arwa, what did you see, what did you hear? is family after family telling the most horrific stories imaginable. the majority of the people who have been clustered in this makeshift refugee camel on the syrian side of the border are from jisr al shugur and the surrounding areas. some are crossing into turkey, into these refugee camps here but some are staying on the other side, hoping to go back home in the future, hoping they'd be reunited with loved ones they love in the a os. in all of this, we met one woman who fled from even farther away because of the sheer horror of what she witnessed. she is simply too terrified to appear on camera. and asks that we call her noor, not her real name. the 22-year-old english major has come to this rudimentary camp tucked along side the turkish border, because she says if she stays at home in latakia, she will die. >> i cannot be here. >> she described what she witnessed just outside her house, nothing short of horrific. >> every day when we have the protesters in the street, military and

arwa, what's the latest? >> reporter: shocking new video has emerged appearing to show syrian military forces planting weapons on the bodies of dead activists, another indication, the opposition says, of the government's smear campaign. >> arwa just keeps breaking unbelievable and terrible news in syria. we'll see that in a moment. >>> but first, michael dukakis weighs in on mitt romney. he's not a fan, to say the least. you'll want to hear what dukakis has to say. stay with us. [ waves crashing ] ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] and just like that, it's here. a new chance for all of us: people, companies, communities to face the challenges yesterday left behind and the ones tomorrow will bring. prudential. bring your challenges. red lobster like this before. your own complete four-course seafood feast for $15. start with soup, like our hearty new england clam chowder. then enjoy a fresh salad with unlimited cheddar bay biscuits, followed by your choice of one of seven entrees, like new shrimp & scallops alfredo, spicy

arwa damon live in lebanon. thank you very much, arwa. >>> you may know the dugger family from "19 kids and counting." they took ak shuck after the deadly tornado in joplin packing up supplies and driving through the night to get there to help in the rescue effort. josh and jill dugger talk about their experience in this "impact your world." >> i'm jill dugger. >> and i'm josh dugger. >> we can make a difference with search and rescue. >> and tornado relief in joplin, missouri. we were here in arkansas where we live. >> thoughts started coming. what can we do to help? >> basically we packed everything up and got water bottles, gatorade -- i've been around emergency situations in working as a volunteer firefighter. given that jill, jana are active duty firefighters, they were able to plug right in. join the movement. >> impact your world. >> go to cnn.com/impact. >> there are many ways to impact your world. if you want to help people in the recent tornado outbreaks, and it seems everybody does, go to cnn.com/impa

hala gorani and arwa damon, thank you. >> and isha is back with us with a news bulletin. >> hi there, afghan government says a militant group based in pakistan is to blame for yesterday's deadly attack on a kabul hotel. the siege was left 12 victims including all nine attackers dead was believed to be carried out by the hakani network thought to be linked to al qaeda >>> officials say the attack will not stop the planned withdrawal of u.s. troops from afghanistan starting in july and scheduled to end in 2014. >>> it could be a crucial legal victory for amanda knox in her bid to overturn her conviction for the murder of her british roommate in italy. court-appointed experts told an italian court that dna evidence used to convict the american college student and her co-defendant was contaminated. >>> bank of america is paying $8.5 billion to settle claims from angry investors over mortgage securities gone sour. those investors include big financial firms like black rock, pimco and met life. bank of america also says it will post a second quarter net loss of up to $9.1 billion. >>> and a

arwa, what's the latest? >> reporter: well,el yort, as you mentioned there most certainly appears to be the deadliest day to date since the uprising began. the bulk of the casualties concentrated in the city of hamma and eyewitnesses and activists tens of thousands of people gathered in different neighborhoods in the city trying to converge on a central square, when they say syrian security forces as we have seen in the past as activists have claimed in the past indiscriminately opened fire. they have been touch by a number of medics in that city and they were simply in tears because of the sheer volume of dead and the sheer volume of casualties that they were having to deal with and we also, according to activists, demonstrations in other parts of the country as well. in some cases they were also met with lethal force and in other case wes tear gas, but eliot, unlike in the past where it has continued to be incredibly difficult to get information on this day, it has been even more challenging because accordi

