tv CNN Newsroom CNN May 12, 2012 2:00pm-3:00pm EDT
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i'm fredricka whitfield. a federal appeals court is now considering their case. cnn's jason carroll joins us leave. jason, four of these men are u.s. vets. tell us what happens when you end up on a no fly list like they did. >> according to these plaintiffs, fredricka, it's a very uncomfortable situation. manl arriving at the airport, you've never done anything wrong, you're told you can't board the aircraft and you don't know why. that's the situation that a former marine found himself in. he was heading from chicago to spokane for his dog training business. federal agents surrounded him and told him he couldn't go. he found out later he was on no fly list and months later he said the fbi offered to get him off the list in exchange for being an informant at a local
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mosque. he declined that offer. he along with 15 are suing the government over the no fly list. a lower court threw out the case but the appeals court heard the arguments yesterday in portland, oregon. now, michelle says being on the list has really hurt him, hurt his family, and fredricka, he says it has hurt his business sniet's a lot of power for them to disrupt somebody's life. in all actuality, this company's for the people, by the people, so the government should be fearing the citizens. the citizens shouldn't be fearing the government. >> a source told cnn in january that the no fly list has grown to 20,000 people as government agencies share more information. they say this list is vital for keeping the country safe from terrorism and they say since the list has been created, they've taken additional steps to improve the accuracy of it. a court spokesman said a decision will be forthcoming, but, fredricka, but could not
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say when. in the meantime these 15 plaintiffs can not get on airplanes. you can imagine how frustrating it for your them and their families. >> how long are you on the list and once you're on it, how long before you can get off it. >> there's a process where you can go on the web and attempt to clear you name. you start on the tsa website than directs you again to another website with the department of homeland security and basically what you do is click on a particular section that says travelers redress inquiry process and then what you do is submit your kplarjts you're given a number, and there's a check lift you look at that will list a couple of things there. for example, you see them there. i was denied boarding, i am unable to print my boarding pass. the list goes on and on. you click on whatever applies to you and then you submit your redress. but the problem with that is there's no indication of how long lit take, there's no indication of what happens if you remain on the list, what you
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can do to still get off the list. >> oh, boy. it's a nightmare nonetheless, i'm sure. thanks so much, jason carroll in new york. more trouble for the nation's biggest bank. the day after jpmorgan announced it lost $2 billion in the past six weeks it got hit with a credit downgrade. the bank's shares dropped 9% on the news. attorney gloria allred is vowing to keep alive a lawsuit against syracuse university and head basketball coach jim boeheim. her client's two former ball boys for the basketball team filed the lawsuit after boeheim accused them of lying about the assistant coach bernie fine. he later apologized for his comments. a new york supreme court ruled his remarks were opinion and dismissed the suit. allred is vowing to appeal.
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car designer carroll shelby has died. if you don't know the name, you have seen the work. he designed the shelby colby race car and the mustang. more recently he had a hand in creating the dodge viper. he was 89 years old. all right. turning now the chilling kidnappings and murders of a tennessee family that rocked the nation and shattered the lives of two young sisters. the girls were found dirty, dehydrated, and starving thursday. cnn's martin savidge takes us to where their hair owing 13-deo deal came to an end. >> reporter: the manhunt for adam mayes ended on a mississippi state road. despite the alerts they felt they had not gone too far. where we are now is barely two miles away from where his victims' bodies were found at his home. authorities say it was a tip thursday that led them there.
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as it happened, there was a s.w.a.t. team nearby. police patrols have been through this area at least once before with no result. and it's easy to see why. because of the thick underbrush, it's possible for them to walk within a few yards of somebody and not even know they were there, and other than some general directions we don't know where in the woods the final drama played out but there are signs we're getting close. i found this. a military stile red smoke grenade and if you take a look another the ground you can see where it was wet out. when mayes was found they set it off to alert authorities in the area. they were close, but they were not there. that's when i meet ronald roberts. he was having dinner when he realized something was up. >> blue lights, sirens, gravel flying, spinning tires, all turning in front of our house.
