. those aren't good odds. it's almost like playing the

lottery. you get the good job, just to tell us so. >> he's running out of savings. and time. >> with this job now, with the savings, it will last us for a couple more months at least. if i haven't found a job in three months, i'm going back to afghanistan. >> sergeant wiley's story is featured in a cnn special "voters in america, vets wanted." i discussed the ploismt issue with j.r. martinez, an iraq war veteran who narrates this special. he said some employers need to change their perceptions of war vets. >> there's four letters that have been brought to a lot of people's attention that is great. because people are aware of it, which is ptsd, post-traumatic stress disorder. however, with people knowing about that, people understand the stigma, and the symptoms that come with that. so they classify every single veteran, every single family that they're going to have ptsd,

that they're these walking ticking time bombs, that they're not reliable anymore, that they're not leaders, that they can't do this, they can't do that. they don't have the qualities. which is completely not true. a lot of these individuals, all they want is opportunities. and to get the opportunity, they will be resilient and overcome and find ways to make it work. a lot of times when it comes to these vets, because the military is the only life they've known, if you look on a piece of paper as a resume, you don't see the college or university or worked for this person or that person, you see military language, military training. a lot of times the civilian world doesn't know how that translates into what they can do for the company. but if we help them understand what exactly that job can do for a bank of america, or cnn, or anyone in the civilian world, or a college or a hospital, then it's something that you give these guys an opportunity to be necessarily in their comfort zone. and using the training they received in the military to now do that in the civilian world. it's something that we need to pay attention to as a nation.

i know the economy and jobs is a big issue for everybody. all we're pretty much is saying, listen, these vets served for our country, sacrificed so much going overseas, leaving their families, let's give them an opportunity. let's give them an opportunity to be in the interview process and allow them to learn, help them package all their stuff together that a lot of us, we get that kind of training in the civilian world. we don't. >> is this a view into sort of some of the innovations, or approaches to those who have, for instance, ptsd, and how their needs are being addressed, or how they are at least being recognized? >> yeah, absolutely. especially with this documentary. we're covering national guardsmen in georgia, and these individuals came home, and it's -- they go away. a lot of companies don't want to hire them because they feel the ptsd factor. or also feel like they may redeploy in six months or a year, so i'm going to fill the position now. however, in six months, they're

leaving potentially. and i have to refill the position. and people focus on that kind of thing versus saying, you know what, let me give them an opportunity while they're home. i think this documentary really focuses on, you'll see a lot of unfortunate stories, that have somewhat of a bittersweet ending to the documentary where these individuals have struggled and struggled ever since they came home and served their country proudly and it's difficult for them to even get theists views. the interviews they are doing is they're way below their pay grade. i get it. everybody in this country is now having to take a step down in a lot of ways to build right back up and build this country up to what it used to be, and more. however, when it comes to our service members, let's give them a little bit more of an opportunity to stay where they are. that's what they want. they want to be respected and feel like what they do on a daily basis contributes. it makes them feel good about themselves. >> watch j.r.'s special "voters

in america: vets wanted" right here on cnn. lebron james just wrapped up his third league mvp award. i'll tell you why this one is going to come with a little asterisk.

a rare day in baseball. and lebron james hits another milestone. it's time for the best stories in sports. sports correspondent mike is joining us now from new york. good to see you, mike. >> hi. >> what exactly did mlb's josh hamilton do that is so rare? >> four home runs in one game. which is the sort of feat that at first you say, wow. then maybe at second glance you go, maybe a lot of luck was involved. but when you really look at the history and see that there were

only 16 guys to do it, lou gehrig and mike schmidt, you realize how big a feat it is. if you hit a curveball for a home, you'll not see another good pitch. hamilton was hitting balls that would have been balls, he hit curveballs and slighteders and sinkers. and anything they threw at this guy, he's hit 18 home runs now. he plays his 35th game tonight. only one other player has hit 18 home runs after 34 games, and that guy wasn't named ruth or barry bonds. so he's having an amazing year. >> lebron james. we should be impressed by this, too. third player of the year. >> he's the best. he deserves it. if you want to say, oh, but he hasn't won a championship, remember, the mvp award is the regular season, most valuable player. there's no argument you can make that lebron james wasn't the

