more information about where levinson might be. levinson disappeared more than five years ago while on a business trip to iran. last year .. secretary of state hillary clinton said the u-s government had received tips that levinson was being held by a group near the borders of afghanistan, iran, and pakistan. at the time ... the iranian government said it would look into levinson's disappearance but didn't know what happened to him. iraqi authorities executed 21 people in just one day. they were put to death on monday for terrorism. three of them were wen. since november, iraqi officials have executed nearly 90 people. but, these punishments are raising concerns. "human rights watch" is questioning the vagueness on some of the charges, and the thoroughness of the judicial process. a megabus nearly crashed on the pennsylvania turnpike after the driver became ill and passed out behind the wheel. passengers say the bus started to swerve during their trip monday night. one passenger says he ran to the front of the bus after he heard ot

drew levinson in washington this morning. drew, thank you so much. more on that "60 minutes" interview later on "cbs this morning." you can see the full interview on cbs news.com. >>> sarah palin says she won't be speaking at the republican national convention later this month in tampa, florida. palin was the 2008 republican vice presidential nominee. she supports mitt romney and will focus on grassroots efforts to help get him elected. she didn't say whether she would attend the convention. >>> the house oversight committee is -- against eric holder today. the committee wants to force holder to turn over documents related to the botched gun tracking -- the justice department is withholding documents under white house executive privilege. >>> exhilarating 2 1/2 weeks in hon. done came to an end last night. the celebration may have been british, but the games were ruled by the stars and stripes. >> queen elizabeth did not reprice her starring role from the opening ceremony. instead that job went to prince harry and his sister-in-law. but the closing c

drew levinson is in washington with more. >> good morning, terrell. lance armstrong says it's finally time to put on the brakes. he says he's not a chter. but the most famous american cyclist says it's time to quit fighting. >> lance armstrong's run of seven consecutive tour de france wins was historic. it will no longer be in the record books. the u.s. anti-doping agency says it will strip armstrong of his titles and ban him from cycling for life. the decision comes after armstrong announced he's giving up the fight to clear his name. armstrong released a statement to the associated press saying "there comes a point in every man's life when he has to say enough is enough. for me, that time is now." . the doping agency accused armstrong of using testosterone, epo, corticosteroids and masking agents. >> we've proven time in and time out that we're clean. >> armstrong maintains he's innocent but the toll this has taken on my family and the work for my foundation and me leads to where i am today, finished with this nonsense. the head of the u.s. ada told

drew levinson, cbs news, new orleans. >> thank you, drew. latest information we have, about 10 minutes ago, heavy rain is going to continue in new orleans overnight. let's talk about radar. it is located 70 mails to the west-northwest of new orleans. it's creeping off to the west at about 6 miles per hour. hasn't moved much. it's about 15, 20 miles south of baton rouge. the bands are just incredible. look how far to the east the bands extend out. this is the band that may have produced that tornado. even heavy bands through mobile, alabama. rainfall this is just since midnight. seven inches in new orleans, four inches in baton rouge, and seven inches of rain in biloxi. you can see some of the contours. heavier amounts to the north and west in biloxi. some areas have had 15 inches of rain south of new orleans. winds are still blowing. 47-mile-per-hour winds in new orleans, 39 in biloxi. anything above 39 is tropical storm force. they're still getting buffeted with tropical storm force winds. the track takes it to the north and northwest. we w

drew levinson has the story. >> reporter: this provocative performance inside moscow's main cathedral in february got the band pussy riot the attention they were after. the three women wore ski masks as they called on the virgin mary to throw russian president vladimir putin out of office. friday a judge found them guilty of hooliganism and inciting religious hatred. band members were sentenced to two years in prison as they stood in the glass cage guarded by security officers and dogs. their lawyer says he suspects putin wrote the ruling himself. putin, a former kgb officer, has close ties to the orthodox church. opposition leaders say he's cracking down on dissent and free speech. though this happened in russia, it is getting worldwide attention. protests like this one in times square in new york are popping up all over the world. from london to sydney to san francisco, demonstrators dressed like the band members and performed to show their support. >> we're all pussy riot. >> reporter: dozens were arrested. >> this is a good way to open people's eyes to the unfair incarceration of

