and abc's terry moran was right there for this landmark ruling, same sex marriage in america, and he leads us off now. terry? >> reporter: diane, you're right. what an extraordinary day it was here. uncertainty and anxiety before the decision came down and when this ruling was handed down, it was like a dam burst emotionally. here and across the country. it was a day this court changed not only american law, but american life. the moment of victory. the two gay couples who brought the case from california and their lawyers emerging into a different america. across the country, jubilation among supporters of same sex marriage. a champagne toast in new york. tears and hugs in san francisco. and edie windsor, 84 years old, who brought the case seeking to overturn the federal law that denied the validity of her marriage, declared victory. >> we won everything we asked and hoped for. wow. >> reporter: the court, in a 5-4 opinion by justice anthony kennedy, struck down the defense of marriage act, which defined marriage under federal law as the union of one man and one woman, and thus denie

here is my "nightline" co-anchor, terry moran. >> ♪ make them hear you. >> it was gay day at the supremen the defense of marriage act, or doma, and sent it back to the lower court, basically legalizing gay marriage in the most popular state. for many it was a day of triumph and pent-up emotions. >> today is a good day. today is the day i finally get to look at the man i love and finally say will you please marry me? [ cheers and applause ] >> so you just got engaged over here? >> well, we gotçó engaged a lon time ago, but that was a nice public proposal. i realize i never said yes on the microphone, so i did the yes. >> so you're on the record? >> we're on the record of saying yes. >> reporter: word spread so quickly, that president obama spoke to the other couple on his way to africa. you talked to the president today already? >> we did, we talked to the president. he called from air force one to congratulate us. >> what was that like? >> i have to say i was a little shaky at that moment. hearing his voice, and then picturing him on the day of the state of the union where he likened our

terry moran, abc news. >> "nightline" will have much more on the passing of james gandolfini at 12:35 and on" good morning america" at 7:00 a.m. >>> the men's warehouse has fired one of the most recognizable pitch men on television. the company announced the removal of founder george zimmer today. george zimmer says it is because he spoke out against the direction of men's warehouse in the last few months. men's warehouse didn't comment, but they canceled a shareholder meeting. he opened the first warehouse in 1973 and there are now more than 1100 stores nationwide. >>> the daughter of former new york yankees manager joe torre is being called a hero after she caught a falling baby. 44-year-old kristina torre was buys bicycling when she saw the baby hanging from an awning. tor re was there to catch the child. the parents were arrested for child neglect. >>> the naked mole rat could hold clues to fighting cancer. the african rodent lives 30 years or more and are resistant to cancer. they identified a chemical that prevents the animal from getting the disease. it exists between cells in

terry moran, abc news. >> "nightline" will have much more on the passing of james gandolfini at 12:35 and on" good morning america" at 7:00 a.m. >>> the men's warehouse has fired one of the most recognizable pitch men on television. the company announced the removal of founder george zimmer today. george zimmer says it is because he spoke out against the direction of men's warehouse in the last few months. men's warehouse didn't comment, but they canceled a shareholder meeting. he opened the first warehouse in 1973 and there are now more than 1100 stores nationwide. >>> the daughter of former new york yankees manager joe torre is being called a hero after she caught a falling baby. 44-year-old kristina torre was buys bicycling when she saw the baby hanging from an awning. tor re was there to catch the child. the parents were arrested for child neglect. >>> the naked mole rat could hold clues to fighting cancer. the african rodent lives 30 years or more and are resistant to cancer. they identified a chemical that prevents the animal from getting the disease. it exists between cells in

terry moran, abc news. >> "nightline" will have much more on the passing of james gandolfini at 12:35n" good morning america" at 7:00 a.m. >>> the men's warehouse has fired one of the most recognizable pitch men on television. the company announced the removal of founder george zimmer today. george zimmer says it is because he spoke out against the direction of men's warehouse in the last few months. men's warehouse didn't comment, but they canceled a shareholder meeting. he opened the first warehouse in 1973 and there are now more than 1100 stores nationwide. >>> the daughter of former new york yankees manager joe torre is being called a hero after she caught a falling baby. 44-year-old kristina torre was buys bicycling when she saw the baby hanging from an awning. tor re was there to catch the child. the parents were arrested for child neglect. >>> the naked mole rat could hold clues to fighting cancer. the african rodent lives 30 years or more and are resistant to cancer. they identified a chemical that prevents the animal from getting the disease. it exists between cells in tissue