best regular season player. that is the guy who all his career, it's going to have hanging over his head until he wins a championship that he's never won a big one. but that's unfair. if you're an icon, which lebron james is, if you've never won the champion, what's it all amount to. i think in a month and a half lebron will win a championship and his doubters will probably start on, but yes, he hasn't won two championships. if you look at the list of multiple mvp winners, they all won championships. wilt chamberlain was told, hey, your team didn't beat russell until he finally got that one championship. lebron needs it. not to silence his critics, at least to show that he is the most multi-dimensional player in the game. any fault of falling under pressure is unfair. >> and he looks good in a suit. hey, if you wear it -- >> he fills out a uniform, fills out a suit. multi-threat. >> most of his predecessors had

won a championship before they actually got the title. so that's the difference. >> yeah, before they got the third one. michael jordan won an mvp before a championship. >> so before you go, let's talk a little hockey now. a couple of teams doing well in the play-offs. we're talking about phoenix and los angeles. a couple of the hottest cities that have hockey teams. what's going on here? >> yeah. phoenix, the average low in may is 60 degrees. in los angeles it's 57. two cities incapable of producing ice in this month. los angeles just snuck into the play-offs, and they really shouldn't be there. but phoenix is underrated. they're a team in bankruptcy. they were desperate to find a buyer. the league has owned them for three years in a row. do you know that when they practiced, they had to hustle off the rink because kids' ice parties are scheduled to be in the same ice rink. this really is like that movie major leaguer, the bad news

bears. no real underdog teams in sports. they're still the underdog even though they're the third seed in the west. los angeles is the eighth. people are still doubting the coyotes will win. they're shocking the hockey world and somehow filling the arena. they've been selling out in the play-offs. >> i've only been to one hockey game. i need to get hip and check out another. >> was it in phoenix? >> no. it was in washington, d.c., capita capitals, thank you very much. long time ago. but i need to get in the swing of things again and check out a new hockey game. thanks so much, mike. >> you're welcome. getting you ready for big events in the week ahead, including details on the first solar eclipse, visible from the united states in more than a dozen years. if you are one of the millions of men

who have used androgel 1%, there's big news. presenting androgel 1.62%. both are used to treat men with low testosterone. androgel 1.62% is from the makers of the number one prescribed testosterone replacement therapy. it raises your testosterone levels, and... is concentrated, so you could use less gel. and with androgel 1.62%, you can save on your monthly prescription.

[ male announcer ] dosing and application sites between these products differ. women and children should avoid contact with application sites. discontinue androgel and call your doctor if you see unexpected signs of early puberty in a child, or, signs in a woman which may include changes in body hair or a large increase in acne, possibly due to accidental exposure. men with breast cancer or who have or might have prostate cancer, and women who are, or may become pregnant or are breast feeding should not use androgel. serious side effects include worsening of an enlarged prostate, possible increased risk of prostate cancer, lower sperm count, swelling of ankles, feet, or body, enlarged or painful breasts, problems breathing during sleep, and blood clots in the legs. tell your doctor about your medical conditions and medications, especially insulin, corticosteroids, or medicines to decrease blood clotting. talk to your doctor today about androgel 1.62% so you can use less gel. log on now to androgeloffer.com and you could pay as little as ten dollars a month for androgel 1.62%. what are you waiting for? this is big news.

hundreds of people lined up for free whooping cough vaccinations this weekend in washington state. so far this year, whooping cough has killed ten children there. health officials are calling the state's outbreak an epidemic. more than 1,000 cases of whooping cough have been reported in washington so far this year. that's ten times the usual amount.