drew levinson joins us from louisiana. >> reporter: the brunt of isaac has passed, but the damage is. rising waters forced more evacuations with people and animals hurrying to get out. joshua jones is one of the hundreds that were rescued. they're headed to shelters. >> we had to like climb on top of the houses until the boats got there to get us. >> reporter: evacuees already were exhausted and hungry. some of them didn't want to be there. >> they forced us. they dragged me out. >> reporter: not everyone left their flood ed homes. for those that decided to stay, this is going to be another long night without electricity. hundreds of thousands of customers are without power across the state. few gas stations are open. and the ones that are have long lines. some people stocked up filling extra containers. a mandatory evacuation order was issued at a river that has swelled its banks. >> i think it's crazy. we moved here after katrina. we thought everything would be fine. >> reporter: crews are pumping water out of the lake to take pressure off the dam. >> we have some pumps here in pla

drew levinson in oak creek this morning. thank you so much. >>> there's a possible plea deal in the works in last year's tucson shootings that wounded then congresswoman gabrielle giffords. jared loughner is expected to plead guilty. he's accused of killing six people and wounding 13 others. meanwhile, three survivors of the tucson shooting are part of an ad campaign calling on the presidential candidates to address gun control. >> president obama. >> governor romney. >> we demand a plan. >> because 48,000 americans will be murdered with guns during the next president's terms. >> the campaign was produced by mayors against illegal guns. >>> it was an out of this world engineering spectacular that's being called unprecedented feat of technology. nasa's high tech roving scientific laboratory curiosity landed overnight. ready for the most ambitious exploration of the red planet. the mission, search for the basic elements of life. it didn't come without tense moments. teresa garcia's is in pasadena, california. good morning to y

drew levinson picks it up from here. >> reporter: republican vice presidential candidate paul ryan went to a retirement community in florida and got a little help from his 78-year- old mother. >> this is my mom betty. [ applause ] she's why i'm here. she and her grandkids are why i'm here. >> reporter: ryan promised seniors a mitt romney white house would protect them from the hundreds of billions of dollars in medicare cuts. the republicans claim is part of president obama's health care reform. >> medicare should not be used as a piggy bank for obamacare. it should be the promise that it made to our current seniors period end of story. [ applause ] >> reporter: ryan has called for a medicare overhaul. drafting the gop budget plan that would shift the entitlement to a voucher-like system. democrats claim it would bankrupt the program. >> i'm getting all fired up. [ cheering and applause ] >> reporter: president obama broke a sweat speaking to a packed crowd in a new hampshire high school. >> my plan saves money in medicare by cracking down on fraud and waste and insurance -- company sub

drew levinson has details. good morning to you. >> good morning terrell. it didn't take long for this to get ugly, did it? vice president joe biden used words that led to the romney campaign. calling president obama's campaign division, anger and hate. >> vice president joe biden sparked controversy from the campaign trail when he told supporters, including hundreds of african-americans that mitt romney wanted to cut back on wall street regulations. >> unchain wall street. they're going to put you all back in chains. >> that sparked a war of words between the two campaigns. romney says biden disgraced the office of the president. >> another outrageous charge just came a few hours ago in virginia. and the white house sinks a little bit lower. i got a message for him. if you want to know what's outrageous, it's their policies. >> biden says he was talking about how the republican policies wrecked the economy and put the middle class in shackles. >> this is what an angry and desperate presidency looks like. >> the sharpest words in this campaign have come fro

