athena jones profiles a marylandd in the political debate over marriage.marriage.pkg-assfolloos -- "we thought it was awesome." kierrr johnson and parry arvette wereethrilled when the for same sex marriagee"i was checkkng twitter and facebook, and it was like a virtual parry across the social networking ssene."the couple was leeally married in washingtoon d.c., where parry works as a city police officer. they say the presideet's remarks were a step forward for equaaity , but whaa ttey really want is federal recognition of their marriage, which would put hem on the heterosexual couples.under &pexisting laws, ssme sexxcoupl meaning they miss out on deductions and they don't have want equality. that's ii, we - want the same riggts as everybody elle. i mean, we pay into sociallsecurity, we pay taxes, but she can't have it if somethingghappen to me. pou know? it's crazy."on the tax frrnt, marrieddsame-sex couples can find themselves at compared to heterrsexuall couples.ken weissenberg is a tax expert whh also n a saae-sex couples are denied legal protection under the la

it is such a mystery. >> i saw you earlier talking to athena about this.w 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 centu

and dedicated to the virgin goddess athena. seeing it today is awe-inspiring, but imagine how striking it must have looked when it was completed, nearly 2,500 years ago, in all its carved and brilliantly painted splendor. the adjacent erechtheion is famous for its porch of the caryatids -- six beautiful maidens functioning as columns. dedicated to athena and poseidon, this was one of the most important religious buildings on the acropolis. this, rather than the parthenon, was the culmination of the panathenaic procession. at the foot of the acropolis, the ancient agora, or marketplace, sprawls out from its surviving temple. this is where, for 3,000 years, athenians gathered. while the acropolis was the center of ritual and ceremony, the agora was the beating heart of ancient athens. for some 800 years, starting in the 6th century b.c., this was the hub of commercial, political, and social life. visitors wander the remains of what was the city's principal shopping mall and administrative center. exploring the agora, it's fascina

wednesday, athena jones joins us with the latest public reaction to the president's decision. what more are you hearing there from that farmer's market? >> that's right. we have been here all day talking to all kinds of people, more than a dozen people about their opinions on this issue. before i get to that, i want to mention the latest national polling. gallup released a pole late yesterday, the first national pole done since the president made his remarks. that poll showed 51% approve of the president's decision. 45% disapprove. one of the big questions being asked this week and will continue to be asked is what kind of political impact the president making this declaration, taking this position, will have on his chances of re-election and on romney's on the other site. the number of people who said they're more likely to vote for the president is 13%. the proportion, i should say. less likely, 26%, and still the vast majority of people, 60%, said it would make no difference in their vote. that's really what we found as we talked to so many different people here today over

athena jones. appreciate that.arlington. >>> he thought they were going to walk down the aisle and say i do. now their next date will be in a courtroom because she said i don't and broke off the engagement. our legal guys have some pretty strong opinions about this one. . nice. but, y'know, with every door direct mail from the postal service, you'll find the customers that matter most: the ones in your neighborhood. print it yourself or find a local partner. and postage is under 15 cents. i wish i would have known that cause i really don't think i chose the best location. it's not so bad... i mean you got a deal... right? [ bird cries ] go online to reach every home, every address, every time with every door direct mail. (female announcer) most life insurance companies look at you and just see a policy. at aviva, we do things differently. we're bringing humanity back to life insurance. that's why only aviva rewards you with savings for getting a check-up. it's our wellness for life program, with online access to ma

athena, what are folks telling you there?: well, we talked to half a dozen people here and they have all been in support of president's move. we thought we'd talk to a few more people on camera. i talked to chris earlier about what he thinks about the president's announcement on wednesday and what did you tell me? >> i basically was in support of it. i think it was about time that he came around and said it. >> reporter: does it change your -- the way you feel about the president? does it make you more likely to vote for him? does it not change anything? would you have supported him anyway? >> yeah, yeah, i would have supported him. he had sort of hinted around it long enough that i think it was time that he came out and took a stand on it. >> reporter: do you think he went far enough? he still said it should be up to the states to decide on this issue. >> i do think that for now he did go far enough because i think it's a baby step process in that, you know, if he were to come out and say that an amendment should be made to

