also emphasizing that states still have substantial power to set voting requirements. >> pelley: jan crawford on the steps of the supreme court. thank you, jan. in another courtroom today, federal prosecutors hope to send boston mobster whitey bulger to prison for the rest of his life. he's on trial for 19 murders. but an old hit man testified today that he believes bulger is guilty of something worse than murder. elaine quijano is following the trial in boston. >> reporter: john martorano testified he was james "whitey" bulger's chief executioner and best friend. but that loyalty evaporated, martorano said, when he learned bulger was a government informant. martorano was perhaps the most feared member of bulger's winter hill gang. the crew ruled boston's underworld for nearly 30 years. he spoke with "60 minutes" steve kroft in 2008. >> did you keep count of how many people you killed? >> never. never. never. until in the end i never realized it was that many. >> how many? >> a lot. too many. >> do you have a number? >> i confessed to 20 in court. >> reporter: martorano was the first witness

jan crawford, our supreme court correspondent has the story. >> reporter: the decision invalidating a section of the voting rights of 1965 deeply divided the justices. but it rested on a simple premise. as chief justice john roberts said, nearly 50 years later, things have changed dramatically. at issue was a provision in the act that singled out states with a history of discrimination and voting, mostly in the south and required them to get pre- clearance, approval from the federal government before changing voting procedures. officials in shelby county, alabama, challenged that aovision, arguing the south had dede great progress since the act became law. today should be treated like the rest of the country. in its 5-4 decision, the court aid shelby county had a point, conthe justices turned the spotlight squarely on congress,

jan crawford in washington has more. >> my name is ed snowden, i am 29 years old, i work for booz allen hamilton as an infrastructure analyst for n.s.a. in hawaii. >> reporter: "the guardian" released the interview sunday afternoon revealing snowden's identity at his request. a former c.i.a. technician who grew up in north carolina and maryland, snowden says he decided to leak classified information because of concerns about the n.s.a.s top secret surveillance programs. >> i sit at my desk, certainly have the authority to wiretap anyone from you or your accountant to a federal judge to even the president, if i had a personal e-mail. >> reporter: in the interview snowden told "the guardian" glenn greenwald and laura poitrias he believes the nsa's once targeted data program is too broad. >> you don't have to have done anything wrong. you simply have to eventually fall under suspicion from anybody, even by a wrong call, and then they can use the system to go back in time and scrutinize every decision you have ever made. >> reporter: also today the washington post released its own interview

chief legal correspondent jan crawford is at the supreme court tonight. >> reporter: the law required arizona residents to show a driver's license, birth certificate, passport or other proof of citizenship when they registered to vote. supporters said the law, approved by arizona voters in 2004, was necessary to combat fraud, but opponents said it instead kept eligible citizens-- the poor and minorities-- from voting. today in a 7-2 decision, the justices said arizona had gone too far and was asking for too much. the court said a federal law that sets nationwide registration requirements and operates on the honor system trumped arizona's efforts. under the federal law, prospective voters must complete a form that asks "are you a citizen of the united states?" voters need only check "yes" and then sign the form affirming they are citizens in order to register and vote in federal elections. writing for the majority, justice antonin scalia said: 6- justices clarence thomas and samuel alito filed separate dissents arguing states have the power to demand more proof of voter qualifications.

cbs reporter jan crawford introduces us to the whistle blower who exposed the government's imprison program. >> i'm 29 years old, i work for booth allen hamilton as -- booz allen hamilton. >> reporter: the guardian released the information revealing his identity at his request. a former cia technician who grew up in north carolina and maryland, snowden decided to leak classified information concerned about the top secret surveillance program. >> i sit at my desk, certainly having the authority to wiretap anyone from you or your accountant to a federal judge to even the president if i had a personal e-mail. >> reporter: in the interview, he told the guardians he believes the nsa once targeted data collection programs that have become too broad. >> you don't have to have done anything wrong, you simply have to eventually fall under suspicion from anybody, even by a wrong call and they could use that system to go back in time and scrutinize every decision that you have ever made. >> reporter: and also today the washington post released their own interview with him, revealing him as the main so