drew levinson, cbs news. >>> just ahead, countdown to mars.e'll have anup date on the expected landing just a day away now. >> can we expect a hot saturday night? the full forecast coming up. i got the chance to start my own business. i know what it's like to hire people and to make ends meet. from those experiences, i had the chance of running the olympics. the games were in real trouble. there'd been way too much spending. and in massachusetts i found a budget that was badly out of balance. our legislature was 85% democrat. and every one of the four years i was governor, we balanced the budget. i want to use those experiences to help americans have a better future. we believe in our future. we believe in ourselves. we believe the greatest days of america are ahead. i'm mitt romney and i approve this message. >>> nasa's curiosity rover is now zooming toward mars with about a day to go until the landing attempt. the space agency says the nuclear powered rover appears to be on course. curiosity is expected to drop through the martian atmosphere

drew levinson has more. >> the brunt of isaac has passed but the damage is far from over. rising waters forced more evacuations from la place and reserve, louisiana, with people and animals hurrying to get out. joshua jones is one of the hundreds rescued. they're headed to shelters in shreveport. >> we had to like climb on top of the houses until the boats got will to get us. >> the evacuees in shreveport were already exhausted and hungry. some of them didn't want to be there. >> they forced us. they dragged me out. >> a bird's eye view shows the damage in hard hit plaquemines parish. homes are flooded to the second story and cows stranded on a small patch of land. >> the national guard along with the sheriff's department and other rescue workers are using this parking lot as a staging area. the reason they're here is because it's one of the few places that has electricity. >> hundreds of thousands of customers are without power across the state. few gas stations are open. and the ones that are have long lines. some people stocked up filling extra containers. a mandatory e

drew levinson in washington.w, thank you so much. >>> new jersey governor chris christie will give the keynote address at the republican convention later this month. the keynote is the highest profile speech, other than those by the nominee. christie flirted with a white house run himself. christie says he'll talk about the troubles the country is in and the difficult fixes that lie ahead. >>> defense secretary leon panetta says pakistan plans to launch combat operations against the taliban in the near future. pakistani officials told panetta they'll target north waziristan, a tribal area near the afghan border. pakistan's reluctance to target taliban operatives using pakistan territory as a safe haven is frustrating u.s. leaders. >>> the government-controlled syrian media is denying reports that rebel forces shot down a syrian warplane. this is video of the rebel's plane. it shows the fighter bursting into flames after it was hit by antiaircraft guns. rebels also released a video they say shows the captured pilo

drew levinson has the latest from new orleans. >> reporter: thousands in louisiana are boarding up their homes and getting out of town. >> we lost almost everything to katrina, so we're not taking any chances. >> reporter: the airports in new orleans cancelled all flights for tuesday. 53,000 people in low-lying areas around the city are being told to evacuate. >> if you plan for an event like this was to leave, now is the time to leave. >> reporter: isaac is moving through the warm waters of the gulf and picking up strength. it could be a category 2 hurricane when it hits the coast and is expected to drop more than a foot and a half of rain in some places. >> the coastal flooding is going to be a problem as well. that area of the coastline we know from past storms from louisiana all the way to the florida panhandle, very vulnerable to storm surge. >> reporter: isaac is bearing down on the gulf coast as this area prepares for the seven- year anniversary of katrina on wednesday. 1,800 people died after the levy system failed, flooding neighbors everneighborhoods around new orleans. after k

drew levinson, cbs news, washington. >> looking at that "u.s.a. today" gallop poll, it shows paul ryan's numbers are the worst for a new vice president since dan quail back in 1988. >>> it is 4:37. here's a look at some of the other stories making news now this morning. a gunmen and two other people are dead after a shootout not far from texas a&m university. the gunman was being served an eviction notice when somebody opened fire from inside the home shooting the officer. a second man was also killed. two others injured. the shooting happened just a few blocks away from the campus at texas a&m which is in college station. >>> representative jesse jackson, jr. is being treated for bipolar. he took a hush leave of absence two months ago only to say he was being treated for a mood disorder. he is responding well to treatment and regaining his strength. >>> the republican run house wants to -- wants the federal government to force attorney general eric holder to hand over the records related to that botched fast and furious operation. house oversight