. >> with more on that legendary role, here's abc's terry moran. >> reporter: sometimes an actor finds a role that just connects. the role of a lifetime. ♪ woke up this morning >> reporter: for 86 episodes, over 6 seasons on hbo, gandolfini seared america's eyeballs with his all-out portrayal of a new jersey mob boss plagued by self-doubt and petty problems, yet capable of staggering and ruthless violence. with news of his passing, apparently of a heart attack while he was in italy, the world has lost not only an immensely talented actor, but also a cultural icon. but success was a long time coming for gandolfini. >> i had such anger back then. when you're young, a lot of people do, everybody does, you're pissed. and you're not sure why. that's probably why you're all sitting here. because you want to express something. you don't know what it is. >> reporter: gandolfini began his career playing cold-hearted mob enforcers, in films like "true romance." >> maybe you can help me. i'm looking for a friend of mine. >> reporter: and "terminal velocity." >> i'm here to determine if charges sh

terry moran breaks it down tonight. >> reporter: just 11 days before today's landmark supreme court ruling, angelina jolie walked the red carpet, her story and so many others linked with this landmark case. >> i feel great. i feel wonderful. >> reporter: in february, jolie underwent a preventative double mastectomy, because she carries a defective gene that dramatically escalates the risk of breast cancer and ovarian cancer. jolie's mom and her aunt died of breast cancer, and doctors told her she had an 87% chance of developing the disease herself. hundreds of thousands of americans carry that same gene. and until today, one company, myriad genetics of california, owned that gene. that's right, they owned it, because they had done the work and spent the money to identify and locate it among the roughly 20,000 genes that every person has. the question before the court, can you really own a part of a person? in a unanimous decision the court said no, justice clarence thomas writing, myriad did not create anything. now doctors and researchers say the cost of getting tested for that gene will

terry moran, abc news. >>> just 51. he was so good in that role. >>> state lawmakers are getting a big pay boost. almost $5,000 apiece. the california citizens compensation commission voted to restore some of the cuts it made during the recession, increasing salaries by 5%. now, that means the governor will now earn $174,000 a year and the base pay for lawmakers goes up to $95,000. but not everyone on the committee wanted to give lawmakers a raise. >> they do well and they improve the state, then we'd have something to look at that says it's okay to provide them with a raise. until that happens, i'll have to stand my ground and i will vote no on any restoration. >> most lawmakers also take home an additional $30,000 a year in per diem payments on top of the $95,000 base pay. even more money for being committee leaders. california legislators are the highest paid in the country. now to news that affects just about every one of us. fed chairman ben bernanke expects the economy to grow and unemployment to fall. but he also

superheroes, with terry moran. >> hello, everyone. thanks for joining us tonight.y, they fight, they save us from evil horses. superman, ever the strong stoic good guy, now cast in a new light. tonight, we' got an all access pass to the blockbuster movie of this summer. and we meet the newest man of steal for what hollywood hopes will be many years to come. abc's chris connell lee reports. >> reporter: he's back. and this man of steal has the total package -- speed, sizzle, super strength. also, he's nice. >> you okay? >> reporter: a classic character, headlining one massively anticipated summer movie, and we have behind the scenes access. >> that felt incredible. >> with the all-star cast. >> my heart was racing. >> did that really happen? >> his superpowers and do-good demeanor, that cape rippling through the air makes superman a pop culture icon. it's a legacy that would daunt any actor, especially on first hearing the news of his casting. >> i thought oh, my goodness. i've -- i'm superman. >> when he came out of that scene for the first time, i was like okay, t