right now, fire crews in northern arizona are battling three wildfires. one fire came so close to press cot, that residents were forced to flee. but have since been allowed to return to their homes. another fire which is preding across 2,000 acres can be seen from phoenix. "the avengers" have been busy saving the world. now they are saving hollywood as well. >> captain, it's time. >> the movie posted another huge weekend at the box office. the total worldwide gross is expected to pass $1 billion today. it probably isn't a surprise that the studio is planning on making a sequel already. other big stories that you'll are hearing a lot about next week. this week, in fact. here's josh levs. >> that's right. a former bosnian serb military

leader will be in the hague this week for the former yugoslavia. he faces genocide charges. the highest profile yugoslav war crimes suspect is accused of responsibility for the killing of nearly 8,000 bosnian muslim men and boys in 1995. the largest mass slaughter in europe since world war ii. he was captured a year ago, and that was after 15 years in hiding. however, his attorneys are actually pushing for a delay in the trial now. they want the presiding judge disqualified arguing that he is biased. check this out. the first solar eclipse visible from the united states in 18 years. it will be one week from today. nasa has a cool video out about how it works. it's called an annual ar eclipse. the thin outer ring of the sun will not be covered. the moon's shadow will begin in east asia and cross the pacific and end in the western u.s. so some folks from around the

world will be flocking to california, nevada, utah, arizona. nasa says keep this in mind, an annual ar eclipse is not safe to watch without taking special precautions. lots of information up for you about all this and more at my page, josh levs on cnn on facebook and twitter. to stay on top of what's happening every week, check out cnn.com's ahead of the curve. so fred, next weekend, i'll be talking to you about that eclipse there. >> can't wait to see it. thanks so much, josh. >> you got it. >> good weekend ahead for us. we know dinosaurs disappeared from the earth suddenly. well, now a new report has unique insight as to why this actually happened. we'll tell you what it is. this is the smith family. we asked them to bring in their favorite dvds

because we want to show them something new. you guys ready? yea! let's go go go! walmart can now convert your favorite dvds from disc to digital. no kidding. cool. ♪ now you can watch them on your laptop, tablet, phone... any time, anywhere. like here. or here. or here! psshew! watch movies anywhere! the best part is it's only two bucks per disc. cool. that's the walmart entertainment disc to digital service. see for yourself. bring in your favorite dvds to your local walmart photo center to get started. see for yourself. what happens when classroom teachers get the training... ...and support they need? schools flourish and students blossom. that's why programs like... ...the mickelson exxonmobil teachers academy... ...and astronaut sally ride's science academy are helping our educators improve student success in math and science.

let's shoot for the stars. let's invest in our teachers and inspire our students. let's solve this.

we just want to clear the air. did dinosaurs -- i don't know if i'll be able to do this? did dinosaur gas cause global

warming? some of the resources say yes. jacqui, i'm in trouble. i can't do it. it's just too funny. >> the thing we do for our children. my kids have been giggling about this all week. >> my kids, too. >> kind of one of those stories that make you a giggle a little bit. but british scientists and researchers say it is the real deal. this year so far has been one of the warmest on record. but it was actually warmer than this back in the time of dinosaurs. and british researchers are saying it's because, yes, flatulence from dinosaurs. they eat plants, right? so because of things in their stomach, along with the plant that produces methane, very much like cows do today. that's how they did this calculation. they based it off of what methane emissions are, so to speak, from cows in a year. they're saying that dinosaurs would have put out 520 million tons of methane a year. >> woo! >> which would then in turn

raise the global temperature by about 18 degrees. >> wow, i can see how -- >> 18 degrees more. >> i can see how that changed the dynamics considerably. >> thank goodness for the asteroid. >> oh, yeah. >> let's pass on this subject now. other warm things. >> how is the weather looking this week? >> we're talking about something interesting. >> ahead of hurricane season. we're thinking of tropical weather? >> we're thinking of the eastern pacific, actually, in particular, because we're only two days away from the start of the eastern pacific hurricane season. already, things are starting to get brewing. take a look at this. here's mexico, here's the eastern pacific. this is the area we're monitoring for possible tropical development. there's a 50/50 shot that this thing in the next 24 to 48 hours could be our first named tropical system in the eastern pacific. once we get into tuesday, it looks like conditions aren't going to be quite as favorable.