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>> roberts knows these woods like the back of his hand. >> there's a boot print. >> also looks like dogprints. >> you've got some. >> reporter: they divided in two and made their way through the woods. >> see that? >> reporter: a lot of boot marks. >> yeah, yeah. >> reporter: stepped on branches and things. the s.w.a.t. teams knew they cam on something when they saw the girl lying ontown ground. then they saw mayes. they told him to put up his hands, instead he pulled out a gun and shot himself. >> walk down there and see what you can see. that's obviously been somebody down through there. >> and suddenly there i was. just the tip-off would have been all the flies. >> reporter: the exact place in the middle of the woods. so judging by this blood on the ground that we fupd here, this would be the spot that according to authorities adam mayes shot himself. now, in keeping again with their account, the young girls would
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have been lying on their stomachs directly in front of him. you quickly realize two things. that phone call tip that came in from the public probably saved the lives of kyliyah and alexandria bain but not before two girls who had witnessed the deaths of their mother and older sister had to watch one more person die. >> i wish the man could have been saved. i wish it hadn't happened. i wish those other two lives could be brought back. you can't. they've met their maker. i hope they were ready. >> reporter: martin savage, cnn, alpine, mississippi. >> and no doubt smugglers are shedding a few tears over a drug bust in pakistan. police found the heroin they had stuffed inside a shipment of onions and wait till you hear how much the customs agents seized.
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checking international stories now, syria mourns dozens killed in twin bombings on thursday. they blame the violence on terrorists. several more were killed today by -- one by one, rather, by snipers. meanwhile two turkish journalists missing for two months and feared dead were released as part of a prisoner swap between turkey and iran today. and in peru a bus crash killed 13 and injured seven more in a small northern province. the bus plunged into a rah veep and broke in pieces. police say they don't know what caused the crash. pakistani police seized 275 pounds of heroin bound for malaysia. they found it in a refrigerator
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container of onions but inside they alechlkedly stuffed 830 pounds of heroin rather. police have two people under arrest. all right, presidential debates have barely been this riveting, but then for egyptians it's totally brand new. it's their first real take of democracy after overtloeg hosni mubarak. they never had free elections until now. here's ben wedeman. >> reporter: it was two older men in suits and ties talking on television, but it's something egypt has never seen ever. a real live presidential debate. >> translator: i never expected anything like this, says a personnel supervisor. >> reporter: although there are 13 presidential candidates, in this the first debate, the two front-runners faced off. former foreign minister and general of the arab league and
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islamic independent. the sparks didn't fly, but they did debate the economy, education, health, foreign policy, the role of islam and society and politics for about four grueling hours. for decades in egypt presidential politicians was a monologue. several years ago egypt did have its first multi-candidate presidential election but it was essentially a one-man show. there were no debates. the presence of handful of challenges, mere window dressing. so here we have egyptians doing something that just a few years ago they could never have even imagined them doing. they're arguing about who should be the president of egypt. in a pe dez trpedestrian promene
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hundreds filled the sidewalk watching and cheering for hours as the questions kept coming. it gives people the idea that freedom is coming, that there is freedom of opinion, says this stock controller. >> translator: this is new to us. it's nice. you can breathe freedom jut sitting here watching them speak their minds. >> others weren't quite so enthusiastic. this student came here to get a break from studying for final exams and relax over a water pipe. he blows off all the talk of democracy. >> translator: i'm fine with dictators as long as he sticks to his word, as long as he's not corrupt, he says. they've had a month to campaign. their posters are all over cairo and other egyptian cities. it's been a rough going but for a while a lawyer was a moment to
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savor. >> we have democracy. >> what a difference a revolution can machlkt bke. ben wedeman, cnn, cairo. >> back in this country, more reasons to dis-like the lodge commute to work. a look how the longer drive time may contribute to a bigger waistline and more health risks. 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.