arwa. >> reporter: hi, monita. what we are able to gather is that syrian military is, in fact, in full control of citizens of jisr al shugur. they're trying to get a view of what's happening inside the town, they say to try to get the truth out, because they believe that the syrian state television is simply inundateding its viewers with government propaganda. they tell us sis last night there have been no sounds of explosions but they will say in a nearby village military were combing through homes, searching house to house. we do not have any reports of new casualties that have taken attention today, but those we haven't been able to get access to have been telling hair eeing authorities. one woman was talking about how she was in a funeral when security forces indiscriminately opened fire on them. others say once they heard sounds when the military first began its main offensive, they came fleeing to turkey, fearing for their lives, taking only the clothes on their back. we're in front of this refugee camp that

our arwa damon is there.here now. we've been telling you that we are standing by to hear from congresswoman michele bachmann, who has now thrown her hat into the ring for the republican nomination. she is going to be speaking at the republican leadership conference in new orleans that's going on right now. we can show you that picture there. we're waiting on her to step to the podium. while we're waiting on her and once she comes up, we'll have -- actually, it looks like she's coming up now. i'm pretty sure that person is not michele bachmann. but we're standing by. paul, let me bring you in, you're there at the conference as well -- okay, there she is. we're laying eyes on her now as she steps out. paul, she's going to say some thank yous here and i promise our viewers we'll get to her as she starts to speak, but what's the importance now of every public statement she makes, after she's picked up some momentum, and a lot of people gave her a lot of credit at that cnn debate for doing better than maybe a lot

arwa, what's the latest?well,el yort, as you mentioned there most certainly appears to be the deadliest day to date since the uprising began. the bulk of the casualties concentrated in the city of hamma and eyewitnesses and activists tens of thousands of people gathered in different neighborhoods in the city trying to converge on a central square, when they say syrian security forces as we have seen in the past as activists have claimed in the past indiscriminately opened fire. they have been touch by a number of medics in that city and they were simply in tears because of the sheer volume of dead and the sheer volume of casualties that they were having to deal with and we also, according to activists, demonstrations in other parts of the country as well. in some cases they were also met with lethal force and in other case wes tear gas, but eliot, unlike in the past where it has continued to be incredibly difficult to get information on this day, it has been even more challenging because according to activist

but arwa and i have spent several days now just trying to persuade a few people to speak off camera tot the audio of their interviews. so it's nearly impossible to say that anyone at this stage can mean all the opposition in syria. >> if the congressman is right and he did not say all these things, then this would seem to be a clear example of yet again the syrian government media -- controlled media putting out fake stories, making up things. i mean, literally making up quotes and putting words into a congressman's mouth. >> well, when you look -- they're not twins. i think that's how you can describe it. but yes, there is a willful mischaracterization of what congressman kucinich said than what you're saying, anderson, is fair. >> because the congressman is saying that there was a mistranslation or perhaps a problem with the translation. but the sana news release ways in english. and the congressman was talking in english. so there was no translating that -- >> reporter: well, i think the communication director said something about how there may have been arabic translators in the ro

arwa, thank you. speaking of, all these events over the weekend, in syria they're raising pressure on the white house to get in, to do something. exactly what that something is, is really unclear at this point. but a republican senator appears to be saying it is time to consider a military option. listen. >> it made sense to protect the libyan people against gadhafi and it did because they were going to get slaughtered, if we hadn't sent nato in when he was on the outskirts of benghazi, the question for the world, have we gotten to that point in syria? i think we may not be there yet but we're getting very close. if you really care about protecting the syrian people from slaughter, now is the time to let assad know all options are on the table. >> jill doherty standing by at the state department, what's the word on that, jill? i know you asked today in the briefing about maybe some of the allies taking some type of physical military action. what word are you getting? how far can the carnage in syria g

what was it like when you made it across the border to see what these people were going through, arwa? >> kiran, the conditions that they're living in are absolutely miserable, especially one when takes into consideration the fact other than today, it has been raining for the last few days. these are refugees who fled with little more than the clothing on their backs and for protection against mother nature, they basically have a plastic tarp strung between two trees. the rains have turned the ground into mud. the children were covered in it. mothers were trying to do whatever they could to comfort their kids but there really wasn't a lot. when it comes to that, to bathe themselves, there's a muddy, filthy nearby. a pharmacist was telling about his concerns of disease and illnesses spreading for food, they're relying on the charity of the turkish villagers who have been ferrying bread and other basics back and forth and the horror stories they tell, it is absolutely chilling to hear them speak about how they say syrian security forces indiscriminately opened fire on unarmed demonstrat

finally arwa damon has gotten into damascus.ening today, right here in "the situation room." >> she's tweeting up a storm, as i want. meantime, cindy anthony took to the stand about two hours ago in her daughter's murder trial. find out what happened, and why her google searches were very much so called into question. sunny hostin is on the case. she's next. goes to work in seco. nothing works faster. ♪ tum tum tum tum tums but sometimes i wonder... what's left behind? [ female announcer ] new purifying facial cleanser from neutrogena naturals. removes 99% of dirt and toxins without dyes, parabens, or harsh sulfates. so skin feels pure and healthy. [ female announcer ] new from neutrogena naturals. >>> not too long ago, casey anthony's mother returned to the witness stand, this time testifying for the defense. and she dropped a bombshell. she was questioned about what she was googling. specifically she was asked about googling "chloroform." >> that's right. that was the bomb in the courtroom today. really is the headline. the de

