Transcripts For CNN American Morning 20110630

we are live at the courthouse on this "american morning." good morning to you. thanks so much for being with us on this "american morning." thursday, june 30. >> could be last day or last two days of the casey anthony trial. we still don't know whether she will take the stand. sunny hostin says she has to. >> we heard her voice for first time yesterday. we will tell you more about that coming up. major development after that fiery and deadly attack on the intercontinental hotel in kabul. in southeast afghanistan, international forces say that an air strike killed a militant leader belonging to the group. 21 people died in that siege including 12 victims and all nine attackers. there's new fallout this morning from the navy s.e.a.l. mission that tack out osama bin laden. pakistan reportedly ordering the u.s. military to leave an air base that's used to launch drone attacks against al qaeda and taliban targets along the boarder with afghanistan. the pakistani defense minister is suggesting that they no longer trust the u.s. it is the latest sign of strained relations between the two countries since the bin laden raid last month. president obama issuing warning to yellow light. he said is flashing when it comes to passing legislation so america can pay its bills. one month this nation hits its debt ceiling deadline. president obama sounded downright impatient saying that he compromised by a greeking to cut spending. republicans won't budge when it comes to raising tax owes the wealthy. >> they need to do their job. now is the time to -- to go ahead and make the tough choices. that's why they are called leaders. and i have already shown i'm willing to make some decisions that are very tough and we will give my base voters further reason to give me a hard time. >> john boehner hit back saying the president is sorely mistaken if he believes a bill to raise debt ceiling and tax woes pass the house. another example of an absolute lack of middle ground between the two sides. >> we hit the debt ceiling. we already hit it. >> the deadline is to be able to pay all of our bills. >> that's right. treasury secretary has been doing little things around the edges like defer something payments into, you know, retiree saving accounts and the like. as of august 2 they have to figure out -- president was saying yesterday when bills will we pay? will we pay the interest to the chinese before we pay americans? >> the republicans want to wrap budget cuts into any discussion about the debt ceiling. they want federal spending tightened and democrats are saying we get it. we are going to cut that but we can't play chicken with the debt ceiling. this debate, there seems to be very little middle ground here. we are coming down to the wire. >> that brings us to our question of the day. president obama is telling congress get to work. but will these two sides solve the debt issue? we want to know what you think? do you think your elected leaders have the political chops to solve this problem. >> that you may not like the answer to. >> we are not paying international debt holders and not paying senior citizens. send us an e-mail or tweet or tell us on facebook. to the casey anthony trial. the big question this morning, will she testify in her own defense? the trial could wrap up as early as today. yesterday casey wiped away tears as grief experts testified but only a few hours earlier she sat at the defense table and just stared when her father, george anthony, sobbed on the witness stand while describing his decision to try to kill himself back in 2009 over the loss of his granddaughter, caylee. carol costello is live for us from orlando, florida. we saw the tears in the courtroom yesterday. some days we have seen laughter and grinning coming from casey. but with the -- with the word that the defense will wrap up, it seems more and more likely she will not take the stand in her own defense, right? >> i don't know. i mean, defense did such a poor job according to most legal experts i talked with yesterday. you have to wonder does she have to take the stand? is this a losing proposition? i know it sounds cliche but it was quite an emotional day in court. george anthony taking the stand. he testified for hours as the defense tried to paint him as the man who molested his daughter and covered up the dead of his grandchild. >> something inside of me to get through this. >> testimony so emotional from george anthony at times the judge asked if he could continue. mr. anthony's tearnot appear to faze his daughter, casey. she sat emotion lgs. even as her father described how he attempted suicide just weeks after the remains of his granddaughter, caylee, were found in december of 2008. >> i needed at that time to go and be with caylee. >> you expressed that in the note. >> yes, i did because i believe i failed her. >> in his questioning of the witness, attorney jose baez tried but did not succeed in advancing the defense's contention that mr. anthony helped cover up his granddaughter's death and molested his daughter, casey. >> sir, i never would do anything like that to my daughter. >> my question is you would never admit to it, would you, sir? >> sir, i would never do anything to harm my daughter in that way. >> reporter: the tension between witness and defense attorney was palpable at times. >> sir -- >> asked and answered. >> you are arguing with me, sir. >> reporter: especially when baez asked anthony about conflicting statements about an odor emanating from casey anthony's car. >> you are trying to take this joy of my life away from me, sir. you can't do it anymore. >> would you -- >> i'm going to answer this to you, sir. the decomposition that i smelled in the trunk of my daughter's car on july 15, 2008, at johnson's towing smelled like human decomposition. i can close my eyes at the moment, sir, and i can smell that again. how dare you, sir, try to tell me that i did something differently than what i did? >> reporter: most legal experts say george anthony's testimony was very effective. that's why maybe casey anthony has to take the stand. as for whether she will the defense told the judge it will probably rest its case today. the judge said if casey anthony were to testify at trial, he wanted to hear it directly from her, to make sure that something she wants to do. if she wants to testify, kiran, her defense attorneys will have to allow her to do that. that's what the law says. we will see what happens today. >> wow. all right. the people will be riveted to that trial today. carol costello for us this morning. thanks. another fascinating trial. a fresh boost for amanda knox. convicted of a 2007 murder in italy. doubts were raised about the dna evidence linking knox to the murder weapon. forensic specialists say the evidence was not sustainable. the blood sample found on the knife so small that it couldn't be retested. knox's defense argues the evidence was contaminated during the investigation. greek lawmakers will vote today on how to implement the new round of painful spending cuts in tax increases that passed yesterday. austerity package paves the way for a $17 billion emergency bailout from europe to greece. designed to prevent financial meltdown that could have rippled across the globe. the spending cuts doing little to ease the anger of demonstrators that clash with riot police in athens yesterday. officials say at least 19 officers were injured. across britain roughly 750,000 people have walked off the job. shutting down schools and disrupting services at ports and airports. the teachers and public workers are protesting plans that would require them later to retire later and to pay more towards their pensions very similar to the things going on in greece. >> rhode island's state senate approving a bill to legalize same-sex civil unions. that legislation which has already passed the state house now heads to the desk of the governor for signature. he says he won't sign it. gay rights ad vote crates actually calling on the governor to veto the bill, they say it is unacceptable because it allows religious organizations to discriminate against zbai and lesbian couples. big win for health care reform. federal appeals court in cincinnati found the individual mandate provision of that -- reform to be constitutional. they ruled congress can require people to buy health insurance or face financial penalties. this case was the first of three major challenges of the health care reform bill. they are expected to wind up before the supreme court. the i shall sue can the government basically impose a tax to pay for health care? also robert gates signing off today as defense secretary after 4 1/2 years on the job. gates was a holdover, of course, from the bush administration. he became one of president obama's most trusted adviser on national security. the president hosted a farewell dinner for gates last night at the white house. successor of former cia director leon panetta will be on the job tomorrow. why did the turtle cross the roadway? that's the big question. not to get to the shell station but to mate. >> that's a good one. >> lot of turtles. here is what it looked like at new york's jfk airport. p some 150 turtles crawling on to the tarmac searching for a beach to go lay their eggs. slow motion stampede of these turtles delayed dozens of flights. look at them. here is how it was from the control room tower. >> turtle on the runway. do you want to have it removed first? >> sure. >> american 1009, cancel takeoff clearance. hold in position. >> i was wondering where those things were. >> do you want to have it removed first? meaning or do you just want to roll right over it. thanks goodness. >> you should hear this. >> this is what happens when you are an animal that does something unusual. >> you get a twitter account. they have their own twitter feed at jfkturtles. 5,600 followers at last count. >> we will keep an eye on that. ahead on "american morning," our cameras were rolling. this is remarkable. look at this. >> go, go, go, go! >> nick payton walsh in the middle of an intense firefight. coming up, los alamos wildfire scorching thousands of land for days now. fire officials say they are optimistic they have a plan. royal newlyweds making their first official trip across the pond to canada. details of their big international north american adventure ahead. almost 12 minutes after the hour. >> announcer: this past year alone there's been a 67% spike in companies embracing the cloud-- big clouds, small ones, public, private, even hybrid. your data and apps must move easily and securely to reach many clouds, not just one. that's why the network that connects, protects, and lets your data move fearlessly through the clouds means more than ever. tom, check this out. good gravy, bill. our insurance company doesn't have anything like it. magnificent, isn't it? with progressive, it's easy to cover all of your favorite rides. progressive has truck insurance? number one in truck and motorcycle. is that a golf cart? yep. we also cover rvs, boats, atvs. anything else i can help you with? can i take a ride? you need a ticket -- i'm first! and that's by the water slide. okay. no running. oh, dear. save on all your rides. now, that's progressive. call or click today. [♪...] >> male announcer: now, for a limited time, your companion flies free, plus save up to 65%. call 1-800-sandals. conditions apply. 