back to you. >> athena jones. we appreciate that. we'll check in with you later on in the afternoon. >>> presumptive gop presidential nominee mitt romney tries to bond with evangelical christians, giving the commencement address liberty school that teaches romney's mormon faith isn't a true form of christianity. lynchburg, virginia, same-sex marriage was a strong talking point. he didn't elaborate further but made a strong statement. >> reporter: you made the sound bite of mitt romney playing into the issue. he made the point. there was loud applause from the people as you might expect from christian evangelicals, especially people here in attendance. then moved on of other parts of the speech were as the romney campaign promised yesterday not overtly political, fred, but some political points being made. he talked about lately he's been in four-year stretches. he made a slight joke about how not everyone has been doing so well in the past four years, hint hint. he also talked about, mentioned rick santorum, his former opponent sayin

let's go live to athena jones at the white house.ite house respond to criticism that this was a political device used in an election year? >> reporter: well, fredricka, i don't think anyone would believe that this has nothing to do with politics, but from the white house's point of view, they, first of all, the fact this trip to afghanistan fell on the one-year anniversary of the killing of bin laden is part of all of it, but that the president always had the intention of spending that day with troops. they say that the signing of this graeme was really about the two presidents getting together on afghan soil to sign this strategic partnership agreement ahead of the nato partnership in chicago where they will be meeting with various allies who are there in afghanistan and talking about the way forward. i should mention when it comes to politics, it isn't all positive politics, of course, for the president as well. this is an incredibly unpopular war. if you look at some of our recent polling, more than 70% of people are against it. m

athena jones reports on an annual camp aims toohelp thhse grieving.eporter pkg-as follows -- nats of bandthis is the good grief amp.eleven year ood paleb lost his father, air force captain cartize (prono cartehse) durham, in a helicopter accident in italy four and a half years ago. caleb and his brother, children, parents and other famill of fallen service members as part of an event sponssred by the tragedy assistance program for survivors -- or taps.the durham family looks forward to it each year.i brought mm kkds fiveemonths after mm husband dded, because i wanted them to know they were not the only kids who had lost a parent, either motherror father in the to know that there's a place - they can go to where they feel normal and where they feel they don'tthave to aaways talk about what happened. but we're all here for tte same reason. taas has been bringing survivors together on memorial day weekend sincc 1994 -- with grief seminars noo a mental illness. grief is not a physical injury. grief ii a wound of the heart and the absolute most therapeutic

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athena jones, thank you very much in washington. thanks for that. >>> james carville, he's helped democrats win elections in the past. now he says the party needs to wake up, or it can lose come november. we'll ask him if the gay marriage issue has shaken things up in us.do ments. so start your business, protect your family, launch your dreams. at legalzoom.com, we put the law on your side. >>> president obama may have said i do to gay marriage this week, but the question now is, what is the honeymoon going to look like? the election is just six months away, but will this declaration sway many voters. in his interview with abc, the president denies he was moved by politics, but rather conscience, fairness and his own family. >> malia and sasha have parents whose friends are gay couples. and frankly, it's the kind of thing that prompts a change of perspective. you know, not wanting to somehow explain to your child why somebody should be treated differently, when it comes to the eyes of the law. >> cnn political contributor and strate

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 today. funerals following a bloody attack that killed more than 50 people. a shadowy group steps forward claiming responsibility. and the surprise release of two journalists who went missing nearly two months ago. cnn's ivan watson reports from the border that separates syria from turkey. >> reporter: fredricka, the syrian government held state funerals for some of the more than 50 victims from a massive bombing that took place thursday at the capital of damascus outside the headquarters of one of syria's intelligence and security department. now, a shadowy group that identifies itself claims responsibility for the blast in a web posting. they previously claimed responsibility for other large explosions in syria. meanwhile the syrian government has claimed to have foiled an attempted suicide truck bombing in the large city in the last 24 hours. meanwhile the families of two turkish journalists are cele