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 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, than

as arwa was saying, many are starting to show up in large numbers there. syria. we continue to follow lo it. we'll try to get our arwa damon up later. >>> i want to turn to pakistan where the cia director has shown up. we're talking about leon panetta. he says the u.s. commitment to pakistan is strong. he is there this morning. he is as you know as well, said to become the secretary of defense next month. on this trip he's hoping to mend political forces strained by the u.s. raid that killed osama bin laden and continuing air strikes targeting militants along the border between afghanistan and pakistan. >>> well stick around for this next one. it ought to be interesting. money, one of the top five reasons that people get divorced. half of couples don't even talk about finances before they get married. and that is a problem. coming up, we will have a discussion on a taboo topic. stay with us. ♪ [ male announcer ] and just like that, it's here. a new chance for all of us: people, companies, communities to face the challenges yesterday left behind and the one

arwa damon is live near the border.lled out an application hoping to get near syria this week. find out whether it was accepted and who the actress wants to speak with. stay right there. [ waves crashing ] ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] and just like that, it's here. a new chance for all of us: people, companies, communities to face the challenges yesterday left behind and the ones tomorrow will bring. prudential. bring your challenges. and the ones tomorrow will bring. right now, go to priceline for a sneak peek at recent winning and better than ever! hotel bids to find where you n save up to 60% on hotels. * we'll even email you other people's winning bids, so you'll know what price to name. *á with new hotel bid alerts, from priceline. >>> in syria, the deadly crackdown by the government has driven thousands of refugees to the turkish border trying to stem the growing tie. turkish officials have also confirmed that they will allow actress angelina jolie to visit those refugee camps this coming friday. jolie will be heading t

. >> cnn's arwa damon has been following this story for us.ing, some of you may find the graphic images of injured children upsetting. >> reporter: on april 29th, anti-government protesters tried to break the syrian army siege on the city of dawrah. they described how security forces indriscriminately opened fire on them. 13-year-old hamza, separated from his father in the chaos. a month later, the family received their son's body. hamza's face bloated, purple. this video posted to youtube catalogs each of his wounds, much of it too graphic to broadcast. the narrator points out multiple gunshots before moving to his head. and even more shocking, his genitals were mutilated. cnn cannot independently verify what happened to hamza or the authenticity of this video. after it was initially broadcast, hamza's family was threatened. now they are too petrified to talk. even to close friends. a prominent syrian activist who we reached via skype says she has no doubt it's real and that the regime had a message in releasing the boy's body. >> they want t

arwa damon is in damascus for us. nic robertson is in sana, yemen. let's go to arwa first.a, this has been another tough time, another tough few weeks. what's going on in syria right now? tell our viewers what you're seeing firsthand. >> reporter: well, wolf, we got an opportunity to go up to the highly controversial town that is at the center of the military crackdown that sent all of those refugees streaming across the border to turkey. and we hoped that following our trip, we would have a better idea of exactly what it was that transpired there. take a look at what we saw. it is unsettling arriving in the town. for weeks we heard stories of brutal attacks by syrian security forces, of thousands fleeing, of mass graves. now the government is bringing journalists to this dusty and very empty town. we're escorted, not only by officials, but two truck loads of military. that's for our own protection, we're told. armed gangs that once controlled all of this town are still a threat. military officials tell us the crackdown here was unavoidable. to stop terrorist elements whose

arwa damen is following developments from the lebanese capital beirut. she joins us now live.rding to the state-run television, this military crackdown in the town of jisr al shugur is to, what they're describing, to restore order. >> reporter: that's right, monita. that is the line that the government seems to be putting forward through the state-run syrian television channel saying they entered jisr al shugur at the request of residents, residents were the ones saying thr were being held hostage by these so-called gangs. the government from this uprising has been maintaining this line, saying it is only targeting armed gangs, terrorists that are intent on bringing down the regime. what we have been seeing interesting airing on state television as well is recordings of audio conversations that the government is alleging or syr n syrians are saying took place between these so-called armed gangs. you hear the individuals speaking, coaching one another as to how people in jisr al shugur should behave when the military approaches and especially what they should be saying to the m