15 minutes past the hour. one secretary it was quiet and the next they were under attack with mortars erupting, bullets buzzing past young soldiers. it was a tiny american outpost along the boarder in afghanistan. far away from the debate, about troop levels. nick payton walsh was in the middle of all of it. >> reporter: everywhere you look on afghanistan's eastern border the choices aren't good. outpost king is caught between towns full of taliban. if americans leave they will employee through the valley. if they say every few days this happens. mortars hit the base. the last attack was low enough ago there is panic. they are worried the taliban are preparing a big one. days of nothing insurgents now finally around the town in an attack of both sides. >> hustle up. grab it and you are ready. >> reporter: they use mortars first. the incoming fire is very accurate here. >> go, go, go! >> reporter: heavy machine guns. >> reporter: the bullets are too close. >> never mind! >> reporter: locals scatter. just before huge american firepower has the last word. >> reporter: power massive air strikes across the hills and then taliban falls silent. america knew why it came here but isn't sure why it is staying. >> can we get a police car? >> reporter: ten minutes later, jets swoop in to head for hills. a show of force, taliban are now either gone or dead. at least five killed p by soldiers' count. the next morning, it starts again. mortars and rocket propelled grenades pound the base. second time in just 15 hours, under attack. much heavier this time. and it appears they have taken casualties. more air strikes, this valley vital strategically but doesn't want to be conquered. the medics fly in to collect one soldier, his injuries are not life threatening. there's no real victory to be had here. though just a question of how long they will stay growing louder. mick payton walsh, cnn, afghanistan. >> amazing pictures. amazing coverage will. los alamos, new mexico, wildfire. >> the blaze burned through another 15,000 or 20,000 acres yesterday. good news. officials say the nearby nuclear science laboratory is still safe and secure. reynolds wolf joins us live from los alamos. what's the situation on the ground? >> reporter: the situation on the ground right now is they say between 70,000 to 80,000 acres burned. still roughly about 3% contained. we are going to get another briefing later this morning. for the time being, i can tell you it is still burning and still a massive wildfire. there is a thick power of smoke overhanging the community. we are in los alamos. right across this ravine you see it descends into darkness. lights off into the distance. as the los alamos national laboratory and just yesterday afternoon, we actually went out and did reconnaissance and 2:00, 3:00 in the afternoon here, the smoke was incredibly dramatic. take a look at the video. we were out and about as seeing the journalist. our producer stan wilson. the smoke coming out of the mountain sides is just the most really terrifying prospect important a while. we did learn it was actually controlled burn. trying to limit some of the vegetation on the western fringe of the laboratory itself. remember this is very, very big place, guys. 40 square miles. they already had fires that they developed was just few day ace go on the southern fringe of the laboratory grounds. but right now they are watching it. earlier this morning fires were all the way up the hillside p hidden from view due to the low hanging smoke. hoping the weather conditions will improve in days to come. unfortunately, though, that's long term. short term, things are going to be daunting in terms of weather, dry conditions, and remain in place. no sign of rain in the near future. los alamos fire chief doug tucker remains optimistic. >> you can see we are getting a loss less smoke. we now have an anchor point and we have a black line that's basically going from the south point of the lab all the way up to this area here. it makes me feel really good. >> reporter: he's just one of the 341 firefighters working those 16-hour shifts trying to keep the blaze at bay. so far so good. we are a long way from finish thing story. >> reynolds, thank you. the season's first tropical storm arlene just now making landfall. right now. rob marciano is in the extreme weather center. she is still a tropical storm. >> very close to hurricane strength. not a paul storm by any stretch of imagination. bay of campeche. we are looking at the landfall. as you mentioned, coming onshore now, we have winds of 65 miles an hour. and the forecast track is for it to continue to go westward. obviously diminishing strength. if anything, it goes farther to the south. that's -- bad news for folks in mexico. especially in the hillier areas. we will see flash flooding. it has a tremendous amount of tropical moisture and that moisture in some cases over ten inches according to our models. it is going to remain important the most part south of texas. maybe extreme south texas across the rio ground and brownsville may get rain. drought-stricken area, area we are seeing fires, not a lot of rainfall from this. heat building across the midsection. records fall today across some of the high plains. hazy, hot and humid. not too shabby for the folks across the northeast. pleasant summer day with the high temperature of 81 degrees in new york. back up to you guys. >> perfect. thank you, rob. britain's royal newlyweds are heading to canada. first foreign trip as the duke and duchess. prince william and catherine due to arri in ottawa in a few hours. it will be a whirlwind eight-day tour of canada which is part of the british commonwealth. after that the royals will head our way, heading to socal. a little tour of california as well. still ahead, states in crisis. right now one state could be mere hours from shutting down. we will tell you where it is and why. >> roller coaster immortality. ride it over and over and over. then you get old and you get too dizzy. nothing helped me beat arthritis pain. until i tried this. it's salonpas. pain relief that works at the site of pain... up to 12 hours. salonpas. business this morning. u.s. stocks closed higher for the third straight day yesterday. rare winning streak, frankly, important the year with bank shares boosting markets. good news from greece pushing stocks higher. investors still wary and still watching what happens there. now that the vote passed on the five-year austerity package greek parliament votes today on how to actually implement it. the country needs $17 billion in emergency funds by mid july to avoid defaulting on its debt. president obama visibly frustrated. talking about america's other than debt issues and debt talks here during a press conference in washington yesterday the president said it is unacceptable for the u.s. to be seen trying to decide which bills it is going to pay. if the debt ceiling isn't raised by august the u.s. treasury will not be able to pay all of its bills. so far democrats and republicans are far apart. banks and credit card issuers catching a break on debit card swipe fees. federal reserve increased the amount banks charged the to retailers 21 cents. the labor department saying unemployment rates rose last month in more than half of the count country's largest cities. that's due to weak private sector hiring and natural disasters. just about two hours, fresh initial jobless claims figures come out. we will get a new read on the health of the labor department. today marks the deadline for app makers on come in with apple's new strict rules for payments meaning any apps that include links to external websites for purchases will be banned unless apple gets a 30% cut. big name apps like kindle may be booted from the kindle if they don't start selling programs inside the app. "american morning" will be right back after the break with the inmate that tried to use a forklift to break out of prison. (rambling phone conversation) when an investment lacks discipline, it's never this obvious. introducing investment discipline etfs from russell. visit russelletfs.com r a prospectus, containing the investment objectives, risks, charges, expenses and other information. read and consider it carefully before investing. 30 minutes after the hour. let me bring you up to speed with the top stories we are following on cnn. militant leader suspected of providing support for tuesday's deadly attack on kabul's intercontinental hotel has been killed. forces say ismael jan and several other fighters were killed in an air strike in southeast afghanistan. j the defense in the casey anthony murder trial could wrap up as early as today. it is unclear if casey will testify. emotional moments in the courtroom. casey broke down when a grief expert testified that sometimes mothers who lose their children engage in risky behavior. another tearful testimony from george anthony, her father, he was questioned about little caylee, his granddaughter, and his suicide attempt back in 2009. greek lawmakers holding a key vote on how to implement the spending cuts and tax increases they passed yesterday. that vote clears the way for $17 billion in emergency loans from the european union and the international monetaryyi fund. the controversial belt tightening led to a number of violent protests in athens. 19 police officers were injured during yesterday's rioting. minnesota's bracing for a government shutdown. if state law makekers not agree on a budget by friday, tomorrow, the number of state services that will be cut continues to grow. looks like they will have to suspend road construction projects among other things. the state zoo, highway rest stops will close. a judge ruled yesterday that the state has to continue to pay for services for people in prisons and nursing homes. we will continue to follow that. in wisconsin, budget cuts, laying off 519 people. including 354 certified teachers. the school's superintendent saying the cuts mean class sizes will be larger and that older textbooks will not be replaced. >> warn being this for months lit hit you. if it is not higher taxes you will see your pools close, your schools close. >> libraries. crossing guards. >> parks are closing. we have seen some states that have closed their turnpike, you know, rest areas. happening across the country. the accused tucson gunman will continue to take his meds in jail. the judge in the case saying he see no, sir problem was prison doctors giving him mind altering drugs to treat his schizophrenia and make him competent to stand trial for these crimes. jared loughner's lawyers argue forcing him to take the powerful drugs violates his right. loughner is accused of killing six people in that rampage severely wounding congresswoman gabrielle giffords. convicted murderer was shot and killed during an attempted jail break that happened at a washington prison yesterday. officials say the inmate drove a forklift through a work area but didn't get far before officers fired a single fatal shot. meantime another inmate took an officer hostage using a pair of scissors. that officer is okay. a big messy mud slide. mud and debris sweeping over the highway forcing that road to shut down. no serious injuries are reported. no word yet on how long it is going to take to clean up all of that mud and debris. >> that's crazy. >> sure is. nasa's rocket launch was a success. the rocket flew into orbit in virginia yesterday. it is carrying a military satellite that is designed to provide quick images and information to battlefield commanders. obviously we have seen in the past month or so how crucial that is. the launch set for tuesday was december a delayed because of bad weather. ali velshi is going as well. "beyond atlantis the next front tear." a cnn special investigation airing sunday night at 8:00 eastern. >> i'm going to stop short of will be there every step of the way. >> you are not going the final step. >> yeah. we will not be going into space. how did you spend your summer vacation? setting a record on a brand new roller coaster? a fourth grader can't get enough of this wooden roller coaster at bay beach amusement park in doreen bay. he has taken the ride 100 times. more than 100 times already. >> after number 20, i decided that i might get a goal of 100. >> he got that. he wants to get to 800 by the end of the summer. >> does a parent have to go with him? does he have a mom that's like oh, man. >> somebody has to be standing around there. >> have you do that in shifts. >> that roller coaster is called woody. if you are -- woody aficionado owe, as opposed to the steel ones, hydraulic and smoother. these things bang you around so much, cane believe this kid will be on it. >> it is a replica of elvis presley's favorite ride. i don't know how much you know. how do you know that much about roller coasters. >> i watched that show about the top best roller coasters in the country. people that are fans of woodies there is nothing like it. >> very good. >> look it up if you don't believe me. >> i believe you. i believe you. ahead, president obama tells congress do your job. he showed frustration at the press conference yesterday over the stalled talks to raise the nation's debt ceiling. did he just throw more fuel on the fire or is this a smart negotiating tactic? we will debate it coming up. carol. fiber makes me sad. oh common. and how can you talk to me about fiber while you are eating a candy bar? you enjoy that. i am. [ male announcer ] fiber beyond recognition. fiber one. tough talk from president obama. he was frustrated during a news conferen conference. he got animated when he was talking. >> he said lawmakers should work through their vacation it is they don't cut a deal. >> they are in one week, out one week. then they are saying obama's got to step in. you immediate to be here. i have been here. i have been doing afghanistan and bin laden and the greek crisis. you stay here. let's get it done. >> let's get it done. but is there enough middle ground or any middle ground? >> they are entrenched on this. >> it is certainly proving to be quite challenging. here to talk about it is robert zimmerman and jim mclaughlin. great to see both of you. i want goat your takes on this. he was combative. there has been some speculation that it is a signal that they are nowhere close to a deal or perhaps this would have been a softer rhetoric from the president. what do you think? >> i think clearly this was a very defensive president and very partisan president. what's happening he has seen his numbers go down. the american people want leadership on the economy and his policies