jan crawford reports. >> reporter: in the 7-1 decision, the justices side stepped the constitutionalng instead that a lower court used the wrong standard when it upheld the affirmative action program. the opinion written by justice anthony kennedy sent the case back to the lower court with instructions to use a tougher standard to assess whether the university has offered sufficient evidence that would prove that its admissions program is narrowly tailored to obtain the educational benefits of diversity. abigail fisher said she considered that a victory. >> they gave us everything that we asked for. and i'm very confident that u.t. won't be able to use race in the future. >> reporter: but bill powers, the president of the university of texas, also was claiming victory, saying he thought the affirmative action program will withstand the scrutiny. >> today's ruling will have no impact on decisions that we've already made. or any immediate impact on the holistic process at the university of texas. >> reporter: the narrow ruling brought a tougher ruling by justice thomas. he said that af

jan crawford is at the court today. >> reporter: in the 7-1 decision, the justices side stepped the constitutional issues ruling said that a lower court used the wrong legal standard when it upheld the university of texas affirmative action program. the opinion written by justice anthony kennedy sent the case back to the lower court with instructions to use a tougher standard to assess whether the university has offered sufficient evidence that will prove that its admissions program is narrowly tailored to obtain the educational benefit of diversity. abigail fisher said she considered that a victory. >> they gave us everything that we asked for and i'm very confident that u.t. won't be able to use race in the future. >> reporter: but bill powers, the president of the university of texas, also was claiming victory saying he thought the affirmative action program will withstand the tougher scrutiny. >> today's ruling will have no impact on admissions decisions that we have already made or any immediate impact on the immediate impact on the holistic admissions process at the university of texas. >> r

jan crawford begins our coverage. >> fighting for the wars says the 1996 marriage defensive act that denied federal benefits to legally married same-sex couple had one purpose, one effect, to impose a disadvantage, a separate status and so a stigma to those made it lawful by the unquestioned authority of the states. it tells those couples and all the world that they're otherwise valid marriages are unworthy of federal recognition. that distinction, the court said, violates constitutional garon tees of liberty, equality, and equal dignity. in dissent, chief justice roberts said it does not mean state laws banning same-sex marriage are unconstitutional, but in the same dissent justins anton and scalia said it will reach that point some day. they say it's just a matter of listening and waiting for the other shoe. the second same-sex marriage case focused on california's proposition 8, which banned same-sex marriage in 2008 after the same supreme court had legalized it. supporters of same-sex marriage argued proposition 8 ban was unconstitutional and federal courts in california agreed.

. >> pelley: jan crawford, bill whitaker and michelle miller on what it means. he won government contracts claiming disability from a football injury. explain that to a double amputee war hero. >> my feet hurt, too. in fact, the balls of my feet burn continuously, and i feel like there's a nail being hammered into my right heel right now. >> pelley: nancy cordes has the story. and chip reid sets sail for smith island, land of american dreams slowly slipping from view. captioni ed by cbs this is the "cbs evening news" with scott pelley. >> pelley: good evening. once in a while, a decision by the supreme court is etched into the granite of our history. americans remain divided over today's rulings, but history was written. copies of the same-sex marriage decisions rushed out this morning, and, as the words were read, cheers went up. ( cheers and applause ) a sharply divided court advanced the cause of gay rights in two cases. it struck down the 1996 defense of marriage act, known as doma, which denies federal benefits to same-sex couples. in the other case, it aut

jan crawford has upreme court decision. and the mobster and the man next door. josh bond made a new friend then discovered his neighbor's true identity. >> i just helped the f.b.i. arrest the most-wanted man in america. captioning sponsored by cbs this is the "cbs evening news" with scott pelley. this is the "cbs evening news" >> pelley: good evening. the united states is getting more involved in the civil war in syria. the white house has just announced this evening that it will send military support to the rebels fighting the overthrow the dictatorship of bashar al-assad. the obama administration has been avoiding this step, but the president made the decision after u.s. intelligence informed him that assad's forces have used nerve gas against the rebels. this war began two years ago. tens of thousands of people are dead and the entire region has been destabilized. major garrett has just come from a briefing at the white house. major? >> reporter: scott, the obama white house has for the first time declared that the syrian regime of bashar al-assad has used ch