if it doesn't get going in the next day or so, i think it will be out of there. we're also watching things in the atlantic. atlantic hurricane season doesn't start until june 1. but things don't always go by the exact calendar, do they. we don't think this system way out in the middle of the open waters by the azores, we don't think it will develop into anything. but something to watch. on average, we'll see 11, 6 and 2 named hurricanes. in the pacific we'll see 15-16, 8 to 9 hurricanes, 4 of which should be hurricanes. most climatologists are expecting this to be a lesser than normal system. which would be good news. >> yeah. i like that idea. thanks so much, jacqui. appreciate that. >> sure. on talk shows and in churches across the country, people are talking about president obama's support for

same-sex marriages, and could same-sex marriages, and could his position cost him votes. the same goes for my retirement. with the plan my financial advisor and i put together, a quick check and i know my retirement is on course. [ male announcer ] with wells fargo advisor's envision plan, you always know where you stand. in fact, 93 percent of envision plan holders say they will retire on their own terms. get started on the plan you need today -- wells fargo advisors. together we'll go far.

♪ home of the brave. ♪ it's where fear goes unwelcomed... ♪ and certain men... find a way to rise above. this is the land of giants. ♪ guts. glory. ram. what ? customers didn't like it. so why do banks do it ? hello ? hello ?! if your bank doesn't let you talk to a real person 24/7, you need an ally. hello ? ally bank. no nonsense. just people sense. wow. this is new.

yep. i'm sending the dancing chicken to every store in the franchise to get the word out. that could work. or you could use every door direct mail from the postal service. it'll help you and all your franchisees find the customers that matter most: the ones in the neighborhood. you print it or find a local partner. great. keep it moving honey. honey? that's my wife. wow. there you go. there you go. [ male announcer ] go online to reach every home, every address, every time with every door direct mail. colorado lawmakers convene in a special session to consider a civil unions bill. the measure would legalize the unions. it was shelved after a last-minute filibuster wednesday. the governor ordered the special session as saying he wants a fair and open debate on the bill. cnn's candy crowley asked the governor to address some concerns about that measure.

>> some of the critics say that civil unions is the step right before gay marriage. do you agree with that? >> well, in colorado, we have, as you pointed out at the top of the show, we have an amendment on a constitution that said that bans same-sex marriage. clearly we're very focused on civil unions. and again, we don't want to tell any church who they should or should not marry. we want to make sure that every citizen -- i spent almost 20 years in the restaurant business. and you work side by side with all different kinds of people, right? and you learn that they are -- they work just as hard, make the same sacrifices. they deserve the same rights. >> the question of those rights for gay people generated a lot of debate on the sunday morning talk shows. here are the highlights. >> what do you say to democrats who worry this is going to cost him votes in a very close

presidential race? >> i can't think there are many people who said, okay, i'm going to vote for obama, even though he said that the act is unconstitutional and gay people can serve in the military. i literally don't think anybody's vote was changing. >> is that analysis right? >> social conservatives and people around the country that agree marriage is a unique definition, an explanation of historical and religious union between a man and a woman, for those people, and if that's their issue, this is a clear choice. mitt romney is the person who believes marriage is between a man and a woman. >> did the bank break any laws? did it violate any accounting rules, or s.e.c. rules? >> we've had audit, legal, risk, come plips, our best people looking at all that. we know we were sloppy. we know we were stupid. we know there was bad judgment. we don't know if any of that's true yet. that's their job, so we are totally open to regulators, and

they will come to their own conclusions. but we intend to fix it, learn from it and be a better company when it's done. >> nobody wants to do anything big because they think the other might get the advantage. and you're going to do it all in the lame duck, or try to maybe kick it then. why stay in washington? >> senator reid has said we will not take up and pass a budget in the senate. you're right, there's no good reason for us to be here if we're not going to make some of these tough decisions, cast tough votes. that's what we get paid for, that's what we should do. >> i think it may have started with the republican leader mcconnell saying our job is to make sure obama is a one-term president. and so we had more filibusters than ever in the history of the united states senate. we just cannot take up anything constructive. the american voters have the last word in november. do they want to continue this kind of obstructionism, or do they want to see something different. some towns in kansas, it could be the biggest change to