are driving the economy into a ditch. >> way too early in the morning important talking points. look, let's face it. you know your talks are in trouble when you resort to that kind of language. >> no vacation. >> i believe the senate probably will stay in session after july fourth but you don't need them to be in session to get the deal done. you need all of them to have the commitment to get the deal done. what's frustrating about the president's comments is that it gets in the way of the more salient points he has to make which is the fact we have a debt crisis looming by august 2 that has to be addressed. priorities what should be cut and -- >> but do they get it? i'm talking about democrats and republicans. do they get it, this is not your normal political gamesmanship. this is about the world watching us decide whether we will pay this bill over that bill. this is about deciding whether we pay the chinese. the president said this yesterday. the chinese or interest payments? pay social security or pay this or pay that or are we going to stop funding schools. do they get it that we have already hit the debt ceiling and the treasury department is scrambling to figure out how to do that. do they get that? >> no. if you ask michele bachmann, they don't get it. international monetary fund. putting out a statement saying this will be a national/international crisis if we don't meet the deadline. standa & poors saying they will reduce our credit. have you an extreme right-wing movement now that wants to -- >> it is about leverage, though. what the republicans are saying is that they -- moment that they can use to -- reason why we are in this position is because we spend -- borrow 38 cents of referee dollar we spend. >> we spend and we tax too much. >> that's a bigger picture. >> hold on a second. hold on. >> let me get in here. we don't tax too much. stop that. >> we tax way too much. >> there's general agreement that it will not cripple any part of the -- economy to tax those at the highest end properly and to tax corporations consistently. why won't republicans just get off the talking point and say if we do not have a fair tax system? >> because they get it just like the american people get it. when you raise taxes, it takes more money out of the economy. it costs -- >> these if the american -- let me ask you something. 70% in every pom point out that they support and increasing taxes for the top tier earners in country. bill clinton raised taxes. they had successful economic presidencies. >> the economy isn't growing very strongly. we need help. when i hear people railing about revenue issue, you know, we not going to raise taxes, there isn't enough money. we have to figure out how -- what i hear from washington right now is the same old rp democrats entrenching in their talking points. i don't know if they get it this this has to be solved near term. >> this debate we are witnessing now is not about dealing with the deficit or meeting debt ceiling. it is about restructuring government. that's what we are talking about. for example, ryan plan, abolishes medicare as we know it. talks about -- calls for raise sting debt ceiling five times. republicans don't object to it. we are talking about now do we want to abolish environmental protection agency and consumer affairs bureau. do we want to abolish these types of programs and use this debate for -- >> there are some republicans, for example, kay bailey hutchison who has a cogent and interesting plan about slowly accept-tiered raising of the retirement age by three months. is some of this rhetoric get something the way of actually -- solving some things? >> that's the problem. any time a candidate goes out and talks about real entitlement reform, democrats -- >> she is retiring. >> no question about. >> it people that don't need to get re-elected to do the politically unpopular thing. >> the guy that has the bully pulpit to do that is this president. this president when he was running for election said he would make those adult decisions. he's offered one budget in the last two years. every democrat in the senate voted against that. he hasn't come out with a serious plan. >> parties have to start addressing issues like entitlement reform. the president has to recognize we have to increase revenues by reforming the tax codes of the general electric pays at least some taxes after making $15 billion. the oil industry shouldn't be walkinging with $5 billion of our tax dollars. >> can we play this sound bite of the president. have you kids. you have to hear what he said. >> malia and sasha generally finish their homework a day ahead of time. malia's 13. sasha is 10. it is impressive. they don't wait until the night before. they are not pulling all-nighters. they are 13 and 10. you know, congress can do the same thing. if you know you have to do something, just do it. >> all right. she's actually welfare, turning 13 in a few days. when you are 12 and -- you are turning 13, that's a big deal. your dad got your age wrong. >> argue being number. >> he has a lot of important things on his mind. >> he's very devoted to his kids. i don't see how that comment brings the republicans back to the table or really educates the country as to the deficit crisis and debt ceiling crisis we are facing. >> it will on august 1 when we are talking about we haven't got a deal yet and we are about to default on something. thanks for being with us. we are going to take a quick break and will be back. >> you can spot your being on the tarmac miles and miles away. here is my very unusual looking bag. it is a mess. but it never gets unpacked. that's a comfort because there are things in it you just always need. sunglasses, very important. hide a multitude of sins. sunglasses always. my travel nightmares always revolve around weather delays. i was in a terrible storm in the '90s. i was stuck at the baltimore airport for three days. the way i have been able to handle travel delays is always carrying things like a kindle which is a very -- kindle is not there for me in 1994 but it is now. i don't think first class worth it. i think it is just -- it is fine to travel coach. so much cheaper. and doesn't really make had a much of a difference. enjoy. bon voyage. thanks to the venture card from capital one, we get double miles on every purchase, so me and my lads earned a trip to san francisco twice as fast! we get double miles every time we use our card... i'll take these two... ...no matter what we're buying. ...and all of those. and since double miles add up fast, we can bring the whole gang! it's hard to beat double miles! whoa dude. [ male announcer ] get the venture card from capital one and earn double miles on every purchase, every day. go to capitalone.com. what's in your wallet? is best absorbed in small continuous amounts. only one calcium supplement does that in one daily dose. new citracal slow release... continuously releases calcium plus d for the efficient absorption my body needs. citracal. 50 minutes past the hour. international importants say they killed a top militant leader suspected of providing support for tuesday's attack on the hotel in kabul. that attack killed 12 people. pakistan reportedly ordering the u.s. military out of an air base used to launch drone attacks against the terrorists on the border with afghanistan. it is the latest paulout from the navy s.e.a.l. mission that killed osama bin laden at his compound in pakistan. the defense in the casey anthony murder trial could wrap up as early as today. the it is still not clear if casey will take the stand. but yesterday her father, george anthony, broke down in tears on the stand while talking about his granddaughter, caylee, and his suicide attempt back in 2009. rhode island state senators approve a bill to legalize same-sex unions. the legislation gives gays and lesbians many of the same legal rights enjoyed by married couples. the state's governor is expected to sign that bill. it is the last day in office for defense secretary robert gates. he will get a proper sendoff from president obama at a pentagon ceremony today. gates' replacement, panetta, will be on the job tomorrow. distracted driving, deadly epidemic on america's roads, blamed for more than 20% of crashes. >> i was -- when i was riding back i was shocked at how many people when i turned on a highway are literally doing this. it is scary. the youngest drivers are often the most at risk of this. >> allstate, insurance companies, teaming up with the department of transportation to provide teenagers and their parents the hands-on lesson about dangers of texting and driving. or even talking and driving. cnn's david mattingly had a look at it. >> reporter: you see it all the time. distracted drivers. texting, phoning. attention that should be on the ro road. dangerously detour. this demonstration by allstate insurance showed me in just a matter of minutes distractions from devices -- >> hello. >> reporter: even loud music and obnoxious passengers drastically diminished my ability to maneuver this simple course. what was different while i was texting? >> your driving was so much less smooth, you were so rough with your driving. at times you had to let go of the steering wheel to catch yourself and turn the wheel. >> reporter: it is a point even the practical government is trying to drive home, driver distraction contributes to one in five wrecks with injuries. these families are getting the message without having to take the risks. we have seen demonstrations like this before but this one is just a little bit different because mothers and fathers are taking this course with their children. that's because teen drivers pick up their worst driving habits from their parents. [ bleep ]. >> whoa! >> reporter: susan wants to break her son of the texting while driving habit before he leaves for college. it is illegal now in 33 states. >> i peel like i'm really relinquishing a lot of my control and supervision. >> she can't handle texting and drive. >> put down that phone! >> reporter: they are judged on speed and safety. deliberately distracted at every turn. >> backspace. >> you almost killed a baby. >> reporter: a fun exercise but underneath a very serious lesson. in 2009, distracted driving was involved in almost 5500 fatalities. and 448,000 injuries. how did it go? when this test was over, who was the better driver on this mother and son team? >> she was definitely a better driver. >> yes! >> reporter: lessons learned at a critical time. the fourth of july weekend is one of the deadliest driving times of the year. david mattingly, cnn, tampa. >> we were just talking while had a was going on about how we have all seen crazy -- i have to tell you, i used to be guilty of this. i would multitask. that's one thing where statistics and research indicates the best multitaskers in world should be doing nothing but drive. >> especially whether you are going that fast. president obama calling on congress to get to work. and get the debt talks back on track before the country can no longer pay the bills which is coming up soon. between want to know what you think. will the two sides be able to solve this debt issue? >> john writes on facebook, the republicans need to get a grip. even the richest are saying they should be paying more of their share. biggest income disparity in memory, will they get this solved and signed? i'm not at all confident. that is really scary. >> benny on facebook, yes, they will get the deal done. unfortunately the upcoming elections will be a factor in their decisionmaking process. both sides are too concerned with getting re-elected and don't want to upset their voters which shows how polarizing the american people are. >> joshua says strikes in london and protests in greece are precursors of what we are facing, too. no politician here will do the right thing because it would be political suicide. our leaders will just let the situation get worse and worse because holding on to power is more important to them than wielding that power for the public good. when the president said something yesterday, he said there are republicans who say just pay the interest on our debt. we won't default. that's an important thing here the u.s. pay it is interest on the debt. he said that -- global reaction to just picking and choosing our bills could be just too unpredictable. >> i remind you of lehman brothers. night they decided to let that company go down, everybody in the room, smartest people in america said it will be okay and the next morning, shut down. >> you saw the actual split box of the decision and the -- >> what happened. >> send us an e-mail or tweet, facebook. more of your thoughts later. top stories coming up. (screams) when an investment lacks discipline, it's never this obvious. introducing investment discipline etfs from russell. visit russelletfs.com r a prospectus, containing the investment objectives, risks, charges, expenses and other information. read and consider it carefully before investing. you want that? you