arwa, thank you. >>> the number of refugees fleeing syria into turkey is close to the 10,000 mark. those camps off limits to the media for the most part. awe actress angelina jolie visited in her role as the united nations good will ambassador. nicholas burns is the former undersecretary state and former ambassador to nato. six months ago tonight, the beginning of the arab spring. you look at syria and libya, it's hard to use the term arab spring there. let's tart in libya. can one make the case now that the nato mission is not effective, that gadhafi is still there and still be so defiant? >> john, i don't think so. what you find now in libya is a stalemate. gadhafi has survived despite the efforts of nato. but i think gadhafi is on the ropes. he's much weaker than four months ago today, three months ago today. you've seen defections of leading military officers, moussa koussa defected. he less of an ability to use the economic resources from is oil industry. i think it's a matter of time and ultimately, if we're patient, the nato mission is going to succeed. >> i just want to rem

cnn's arwa damon joins us live now by phone from neighboring lebanon. please update us, arwa, on what we have been seeing over the past 24 hours. >> well, t.j., there were demonstrations, according to activists and eyewitnesses across syria. it certainly would appear as if the most violent of them took place in humma where tens of thousands of people were demonstrating and they were peaceful and unarmed and chanting for the downfall of their regime. according to eyewitnesses as we have been hearing since this began indiscriminately opened fire on them and the death toll has been rising. we now know according to one syrian human rights organization that at least 60 people have been killed. they believe that the number could be as high as 80, if not more. the bulk of those casualties, again, concentrated in hama where we saw tens of thousands of people turning out for the funeral of those people who had been killed. the funeral as of this point in time appeared to have been taking place peacefully in huama, however, people are concerned because the trend

arwa damon, appreciate it. stay safe >>> two days after bashar assad spoke at damascus university and promised national dialogue, thugs raided the dormitories and dragged hundreds of people away. one student is telling the story tonight. we spoke earlier. >> what can you tell us about what happened at damascus university? >> what's happened was in the morning the security people came and they broke into girl's buildings and took some girls. the girls were -- they just gathered themself and went to the management building in front of it and they shout ed [ inaudible ] . then the whole militia. we call them the death squads. so these guys came. they were around 60 or 70 people. and they shut down the power and the electricity. and they broke into the building. and just went on, destroying everything that's in their way. doors, laptops, windows. and they were holding sticks. and these electric sticks. they were hitting students as hard as they can. and then they are dragged away and taken to custody, taken to pris

our arwa damon who is keeping an eye on things has been reporting for us from syria.ello to you and tell us about the escalating situation there now. >> well, t.j., more than 100,000 people turned out today for the funerals and dozens of protesters by security forces, that's according to activists and iwitnesseyewitnesses. most deaths happened during demonstrations on friday. friday traditionally a day of demonstrations and yesterday we saw widespread demonstrations. some forces it appears used the heaviest strength in terms of weaponry. at least six people have been killed. that's according to the observatory for human rights. we spoke with the director who also said the number is probably much higher. he believes it may exceed 80. again, what we could see today is the pattern where syrian security forces continue according to activists, eyewitnesses, videos emerging on youtube to fire directly into the crowd of unarmed demonstrato demonstrators. chanting they want the regime to leave, t.j. >> the only response. the only response we're seeing is a violent one on the

arwa damon joins us now live from a damascus.me in damascus since the uprising began. what's it like? >> reporter: well, anderson, it was quite surreal to be coming here, especially because we spent so much time covering the story of the refugees along the syria-turkey border just hearing about how they had to flee with the clothes on their back out of fear of the military, believing they would have been killed or detained had they stayed behind. all of a sudden we're in da mass cass, in the capital. we went to the center of the city, next to the old city. this i not an area that has been the scene of any significant demonstrations in the past. and while we were there, we were hearing music blaring from this giant microphone that had been set up. i had never seen this in this part of the city before. we were told that it was just put up, pro-government lyrics, chant songs about how the president was the protecter and savior of the nation. people peddling pro governmentwares, anything from party hats to key chains to t-shirts with