. >> pelley: jan crawford, bill whitaker and michelle miller on what it means.won government contracts claiming disability from a football injury. explain that to a double amputee war hero. >> my feet hurt, too. in fact, the balls of my feet burn continuously, and i feel like there's a nail being hammered into my right heel right now. >> pelley: nancy cordes has the story. and chip reid sets sail for smith island, land of american dreams slowly slipping from view.

jan crawford has the supreme court's decision today. a hit man says it broke his heart when whitey bulger turned informant. >> i'll go along with a lot of things but not no judas, not no informant. i neve

our supreme court correspondent jan crawford will tell us more. >>> plus, we are tracking fugitive edward snowden. those stories right after kpix news. ,,,,,,,, for our families... our neighbors... and our communities... america's beverage companies have created... a wide range of new choices. developing smaller portion sizes and more.. low and no-calorie beverages... adding clear calorie labels so you know... exactly what you're choosing... and in schools, replacing full-calorie soft drinks... with lower-calorie options. with more choices and fewer calories... he said p-g-and-e shouldn'te fined, for the san bruno disaster. then - attorneys - a pistol- packing p-u-c chi, told them back him up - or . how confidential e- mails reveal threats.. by t ssion's top official. >>> new at 6:00, he said pge shouldn't be fine for the disaster. then, the attorneys say a pistol packing chief told them back him up or else. how confidential emails reveal threats by the commission's top official. >>> an up close look at the biggest dam removal project in state history. those stories and much more tonight

. >>> the battle at gettysburg 160,000 men fought there. 150 years later, our own jan crawford learnsat story is ahead. >>> right now, it is time to show you this morning's headlines from around the globe. london's independent looks at lance armstrong's explosive interview with france's lance armstrong. he says it is impossible to win the race without taking drugs. he was talking about the years he says when he won. he says he is hopeful that doping might not be necessary now. >>> the "los angeles times" says the movie version of the best selling erotic novel 50 shades of grey will be released in 2014. we still don't know who will play the lead characters. >>> the "new york post" says a worker at laguardia was spotted taking a joyride with a terminal stair car. he was seen driving it to a nearby pizza joint at lunchtime. the vehicle is not supposed to be on city streets in case you wanted to know. authorities are trying to identify this worker who is seen right here in the picture. >> that's not going to be hard. is he going to have his job by the end of the day? >>> how often have yo

details of the national security agency's massive cellphone surveillance program has gone public and jan crawfordeports. firsthand account, as the sixth person dies today, a woman who survived the santa monica shooter speaks with carter evans. >> i knew that i wasn't a human being to him in any way. >> glor: extreme heat. the southwest again bakes under temperatures over 100 degrees, don dahler has the story. and empty seats-- after a fourth grade who spent most of his life in america is deported john blackstone says his classmates are asking why? captioning sponsored by cbs

jan crawford has more. >> my name is ed snowden. i'm 29 years old.ork for booz, allen, hamilton as an infrared analyst in nsa in hawaii. revealing snowden's identity at his request. he grew up in north carolina and maryland. snowden said he decided to leak classified information because of concerns about the nsa's top secret surveillance program. >> i sitting at my desk certainly had the authority to wiretap anyone from you or your accountant or federal judge if i had a personal email. >> reporter: in an e-mail he told the guardian he believes the nsa once targeted data collection programs have become too brad. >> you don't have to have done anything wrong. you simply have to eventually fall under suspicion by somebody even by a wrong call and then they can use the system go back in time and scrutinize every decision you've ever made. >> the "washington post" released its own interview with snowden revealing him as the paper's main source for detailing his stories surve surveilling nsa surveillance. according to "the guardian" he was working for the