want a warm, super-delicious strawberry toaster strudel yeah but now i have nothing to eat sure you do. hey! you can have the pop tart! pillsbury toaster strudel. the one kids want to eat morning starts with arthritis pain... that's two pills before the first bell. [ bell rings ] it's time for recess... and more pills. afternoon art starts and so does her knee pain, that's two more pills. almost done, but hang on... her doctor recommended aleve because it can relieve pain all day with just two pills. this is lisa... who switched to aleve and fewer pills for a day free of pain. and get the all day pain relief of aleve in liquid gels. personal pricing now on brakes. tell us what you want to pay. we do our best to make that work. deal! my money. my choice. my meineke. defense may rest its case today in the casey anthony murder trial. after a day of riveting testimony. her sobbing father on the stand. accused killer stone-faced. could she take the stand today? on this "american morning." good morning to you. it is thursday, june 30. glad you are with us on this "american morning." will casey anthony take the stand in this trial? it is now wrapping up. >> that's right. will she testify at her own defense? casey anthony murder trial could wrap up as early as today. yesterday casey wiped away tears as a grief expert testified but only a few hours earlier she sat at the defense table and just stared when her father, george anthony, sobbed on the witness stand. carol costello joins us live from orlando, florida. another dramatic day in the courtroom, carol. >> reporter: it sounds so cliche but it was very emotional day in court. maybe casey anthony will have to take the stand. her father, george anthony's, testimony wept. defense tried to paint him as a man that molested the daughter and covered up the death of his granddaughter. >> i need to have something inside of me get through this. >> reporter: testimony so emotional from george anthony at times the judge asked if he could continue. mr. anthony's tears did not appear to faze casey. she sat emotionless. even as they are father cried how he attempted suicide weeks after the remains of his granddaughter, caylee, were found in december of 2008. >> i pleaded at that time to go in and be with caylee. >> you expressed that in the note? >> yes, i did because i believe i failed her. >> in his questioning of the witness, attorney jose baez tried but did not succeed in advancing the defense's contention that mr. anthony helped cover up his granddaughter's death and molested his daughter, casey. >> sir, i never would do anything like that to my daughter. >> my question is you would never admit to it, would you, sir? >> sir, i would never do anything to harm my daughter in that way. >> reporter: the tension between witness and defense attorney was palpable at times. >> sir -- you are arguing with me, sir. >> reporter: especially when baez asked anthony about conflicting statements about an odor emanating from casey anthony's car. >> you are trying to take this joy away from my life, sir, and you can't do it anymore. >> would you like -- >> i'm going to answer this to you, sir. the decomposition that i smelled in the trunk of my daughter's car on july 15, 2008, johnson's towing, smelled like human decomposition. i can close my eyes at the moment, sir, and i can smell that again. how dare you, sir, try to tell me that i did something differently than what i did? >> reporter: most defense experts say george anthony's testimony was devastating to the defense. as for what witnesses the defense will call today, well, maybe casey anthony. but maybe crystal holloway, the woman that said she had an affair with george anthony, you know, aka river crews. she may give testimony that will shake confidence that george anthony instilled in the jurors' mind but i know you will talk to sunny hostin and she knows better than me. >> i thought it was river. this story, characters, whole handle. everything about it, i mean, this is why people are riveted. thanks, carol. >> in these six weeks of testimony george anthony's tearful moments on the stand may be probably some of the most riveting moments of television. >> right. obviously -- some of the best testimony we have seen has been when it is somebody from casey anthony's family. joining us is sunny hostin. legal contributor for "in session" on trutv. she has been following this endlessly. sunny, carol just said that they think that was devastating for the defense. why? for somebody not fulsomebody no immeshed. >> the defense hung its hat on blaming george anthony. on that's why she behaved the way she did for 31 days and said he was come police tonight this and knew this was an accident am drowning and somehow took part in the coverup of that. so they -- defense really needs this jury to believe he is a monster and bad guy. what we saw on the witness stand yesterday was -- what appeared to be a grieving grandfather. really humanized him yesterday. i have to tell you, the day before, he denied having any sort of relationship with river are krystal holloway. the jury has seen two faces of george anthony. quite possible that there is a juror that thinks well, he -- could be a liar. that may come true today because krystal holloway will take the stand. >> she definitely will be taking the stand? >> she has been in the witness room. >> i want to ask you about this accidental drowning. if they are wrapping up their case today, holloway will not be testifying about a accidental drowning. where are they prove thing alternative -- even doubt that it -- caylee anthony was a victim of an accident? >> that's a huge hole in the defense's case now. that's why i have been saying from the beginning, i'm going to say it again today, i think casey anthony has to take the witness stand to prove that defense opening statement. when i was a prosecutor i was known forgiving very big opening statements. my supervisors used to say you wrote a check. do you have funds in your account to cash that check? you better have evidence in your bank account. that's how i feel about jose baez's opening statement. where is the proof of the accidental drowning? the defense says it will rest today. if it is going to happen it is going to happen today. maybe i have been wrong all this time. but if i'm wrong the defense is in trouble because, again, question is the right one. where is the evidence of that? i don't think it is come in yet. >> sunny, thanks so much. it is fascinating. >> fascinating. also new, mill tan leader believed to have helped plan the attack on the intercontinental hotel in kabul was killed by an air strike in afghanistan. ismael jan. it is the same group that afghan officials believe was the real culprit behind tuesday's attack. 21 people died in the siege. including 12 victims and all nine attackers. a major fallout from the mission to kill osama bin laden pakistan now telling the u.s. military to leave an air base, to leave. that air base is used to launch the drone attacks that have been so successful against terrorists. it is something that could be a major setback in the fight against the -- al qaeda. but a u.s. official telling cnn that the base is still open and that comments from pakistan's defense minister are, quote, news to us. right now thousands of teachers and nurses and public workers in britain are hitting the picket line shutting down schools and disrupting air travel. it has been called the biggest strike in britain since 1926. live pictures of demonstrations under way in great britain right now dan rivers is live in london. dan, why are they striking? we have been so consumed with greece, what's going on in great britain? >> reporter: this is all part of the wider story in britain. unof austerity of government owing huge amounts of money they have to pay back and then trying to cut different parts of the public sector in order to get back some of that money. this is about pensions, retirement funds, for public sector workers. government wants to change those funds in effect many people have to work longer and pay more and get less when they retire. that has infuriated teachers and lecturers here and other public sector workers who feel that's completely unfair. that they are basically having to pick up the tab for bailing out the banks during the financial crisis. >> dan, we will keep a close eye on it throughout the course of the day. ahead on "american morning," mayors against illegal guns. warning that al qaeda is looking for loopholes in our gun laws here in the states. we are going to be joined by new york mayor michael bloomberg here at the cnn headquarters to talk about it in just a moment. the president calling out republicans in the budget showdown warning them to get back to work so the country can avert a crisis with the debt ceiling and pay its bills. soft! hard! soft! hard! [ male announcer ] how do you decide between crunchy and soft tacos? why don't we have both? [ male announcer ] old el paso. hard and soft tacos. ♪ feed your fiesta. purina cat chow helps you well-being. we're all striving for it. nurture it in your cat with a full family of excellent nutrition and helpful resources. purina cat chow. share a better life. group of america's mayors are sending a powerful message to congress about illegal guns saying they are more than a crime problem. they are now a national security danger. >> they even use the words of an al qaeda spokesperson in a new psa. >> latest al qaeda plot instructs terrorists on how to buy guns in america. >> this is a golden opportunity. america is absolutely awash with easily obtainable fireworks. you can go down to a gun show and come away with a fully automatic assault rifle without a background check and so what are you waiting important? >> wow. joining us this morning to talk more about this, some one that's fought against this for years, new york mayor michael bloomberg. good to see you this morning. this gun show loophole, estimated 40% of u.s. gun purchases are sold without background checks because of the private sale or gun show loophole. why has that not been able to close after all these years? >> congress is unwilling to face the fact the second amount doesn't protect terrorists. i don't think anybody thinks al qaeda was in the minds of the founding fathers. have a right to buy guns, protecting the constitution, every state has the right to set their own laws. they do that. the federal government passed a law saying you can't buy a gun if you are a minor, if you have psychiatric problems or if you have a criminal record. then they didn't fund the atfs so that there is no enforcement of it and they have this gun show loophole where if you say i'm a casual seller, you don't have to do the background check that's required to meet the first set of requirements that i just talked about. and -- so -- people go to gun shows and just buy guns and sellers go to gun shows and they are not casual sellers. they can have a few 00 guns there to sell. the guy you saw in the ad he is not an actor. this is a terrorist. this is a guy we think is hiding in pakistan, an american converted to become a muslim. muslims -- most muslims aren't terrorists. this guy happens to be an extreme muslim who is out there and advocating people to buy guns and kill americans and he says you can just do it right in america. just walk up to a -- >> nra response to that spot is he's -- recommending to people who are not part of an organized movement lone wolves to buy guns. those lone wohl ofs that may go to a gun show and buy the gun and commit a terrorist attack would not be on a watch list anyway quite possibly. >> i don't know that. what rational reason could you have for not at least trying? it is true that everybody that wants to bring down an airline is not on the terrorist watch list. but to not check before you get on a plane doesn't make any sense. they find some people and i can -- if -- if you were on that plane, how would you feel as the -- as you are coming to the end of your life and saying they didn't have the courage to test? >> that gets everybody's attention when you talk about terrorists and using our gun laws to get gngs. what about -- i want to get your thoughts on the atf fast and furious program. which was the u.s. watching these guns -- >> they were trying to find out where the guns go into next expo and how mexican drug dealers get them. drug dealers killed something like 30,000 people over the years. the gun dashs. >> guns they get here. >> no question the guns come from america and we buy their drugs. >> money goes to fund more drugs and more guns. >> absolutely. >> they screwed up. they did a lousy operation. that does not mean we should not stop trying to stop the flow of guns. >> people that advocate for guns say we have a lot of laws on the books already and are not enforced. >> that's not few in new york city. we can have a record -- >> you have a wonderful -- you have a -- >> plenty of other cities and states in this country that do a good job, too. america isn't