their way of life in a century. what could happen that would cut them off from the rest of america. it's really cool looking. what about fuel-effiency? amazing. i think it gets up to like 40 miles per gallon. kinda cool when the needle never moves. my turn. active park assist... oh, my gosh! when you want to find a gas station, it tells you how much gas is. i didn't even know that. it's the swap your ride sales event. get a focus with up to $1500 cash back and voice-activated sync at no extra charge. are you gonna just keep the one for the rest of your lives? no, i think we should all get our own.

>> thanks to a rail line that has been in place since the 1800s, folks in garden city, kansas, can hop on amtrak and not hop off until they get to california. that train runs every day including holidays but that could be about to change. because of freight maintenance, and fees this route and many others could shift south.

bob green is a contributor and best selling author. are you saying this is a much more than just about the shifting of a couple of trains. it is really going to impact lives in a big way. >> in garden city, kansas, from the time the town was founded, there has always been a passenger train coming through that town. but the important thing is that the country has come to call on garden city every day for its history. people traveling across the country stop, however briefly in the heart of garden city. and that means something. if this does stop after 150 years, it changes the nature of what the town is. we thought it was worth talking about.

>> when you are traveling by long distance train you don't get on to a number, you get on to the empire builder. you get on to the city of new orleans or the southwest chief bound for garden city and points beyond. and if they lose that, they lose part of what has made the town the town. >> let's hope it does not become a loss. bob green, thanks so much. i always loved riding on the train.

that whole northeast corridor, and i love riding amtrak. >> it's the most fun way to see the country. >> it is a lot of fun. appreciate that. all right. we have got -- you can read bob's columns and other great opinions on the issues that shape your world. don't want to miss that. don lemon straight ahead. >> i love traveling by trains. you have to go dc or new york, i take the train because by the time you drive to the airport or fake a taxi, you may have well just take the train. >> and you literally are going in people's backyards sometimes. >> one wort describes this lady

and that is fighter. it has eaten away at her leg and now working at her abdomen. you would think she is in a foreign country but no. she was in her backyard on a homemade zip line. her father has been writing blogs on this and chronicling her battle with this flesh eating disease. >> was it that lake water? the first place that she got that first aid treat snmt who knows. it is such a mystery. >> i saw you earlier talking to athena about this. when i saw it come out, i said oh boy. this is going cause conflict. have you seen that? it says the first gay president. a lot of people are taking that literally and i think newsweek, we know people used to joke and say that president clinton was the first black president because he was so familiar with african-american culture.

i wonder how this particular cover is going play. >> mine, too. >> thanks. >> all right. a legendary base guitarist has died. his name is dunn, and he played with some of the greats of rock and roll. he was also a member of the famed blues brothers and was in the original 1980s film of the same name. he performed on recordings with neil clapton. he was 70 years old. he has been playing the instrumental green on yioonions.

>> that is beautiful and a very familiar tune and everyone recalls that. you will be missed. that will do it for me. much more straight ahead with my colleague. more in the newsroom. >> see you. d@

every communications provider is different but centurylink is committed to being a different kind of communications company. ♪ we link people and fortune 500 companies nationwide and around the world. and we will continue to free you to do more and focus on what matters. great! tyler here will show you everything. check out our new mobile app. now you can use your phone to scan your car's vin or take a picture of your license. it's an easy way to start a quote. watch this -- flo, can i see your license? no. well, all right.

thanks. okay, here we go. whoa! no one said "cheese." progressive mobile -- insurance has never been easier. get a free quote today. dave, i've downloaded a virus. yeah. ♪ dave, where are we on the new laptop? it's so slow! i'm calling dave. [ telephone rings ] [ male announcer ] in a small business, technology is all you. that's why you've got us. at the staples pc savings event, for a limited time get up to $200 off select computers. staples. that was easy.