jan crawford will have details. >>> plus, carnival cruise lives is replacing its ceo.uarters in florida. >>> and we'll show you how 3-d printers work and if they're right for you. >> that's the "cbs morning news" for this wednesday. thanks for watching. i'm anne-marie green. have a great day. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com arana ,, ,,,, >> your realtime captioner: linda marie macdonald >>> good morning, everyone. wednesday is here, it's june 26, i'm frank mallicoat. >> i'm michelle griego. time is just about 4:30. hopefully we're talking about a warmup. >> we are going to see triple digits by the end of the week. it is going to be hot bite end of the week and for right now it's still humid outside. 60s out the door now. >> no problems with the traffic. bart is on time. we'll have another traffic report coming up. >>> we begin no more waiting. today is decision day on gay marriage issues before the supreme court. in a matter of hours we'll find out whether california's prop 8 will stand or be rejected. kpix 5 reporter anne makovec is in san francisco this morning

jan crawford has upreme court decision. and the mobster and the man next door. josh bond made a new friend then discovered his neighbor's true identity. >> i just helped the f.b.i. arrest the most-wanted man in america.

jan crawford has the supreme court's decision today. a hit man says it broke his heart when whitey bulger turned informant. >> i'll go along with a lot of things but not no judas, not no informant. i never ratted on nobody. >> reporter: elaine quijano with the murder trial that opens a window on the mob. was the worst fire in the history of colorado started on purpose? barry petersen has the story. and when the great recession left their world spinning out of control, these rookie authors decided it was time for a rewrite. >> we're very grateful and we're nimble and we know what a miracle this is. captioning sponsored by cbs

jan crawford, good morning. >> the hearing under way over a sexual assault problem in the military that is out of control. leading that charge, one vocal group of u.s. senators. in congress, women are leading the charge. >> clearly we have a strategy in place that is not working. >> reporter: democrats and republicans, focused on sexual assaults in the military. >> a very important issue. >> reporter: on the senate armed services committee, their voices are louder than ever. women hold a record seven seats, almost a third, of the committee members. >> we're demanding that change take place. >> reporter: north carolina democrat kay hagan. th >> this is a crime and we'll address it as a crime and perpetrators will be kicked out of the military. >> reporter: the push comes as sexual abuse incidents increasing. 26,000 reported last year. a string of recent cases demonstrates the problem. in virginia, an air force officer responsible for sexual assault prevention was charged with groping a woman. in texas, a ft. hood army sergeant, also in charge of sexual abuse preventions, under investigat

jan crawford has the supreme court's decision today. man says it broke his heart when whitey bulger turned informant. >> i'll go along with a lot of things but not no judas, not no informant. i never ratted on nobody. >> reporter: elaine quijano with the murder trial that opens a window on the mob. was the worst fire in the history of colorado started on purpose? barry petersen has the story. and when the great recession left their world spinning out of control, these rookie authors decided it was time for a rewrite. >> we're very grateful and we're humble and we know what a miracle this is. captioning sponsored by cbs this is the "cbs evening news" with scott pelley. >> pelley: good evening. the supreme court today stepped into the middle of a long and heated debate over voting

one of them is in washington and jan crawford is there at the national mall.ing. >> reporter: good morning. the economy has been down so people don't have as much money to spend. now it's really scaling back one of its signature fund-raising events. for the past decade, the susan g. coleman three-day walk has attracted people from across the country. >> 22-year survivor. >> whoo-hoo! >> reporter: all committed to raising money for breast cancer. >> ifky walk 60 miles, i can make it another 60 years. >> but participation has dropped more than a third in the last four years forcing it to cancel the walk next year in half of the 14 cities. since starting in 2003, the three-day 60-mile walk has rads $740 million for breast cancer research. in a statement the organization said economic uncertainty over the past four years played a role making it more difficult for people to donate. but the group also has struggled to move beyond last year's controversy when they announced they would no longer award grants to breast cancer screening the planned parenthood, which mea