full of bozos. most people do a good job stopping it. it is a handful of people. >> but right now what -- their argument is why go after people who just want to enjoy guns on their own and have never done anything illegal and why not enforce what we see on the streets of just read an article of the streets of newark you can buy a gun. quite easily. probably just as easily as you can buy drugs or something else. >> look, the mayor of newark, booker, has a very tough job. so does the mayor of every city of this country. even if you don't get everybody, why would you not want to stop those people would have psychiatric problems or have criminal records? we have a federal law that says they can't buy guns. it doesn't apply to gun shows where 40% of the guns as you pointed out come from. there's no reason not to enforce the existing law. and incidentally you also want to close what they call a terrorist gap and if you can't fly, you should be added to that category of minor -- >> mayor bloomberg, good to see you. thank you for joining us. this is a real terrorist. >> all right. >> very powerful psa. 16 minutes past the hour. time to check in with rob marciano. he has a look at the forecast across the country. >> an update on tropical storm arlene making landfall across mexico. winds of 65 miles an hour gusting to 75. this is a strong tropical storm. because it is making landfall now we don't expect it to strengthen into a hurricane. hurricane warnings posted. the track of this as it moves west to the southwest, so -- we are now looking forward to really bringing beneficial rains to texas. mexico has its own drought going on. you get into the hilly terrain and we are going to talk -- probably see flash flooding in spots, maybe mudslides. could see ten-plus inches in some of the areas. again, moisture really not going to get up to where we need it, northern parts of texas and arizona. critical fire danger here. not only because of winds but maybe dry lightning in those areas and heat building back into the central plains today. meanwhile, still fairly comfortable across the northeast as that cool front came through. 81 degrees, low level humidity in new york city. there is your heat in kansas and dallas with high temperatures getting close to 100. back to you in new york. enjoy a nice day. >> hot, hot, hot. up next, it appears the banks complain how much they charge retailers every time you use your debit card. the question of the day. between want to hear from you. president obama telling congress do your job. forget vacation. let's get a deal on raising the government's debt ceiling. will the two sides be able to solve the debt issue? tell us what you think and send us an e-mail, tweet, or tellous facebook. we will be reading your comments in 30 minutes. 22 minutes after the hour. u.s. stocks headed for a fourth day of gains today. cow, nasdaq, s&p 500 all closed higher. those are yesterday's closing numbers. news from greece pushed stocks higher. investors remain wary. now that the vote passed on the five-year austerity package. the country needs $17 billion in emergency funds by mid july to avoid defaulting on its debt. labor department in the united states saying unemployment rates rose last month in more than half of the country's largest cities. that's due to a weak private sector hiring and natural disasters and in just about two hours, fresh -- one hour, fresh initial jobless claim numbers come out. if you live in california starting tomorrow you will be slapped with a new internet sales tax on products purchased online from companies that are based outside of the state. it was passed to help balance the state budget and amazon.com dropping 10,000 of its california based associates due to the new tax. for the latest news about your money, check out the all new cnnmoney.com. (rambling phone conversation) when an investment lacks discipline, it's never this obvious. introducing investment discipline etfs from russell. visit russelletfs.com r a prospectus, containing the investment objectives, risks, charges, expenses and other information. read and consider it carefully before investing. welcome back to "american morning." 26 minutes past the hour. we are take an in-depth look at the changing face of america. in towns and in cities across the nation minority populations are climbing. their growing presence is helping cities like san antonio prosp prosper. ed lavandara is live in san antonio with more. >> reporter: good morning. we know across the country where you have seen a growth of the latino population in places where they are not used to seeing a lot of latinos created a cultural problem in many places across the country. here in san antonio, they say that's just the way it has always been. it is fitting for 300 years this spot in the cathedral has been the epicenter of san antonio. inside the spanish inspired church, rested tombs of texas' anglo heroes like davy crockett. san antonio's mayor, julian castro, says that puts his city on the cutting edge today. >> will has been this terrific confluence of cultures and this great texas history, all of that has come together here in present daytona tone to provide a backdrop of a city that's one where people live well together and work well together. >> my family and my father started the restaurant. >> reporter: when jorge's grandparents emigrated to the united states they looked for work in the market square. >> market square is like the ellis island of san antonio. >> reporter: had is where the cortez family launched their restaurant empire. they have three massive restaurants and 600 employees. a large mural honoring his family hangs inside. he calls it the american dream. >> i had a dream of doing something to honor this american dream of my father. >> reporter: cortez says in san antonio you will find the latino population blossoming. >> i feel that we need to invest and reinvest in this american dream. i feel the latinos are going to have a lot to do with what this great country is all about. >> that influence is only growing. san antonio is now the seventh largest city in the country. 63% of the population is latino. >> one of the best kept secrets in america. >> reporter: it is the city's creative business spirit that's driving growth. he says 85% of the city's jobs are created by businesses with fewer than 20 employees. >> we work harder. i believe because we don't think we are a major city. so if anything, we -- we are hungry as a marketplace and i believe that's what is sustaining us for -- and will sustain us for years to come. >> reporter: the mayor says that san antonio still has big dreams to reach. >> what we want for san antonio is for this city to be a brain power community that's the liveliest city in the united states. >> reporter: the mayor is talking about diverse pieing the economy. a huge military presence in san antonio. medical health care industry that's blossoming as well. i points to all of that to make a difference. the unemployment rate in this city, 2% below the national average. that's why you hear some people say this is one of the best kept secrets in america. >> thanks to you it is out. people know about it. it is nice to be able to highlight, you know, good things as we talked about a lot of -- not so good things happening now in the country. >> reporter: absolutely. you stand here in front of the alamo and saw a lot of tourists coming through. expect many more this fourth of july weekend. people finding out about it on their own as well. >> good to see you this morning. >> it is smaller than i expected. it would be given it was such a grand story. the bus was parked where it was. it is a great place. san antonio is a great town. a lot of fun. >> top stories this morning, terror leader taken out. he was wanted in connection with tuesday's deadly attack at kabul's hotel intercontinental. 12 victims and in all nine attackers killed in that fight. tropical storm arlene makes landfall in mexico. the first named storm of the atlantic hurricane season, folks. national hurricane center says parts of mexico could see 15 inches of rain. new this hour, fbi trying to find out how a my jeerian man slip order board a flight in new york and made it all the way to l.a. kabc reports the crew of the virgin atlantic flight didn't know an extra passenger was onboard until they touched down in los angeles. investigators say that he didn't have a valid passport. he was carrying several expired boarding passes and was taken into custody. law enforcement official tells us there is nothing at this point to indicate terrorism. president obama is issuing a warning. yellow light he said is flashing when it comes to passing legislation so america can pay its bills. the deadline for passing that legislation is a little more than one month from today. yesterday the president sounded downright impatient saying he compromised by agreeing to cut spending. receives won't budge when it comes to raising taxes on the wealthy. >> they ned to do their job. now is the time to go ahead and make the tough choices. that's why they are called leaders. they are in one week and out one week. then they are saying obama has to step in. you need to be here. i have been here. i have been doing afghanistan and bin laden and the greek crisis. you stay here. let's get it done. >> jill dougherty is live at the white house. it seems across the board this morning the papers, the president's tone, combative, something we haven't seen in a while. >> reporter: yeah. forget no drama obama. you really have to say in the soundbite war and, of course, reporters love sound bites the president had a lot of them and started with one about sasha and malia, his daughters, 10 and 13. they don't have to pull all-nighters to get their school work done. so why should the congress? the frustration is pretty evident. now it is the president who is leading these discussions and negotiations with the republicans after that quiet diplomacy with vice president biden. they are not getting very far. as you mentioned taxes totally divide order that. republicans saying no way. democrats and the president saying you cannot do this unless you have revenue increases. then the other, the deadline of raising the debt ceiling and the president in an answer to our own jessica yellin when was here at the white house for her first day yesterday. saying what would happen if they don't reach that deadline if they don't raise the debt ceiling. >> we don't know how capital markets will react. but if capital markets suddenly decide you know what, the u.s. government doesn't pay its bills, so we are going to start pulling our money out, and -- the u.s. treasury has to start to raise interest rates in order to attract more money to pay off our bills, that means higher interest rates for businesses and that means higher interest rates for consumers, so -- all of the head winds that we are experiencing in terms of the recovery will get worse. that's not my opinion. i think that's a consensus opinion. >> reporter: mr. obama also saying that legislators should stick around town and not take their fourth of july vacations. meanwhile, the republicans are pushing a balanced budget amendment. >> jill, thanks very much. we will continue to cover developments in this story for the next month as we get closer to that drop deadline. >> the question of our day -- the president telling congress get to work. will both sides be able to solve this debt issue? >> here is what some of you are saying. knowing the republican party in their ploy to discredit anything this president is doing, this will play -- play politics on this issue to the end to further their own agenda. >> joe on facebook says time to fix the tax code. close loopholes and ensure everyone pays their share. yes, it's asinine to think you can borrow more to get out of debt while you live the same life tile. >> until congress has term limits we will be stuck with career politicians too scared to make tough decisions for fear of not being re-elected. >> keep your comments coming. we will read more of your thoughts later on in the show. president obama has made it known he's nervous about his daughter malia becoming a teenager next month which is just -- tomorrow, right? he's apparently dreading that moment so much that he got his daughter's age wrong. not once but twice during yesterday's press conference. listen. >> malia and sasha generally finish their homework a day ahead of time. malia is 13. sasha is 10. it is impressive. they don't wait until the night before. they are not pulling all-nighters. they are 13 and 10. >> okay. here's the thing. here's the thing. malia turns 13 on july fourth. >> he was rounding up. >> 365 days. she turns 13 in 3. that's completely pair. only kids say i'm 12 and 7/8. >> he's like i'm going to have a 13-year-old and has been preparing himself. >> i did hear somebody say that if -- michele bachmann had done that, they would be all over her about being inaccurate. >> exactly. we politicize everything that comes out of anybody's mouth. >> you think it has more to do with the fact there -- >> i think -- >> his daughter is getting older. being 13, you are finally a teenager. when you are 12, you are a tween. there is a big difference in kid world. >> all right. >> only one of the three of us that did pull all-nighters. >> i was more distracted by that. what's wrong with the all-nighters? >> made it through college. >> making me feel bad. legislation passed the state house and now heads to the desk of governor chafey who says he will sign it. lawmakers say the bill is a compromise. not tallterring the legal definition of marriage. >> visitation rights, medical decisionmaking powers, equal state tax treatment, we have moved one step in the right direction to ensuring that individuals receive equal rights and protections under the law. >> i'm going stroto vote agains this bill. i believe every american is equal under the law. >> this is somewhat of a compromise. i don't think anybody is truly happy but i do think that it is a step in the right direction. >> if the bill becomes law it would make rhode island the fifth state to allow civil unions. the other states include new jersey, illinois, delaware, and hawaii. closer look at our states in crisis. another budget fight with kids caught in the middle. in wisconsin milwaukee public schools say that it will lay off 519 staff members, including 354 teachers because $84 million in state cuts and system's efforts to control costs. >> i'm extremely troubled by the fact of the 3 54 dash 347 are elementary school teachers. that's the foundation of our work. i'm going to lose about 80 teachers from the arts. that's problematic for us. the arts are big. it is balance -- a balanced diet i think our young people need and deserve. standard care we must provide. 