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all right. can yu name the u.s. cities where you're most likely to get stuck in traffic? according to the census pure row, new york city, other cities in the top five are washington, d.c., poughkeepsie, new york, bremerton, washington, and chicago, illinois. which brings us to today's health for her. a new study shows that long commute to work just may be killing you. that's according to the american journal of preventive medicine. she's a physician for premier care here in atlanta. good to see you. we know traffic in atlanta is horrible, but how is it that it
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can really impact your health. >> yeah. well this study shows that people who have longer commutes -- a longer commute is anything over 10 or 15 miles. we're talk in atlanta, a 10 or 15-minute commute is 30, 40 minutes. a long commute led to high blood pressure, diabetes and obesity. these people were not physically fit. they exercise less and even when they incorporated exercise, the people who had long commutes and exercise still had high blood pressure. there's something about the stress of the commute that's affecting your health in a bad way. >> so we know that takes place when you're behind the wheel. what if you're on a bus or a subway. same kind of perils? >> that's a great question. they don't mention that. they mention if you have mass transit. could it be different?
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>> what should you do? what can you do to reduce the stress or make sure this is not a commute that's going to kill you ultimately? >> exactly. because you're not going to be able to pick up sometimes and move. make yourself do more exercise whether it's take the steps, park your car, don't drive around looking for a closer parking space. maybe it's a couple little different changes during the day. get regular checkups, know what your risks are. that makes a huge difference. and i don't know how many fast food places you pass on your way to work. i count. seven. keep passing. it's a tell tarks but if you can avoid that and make sure you eat healther this, it's going to make a good difference. >> maybe put something more soothing on the radio or nothing at all.
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a lot of times i drive in silence. >> don't be so uptight and rude like we were talking. be relaxed behind the wheel. >> people can be a little impatient. all right dr. sujatha reddy. good to talk with you. happy mother's day too. it's one night when teens get to feel like a movie star. i'm talking about prom night when high school students dress up, pose for family pictures, eat a dinner and take a ride in a limo. not everyone can afford a prom experience. one organization is acting as fairy godmother to make every teen's prom dreams come true. >> this kind of cobalt blue because dark blue don't really look too good on me. >> all right. >> reporter: zita williams is doing what many teenagers around the country are familiar with around the country. searching for a dream dress that will make her the belle of the
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ball. >> you like this? >> yes. >> all right. this will be the first one you try on. >> but she isn't shopping at the mall or spending hundreds of dollar. she has cerebral palsy and her mother is facing tough times. >> the lighter colors would look nice on her. >> reporter: as a single mom of three, she simply can't afford an excess skpensive dress for her daughter and that's where operation prom comes in. >> with today's economy, a lot of parents aren't able to afford the whole prom experience. >> reporter: operation prom is a national organization that helps qualifying teens get free dresses donated by retailers, companies, and private citizens. it also holds fund-raisers. >> are you going to say yes to the prom dress? >> yes. >> say yes to this dress. >> yes, yes, yes. >> reporter: operation prom is the bringchild of know well
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deloco who founded the store in 2005. >> i'm so proud of the organization and what it's done for students and here's a mom and daughter who thought that prom wasn't within their reach. >> reporter: with several chapters across the country, operation prom reaches thousands of girls just like zena. >> reporter: on the night of the prom, everything runs high. she gets her hair and make jum done compliments. it's a j ma call night for zena and her family. >> it just made my day. >> proms these days do not come cheap. the average cost of going to the prom is $1,078. that's up nearly 34% from a year ago. prom then cost more than $807