. >> as drew levinson reports, some of the sharpest words from both sides are coming from the political ads. >> reporter: vice president joe biden sparked controversy from the campaign trail when he told supporters, including hundreds of african-americans, that mitt romney wanted to cut back on wall street regulations. >> unchain wall street. we're going to put you all back in chains. >> reporter: that sparked a war of words between the two campaigns. romney says biden disgraced the office of the president. >> another outrageous charge, this came a few hours ago in virginia, and the white house sinks a little bit lower. i've got a message for them. if you want to know what's outrageous, it's their policies. >> reporter: biden says he was talking about how the republican policies wrecked the economy and put the middle class in shackles. >> this is what an angry and desperate presidency looks like. >> reporter: the sharpest words in this campaign have come from tv and web ads. both sides accuse the other of running only negative commercials. >> you notice their ads generally don't tell yo

drew levinson, cbs news. >> so devastating. >>> the north american aerospace defense command is planning a training exercise over the washington area. norad says residents can expect flights to take place beginning tomorrow night into early tuesday morning. the exercises are designed to hone norad's intercept and identification operations. since september 11th, 2001 fighters have responded to more than 3400 possible air threats in the united states. >>> just ahead on 9news now, an update on the long distance swimmer trying tombing her whey if cuba to florida this weekend. >> after a mostly wet sunday, what should we expect tomorrow morning and the rest of the workweek? the full forecast is up next. >>we've got an update now on diane nyad trying to swim from cuba to florida. she's been doing the backstroke in hopes of reducing contact with jellyfish and a tweet from a team member says hey the backstroke is working. the team reports that she is steadily streaking on ward and nyad who was a week shy of her 63rd birthday jumped into the water near havana yesterday in her latest bid to make t

drew levinson, cbs news. >> congressman ryan held a fundraiser in the tampa area tonight. mitt romney is appearing at a series of fundraisers this weekend in massachusetts. >>> and today was 9 news and the website for all the latest news this campaign season. >>> police say a man was found beaten near eastern market this morning. first police report a 29-year- old man was found unconscious in front of a house across the street where large crowds gathered. police say there's been a slight uptick in robberies and assaults. there have been six compared to four the same time last year. >>> a virginia state police trooper is recovering tonight after his patrol car was struck by a drunk driver early this morning. police say trooper lenor pulled behind a tow truck at tyson's corner. the tow truck was removing a vehicle involved in a crash, that's when a car driven by christina of alexandria rear ended a patrol car. she's been charged with a dui. >>> police are searching for a driver in a hit and run that left a homeless man dead. james ralph davidson was killed when a driver hit

mayer's predecessors and interim ceo, ross levinson. >> ross levinson had been the de facto interim ceoa while. i'm sure he was deeply disappointed that he didn't get it. >> reporter: internet and technology expert, david kirkpatick. >> he's a media guy, ad guy. really good at it. a lot of people, including me, thought he would be quite acceptable as a ceo. >> she has less experience in working with madison avenue and working with advertisers, understanding their needs. >> reporter: still, yahoo!'s former chief strategy officer, toby coppel, says hiring marissa mayer away from google was the right move at the right time. >> she understands the industry as well as anyone else you could possibly point to in the industry. she has vision that the company also needs in terms of setting a direction. >> reporter: that new direction is expected to make yahoo! look a lot like google. those free meals, for instance, a perk long enjoyed by google employees. is her objective going to be compete with google or do something entirely different from google? >> well, you can't help competing with google