38 art teachers will certainly be part of this in addition to 13 music teachers, in addition to 27 physical education teachers. >> class sizes will be larger. some class sizes will be doubling. older textbooks will not be replaced. over the border in minnesota, government shutdown growing more likely by the hour. the governor and republican lawmakers there have million tomorrow to bring on a budget for the 2012 fiscal year without a last-minimum deem many states services will be suspended. highway rest stops will close just in time for the july fourth weekend. road construction will stop job training and funding for the homeless will be cut off. it is a crisis playing out in states across the nation. >> as far as the importance of things, obviously, schools are more important than rest stops. as a guy that likes the road, i like rest stops. big part of the drive across the country. >> they are there when you need them. >> that's right. exactly. >> up next on "american morning," could that morning cup of coffee you are enjoying -- wait. this means coughy good today. >> excellent. >> could coffee combat alzheimer's? >> will and kate in canada. royal newlyweds kicking off their first official foreign trip today. >> he played the dude from napster. can justin timberlake save myspace? losing your chex mix too easily? time to deploy the chex mix boring potato chip decoy bag. now no one will want to steal the deliciousness. with a variety of tastes and textures, only chex mix is a bag of interesting. 42 minutes past the hour. welcome back. new political campaign season is money for late night comics. >> jay leno across the pond talking cars and, you know, presidential punch lines. zain verjee sat down with him in an interview. good morning, zain. >> good morning, guys. it was so much fun. he was absolutely great. very cool to hang out with. i asked him who would give him the best fodder important the presidential campaign. his answer was sarah palin. listen. >> yeah. she has the fire in the belly i think she said. it is not the fire. it is the air in the head. that's -- >> air in the head. >> air in the head. i think that's -- fire in the belly is not a problem. >> what about the titanium in the spine? >> that just happened today. i just saw that. >> michele bachmann on fox says that she's got the titanium in the spine. >> you know, that could be -- a really bad porn movie. i don't know what it means. i don't want to go there. >> we had a good laugh about a lot of issues. he talked about the best kind of material he uses. he says it has to be men behaving badly. he was here and invited by jaguar guys and he was really excited because he got to drive one of princess diana's old cars and talked about the automobile industry here. what we had -- a lot of fun. i even introduced him to kenyan motor transportation which he hadn't heard about and may include in his collections. a three-wheel scooter and wheelbarrow dragged around by a guy. he hadn't heard about those. >> wow. >> she said it like she says them every day. >> wow. >> we have seen kate at wimbledon this week. another royal was spotted yesterday without one of her famous hats. >> everyone is over at wimbledon. it is the place to be. beatrice was there without that hideous hat that she had worn important the royal wedding and got so much flack. the rumor is that she hired a new public and someone to dress her a lot better as well. emma watson's stylist. yeah, there she is. she was watching the women's quarterfinals at wimbledon. the roof had to go up. that's her boyfriend, dave clark. she has been making the rounds at a lot of the society events here. she was at ascot and another darby and hanging out with will and kate. princess beatrice having fun. >> all right. zain verjee, thank you so much. pipa was there also with her old boyfriend who -- there were rumors that they weren't together. then they said she was with a new one but was at wimbledon with her old one. no prince harry. >> you heard about the woman who will marry the prince of monaco? >> yes. >> she tried to bail and was found at the airport trying to leave. >> run away bride. >> prince had to come to the airport. the wedding is this weekend. like a multimillion dollar wed. >> how do you know all this? >> zain told me this morning. i got a lot of information from zain. britain's new -- while you digest that, the newlyweds are making their first official trip abroad as duke and duchess. prince william and his new bride leaving now. these are live pictures right now. where is this? is this in canada or britain? canada. big canadian flag there. okay, it is in britain. virgin airlines -- that's the virgin airlines tail. red and white. will get on that plane and suspect in a few hours they will be in canada. >> you are a wealth of misinformation. thanks. >> whole thing about monaco, i made that up. >> thanks. max foster is going to set the record straight. >> he is in ottawa this morning. how exciting. how excited is canada to welcome the royal -- newly minted royal couple? >> reporter: yeah. absolutely. there were pictures from britain. whaeps interest being that is they are traveling by military je jets. they are officially in the hands of the canadian government as they embark on this tour to canada. they are on their way here and will get here about 2:00. then they start a whole series of very quick meetings and events throughout the next eight days. here is a sense of what we can expect from their canadian royal tour. this was the welcomed prince william when he traveled to canada in 1998. the year after his mother, diana, died. he now returns with his wife. they arrive in ottawa for the canada day celebrations. as the next generation of royals, they are expected to connect with young people. from the capital, it is on to quebec. a children's hospital in montreal. the citadel in quebec city. a reminder of their wedding day in prince edward island with a carriage procession through charlotte town. as a certain much and rescue pilot prince william is king to take part in the demonstration with world renowned counter parts in canada. some risky maneuvers are expected and nervous royal aides will be watching on. the couple will also take to the water. each in their own dragon boats revealing their competitive streaks. catherine is a very experienced rower. from pei it is up to the wilderness of the northwest territories. final stop in canada is calgary, alberta, in time for the stampede. all about rodeos, rounding sheep and wagon racing. rare chance to see royals in cowboy gear, yes, you heard it right. from calgary on to california for the start of their u.s. tour. one of the most ambitious royal trips in years. a big trip. very complicated trip. ambitious trip. lots of frivolous comments around this, of course. everyone fascinated to hear what kate will be wearing on the trip. she will decide herself. she has a bit of help. her hairdresser coming with her. i suspect she won't be wearing one of these. picked this up at a local shop. not quite your size but i'm sure they will have some available when you return. >> thank you. i lived in ottawa actually important a while. market is over near you. you can get beaver tails there which are not beaver tails but fried dough. ottawa summers are beautiful both days. >> thanks. that's very funny. i do think it is interesting talking about what she will wear. imagine how much pressure it is. >> everything she wears, will is either a knock or the real thing sold out in moments of her appearing publicly. must be nice. ahead on "american morning," fda panel rejecting arguments a popular cancer drug helps patients live longer. what does this mean for the makers of avastin? we will tell you on the other side. sure you do. hey! you can have the pop tart! pillsbury toaster strudel. the one kids want to eat i love this story. if you plan to enjoy cold beer in the sun this weekend, put on bug repellant first. study found drinking beer makes you more traattractive to mosquitoes. french researchers studied it and studied 43 men. isn't the world's biggest study. mosquitoes likely to fly towards the guy who drank three cans of beer than the water. maybe because they were more fun! researchers say it could be because beer drinkers are slower to notice them! >> or so drunk they forgot to put on the deep woods off? >> and they don't care. >> what is that? it's a bug! >> you're making me laug a new study shows a cup of coffee, one you're drinking right now, may protect your brain from alzheimer's. scientists studying mice with the alzheimer's gene -- you have to finish because it's so funny here! >> this is good. because if you get -- drink beer you get bitten but if you drink coffee, those given four to five cups of caffeinated cope every few days had improved meaning. it can block protein that clog the brains of alzheimer's patients. i'm going to live my life until they have studied everything and it comes around to my consumption. >> my dad still tells me not to stand in front of the microwave. i think we're okay along those lines. >> i like watching my stuff. >> it's bubbling up! >> oh, well. fda panel recommending avastin lose its approval to treat women with advanced breast cancer even though many women who take it swear by the drug. >> this comes after emotional testimony. this is really something that is getting people very worked up. senior medical correspondent elizabeth cohen joins us live. i know you've reported on this as it progresses but tell us what this means. >> what this means is that women who are taking avastin and believe it's helping them, their insurance may longer pay for it and this is a big deal. it costs about $90,000 to get treated with this drug and, of course, if insurance won't pay for it, most women, of course, can't afford that on their own so lots of emotional testimony here is patricia howard who truly believes that avastin saved her life. >> i'm not just a piece of anecdotal evidence. i'm a wife, mother, sister, aunt and grammy and a friend and vibrant human being worthy of the dignity of being treated as such. i never thought in the united states i would have to beg for a drug that is keeping me and many others alive. please approve avastin as a treatment of my disease. what if i was your wife, your mother, your sister, your friend and what if i were your grammy? >> but, on the other hand, you can take a look at this. some women say, look. this drug really does not help. it doesn't do anything and there is plenty of evidence that shows that this drug really doesn't do much. so let's hear from another survivor who said that this drug gives false hope. >> it does not significantly keep the disease at bay. it surely is not a cure and it does not extend life. the drug does raise false expectations and does detract from focusing on other research that may produce effective life-saving drug. >> so as you can see, even cancer survivors have very, very different ideas about what this drug can do. >> just to be clear, though. tell us what the drug maker said. it is still available but it just won't be covered? >> for some patients. >> right. avastin is available for other drugs. any doctor who wants to prescribe it for breast cancer they can