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per person. wow. that's an incredible hike in sump a short amount of time. all right. a tough truck looks as good as new, but it's come a really, really long way, logging more than a million miles. how long did it take to reach that milestone? and if you're leaving the house right now, just a reminder, you can continue to watch cnn from your mobile phone. you can also watch cnn live from your desktop. go to cnn.com/tv. most life insurance companies
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at aviva, we do things differently. our wellness for life program rewards you with savings just for getting a check-up, and it's only from aviva. with less chronic osteoarthritis pain. imagine living your life with less chronic low back pain. imagine you, with less pain. cymbalta can help. cymbalta is fda-approved to manage chronic musculoskeletal pain. one non-narcotic pill a day, every day, can help reduce this pain. tell your doctor right away if your mood worsens, you have unusual changes in mood or behavior or thoughts of suicide. antidepressants can increase these in children, teens, and young adults. cymbalta is not approved for children under 18. people taking maois or thioridazine or with uncontrolled glaucoma should not take cymbalta. taking it with nsaid pain relievers, aspirin, or blood thinners may increase bleeding risk. severe liver problems, some fatal, were reported. signs include abdominal pain and yellowing skin or eyes. tell your doctor about all your medicines, including those for migraine and while on cymbalta, call right away if you have high fever, confusion and stiff muscles
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or serious allergic skin reactions like blisters, peeling rash, hives, or mouth sores to address possible life-threatening conditions. talk about your alcohol use, liver disease and before you reduce or stop cymbalta. dizziness or fainting may occur upon standing. ask your doctor about cymbalta. imagine you with less pain. cymbalta can help. go to cymbalta.com to learn about a free trial offer. the san francisco bay area a former police officer was convicted of shooting an unarmed man. johannes mehserle is asking to have his prison term overturned. cell phone video shows him shooting graham in the back. a very emotional moment for
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jennifer hudson. yesterday a chicago jury found the former brother-in-law of the singer and actress guilty of murdering hudson's mother, brother, and 7-year-old nephew. hudson broke down in the courtroom when she heard the verdict. william balfour will be sentenced to life without parole. in michigan a general motors assembly plant honored the owners of a hard-working chevy silvera silverado. it's been driven over 1 million miles in less than six years. the couple did a lot of post katrina work. they've only had one real issue with the car, the injectors. they say ever since the problem was prepared it's been going strong ever since. the san diego chargers will retire junior seau's number 55.
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they'll retire it in the home opener in september. he killed himself earlier this month. he was the most decorated defensive player in the san diego chargers' history. republican presidential candidate mitt romney delivered some advice to graduates today. he told them the things you believe in and value matter and he defended his position on marriage saying it should strictly be between one man and one woman. the public is also reacting to president obama's decision to support gay marriage. in ten minutes we'll hear what people are saying about that right now and how the president's announcement could affect the election. but first this is what we heard earlier this week at cnn's open mike in times square. >> i think you did a good job at supporting same-sex marriage. >> we don't need to be talking about same-sex marriage. we need to be fixing america to be back to where it was years ago. >> dear mr. president i am so proud of you today.