cbs's drew levinson has more now in laplace, louisiana. >> reporter: the brunt of isaac has passed but the damage is far from over. rising waters forced more evacuations from laplace, louisiana, with people and animals hurrying to get out. joshua jones is one of the hundreds who was rescued. they're headed to shelters in shreveport. >> we had to climb on top of the houses. >> reporter: evacuees already in shreveport were exhausted and hungry. some of them didn't want to be there. >> we were forced out. >> they dragged me out. >> reporter: a bird's eye view shows the damage in hard hit plaquemines parish. homes are flooded and cows are stranded. the sheriff's department are using this parking lot as a staging area. the reason they're here is because it's one of the few places that has electricity. hundreds of thousands of customers are without power across the state. few gas stations are open. and the ones that are have long lines. some people stocked up filling extra containers. emandatory evacuation order was issued. >> i think it's crazy. we moved here after katrina and we're just pr

drew levinson has more on the running mates and their 60 minutes interview. >> reporter: a tearful pauls enthusiastically welcomed home to wisconsin. the romney campaign is hoping ryan will help the gop win the state's ten electoral votes. >> my veins run with cheese, bratwurst and a little spot of some miller. >>> president obama won't concede iowa just yet, kicking off a three day bus tour today. >> he is an arctic class spokesman for governor romney's vision. but it is a vision i fundamentally disagree with. >> reporter: ryan is best known for passing the budget plan. it would provide vouchers for senior citizens to get their own health insurance. >> we need to pre verve their benefits, because the government promised them that they organized their retirement around. you must reform it for those of us who are younger and democrats claim it would bankrupt medicare. >>> insurance companies would cherry pick the healthy people. as a result the folks who remained in medicare would see their costs go up i can't the issue could be especially important in the battleground state of florida.

drew levinson, cbs news, washington. >>> there was mixed reaction to mitt romney choosing paul ryan as his running mate. we spoke to jeremy mayer. he said while picking ryan may be a smart move, it may not help him win the battle state of virginia. >> ryan is not a national figure. he is not a rubio, he is not a governor, he is not mcdonell or eric cantor. i think the biggest impact we are going to see is what the pick of paul ryan says is. >> it is time to exercise restraint. >> what is your reaction? really? that was the best he could do? >> mayer says democrats are already get ago tack ads ready to combat ryan's budget, which would overhaul medicare. >>> this morning if you are driving through one section of the great falls area, expect delays. >> dozens of decaying trees are being cut down. it took a tree falling on a and killing him to prompt the action. >>> a total of 5 trees have been identified as a safety risk to drivers. traffic lanes will be closed for up to 15 minutes for crews to work during nonrush hours monday through saturday. it took a tragedy for the trees to come dow

drew levinson, wjz eyewitness news. >> the oklahoma forestry commission says the state is on track tobeat a record for the number of wildfires. >> we're learning more about the story we first brought you as breaking news late last night. the man charged with shooting congressman gabrielle giffords is expected to plead guilty. according to lawyers close to the case, doctors believe jared loughner is now competent to understand the charges against him and he plans to plead guilty in court on tuesday as part of a deal that sends him to prison for life. he murdered six people in a shooting spree in january last year. 13 others were injured, including congressman giffords. who was shot in the head. >>> meanwhile, millions of people are still talking about maryland's own michael phelps. he gave crowds a thrilling finale before ending his record-breaking career. monica villamizar reports for wjz, with the latest from the olympic games in london. >> reporter: fans grabbed a seat wherever they could to watch superstar michael phelps make one last olympic splash. phelps won the 18th gold medal

drew levinson, cbs news, new york. >> ever since his inauguration, putin has signed laws raising fines for protesters and tightening control of the internet. >>> the mother of a man who stopped a gunman inside a d.c. office building agrees with people who have called her son a hero. >> i know he saved a whole lot of lives yesterday. i'm very proud of him. i could be no prouder than i am. i thank god for everything. i thank god for him, too. because so many people could have been gone away from here today. >> 46-year-old leonardo johnson is the building manager at the family research council. he did not have a weapon, and he had been shot in the arm when he tackled accused gunman floyd corkins. the head of the frc believes that his conservative group was targeted because of its opposition to same-sex marriage. >> corkins was given a license to shoot an unarmed man by organizations like the southern poverty law center that have been reckless in labeling organizations hate groups because they disagree with them on public policy. >> corkins is being held without bond, and he will undergo a