prescribe this drug if they want to, but because of this fda panel recommendation, as things go down the line, there is a really good chance that insurance companies are going to say we won't pay for it for advanced breast cancer patients because the fda has said it doesn't appear to work. so when it comes down to it, this is a money issue. it is $90,000 for treatment that it becomes, you know, impractical. no one is going to be able to afford it practically because it's so expensive. >> sad, sad situation. elizabeth cohen for us, thanks so much. for the latest health news, go to the cnn.com/health. we will be back with your top stories after a break. (screams) when an investment lacks discipline, it's never this obvious. introducing investment discipline etfs from russell. visit russelletfs.com r a prospectus, containing the investment objectives, risks, charges, expenses and other information. read and consider it carefully before investing. yoo-hoo. hello. it's water from the drinking fountain at the mall. [ male announcer ] great tasting tap water can now come from any faucet anywhere. introducing the brita bottle with the filter inside. i'm kchristine romans. payback for the bin laden raid. the country help the u.s. to get off a krl air base. >> i'm kiran chetry. congress telling president obama do your job, forget vacation. republicans are hitting back and refusing to budge on the tax issue. >> i'm ali velshi. turtles on the tarmac shut down john f. kennedy airport in new york on this "american morning." >> getting a lot of news. i got turtles on the runway! >> it's a big deal. >> if you were in that flight, a busy deal. >> one of the busiest airports at a stand still because of turtles. >> good morning. major fallout from the mission to seek and destroy osama bin laden and a major setback to finish the job. >> what is this move? what are the poickets doing here? >> christine, this is seemingly a significant statement made by pakistan's defense minister and it goes right to the heart of a key strategy for the obama administration when it comes to the fight against the fight in afghanistan. for years those operations have been launched from a base in a province here in pakistan just south of pakistan's tribal region which is a safe haven for al qaeda hn linged and taliban-linked militants. they say u.s. militants must leave this base and no more operations can be launched from this base. if, indeed, this is true it would be a significant hit to the obama administration strategy. not a crippling blow but a big hit. the drone strikes have been a centerpiece in afghanistan. you want it's important to point out two things. the man who made this statement, the defense minister, doesn't have a lot of sway when it comes to big military decisions here in pakistan. those decisions are made by the military so it's not clear how credible this statement is. second of all, ever since the bin laden raid last month, a lot of anti-american sentiment. politicians under pressure to distance themselves from washington. they have made a lot of anti-american statements. this statement could be another one of those. guys? >> reza, thanks very much for that. >> if it's a little bit of political posturing. we know a lot of anger there over the raid. a militant leader believed to help plan the attack on the intercontinental hotel in kabul, that person was killed by an air strike in afghanistan. ismail jan was a member of the network the same group that afghan officials believe was a real culprit behind tuesday' attack. 21 people died in that siege including 12 victims and all nine attackers. hugs, tears and cheers for two back in paris after being held captive in afghanistan for 18 months. they were kidnapped while working on a story about reconstruction outside of kabul. taliban militants threatened to kill the men if key demands were not met, including the release of detainees. officials say no ransom was paid and that strategy in afghanistan hasn't changed. a lot of information this hour about a man able to slip on to a flight at jfk airport in new york. it happened last friday. nigerian man made it all the way to los angeles. they say he was only caught wednesday after he tried to board another flight to atlanta. investigators say he didn't have a valid passport and he also was carrying several expired boarding passes. he was taken into custody and law enforcement official tells us nothing at this point to indicate terrorism. >> but boarding passes in some one else's name, right? >> right. >> so if he can do it, who else can? >> a cross-country flight. imagine that and only caught when you're trying to get on another flight. >> i'm curious where they are going to sit. at some point, i thought you would get caught out because two people are trying to sit in the same seat but apparently he managed it. >> how many times they check your boarding pass or passport as you make your way in. >> many times an electronic scanner so he is matching the name. back-to-back hack attacks. second cyberterror group says it hit the arizona state police force. they say they broke into mail accounts of employees and online dating account information was hacked and even seductive girlfriend pictures. police say this won't affect public safety but it is putting officers and their families in harm's way. >> seductive girlfriend pictures? >> odd characterization. tough talk from president obama during a news conference in the white house east room. trying to jump-start the stalled talks on raising the nation's debt ceiling. he said lawmakers should work through their vacations if they don't cut a deal. >> they need to do their job. they are in one week, out one week. and then they are saying obama has got to step in. you need to be here. i've been here. >> he even compared congress to procrastinating kids. house speaker boehner fired back saying his administration had been burying our kids and grandkids in new debt. >> we want to know what you think. can the two sides solve this debt issue? we will read some of your comments later in the show. the governor of rhode island says he will sign. the gay rights advocates are asking the governor to veto the bill. a government shutdown growing more likely by the hour in minnesota. the governor and republican lawmakers have until tomorrow to agree on a budget for the 2012 fiscal year. without a last minute deal, many state services will be suspended. highway rest stops will close in time for the july fourth weekend. road construction will stop and job training will be cut off. in wisconsin, milwaukee public schools, saying now that they will have to pay off 519 staff members and that includes 354 teachers. mostly grade school teachers because of $84 million in state cuts and the system's effort to try to control costs. united airlines flight 788 en route from san francisco for boston last night but detoured to omaha, nebraska. the plane landing safely in omaha. a short time later, another plane was brought to take the passengers on to boston. >> this is our third and fourth airline story and still haven't got my turtles? turtles caused gridlock at new york's jfk airport yesterday. they crawled out of the tarmac you see only one but 150 crawled out. it's wilderness around. they were looking for a place, a beach in particular to lay their eggs. they like beaches for that kind of thing. crews eventually loaded 150 of them into a truck and took them to the sandy area which is across the runway but here are some of the reaction from the control tower talking to a pilot of a plane about to take off. >> american 1009 a report of a turtle on the runway. do you want to have it removed first? >> sure. american 1009, cancel takeoff. clearance. hold in position. >> holding in position. wondering what those things were. >> kiran brings up a good point, that the pilot was given the option of not having the turtle clearance. >> of just rolling right over the turtles but thank goodness that pilot had some humanity. all the turtles wanted was a wide and they got one, taken to a sandy beach in that truck. >> what happens in new york when you're an animal who does a strange thing, you get a twitter page. >> it has less than at bronx zoo cobras? >> that was crazy. i think they had 5 hundr225,000 first day. >> you don't have to rush -- >> snakes on a plane? >> it wasn't snakes on a plane. this was even worse. i don't know. you can reason with a snake. i don't know if you can reason with a scorpion. they will just get you. >> this happened. scorpion on a plane. >> guy on alaskan airlines flight was stung by a scorpion that was stowed away on flight. the plane stopped in austin, texas. the airline says that is probably where it got on board. >> good god! wow! >> it was inside my sleeve and that is what woke me up. i felt it underneath where it tickled. >> at first, i didn't believe him. and then i saw it. he held the napkin up for me to see and i saw the tail wiggling and i pretty much juched out of my seat. >> wow! >> look at that thing! >> that totally trumps my turtles. >> how easy is it to crawl on a plane? >> scorpion sting, depending on the scorpion can kill you. he says it felt like a bee sting. two doctors on board checked his elbow. it typically causes minor pain but if you're allergic, this is fatal. >> rob marciano is on the tropical storm arlene. it toos swimmers and lifeguards two days to realize the body of a drown victim was at the bottom of a pool. a stunning story and what is being done it about when we come back. >> a tour guide left behind on the great barrier reef. this is almost a real life open water. the tour boat left. how did he survive? we will tell you. 11 minutes past the hour. nice you could join us. >> good to be back. good to be back. >> tropical storm arlene is the first tropical storm of the season' made landfall along mexico's gulf coast only a few hours ago. >> this is our first named storm of the season. rob marciano is in the extreme weather center. what is it looking like right now? >> making landfall and it's not a hurricane but fairly large, strong storm with pretty big circulation and heading onshore right now between tampeco. >> the radar picking it up on the east side. if we can switch the switcher into this wall, that would be awesome. rainfall south of texas with the exception of brownsville. they will get a little bit of heavy rain this morning but drought-stricken texas will not see much rainfall across the northern part of the state into parts of new mexico and arizona, which are dealing with their own fire issues. meanwhile, the northeastern part of the united states looking at calm and clear weather after the heat from last week. low levels of humidity there. the other big story heat building across the central part of the country. heat advisories and heat warnings posted for parts of the central plains and they could see some of their warmest temperatures we have seen so far this year. there you go as far as the rainfall in mexico, most of it staying south of texas. and they got a bit of a drought there too. . they will take the rain. folks in texas would pay good money to see a little bit more of arlene in the form of rainfall. tropical storms are a good weather situation when you're dealing with the dry spring they are dealing with right now. >> it looked like spin art to me there. >> rob hasn't paid his graphic switching people because they weren't listening. >> it happens often. >> yeah. see you, rob. thanks very much. all right. a disturbing story out of massachusetts this morning. a woman's body pulled from the bottom of a public swimming pool in fall river, massachusetts. here is the devastating part. it turns out she had been in the water for two days would you say swimmers or lifeguards even in thing. the state has temporarily closed all deep water swimming pools pending an investigation. a michigan man found a dead mouse -- oh, my god! if you're eating! >> the roadent was buried in the dole tender garden salad. >> i would have thought it was a mushroom marinated! >> it looks like a mushroom. >> no, it's a rodent. the man, his girlfriend and her son had already eaten some of the salad. both dole cand the kroger store offered refunds. >> refunds? >> here is your three bucks back! >> i eat a lot of salads out of bags. i agree with you, it looks like a mushroom. >> i can't look at the picture! >> so many e-mails we will get over that one. >> it's a public service warning. look at your salad before you eat. >> you think they gave you a benefitus portobello mushroom, you're wrong. a real life nightmare for an american tourist left behind on a snorkeling trip to the great barrier reef. he says he was panic stricken when he got his head out of the water and saw no divers or any sign of the boat. the staffer responsible for a bungled head count that left cole stranded has been fired. you are supposed to have your own signature by their name for this very reason and they didn't do it. >> they left an american couple out there, right, an american honeymoon