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all right. summer is just around the corner and maybe you're ready to head to a resort and get away from all. is a time share the way to do that? the answer is it may be. it may be great for some but it has its pitfalls. jane o'donnell is the didn't consumer consultant. give us the breakdown of what a time share is and what are the
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real benefits? >> they like them because like so many of us go to the beach and say, gee, i'd love to buy a place here but i can't afford it. so a time share which is basically a week or weeks at a set resort or condominium development often at the beach or a ski resort is the cheap way to do it it sounds like, you can buy vacation intervals and points so you can go to perhaps any hilton property, but it does have a lot of problems like the recession hit and people couldn't afford to pay the maintenance fees or even the weekly or monthly costs that they were faced with. >> so what are some of the other big risks that come with time shares besides those maintenance fees, et cetera? >> well, one of the big risks is that, you know, maybe you can't even afford to get to the time share. so many people buy them in hawaii or at a ski resort, and if you've got family, that might be really difficult to afford, getting out there once a year. you might not be able to even
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trade it. there are exchange companies where you can trade your week for somewhere else but maybe nobody wants your week. and there are, of course, the scams that are very popular where people are taking advantage of people who want to get out of their time shares. >> what are these scams all about? how do you identify it's a scam? >> if somebody calls you out of the blue or you get a letter out of the blue and they say we have a buyer for your time share, you have to immediately be suspicious. you know, they could be perfectly legitimate, but you really do have to check them out. never give money up front if you can possibly help it unless you completely check out the seller and you know what the prefund policy is because a lot of people have been prosecuted. people are going to prison for demand 2g$,000 up front to sell time shares and then they walk off with the money and you don't have a buy sneer so if you're trying to sell your time share, you shouldn't be paying anyone up front? >> right. you definitely don't want to pay
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them up front. if you met somebody face to face and you checked them out and you knew they were legitimate, it might be okay according to the federal trade commission, but most people say don't do any kind of transaction up front until you know they have the buyer. >> who's the time share right for? >> time shares are probably the best for people who are retired, who know they'll be able to afford the cost of buying it. and by the way, buying it on the resale market, not selling it to a resaler you don't know, buying one, you could probably get one for a few thousand dollars right now where it might have cost $20,000 from an original owner. so, yes, you can do pretty well, but you have to know that you're going be able to take this vacation once a year if it's a set week and you have to know you're going to be able to afford the maintenance fees annually and they can often go up and they can go up precipitously if the company sells to another company. there have been like $600
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all of these friends swapped their imports for a ford. the escape definitely fits my lifestyle. it is 28 miles a gallon. that's pretty awesome. park assist? no hands. i didn't think that was possible. make me want the fusion. it's pretty. it's fun to drive. and the fuel-efficiency... up to 33 miles per gallon. pretty awesome. it's the swap your ride sales event. get a fusion or escape with 0% financing for 60 months plus up to $1750 cash back.
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we don't need to be talk about same-sex marriage. we need to fix it to where it was years ago. >> dear mr. president. i am so proud of you today. >> thank you for taking a stance, for not wavering, for not being neutral, and trying to play both sides of the fence. >> you know, i'm going to give you my personal opinion about that. don't follow the people to get more votes to your side. you have to follow the whole community. >> just some of the opinions on same-sex marriage from people at cnn's open mike in times square. president barack obama's comment that he supports same-sex marriage follow as huge change. josh levs is here with a surprising breakdown on evolution over a short span of time. >> it's kind of incredible. let me jump right into this. i want you to see this. this is where the country has zood in the past on same-sex marriage. take a look at this right here. we're going to zoom into it.
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it's a mavis change over the last 15 years in this country. this right here is 1996 and this is where the country stood at the time. 68% opposing same-sex marriage. 27% supporting. zoom ahead from 1996 up till now, you have the country split with several surveys showing a slight majority even of americans supporting same-sex marriage. so what happened? what changed things so fast? when you see a dramatic change, it takes a long time, even decades. part of it is overall growing acceptance of same-sex couples in this country. it's been reflected in media, pop culture. they say "will & grace" has done more to educate the public than anything else. that is part of it. another piece of the public is the electoral is not just people changing their minds but talking about different people. i want you to see this here.
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this is support for same sex marriage in this country. that's right here are the youngest voters, known as millennials, 1981 or sooner. a vast percentage according to the few forum. the older generation are 30% in support of same-sex marriage. by far the youngest voters support same-sex marriage and fact of life more and more millennials are old enough to poll and vote and the older generation is dying. so we're talking about a changing electorate out there that's part of this. i want to show you this while i'm breaking down the figures. take look at how this might play out in the rest of the election season as president obama and mitt romney having exactly opposing stances on same sex marriage. one thing to keep in mind is how it plays out racially in this country. by far african-american voters are opposed to same-sex marriage. 39% in support and whites are about 50/50.