remarkably arwa damon our reporter was able to get inside syria today despite the country's efforts tors out. at great personal risk to herself i should point out she was able to reach a refugee camp inside syria where she heard first hand what the refugees are fleeing. she joins us now in turkey. you spoke to one refugee who fled on friday reportedly the site of at least six deaths in just that day alone. i just want to play that for our viewers what she said. >> every day when we have the protesters in the street, military and the army come for them and kill them in front of our eyes up. >> did you see this? >> yes. our house, we have the window. and the window shooting in the window was fire. if i were sleeping under the window i would lose myself and i would die. we all go down to the kitchen and we sneak through the kitchen on our stomach. >> you had to sneak into the kitchen on your stomach. >> yes. yes. i come here -- the circumstance is so difficult. i am pregnant. i an not be here with such things, i have a nervous breakdown. why our president? why our president killing us? ki

arwa is in beirut. arwa, what has been the response of the protesters in syria to the reports of this heinous torture of a 13-year-old boy? >> reporter: well, eliot, what we did hear from a prominent syrian activist who is in damascus, she said that, first of all, she firmly believes the report the video that we're seeing to be authentic. and she believes that the syrian regime deliberately released the boy's body back to his family to send a chilling message. the message being that the regime had absolutely no red lines when it came to how it was going to be handling these voices of dissent. no matter what the age, no matter if the individual in question was a child or an adult. however, the regime's intent to terrorize people off the streets, it appears to have caused the opposite effect. we saw numerous demonstrations across the country with people chanting their support for the 13-year-old child vowing that hamza's blood would not have been spilt in vain. we saw children taking the streets despite t

arwa damon, cnn, beirut. >> absolutely heartbreaking video, those stories just break one's heart. arwa has done amazing reporting on the tragedies inside syria. >>> meanwhile the brutal crackdown is causing many residents to fully for their lives. crowds are amassing in northern syria along the border with turkey to escape the regime. ivan watson joined us from there a short time ago. so tell us what is going on on the border there between turkey and syria? apparently refugees are streaming across by the thousands. what has triggered this and what is the turkish response? >> reporter: these are desperate people, eliot. they are for the most part women and children. so far according to turkish official figures, a bit more than 2,400. most of those have come in the last 36 hours streaming across the border. they have abandoned their homes. some of them have been living for days and nights out in the countryside along the turkish border and the ones that we've been able to talk to all tell similar stories. they are frightened that the syrian government will target them. many of them

arwa damon, cnn beirut. >>> quickly updating you on the story out of libya.last half hour a series of air strikes have been reported in the center of tripoli. at least ten loud explosions were heard in the libyan capital. large plumes of smoke are billowing over the city. jets can also be heard overhead. we'll bring you more on this developing story as we get it. we're taking a short break here on "world one." we'll be right back with more. somewhere in america, a city comes to life. it moves effortlessly, breathes easily. it flows with clean water. it makes its skyline greener and its population healthier. all to become the kind of city people want to live and work in. somewhere in america, we've already answered some of the nation's toughest questions. and the over sixty thousand people of siemens are ready to do it again. siemens. answers. when i got my medicare card, i realized i needed an aarp... medicare supplement insurance card, too. medicare is one of the great things about turning 65, but it doesn't cover everything. in fact, it only pays up to 80%

arwa damon caught up with a man who told her that he had video evidence of what life is now like inside syria. >> reporter: a ride on his bike turned out to be this man's final journey. he was shot in the stomach in the coastal city on his way to buy groceries for family. the circumstances of his death unknown. and cnn cannot verify the awe tinnitusity of the video. but it is one of several clips that we were shown by a man who gave us only his first name, mohammed. i witnessed this, he recalls. it was after the president's first speech to parliament about two and a half months ago. a month later, muhammad took his family and fled from his hometown, starting a long and risky journey that ended here at the refugee camp just over the border in turkey. now he sneaks between turkey and syria. i wanted to help the families crossing, he says, and the wounded, and just to help the people that are on the border to make a small difference. at the syrian side of the border is a small makeshift camp close to an unofficial crossing. mohammed films people as they take their final steps to safety. ca

arwa damon, cnn, damascus. >> arwa getting a firsthand look at the syrian capital damascus. ef every time she and the crew were shooting everything, there was always a government minder present. >>> more than a million indonesians work in saudi arabia. now jakarta says it won't give anymore visas to go there until saudis agree to changes. it's over a huge you of the treatment given out to an indonesian maid. we'll tell you that brutal story in a minute. that can go the distance. that's why we gave the chevy equinox an epa estimated 32 miles per gallon highway. but do passengers appreciate all of the comfort features we put in the equinox? hey. want me to drive? we'll take that as a yes. the count on chevy event is going on strong with a full selection of chevys to choose from. come claim yours today. visit your local chevy dealer. can your moisturizer do that? [ female announcer ] dermatologist recommended aveeno has an oat formula, now proven to build a moisture reserve, so skin can replenish itself. that's healthy skin for life. only from aveeno. so delicious. i think you'