they are a major source of support for the president on most issues, but as our athena jones reports,ome just won't follow him down this path. ♪ >> reporter: from baltimore -- >> i love the president, but i cannot support what he has done. >> reporter: -- to atlanta. >> i'm not there with the president. >> reporter: to new york. >> it's no one's business. it's only the couple's involvement so it shouldn't be a community -- shouldn't be a community concern. >> reporter: black pastors and churchgoers tackled the topic of same-sex marriage sunday, days after president obama expressed his support for it. ♪ >> reporter: shiloh baptist church in washington where the obamas celebrated easter last year, reverend wallace charles smith believes the president got it wrong. >> we would have preferred had he not, you know, weighed in on the issue. >> reporter: but he and his congregation have been praying for president obama every sunday for years, and this day was no different. >> will this hurt the african-american community's support for the president in the upcoming election? well, i would hop

athena jones has that story for us. >> business is good at marlon steel.orkers here make steel baskets, wires, and other components for industries like maining and telecommunications. >> these are parts that we make for the military. >> for the military, all right. >> these are components that will be used in afghanistan and pakistan. by our soldiers. >> marlin's revenue grew 20% last year. and the company added three jobs to its staff of 25. they have expanded their floor space and are planning to fill two more positions. >> we're hiring a mechanical engineer on monday. a new controller the following monday. >> company president said he expects to hire as many as ten more workers this year. the baltimore based firm represents a bright spot in an otherwise mediocre recovery. while the unemployment rate fell to 8.1%, the economy added just 115,000 jobs. not nearly enough to plug the hole left from the recession. >> there's still a lot of folks out of work, which means we have to do more. >> in fact, the dip in the jobless rate came as 342,000 people dropped

shooting involved a district heights police officer who was working a side job at a nightclub on athenaital heights. police say the officer chased an suv that hit a car in a parking lot and then kept going. police say the driver started ramming the officer's car. the officer says he got out of his car, and the suv driver went gunning for him. the officer fired several shots, but the suv got away. it is unclear if anyone was hit. the officer was not injured. >>> and now to a developing story in what police say is a terror plot by nato protesters in chicago. among the targets, president obama's campaign headquarters. the three men arrested say they were only operating a home brewery, but police say they filled beer bottles with gasoline to use as molotov cocktails. another alleged target includes the home of chicago mayor rahm emanuel and four chicago police stations. >> listen to obama! no tax money! >> those are protesters in thurmont, maryland, hoping to get president obama's attention at the g-8 summit. the ethiopian immigrants are upset about their prime minister being invited to joi

athena jones, washington. >> president obama does have supporters on this among black leaders.has some support like al sharpton, julian bond, melanie campbell and the reverend joseph lowry. they all sent him an open letter cheering his stance on starnlg and reverend lowry says it's time for the black community to come around. why isn't the black community more accepting, and why aren't they the first people raising their hands going, of course, all of us should be -- should have equal rights? >> well, i don't want to say what i'm going to say. >> but you're going to say it anyway? >> there's a little hypocrisy here. we have had gay issues in the black church longer than we've been willing to discuss it. but we've got to come to the point, and we are coming to the point that we're going to accept the freedom of -- i mean, we're going to accept the fact that nobody has a right to dictate to you who you're going to spend your life with. >> back in october when i -- you know, when you had your illustrious birthday, right, i asked you about this issue, and i said that you were for s

a wheelchair but leaving your home for trips to the doctor's office and that's the only life that athenaosley has known. the 5-year-old girl had a chance of a lifetime and tonight abc2 news preston mitchell tells us her family is count on you to help. >> she is stuck right now. she is trapped. >> reporter: crystal mosley sees a ways out. the 5-year-old has spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy. disease has robbed her of her speech, ability to walk, and her muscle strength. she may never get out of her wheelchair but her mom is determined for her daughter to live life to the fullest outside of their home. but with only am bow lance transportation to count on she is limited. >> we will take to and from the hospital but nowhere else nowhere fun. she can't go to the park to a zoo you know, even to a grocery store. >> reporter: mosley has entered in a contest to wayne wheelchair accessible van. >> having the van would change her life drastically. it would open up her world. >> reporter: mobility awareness month and to win she has to be voted a local hero. mosley not only wants to get her out of