. >>> from washington, this is "nightline," with terry moran. >>> good evening everyone, the day thejames gandolfini became a household name. well, today is the day we lost that vanguard forever. >> reporter: sometimes an actor finds a role that just connects. the role of a lifetime. james gandolfini, who died suddenly today at 51 was tony soprano. for 86 episodes over six seasons on hbo, gandolfini seared america's eyeballs with the portrayal of the man capable of staggering violence. with news of an apparent heart attack while he was in italy, the world has lost not only a very talented actor but also a cultural icon. but success was a long time coming for gandolfini. >> i had such anger, when you're young, a lot of people have anger, you're pissed, you're not sure why. that is probably why you are all sitting here. you want to express something, you don't know what it is. >> reporter: gandolfini began his career playing cold-hearted mob enforcers, in such shows as terminal velocity. he kept getting cast as the rough characters and doing better and better in the roles. as career de

and so we begin with abc's supreme court watcher terry moran. terry? >> reporter: well, diane, this, as you point out, is the biggest civil rights decision from this court in years. it marks the end of an era, at least for now. >> we have come to register to vote. >> reporter: this is why the voting rights act was passed. in some of the darkest days of american history, the act brought hope and action. it transformed american democracy. today, chief justice john roberts bluntly declared that times have changed, and the law must, too. "history did not end in 1965." roberts wrote in an opinion joined by his four fellow conservatives. the problem, the court held, is that the most powerful parts of the voting rights act targeted only some areas of the country, singling out states and localities that had a proven history of voting discrimination in 1965. the federal government strictly supervised all elections in those areas. congress renewed the law in 2006 for 25 more years, but basically used the same formula to determine which states and localities shou

abc's terry moran has the details. >> reporter: angelina jolie walked the red carpet her story and so feel wonderful. >> reporter: in february, angelina jolie underwent a preventative double mastectomy because she carries a defective gene that dramatically escalates the risk of breast cancer and ovarian cancer. jolie's mom and aunt died of breast cancer doctors told her she had an 87% chance of developing the disease herself. hundreds of thousands of americans carry the same gene. one company, myriad genetics of utah owned the gene, they had done the work and spent the money to identify and locate it among the rough re 20,000 genes every person has. so the question before the court, can you really own part of a person? in a unanimous decision, the court said, "no." justice clarence thomas writing, "myriad did not create anything." now, doctors and researchers say the cost of getting tested for the gene will likely come down from about $3,000 today. since other companies will be able to compete with myriad. and most important, the ruling applies to all our genes. which means scientists

terry moran said the law had been invalidated.did not explain it to the average person and even the "washington post" said that only 13% of americans were following any of this debate. >> jon: liberal media were using terms like gutted and assault referring to it. >> i got back from the jersey shore yesterday and one got called by hurricane sandy. most homes were gutted. 95% of it is gone. in this case, the law was not gutted. race among blacks are higher than whites. the law has done its job. yet you have somebody from msnbc, saying stupid things. you want to keep kids what high personly means? take, hyperbole means? >> and voting rights decision was 4-1 against a decision and doma decision was 3-1. the bias here is pretty thick and not only intuitive but documented with facts and figures. >> jon: speaking of facts and figures. >> it seemed like 5-1 rare hoe oe stories were positive in terms of favoring gay marriage. there a lot of momentum but if you look at public polling, cnn did a poll, 53% of the country favors gay marriage,