cnn's arwa damon joins us now from beirut.ting 120 security forces killed by what they call an ambush by armed gangs. obviously, we're not there independently. can we verify this or do we believe it's propaganda from the regime? >> reporter: well, it's difficult to tell at this stage, john. according to what state tv is saying, the bulk of those casualties happened today in the combination of an ambush and a firefight that took place with a number of other clashes with individuals they're calling armed gangs. they're saying they entered this area in northwestern syria at the request of residents, claiming that the residents said that these armed individuals were holding them hostage in their homes. what we had been hearing from eyewitnesss and activists over the weekend is that the military laid siege to this part of northwestern syria, entering it using tanks, armored personnel carriers, even according to activists, using attack helicopters to indiscriminately strike at residents. and today we have this news coming out on syr

cnn's arwa damon has put together this report.me viewers may be upset by very graphic images of injuries sustained by children. >> reporter: on april 29th, anti-government protesters tried to break the syrian army siege on the city of daraa. eyewitnesses at the time described is how security forces indiscriminately opened fire on them. dozens were killed and wounded. countless others detained. among them says his family was 13-year-old hamza, separated from his father in the chaos. a month later, the family received their son's body. hamza's face bloated, purple. this video posted to youtube catalogs each of his wounds. much of it too graphic to broadcast. the narrator points out multiple gunshots before moving to his head. and even more shocking, his genitals were mutilated. cnn cannot independently verify what happened to hamza or the authenticity of this video. after it was initially broadcast, hamza's family was threatened. now they are too petrified to talk, even to close friends. a prominent syrian activist reached via skype

we want to go to arwa damon. we understand there's a ratcheting up of military action. >> reporter: that military action concentrated in the northwestern part of the country in the town you mentioned there, jisr al shugur. what we're hearing is there is a state of cautious calm, he was describing it. people very tense, shops remaining closed. people fully expecting a military crackdown at any point in time. we have over the last 36 to 48 hours been hearing from residents and activists that columns of military tanks have been trying to approach the area. some of them saying they blocked off the entrance to this town from the south and east, leaving the north clear so that residents could possibly flee should they choose to do so. we've been hearing down the road, people from other areas have been trying to stop them from approaching, trying to block them by burning tires in the roads and creating various other barricades. but activists have been sounding an alarm bell, imploring the military not to fire on the peo

arwa was reporting from lebanon because the syrian government does not allow cnn to report from there. >>> turning to u.s. news, jurors in the casey anthony murder trial are getting an education in forensic science. anthony is accused of killing her 2-year-old daughter in 2008. today's evidence is focusing on microscopic evidence, namely hair found in the trunk of casey's car. >> the hair swab was dissimilar to the head hair samuel identified adds coming from casey anthony. the head hairs in q-12 exhibited similarities to hair in a hair brush belonging to caylee anthony. >> the prosecution has alleged that little caylee was in the trunk of her mother's car. >> we'll have a live report from the trial in about 20 minutes. >>> in wildwood, new jersey, an 11-year-old girl trying to have fun on a class trip fell 100 feet to her death from a ferris wheel. she was on a class field trip. this is the first time anyone has fallen from that ride since it opened in 1985. >>> people attending a high school graduation ceremony near san antonio, texas, will be able to pray publicly. a federal court

to cover the situation inside the country, but in a dramatic reversal today, the syrians let cnn's arwa damon visit the capital city. she joins us from damascus. it seems like you'd never know there's bloodshed and revolt in other parts of the country from damascus. >> reporter: joe, the image we managed to get here in the short amount of time that we were able to get out onto the streets, we were accompanied by a government official, especially since we were intending on filming. but this part of the capital we were concentrated in is the heart of damascus itself. one has to remember the demonstrations when they were taking place inside damascus, really happening on the outskirts. while we were there, we were hearing music blaring from a loud speaker, pro-government music. we saw a number of individuals selling all sorts of paraphernalia that had the president's image imprinted on them from party cats to key chains to t-shirts. a fair amount of anger directed at us because we're viewed as representing the west. people coming to us saying they don't want the u.s. involved anymore, they