before the very latest on the situation down south, let's get right to drew levinson who is in new orleansight. >> reporter: rain is soaking louisiana. huge waves are crashing into alabama beaches. and flood waters are rising in mississippi. isaac has come ashore, and is expected to stick around awhile. >> stay off the roads, stay out of the water. if you're somewhere safe, stay there. don't get out. and this is not going to be over quick. >> reporter: isaac is slowly churning over te gulf coast. and could drop up to a foot and a half of rain. the storm surge may reach 12 feet. flooding is the biggest concern. wednesday is the 7th anniversary of hurricane katrina when flood waters in new orleans broke through the levees. a new $14 billion system of levees and walls now surrounds the city. tonight that system is being put to the test. engineers say the new levees can withhold storms much stronger than isaac. that's why city officials here in new orleans did not order mandatory evacuations. and most people stayed. and most people are staying inside. but this is still the big easy. and some p

round of applause for this nice, informed foray into neuroscience and music with myself, daniel levinsonand the great guitarist and composer, alex degrassi. now, this meeting of in forum and the commonwealth club is adjourned. [applause] ♪ >> welcome to hamilton recreation and aquatics center. it is the only facility that has an integrated swimming pool and recreation center combined. we have to pools, the city's water slide, for little kids and those of you that are more daring and want to try the rockslide, we have a drop slide. >> exercises for everybody. hi have a great time. the ladies and guys that come, it is for the community and we really make it fun. people think it is only for those that play basketball or swim. >> i have been coming to the pool for a long time now. it is nice, they are sweet. >> in the aquatics center, they are very committed to combining for people in san francisco. and also ensuring that they have public safety. >> there are a lot of different personalities that come through here and it makes it very exciting all the time. they, their family or teach their

. >> drew levinson has more. good morning to you. >> good morning, terrell. mitt romney is hoping that putting paul ryan on the ticket will pay dividends. it appears it cashed in yesterday for him in wisconsin. >> a tearful paul ryan was enthusiastically welcomed to wisconsin as mitt romney's choice for vice president. >> hi mom. >> the romney campaign is hoping ryan will help the gop win the state's ten electoral votes. >> my veins run with cheese, bratwurst and a little spot of line i and some miller. >> romney to florida, ryan in iowa. >> we're going to split up more often than not and double our efforts. >> president obama won't concede iowa just yet kicking off a three-day bus tour today. the president congratulated ryan for being named to the ticket and called him the ideal -- >> he's an articulate spokesman for governor romney's vision. but it's a vision that i fundamentally disagree with. >>> ryan is best known for drafting the gop budget passed by house republicans. that plan would shift medicare into a program providing vouchers for senior citizens

>> reporter: drew levinson, cbs news, washington. >> now cycling's international governing body the international cycling union says it will make a decision today on whether or not to appeal arm strong's suspension on his behalf. it backed armstrong's claims that usa ada doesn't have the authority to strip armstrong. >>> police are searching for the person responsible for the deadly shooting. around 10:25 last night officers found a man suffered from a gunshot wound to the head. he was taken to the hospital where he later died. >>> investigators are still searching for a motive and a suspect in the murder of a 17- year-old from the debtorring section of prince george's county. >> she was amber stanley and a senior at the high school who hoped to attend harvard university next fall. ken molestina has more on the case. >> reporter: they spent the evening passings out flyers in the neighborhood where stanley was murdered. the 17-year-old was a student at flowers high school. >> it's a sad reality. >> reporter: those say she was a standout student. >> very shocking. such a nice young lady. >> reporte