and you heard that in athena's piece as well. they know that.to shore up that support but realizing that they won't necessarily get the big numbers they got in 2008. >> and, dan, looking forward here, very quickly, what do we think the main message of the president is going to address at the commencement speech next hour? >> speaking to young people, in particular addressing young women, we're told by white house aides he'll be talking about the role that they will play in shaping the future and some of the challenges that they will face, especially in this tough economy. we'll be waiting to find out if the president will talk at all about his decision to come out and support same-sex marriage. we have not been able to get any excerpts from his speech, but we'll be waiting to see if he talks about that. >> we'll be carrying it live. >>> here is rundown of some of the stories we're covering. greece is on the edge without a government and it's hurting american stocks now. >>> also, he said he had a computer science degree. was not true. now the ce

latest from the world of business and of course there's plenty more to come your way here in our athena just a few minutes we'll be discussing the war between britain argentina thirty years ago but that will come after a recap of our top story so stay with us. join me on a journey to the heart of the problem to a place is hidden from the terrorists you're going to meet some real criminal insiders although they may not be the usual news makers you see on t.v. . looking. to get. it's. a. huge if. if . welcome back here with our team here is a look at the top stories the occupy protesters are back with the band but marches across the u.s. are marked with new police crackdowns in old lands to hear gas and stun grenades me for testers calling for an end to corporate greed and big business and politics. fresh violence hits have got to stand shortly after barack obama visits kabul with a wave of gone to bomb attacks in which at least six died his trip marked a year since the killing of osama bin laden while deals were signed with afghan president karzai to cover the decade after the planned tr

latest from the world of business and of course there's plenty more to come your way here in our athena just a few minutes we'll be discussing the war between britain argentina thirty years ago but that will come after a recap of our top story so stay with us. join me on a journey to the heart of the kremlin to a place is hidden from the tourists you're going to meet some real criminal insiders although they may not be the usual news makers you see on t.v. . looking. to get. to. see.

athena jones joins us live. is there any official language from the white house? >> we will not get an official reaction. the president is aware of the black community's -- many in the black community's stance on this. and the truth is when we talk to a lot of congregates, a lot of people worshipping whether it was atlanta or new york or baltimore. many still answered absolutely with resounding yeses most of the time when it came to the request of whether they would go on to support him. the white house is aware of this division. they would probably point out these people that you mentioned earlier. other more prominent figures. >> there is a fundamental right to get married. it's going to be really interesting to see how this plays out. it did seem that people like dr. burns, we talked to a wide variety of people. >> all right. thank you very much. >> her report there, here what was previously said this is not about civil rights. you can marry and divorce in the con teblgt of the civil law. the truth of the matter is, when you think about it, you can't be for equ

logan organized a flash mob in central park before getting down on one knee for jenna and david and athena traveled the world together holding letters that would eventually spell out, we always knew but he had no idea what he had for store in montreal.& >> what do you think? >> will you marry me? >> justin bieber set off an international panic. the dangerous conditions and how he could ignite a state of emergency. then a star from "private practice" leaves the hit show. we have the details behind the doctor drama. from grungy to glam. >> i like what i've worn recently. >> kristen stewart on her remarkable fashion transformation. mary-kate olsen spotted with a older man. >> hello, friends, welcome back to "e! news." let's be honest, the past few days have been completely chaotic for justin bieber. he's been accused of losing his cool and even his shoe while facing off with a photog. you sounded off on twitter on that one. megan tweets, leave the biebs alone. the paps pushed him too far. but another one says he needs a chill pill. unfortunately, there's no chilling for justin. >> not at all,

in a few minutes we'll talk to our athena jones in maryland, state that has legalized same-sex marriagend now is facing a channllenge to those laws. . >>> a great deal going on in syria to

athena jones reports. >> reporter: this is the good grief champ. 11 year old caleb lost his father inter accident in italy four years ago. he's joining other families. -- the family looks forward to it each year. >> i brought my kids because i wanted them to know they were not the only kids who had lost a parent in the military. and i wanted them to know that there's a place they could go where they can feel normal and where they don't have to talk about what happened. >> taps has been bringling survivors together since 1994. >> grief is not a mental illness, it's not a physical injury. it's a wound of the hard and an absolute physical comfort is to talk with another young widow who was pregnant at the time of the loss, a mom who is grieving the loss of her only child. >> what does this weekend mean to you? >> what does it mean to you? >> that even though your parent or your husband or wife died, you can still have fun. and that's i think that's what this camp is for. >> reporter: caleb is paired with mentor louis i ver son for the second year. >> just because they've lost a loved one