despite that arwa damon saw the conditions inside a refugee camp. see what she saw, you may understand just how desperate these people are to escape. >> reporter: hunched over, this man tries to stay dry. all he has for shelter, a piece of tarp and branches. he is one of hundreds of syrians living in squallor and fear. just a stone's throw from the turkish border. so we're just right now on the very edge of this makeshift camp and you can see these crude tents people have strung up for shelter. it's just started to rain now. it's just a plastic tarp. cramped together six families. their feet caked in mud. mothers trying to provide their children what comfort they can. it was also raining last night quite heavily and they were saying that they had to spend the entire night on their feet because the entire floor was just turned into mud. the women who don't want to be filmed simply asked is there anything left that we haven't been through? the families here bathe in a muddy stream where they also wash the few clothes they brought with them. illnesses

arwa damon, appreciate it. stay safe. >>> coming up, tears flowed today in the casey anthony trial.breaking down on the stand. what made them cry and what they said under oath today. of complicated engineering goes into every one. like variable valve timing and turbocharging, active front grille shutters that close at high speeds, and friction reducing -- oh, man, that is complicated. how about this -- cruze eco offers 42 miles per gallon. cool? very well qualified lessees can get a low-mileage lease on a cruze eco for around $169 a month. fuel economy based on epa estimates. what'maybe...it's something thingyou haven't seen yet. the 2nd generation of intel core processors. this is visibly smart. and today, we're re-inventing aspirin for pain relief. with new extra-strength bayer advanced aspirin. it has microparticles so it enters the bloodstream faster and rushes relief right to the site of your tough pain. ♪ in fact, it's clinically proven to relieve pain twice as fast. new bayer advanced aspirin. extra strength pain relief, twice as fast. >>> in crime and punishment tonight, an

arwa damon, cnn, beirut. >> a fresh wave of protests and new military offensive. the crackdown in syria. hala gorani is joining us and has reported extensively from the middle east. what do we know about this incident? >> well, what we know about the city is it's a city in the '80s had its own sort of insurgency and revolt against the government that was crushed. in the very early '80s. so this is a city that has a long memory. there's several theories as to what happened. 120 security personnel killed, this suggests a level of organization. is it possible, for instance, that some of the dem mon straighters and the protesters have armed themselveses? that's what some are saying. is it possible that there was a split within security forces and that one side of the security forces decided they would not shoot on protesters, the other side fought against them and there was some sort of violence that led to 100, 120 possibly security forces killed. >> if there's a crack in bashar al assad's security forces whether the police or military, that would be huge. >> it woul

thank you, arwa. >>> a lot of people like to bring their own bags to the grocery store. but a study finds the reusable bags can carry some pretty nasty stuff. a new report shows women in hundreds of u.s. counties dying younger than their mothers did, a generation earlier. university of washington say that life expectancies declined between 1997 and 2007. in a quarter of u.s. counties, you can see this on the map. counties in red are where life expectancy is the lowest. it is mostly in the south and lower midwest. researchers say the trend is fueled by high blood pressure, oh bosity and poverty. where does the alife expectancy rank compared to the rest of the world? ach "a," "b" or "c"? ce to 55 million more americans, many in small towns and rural communities, giving them a new choice. we'll deliver better service, with thousands of new cell sites... for greater access to all the things you want, whenever you want them. it's the at&t network... and what's possible in here is almost impossible to say. now you can apply sunblock to your kids' wet skin. new neutrogena® wet

arwa damon from beirut. over the past several weeks, there's been a lot of international condemnation of syria. now the united nations security council saying free political prisoners, stop the restrictions on the media and the internet. is there any reason to believe the syrian regime will listen to the united nations security council? >> reporter: no, john, there isn't, especially not if the regime's past behavior has been anything to go by. already, they have come under new renewed sanctions by the u.s., by the european union. the only response we've seen when we look at what's happening on the ground is the regime appears to have intensified its military onslaught. the issue also with this resolution is even though it does call for these actions by the syrian regime, it is not necessarily threatening any sort of severe action if the regime does not comply. it is not threatening additional sanctions. it is not going as far as the resolution on libya went, to threaten any sort of military sper vention. oth

cnn's arwa damon has more tonight from beirut. >> reporter: it appears, according to this posting on the website, that she was somehow taken away by three individuals. the family at this point in time trying to track down her whereabouts. activists also telling cnn earlier they have been following her case very closely, trying to ascertain where she might be held, believing that it might be at one of the military prisons. but this, again, would just be one in countless cases of individuals who have been standing out to the regime, being taken away and in many cases disappearing to unknown locations where families in some cases are recovering their bodies afterwards. >> an arrest or apprehension in this case, we've talked in recent days about the internet being cut off in part because the regime doesn't want communications, doesn't want videos of the uprising and some of the violence getting out. what is the sense after we talked yesterday about the increasingly armed aspect, the clashes involved in this, a sense that a government retaliation is coming soon. what is the sense inside s