jan crawford is in washington. good morning. >> good morning. this is really a surprising reversal. the administration has long fought to keep young girls from having easy access to this kind of emergency contraception. the president has framed it as a personal issue saying as the father of two young girls he opposed the drug sale without age restrictions. but the administration has lost a string of court decisions beginning earlier this year when a federal judge said those age restrictions were, quote, politically motivated and scientifically unjustified. he ruled the drug had to be made available to all ages over the counter without a prescription. last week a federal appeals court refused to block most of the decision. -- if it continues the legal fight. planned parenthood calls it a huge breakthrough for access and a historic moment for women's health and equity. opponents say the power of the abortion rights lobby. the family research council said what we see here is the government caving to political pressure instead of putting first the health and safety of girls and parental

jan crawford and her camera are outside, on the steps of the supreme court. >> reporter: of course that'se. that's just one of the things that's different here. usually in washington, of course in california too, people are falling all over themselves to get on television. but that is not how the justices like to do things. this is how most politicians feel about cameras. >> it was -- >> reporter: they can't get enough of them. at the supreme court this is what it's like for the justices. >> what happened to the eighth amendment? >> reporter: no videos, no photographs, just sketch artists and an audiotape usually made public a few days later. a group of senators is trying to change that and force the court to install cameras. just like congress agreed to. the house in 1979. and the senate seven years later after years of resistance. it may be a noble effort to educate the public. most court watchers agree retired justice david souter's sentiment still holds strong. the day you see a camera come into our courtroom, it's going to roll over my dead body. his comments in 1996 shortly after th

jan crawford is at the supreme court. good morning. >> reporter: the key phrase is what you said could be coming any day. the justices are on the bench right now starting the process of releasing today's decision. whether we'll get the big one, no one has any idea. but of course they're running out of days. the end of the term is just a few short days away next week. some of the big cases we're watching involve, number one, affirmative action. whether or not colleges and universities can take race into account when they're making their admissions decisions. we're also waiting on a case for same sex marriage. whether or not the federal government can refuse to acknowledge it. we have no idea if these decisions are coming down today. there's nine people inside that courtroom. the justices. the law clerks. the secretaries that know. and they don't talk. so if anyone tell, you we know for a fact this case is being deeb side decided today, don't pay any attention to it. that is a dangerous thing to do here at the supreme court

. >> reporter: for "cbs this morning" jan crawford washington. >>> listen we know the murdochs are wellys sad to hear the end of a marriage regardless of the circumstances and the details certainly have to the been released. it's only a matter of time. people are on the computer now trying to figure it out sad to hear. george lucas says it could $50 or more to see a movie. we're looking at the changes he and steven spielberg are predicting four the film business. you're watching "cbs this morning." for over 125 years we've been bringing people together. today, we'd like people to come together on something that concerns all of us. obesity. and as the nation's leading beverage company we can play an important role. that includes continually providing more options. giving people easy ways to help make informed choices. and offering portion controlled versions of our most popular drinks. it also means working with our industry to voluntarily change what's offered in schools. but beating obesity will take continued action by all of us, based on one simple common sense fact... all calories c

january draw nord iskrau jan draw nord is crawford is outside the court. >> reporter: good morning, norah, good morning, charlie. the justices always do this. they wait until june to make their big decisions and that's because they're the most controversial cases. they take longer for the justices to work through. one case that we expect is affirmative action. that involves whether or not colleges and universities can use race as a factor when making their admissions decisions. this case comes from texas, a white student denied admission to the university of texas. she says that was because of their affirmative action programs. another big case we're watching same-sex marriage. can states ban it account federal government refuse to acknowledge. we may have them next week. >>> it's time to show you some of the morning's headlines from around the globe. hopes for a grand bargain are fading. that's because the deposit's fiscal health is improving. one example, the price of health care is not rising as quickly. >>> "the baltimore sun" looks at the court-martial of corporal manning. he admits