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so president obama has the support of the vast majority of the black voters according to the studies but will some be upset enough to stay home or go over to mitt romney. one more to see on this, it's a much more popular issue for women than men. women are 50/50, whereas men it's lower, 42%. so we're not expecting either candidate to talk about this issue a lot in the months leading up to the election. but as they do, you'll see some of those dynamics play out and the constituents they're going for. i've got a big breakdown. also facebook and twitter. josh levs, cnn. fred, i'll tell you. when you dig into these numbers, you get the big picture of what goes on in this country. >> it's fascinating, but if so many more americans embrace the idea of same-sex marriage, then why is it so many states are defeating laws and votes right on the ballot that ask people their opinions about same-sex
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marriage and whether a state should recognize it? >> it's fascinating. we have 31 states that have voted on constitutional amendments and in every case the state has voted for an amendment to prevent same-sex marriage. here's what's happen. they do not take into account regional differences. in some, the majority are opposed to same-sex marriages and they don't take into account how many will show up to vote on a particular piece of legislation at particular point in time. if we see these trends continue as we receive the last 16 years for more and more support for same-sex marriage we can expect more states to allow it. that could be a huge change. >> thanks for brings us that zbloofgs so many of us aet home have pets, dogs, cats, maybe even a hamster. you'll be surprised about the exotic animals that have lived at the white house including a one-legged chicken. of course, you don't see it in this picture.
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but first the fortune 500 list is out this week. one company on that list has changed the way we search for information. it's even become a verb. google has made its mark in the internet world and on the fortune 500 list. 35-year-old larry page co-founded it while pursued a ph.d at stanford university. he was the first ceo until 2001, returning to the position last year, making him the youngest ceo on the fortune 500 list. page's annual salary? $1. for three hours a week, i'm a coach. but when i was diagnosed with prostate cancer...
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i needed a coach. our doctor was great, but with so many tough decisions i felt lost. unitedhealthcare offered us a specially trained rn who helped us weigh and understand all our options. for me cancer was as scary as a fastball is to some of these kids. but my coach had hit that pitch before. turning data into useful answers. we're 78,000 people looking out for 70 million americans. that's health in numbers. unitedhealthcare.
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we love our pets, even cows, dogs, sheeps, even alligator. tom foreman takes a look at the presidential pets that took residence over the years. >> reporter: presidents have been judged by the dogs they run with. no wonder mitt romney and president obama are trying to laugh off cracks like these. >> if mitt romney ever asks to go for a ride, could shotgun and and if the president tries to
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butter you, run. >> reporter: there is something to take a little seriously. >> presidents tharn s and their have a long and storied history. most of us don't get the politics of the middle east politics and the rise and fall of the gdb. but we connect if you g it with a dog. >> reporter: presidents have kept company with critters of all types. theodore roosevelt turned the white house into a zoo with bears, horses, parrots, snakes and even a one-legged chicken. >> he used to surprise guests in the house with an alligator he kept in the bathtub. >> calvin coolidge had it all.
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lion cubs, a goose, a bobcat, a raccoon and a pigmy hippo named billy. >> both teddy roosevelt and coolidge gave a large part to the menagery at the zoo in washington. even today many if not most of the pygmy hippos in the united states are descendents of the calvin coolidge hippo. >> reporter: but dogs have always been the most likely pick for first pet. for better or worse. for example, there was a story going around that during a tour of the aleutian islands, roosevelt let the dog fall off behind and sent the navy back to rescue him. fdr de-claude his critics with humor. [ inaudible ]
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>> reporter: it is a measure of how well the speech works that follows part of the memorial. richard nixon pulled a similar trick defending himself against accusations he received improper gifts by listing his kids' dog checkers as one of them. >> and i just want to say this right now, that regardless of what they say about it, we're going to keep him. >> reporter: voters ate it up. it does not always go well. lindin johnson picks his beagle up by the ears and animal lovers howled. still almost every president has had at least one dog and make, just maybe there's a reason beyond politics. >> the presidency is a very lonely undertaking. i think there are very many moments in the white house where what you really want to do is take your pet for a walk. >> ah. and if you want to know more about presidential pets, there is a photo gallery of all the pets who lived at the white house.