looks like athena is working on a rainbow. super easy, super quick.>> woo! >> the latest in bubble technology. >> are you kidding me. >> crazy! >> are you joking? >> look at what's happening. right in the camera. >> what can be better? kids love bubbles. >> everybody loves bubbles. inexpensive entertainment all summer long. >> that was excellent. >> you guys, thanks for coming to help us out. >>> we got some time on our hands, don't we? >> what? >> guess who's coming to see us tomorrow? >> martin short. >> he's going to take you out of

athena jones monitoring it from the white house. what is the reaction? >> reporter: when ask the white house they sent us to the secret service. they have no comment on this at this moment in time. one thing i should mention, barbara starr learned the investigation of the 12 members of the military who were part of this whole incident who were said to be part of the whole incident will be completed today and that investigation, that report will be forwarded on to the southcom commander, general douglas frazier, that is the latest. no, secret service not commenting. was interesting to watch the woman dania suarez, seemed giggley, full of laughs, quite pleased to have become a local celebrity. how she had gotten in the business of being an escort, as she calls it, how the business deal came down that day. let's listen to that sound. >> truth is, it was a day like any, i wasn't looking for anybody. i was -- i wasn't walking the streets of cartagena or anything like. that i was with my friends, just having a drink, just four friends. and one of them, well, s

athena jones reports on a demonstration not far from camp david. >> hi, there. we're here in maryland which is just a few miles from camp david where president obama is meeting with world leaders today. this has about 6,000 people, by loct standards, a large protesters. 200 to 300 mostly ethiopian activists here to protest the prime minister in ethiopia. one of only four african leaders that president obama invited here to take part in the section ability food security. but the protesters who bussed in on a least four buses, they see the prime minister, they believe he's a war criminal. they have been calling him a torturer. we spoke with one protesters about why he's here. listen to what he had to say. >> the message would be stop funding the regime. stop supporting the butch er wih our leader. >> all morning, they have been here chanting he has to go. stop genocide. they're holding signs that say stop support for him. a pretty big protest here. they have been marching up and down the streets. you have riot police here with riot gear who are here miainly for a

athena jones, thanks so much from silver spring, maryland. >>> the venezuelan president has finished his cancer treatments. we'll tell you why stepping off the plane ee limb namted one persistent rumor. we're here at the famous golden ox steakhouse in kansas city where we switched their steaks with walmart's choice premium steak. ♪ this is really good. like what i grew up with. only one out of five steaks is good enough to be called walmart choice premium beef. can i let you in on a secret? you're eating a walmart steak. no kidding. noooo! i promise. it's very tender. you could almost cut it with a fork. it is delicious! we need to start buying those at walmart. walmart usda choice premium steaks. try it. tell us what you think about it on facebook. it's 100% guaranteed. oh! [ baby crying ] ♪ what started as a whisper ♪ every day, millions of people choose to do the right thing. ♪ slowly turned to a scream ♪ there's an insurance company that does that, too. liberty mutual insurance. responsibility. what's your policy? ♪ amen, omen >>> after 70 years a world war ii fighter bomber has

>> let's go straight to the white house and talk to athena jones. she's live there. let's talk about the president. he's facing criticism here about the content of this agreement. tell me about that. >> reporter: he certainly is seeing some criticism on the editorial pages like the national journal and "the new york times." interestingly, republican presidential candidate mitt romney did not criticize him. he said in a statement, i am pleased that president obama has returned to afghanistan. our troops and the american people deserve to hear from our president about what is at stake in this war. success in afghanistan is vital to our nation's security." so mitt romney and several other republicans stopping short of criticizing the president on this important day while he was overseas. i should note, though, as i mentioned earlier, "the new york times" in an editorial wrote, "the white house set it up as a big moment, but the president squandered the chance to fully explain his exit strategy from a war americans are desperate to see brought to an end." "the new york t