drew levinson, 9news now. >>> new jersey's governor will give the keynote speech at this month's republican national convention. chris christie tells our partners at "u.s.a. today" he will offer some, quote, very direct and hard truths to people around the country. the republican convention begins august 27 in tampa, florida. >> he's kind of known for that. >>> for the first time in 20 years a woman will moderate one of the presidential debates. the list of moderators was revealed yesterday by the commission on presidential debates. the first debate will be led by jail layerer of pb -- jim laherer -- lehrer. then october 16, candy crowley of cnn and october 22 will be moderated by bob schieffer. >>> here's howard. are you going to rain on our parade today? >> a little bit. your early parade and maybe in the afternoon. by the way, 12 weeks from today election day. 12 more weeks of this. weather wise-- >> summer is already waning. especially in you see -- when you see the seven-day forecast. the weekend features some very comfortable temperatures. today we're looking at highs into the upper 8

drew levinson, 9news now. >> our partners at cbs this morning will be talking with mitt romney live from the campaign trail and they'll ask him about the vice president's remarks and about his new running made congressman paul ryan. you can see that right here on channel 9. >>> before we get to weather, we want to show you a photo sent in by one of our facebook friends. >> this is from jean kushner. it's a sunrise over southeast washington. she says her fiance works in one of the big cranes renovating the water facility and this is his view at work. >> what a view. >> we don't have anything like that out our window, do we? >> but i've got another picture i want to share with you guys. the national park service has a web cam out in arlington. about half-hour, 45 minutes before sunrise, i just peeked at it. i posted this on facebook and twitter. check this one out here. what a pretty city we live in with the beautiful sky this morning. some of the high clouds. just a great start. we thank the folks at the park service for sharing that for everybody. it's on the web. if you go to my faceboo

russell levinson, of houston, texas, who will offer a prayer. >> ladies and gentlemen, please bow your heads as we pray. almighty god, father ever the whole human family, we thank you and ask your blessing as we gather for this uniquely american moment. we thank governor scott and the good people of florida who have opened their arms of hospitality to welcome those gathering here into their midst. who give life, health and safety. we pray forres this already affected by the hurricane and for those in its path. keep them safe, lord. deliver them and provide for their every need and bless those who assist them during their time of trial. we also remember this day, one of our great american heros, neil armstrong, who captured the american spirit. as he reminded us, americans have always reached for the stars. inspiring all human kind to do what others deemed impossible. we thank you for guiding our nation's founders who secure the inalienable writes that you bestow upon us, life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. we ask you to guide and direct with your wisdom, a president, congress

as drew levinson reports, they captured international attention after singing and protesting inside a moscow cathedral. >> reporter: this provocative performance inside moscow's main cathedral in february got the band pussy riot the attention they were after. the three women wore ski masks as they called on the virgin mary to throw russian president vladimir putin out of office. friday a judge found them guilty of hooliganism and inciting religious hatred. band members were sentenced to two years in prison as they stood in a glass cage guarded by security officers and dogs. their lawyer says he suspects putin wrote the ruling himself. putin, a former kgb officer, has close ties to the orthodox church. opposition leaders say he's cracking down on dissent and free speech. though this happened in russia, it is getting worldwide attention. protests like this one here in times square in new york are popping up all over the world. from london to sydney to san francisco demonstrators danced like the band members and performed to show their support. >> this is a good way to open people's eyes

. >> and joining us is laurie levinson, professor of law at loyola law school. help us understand the issue before the judge. loughner's lawyers had to convince the judge that he was competent enough to enter a plea. what does that mean? >> it means he understood the charges against him and able to cooperate and be involved with his lawyer and the proceedings. so that he knew that when he pled guilty, that really meant that he would spend the rest of his life in prison. >> and you followed this case. this was a man before the same judge and was in very clearly in different circumstances in past appearances. >> oh, absolutely. this judge has seen jared lee loughner in all sorts of conditions. he is the judge who ordered the medication to be given and the defense did not want that. they were happy to have jared loughner be in the prison hospital indefinitely. but the judge forced the medication and made him competent and meant we could have a resolution to the case. >> so still to try to follow this here, when we use that word "competent" we mean competent now dif