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these three friends share a house. we swapped their ride for a focus. bad news for their imports. 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. recently, students from 31 countries took part in a science test. the top academic performers surprised some people. so did the country that came in 17th place.
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ja this week president obama came out in support of same-sex marriage. it's ignited a lot of discussions. some people think being gay is a choice, and when they see their children showing so-called feminine traits, they hope something called repair iive therapy will cure them. california may be the first state to ban this type of therapy. the vote is tuesday. >> when ryan kindle was 13, his mother read his diary and discovered he was guy. that was the beginning of the most painful years of his life. >> for years i thought that guy hated me because i was guy. >> ryan says his parents were determined to change him. they signed him up for what's called repair aive theraprative. it's aimed at changing sexual yore yination has been used for decades to turn potentially gay
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children straight. >> every day i would hear this is a choice, this can be fixed. >> and did you believe that? >> i know i'm gay like i'm short and half hispanic. it's part of my core fundamental identity. the comparative would be saying like sending me to tall camp. >> ryan says he was treated by joseph nick lowecy, a clinical psychologist who today is still associated with narkt. >> this is something your family doesn't want for you. >> at his office outside los angeles we asked nikolosi if he remembered treating ryan kendall. >> i'm not familiar with him at all. >> his parents have provided bills. there have been checks written to your office, but no record. >> no. >> he said your therapy was quite harmless. he said you told him to butch
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up, quote/unquote. >> never. it's not our glaj. >> when somebody says people like yourself, others are trying to get the gay out of people. >> that's a terrible decision. >> nicolosi says he's kept hundreds of children from growing up gay. he credits this man, george reekers, a researchers who believes it can be prevented. rekers worked in the 1970s in a governmental program later called sissy boy syndrome to turn around kirk's so-call sissy behavior he was repeatedly asked to choose from traditional masculine toys like knives and guns or feminine toys like dolls in a play crib. if he chose the feminine items, his mother would be told to ignore him. his siblingings say his outgoing
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personality changed as a result of his personality. >> he had no idea,000 relate to people. >> george rekers considered him a success story. proof that homosexuality can be prevented. kirk's family says he was gay and never recovered from attempts to turn him straight. in 2003 kirk took his own life. he hanged himself from a fan in his apartment. he was 38. our producers tracked george rekers down in florida. >> what do you say to the family if they say that the therapy that you did with him as a child led to his suicide as an adult. >> i think scientifically that would be inaccurate to asuchl it was the therapy, but i do grieve for the patients now that you've told me that news. i think that's very sad. >> according to the american psychiatric association, a potential risk of repairive
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therapy is great, including depression and self-destructive behavior. they say repairive alignment may reinforce the self-hay dread already felt by patients. dr. nicolosi says his therapy isn't harmful and he only treats people who want to change. not true, says ryan kendall. >> it led me to periods of homelessness, to drug abuse, to spending a decade of my life wanting to kill myself. it leds to so much pain and struggle and i want them to know that what they do hurts people, hurts children. has no basis in fact, and they need to stop. >> reporter: randi kaye, cnn, los angeles. here are some of the other stories we're watching for you. more details on the chilling kidnappings and murders of the
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tennessee family. officials say the two surviving sisters were found dirty, starving and dehydrated with bug bites all over their bodies. it ended thursday when the suspect adam mayes shot himself to death. in north carolina someone has poisoned two dogs. the dogs had to be poisoned with antifreeze. mitt romney is speaking out. he said at a commencement speech at a christian university today he would defend marriage as being defined marriage as being only that between a man and a woman. in a few minutes we'll talk to our athena jones in maryland, state that has legalized same-sex marriage and now is facing a channllenge to those laws. . a great deal going on in syria to
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