arwa damon, appreciate it. stay safe. >>> coming up, tears flowed today in the casey anthony trial. and lee anthony both breaking down on the stand. what made them cry and what they said under oath today. that's next we could've gone a more traditional route... ... but it wouldn't have been nearly as memorable. ♪ and my dog bailey and i love to hang out in the kitchen. you love the aroma of beef tenderloin, don't you? you inspired a very special dog food. [ female announcer ] chef michael's canine creations. chef inspired. dog desired. 8% every 10 years.age 40, we can start losing muscle -- wow. wow. but you can help fight muscle loss with exercise and ensure muscle health. i've got revigor. what's revigor? it's the amino acid metabolite, hmb to help rebuild muscle and strength naturally lost over time. [ female announcer ] ensure muscle health has revigor and protein to help protect, preserve, and promote muscle health. keeps you from getting soft. [ major nutrition ] ensure. nutrition in charge! is best absorbed in small continuous amounts. only one calcium supplement does that in

>> arwa damon from beirut. joining us now, fran townsend who is a top white house adviser to president george w. bush, now member of the external advisory boards for the cia and department of homeland security. also one of our correspondents, ha haala gorani. number one, the regime trying to minimize it as the state tv anchors were saying, just small groups of rogue people, or you could read it as the regime realizing it can no longer simply ignore these and have credibility with people who see these demonstrations all over its country. >> it seems it's an attempt to discredit the protesters, calling them small groups of people, and it fits into the narrative of the regime from the beginning, these are, quote, terrorist-armed gangs, intent on creating chaos and that the military is going into these towns and cities at the request of residents. but what's interesting is what might just be happening in that northwestern town, and that is potentially, according to some, and again we're not allowed to report from i

arwa damon joins us on the phone from damascus. >> reporter: what we have been haefrg is activists andvance that many of them had been dreading, given that they had already -- their respective villages and towns good, in fact, take place this morning. the syrian military, they are saying that the military entered the small village around 6:30 in the morning saying that no shots, however, were fired because most of the residents had, in fact, fled, saying only the helderly were left behind. we are hearing that that refugee community is either trying to hide themselves amongst the or, in fact, crossed into turkey. but many of them had been bracing themselves for this kind of a military offensive. now, the syrian government, we believe -- quite a bit since we arrived here is maintaining that it is simply tarlthing armed groups. it's saying that it had to go into this part of the country around two weeks ago to try to cleanse it of armed groups that it says were targeting the security forces and terrifying residents themselves. >> arwa damon, there, live from where she just drossed over th

arwa damon, cnn, beirut. >> on syrian state tv a person identified as the medical examiner in the casey died from three gunshot wounds. he said the condition of the body was the result of deterioration after death and there was no evidence that the boy had been subjected to torture. syria's interior minister has promised an investigation. there is also trouble at the tip of the arabian peninsula in yemen. violence today forced a halt to all flights in and out of the airport in the country's capital city. here is cnn's mohammed jamjoon. >> reporter: on thursday even more clashes erupted in yemen's capital as fighting between armed tribesmen and government forces intensified. one extremely worrying development for the residents, reports from eyewitnesses that a group of about a thousand armed tribesmen entered the capital of yemen during the early morning hours saying they're supporting a leader of a tribe that has been involved in street battles with government forces for more than a week. as fierce fighting continued, it has spread to even more neighborhoods and there is a palatable se

an increasingly important supplier of energy fueling growth across its eastern border attachment as arwa is following developments for us here in moscow to tell us more because you know we know that russian chinese relations seem to be strong enough but what is the room for improvement. there most definitely is maria's or supporting two representatives of both the russian side and the chinese delegation headed by the chinese leader who's intel was of course in moscow for talks with the russian president we know that both sides say there's still a lot of room for improvement within their bilateral relationship of course russia and china are each other's biggest neighbors and both sides certainly have a lot to gain from a beneficial relationship with their neighbor russia of course is one of the world's largest resources of natural resources such as oil and gas and we do know that there are ongoing talks between gazprom and the chinese national gas company for gas supplies and also a gas pipeline that will be starting in west siberia and heading all the way to china we know that according