. >> announcer: from washington this is "nightline" with terry moran. >>> hello, everyone, and thanksnight. the news today seems as though it was ripped right out of the pages of a spy thriller. a high school dropout turned nsa super wiz leaks government secrets and goes on the lam. but it's not james bond's latest movie. it's the story of edward snowden, now wanted for leaking some of america's most confidential information. and tonight abc's chief investigative correspondent brian ross is here with the latest. brian? >> reporter: terry, it's been a month now since edward snowden abandoned his country, essentially defected, leaving his job at the nsa in hawaii, determined to reveal some of this country's most sensitive secrets. and now his saga has turned into a full-fledged diplomatic incident, badly straining u.s. relations with first china and now russia. it was a day of high drama and international intrigue today at the moscow airport, reminiscent of a cold war spy novel. at the center of it all, 30-year-old edward snowden, a contract employee at the cia and the nsa, the national

terry moran said the complete law had been inval indicated or whatever he said.t -- wasn't -- did not explain it to the average earn and even "the washington post" said that only 13% of americans were following any of this debate. >> the liberal media were using terms like gutted and assault and referring to the -- that law. >> yeah. i got back from the jersey shore yesterday. they got killed by hurricane sandy. most of the homes were gutted because of water damage. 95% of it is gone. in this case, the law was not gutted. all right. five of the six states original states to whom this law applied, the race among blacks is higher than whites. the law has done its job. demographics have changed. you have melissa harris perry saying my citizenship over now. parents, if you want to teach your kids what hyperbole means, use that example. >> to msnb, mention cnn. the media rae search center counted up the guests on cnn and talking about the case and voting rights decision was -- 4-1 in favor -- against the decision and on the -- the doma decision, 3-1. in other words, t

abc's terry moran covers the supreme court and told us about the announcement today. >> reporter: it all came down to one student, one young woman who didn't get into the college she wanted and decided to fight back. in 2008, abigail fisher was rejected for admission by the university of texas, even though some students with lower test scores and grades got in ahead of her, five of those students were black. 42 were white. but fisher and her lawyers argued that she was blocked because she was white, and they sued. today the supreme court sent the case back to the lower courts, for more careful scrutiny of the university's policy. thus postponing the real day of reckoning for affirmative action. justice kennedy writing for a 7-1 majority did raise the bar for schools, writing that any racial preference policies must be a last resort. and university officials must prove there are no workable race-neutral alternatives to achieving a diverse student population. today abigail fisher declared victory. >> they gave us everything that we asked for. and i'm very confident that ut won't be abl

voting right, gay marriage, affirmative action, all hang in the balance and terry moran is at the court this morning. good morning, terry. the court always seems to save its most important rulings for last. let's start with gay marriage. a whole bunch of possible outcomes here. >> reporter: that's right. that's the big one. is there a right in the constitution to same-sex marriage, to gay marriage? all americans are guaranteed equal pretext -- protection of the laws. does that include marriage laws? prop 8 which banned gay marriage, congress' effort to limit federal recognition of gay marriage, possible outcomes, the court could say, california voters can't do that. the court could say some states which have already granted domestic partnerships must also grant the word marriage. or they could say, the constitution is silent on this. let the voters decide. and they could strike down that defense of marriage act which means that federal benefits would flow to gay couples or could uphold it. >> a huge reaction to whatever the court does right there depending which direction they go. also

abc's terry moran reports from the supreme court. >> reporter: the moment of victory.alifornia and their lawyers emerging into a different america. across the country jubilation among supporters of same-sex marriage. a champagne toast in new york. tears and hugs in san francisco. and edie windsor, 84 years old brought the case seeking to overturn the federal law that denied the validity of her marriage declared victory. >> we won everything we asked and hoped for. wow. >> reporter: the court in a 5-4 opinion struck down the defense of marriage act. it thus denied legally married gay couples treatment under law. that is unconstitutional because it demeans the couple, humiliates tens of thousands of children being raised by gay couples, serves no legitimate purpose and violates the constitution's guarantee of equality. from social security and veterans benefits to family leave and income and estate taxes, their lives are now equal in countless ways under the law to straight couples' lives. kennedy's opinion called the ruling jaw dropping and accused kennedy and liberal j

terry moran, abc news, the supreme court. >>> it was four years ago today that michael jackson died. tussauds' wax museum in london unveiled three figures depicting jackson in different stages. actors posed with the figures. the king of pop died after an overdose of the powerful anesthetic propofol. dr. conrad murray serving a four year sentence. >>> one of apple's first computers will fetch top bid when it goes up for auction. this apple one personal computer was hand built back in 1976, a product of the garage-born business of steve jobs and steve wozniak. it was originally sold for 666.66 dollars. keyboard and monitor not included. it is now up for auction and it could go for a sweet $500,000. >> apple products started with that. can you imagine? >> does it really still work? >> does it work? >> that's the question. >>> as the economy improves across the country, we are getting a look inside the american work place. the gallup organization asked 150,000 full time and part-time workers about their jobs and bosses. listen to this. 70% hate their job so much that incentives or extras

joined by my colleague, terry moran, peggy noonan of the wall street journal, political analyst, newly mustached matthew dowd. and congresswoman dawn edwards, democrat of maryland. terry, let me begin with you. you heard the discussion, particularly on the doma case. and i was struck, most of all, by the sweep of justice kennedy's opinion. and i want to show one part of it. he said the federal statute is invalid for no legitimate purpose overcomes the purpose and effect to disparage and to injure those whom the state by its marriage laws sought to protect in personhood and dignity. no legitimate purpose? how does it survive that? >> those are the three most important words in the ruling. the court said congress could have absolutely no reason, there's no reason that congress could have to treat gay married couples differently from strait married couples. the court could have said congress shouldn't overstep its bounds, shouldn't tell the state what marriage is, let the states decide. but the justice's opinion goes further. he picked up the most powerful and irresistible force in the co

i want to bring in terry moran to explain the details. >> reporter: as you know it's impossible to overstatehe importance of the voting rights act. it's one of the most important laws ever passed by congress, even the conservatives on this court acknowledged its success in transforming the voting -- the democracy of this country. what the court did today is a it's outdated. that the formula for deciding which states, which counties, which localities need to ask permission of the federal government before they change their election laws, that formula is outdated. that it's from the era of bull connor and police dogs and fire hoses and live in a new era. congress has to go back, republicans and democrats cooperating, come up with an assessment of today's problems on voting rights and rewrite the act. it is a huge, huge decision. as chief justice roberts writing for the five conservative -- five-member majority says "the 15th amendment, that is the post-civil war amendment guaranteeing the right to vote, commands that the right to vote shall not be denied or abridged on account of race, he says

terry moran carries the courts for us joins us now. n, terry, your thoughts on this real pair of historic rulings and what they mean as one? >> what a scene and what a day, josh. you're absolutely right. here, hundred of thousands of people erupting. and people were in tears. you're absolutely right, this is a major step forward, not the whole ball of wax for those who advocate equal marital rights for same-sex couples because the court didn't just strike down the defense of marriage act, it added language in it that indicates members of this court believe gay couples should have an equal right to marry across the country, they didn't do that, but for example, justice kennedy said that the states who granted those rights believe that same-sex couples should have the right to marry and so live with pride in themselves and their union and in status of equality with all other married persons we're one step away from a national right to marry for gay couples. that's prediction. based on what the court did today it's much closer to reality.

with more, abc's terry moran. >> reporter: sometimes an actor finds a role that just connects.orter: for 86 episodes over six seasons on hbo, gandolfini seared america's eyeballs with his all-out portrayal of a new jersey mob boss plagued by self-doubt and petty problems yet capable of staggering and ruthless violence. with news of his passing apparently of a heart attack while he was in italy, the world has lost not only an immensely talented actor but also a cultural icon. but success was a long time coming for gandolfini. >> i had such anger back then. when you are young, a lot of people do. everybody does. you are pissed, you are not sure why. that's probably why you are all sitting here. because you want to express something. you don't know what it is. >> reporter: gandolfini began his career playing coldhearted mob enforcers in films like "true romance." >> maybe you can help me. i'm looking for a friend of mine. >> reporter: and "terminal velocity." >> i'm here to determine whether manslaughter charges should be brought against you. >> reporter: he kept getting cast as t