couple they left out there for a long time? >> somebody else. >> you're right. several instances of this. >> i saw open water, the movie, where they were left out there and it did not have a happy ending. >> ian cole said i panicked and i was tired. >> he had to swim 20 minutes to get to the other boat. >> he could have died. he was panicking and tired and he was very scared. i'm not crying, i just love -- >> it is scary. i thought the reaction was very weird from the dive company. they said they were going to give him a 200 dollar voucher and that he was never really in any danger. mcdonald's, burger king, taco bell, the biggest fast food chains. fast food junkies say they are not the best in taste. who? the result of a great and brand-new survey after the break. moms aren't the only ones struggle with a work life balance. coming up, what you never knew about working dads. 18 minutes after the hour. a vacation on a budget with expedia. make it work. booking a flight by itself is an uh-oh. see if we can "stitch" together a better deal. that's a hint, antoine. ooh! see what anandra did? booking your flight and hotel at the same time gets you prices hotels and airlines won't let expedia show separately. book it. major wow factor! where you book matters. expedia. you know what, tell me, what makes peter peter ? well, i'm an avid catamaran sailor. i can my own homemade jam, apricot. and i really love my bank's raise your rate cd. i'm sorry, did you say you'd love a pay raise asap ? uh, actually, i said i love my bank's raise your rate cd. you spent eight days lost at sea ? no, uh... you love watching your neighbors watch tv ? at ally, you'll love our new raise your rate 4-year cd that offers two rate increases if our current rates go up. ally bank. 22 minutes after the hour ago. futureses inching higher. investors watching for new jobless claim figures coming out in a few minutes. labor department says unemployment rate rose last month in more than half of the country's largest cities. just about two hours fresh initial jobless claims numbers come out, comes out in about eight minutes. company reportedly playing $35 million for myspace. folks looking for the best fo fast food may be looking chipolte and in-n-out burger and chick-fil-a. what is the top priority for today's working dads? children or career? "american morning" back after the break. sweetie i think you need a little extra fiber in your diet. carol. fiber makes me sad. oh common. and how can you talk to me about fiber while you are eating a candy bar? you enjoy that. i am. [ male announcer ] fiber beyond recognition. fiber one. (rawhen an investmentrsation) fibelacks discipline, on. it's never this obvious. introducing investment discipline etfs from russell. visit russelletfs.com r a prospectus, containing the investment objectives, risks, charges, expenses and other information. read and consider it carefully before investing. ♪ the smell of chick-fil-a comes to me as i look at atlanta. chick-fil-a came out with the best chicken and where is chick-fil-a from? >> i have no idea. >> atlanta. >> kiran? >> ottawa. >> atlanta, you knew that! >> 74 degrees. >> we enjoyed chick-fil-a when we were down there a while. you can even get chick-fil-a for breakfast. women faced a challenge in years and do today like right this very second, actually. according to a new study, it's becoming a major balancing act for men too. >> majority say work is a small part of who they are and they want to provide as much child care as their wives do. what is behind the new attitude and can men actually achieve this kind of balance? >> joining us from boston is brad herrington for work and family in boston and wrote a new study "the new dad." thanks for being with us. >> thanks for having me here. >> i love this statistic. when men were asked, 65 of them said the work should be evenly divided between the mom and the dad but yet only 30% said it actually is in my home. why the disparity? >> well, the disparity starts very early on. i think from the time a new child is born, the woman oftentimes takes three or four months off to do their new child with the father in our study we found 76% of them took less than a week off. almost from the first day of the child's life, it becomes a disparity where the woman becomes the primary caregiver and the father returns to work quickly. >> the woman goes back to work and still the ceo of the house and child rearing. even if the father wants to. i talked to a lot of women about this who are living it every day. another thing is women letting go of having the responsibility of at home even when they are trying to have all of the responsibility at work. did men comment or notice that at all? >> we didn't ask in this survey specifically is your wife having a hard time letting go of responsibilities but in an earlier study, we did. i think a lot of men felt their wife was comfortable letting their wife take responsibility of things and left a long to do list when she left from home. but i don't want to reinforce the stereotype that men aren't competent to do it on their own. >> i want to go back to the percentages of men who took a week off or less than two weeks. how much of that is corporate culture and how much of that is american culture? we know most other developed nations, including canada, offer men much more time off both from a government perspective and a vacation from company perspective. >> yeah. i think it's both. i think a lot of the corporate policies, even if they are meant to be gender neutral, you tend to see women taking parental lead after the birth of their child and the brochures and pictures and the literature reinforce that. a government policy, the u.s. is way, way behind the rest of the industrialized countries in leave policies for any parents. but, specifically, in northern europe and norway and sweden you see situations where men are using it and 85% of men use paternity leave two or three months after the birth of their child and that gets them quickly immersed in the process of care giving on a full-time basis. >> the other question is who is going to speak up for anybody about wanting to spend more time at home? this is, obviously, a tough work environment. nearly 10% unemployment. nobody is going to say i want to be at the office less for fear of maybe being replaced. >> yeah. i think that is a phenomenon faced throughout but in tough economic times like this, i think it is marginalized. ks in our study and had long work hours and speckexpected a people felt they were supported even if they asked for some kind of flexible work arrangements or keep their work within bounds so that they could take their share of care-giving responsibilities. >> i guess bottom line, brad, is men want more of a dual role at home and at the office and that is changing and growing. >> good development. >> brad herrington, boston college center for work and family, thanks so much. the raid that killed bin laden the pakistan defense chief saying the u.s. cannot be trusted. a u.s. official told cnn the base is still open. a militant leader suspected of providing support for tuesday's deadly attack on kabul's intercontinental hotel has been killed. international forces say ismail jan and several others killed in a air strike in southeast afghanistan. jan was a member of a militant group linked to al qaeda. the fbi figuring out how a man slipped on to a flight at jfk in new york. the nigerian made made it to los angeles on a virgin atlantic flight and only caught on wednesday after he tried to board another flight to atlanta with several expired boarding passes. the tsa now responding saying the passenger went through the same screening as everything else. a law enforcement official tells us nothing to indicate terrorism but he got on to a plane without valid i.d. and without a valid boarding pass. that is definitely an issue. >> the casey anthony murder trial could wrap up as early as today. >> yesterday, casey wiped away tears as a grief counselor testified and earlier she stared when her father sobbed on the witness stand. >> carol costello joins us live from orlando. >> trial under way in half an hour. the big question today, will casey anthony take the stand? some say she has to because her father's testimony was so very effective. he wept on the stand as the defense tried to paint him as a man who molested his own daughter and hide the death of hi granddaughter. >> i need to have something inside of me get through this. >> testimony so emotional from george anthony, at times the judge asked if he could continue. mr. anthony's tears did not appear to faze his daughter casey who sat emotionless and each as he described he tried to attempt suicide after the remains of his granddaughter caylee were found in february of 2008. >> i need to go at that time and be with caylee. >> you expressed that in the note? >> yes, i did. because i believe i failed her. >> reporter: in his questioning of the witness the defense attorney tried but did not succeed that mr. anthony helped cover up hi granddaughter's death and molested his daughter casey. >> i never, sir, would do anything like that to my daughter. >> my question is you would never admit to it, would you, sir? >> sir, i would never do anything to harm my daughter in that way. >> reporter: the tension between witness and defense attorney was palpable at times. >> sir -- >> arguing. >> you are arguing with me, sir. >> reporter: especially when baez asked anthony about odors from casey anthony's car. >> you're trying to take the joy away from me and you can't do it any more. i'm going to answer this to you, sir. the decomposition that i smelled in the trunk of my daughter's car on july 15th, 2008, at johnson's towing, smelled like human being decomposition. i can close my eyes at the moment, sir, and i can smell that again. how dare you, sir, try to tell me that i did something differently than what i did. >> reporter: that was the fifth time george anthony took the stand in this case. the defense did tell the judge yesterday that it would wrap up its case today. will casey anthony take the stand? well, the judge said he wanted to ask casey anthony himself whether she wanted to testify on her own behalf because really the decision is up to her, not her defense attorney. >> carol, thanks for that and check in with you later on as this develops. breaking financial news. >> the number of people filing for the first time for jobless benefits the most recent week, 428,000. 428,000. it's a little bit more than people have been expecting. >> less than the previous week but more than we had hoped. these are people who, last week, went and applied for unemployment benefits for the first time. >> still layoffs are going on and too many lay justifies to be able to lower the unemployment rate. watching that every thursday. we get the numbers so another kind of uncomfortable week on that. ahead a royal run-away bride? the palace in monaco are denying reports that prince albert's fiancee was trying to make a run for it weeks before their wedding. eagerly awaiting the arrival of the duke and duchess of cambridge known as will and kate on their first official visit over this way. zain verjee is up next covering that from london. they just left london and on their way to canada, we understand. 36 minutes after the hour. [ waves crashing ] ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] and just like that, it's here. a new chance for all of us: people, companies, communities to face the challenges yesterday left behind and the ones tomorrow will bring. prudential. bring your challenges. ♪ come together right now over me ♪ ♪ >> lots going on the nation's capital. retirement of -- it's bill gates -- i'm sorry! bill gates! >> the defense secretary robert gates' last day and a ceremony this morning. 74 degrees and 87 degrees and nice and hot but mostly sunny. it's telling we confuse the defense secretary who is going out as the only defense secretary who was carried over from a previous administration, including one that was a different party and this guy is really leaving as something of a very well regarded american hero. >> leon panetta will take his place. president obama is trying to jump-start the stalled talks on raising the debt ceiling. he is saying lawmakers should cancel their vacations. >> he said i've been here and doing a lot of work. the question of the day. can the two sides solve the debt issue and here are some of your responses. >> mckenzie on facebook they will never 100% agree but i think realize if they don't do something now it will cause more impact than they pecket. the president has called congress out. the president said you guys wrote these checks. congress wrote the checks already! >> laurie writes our congress men and women are not trained financial professionals but we give them the largest budget in the u.s. we. >> billy says congress has not made any progress to help america's financial progress. >> interesting. all three of those were very strongly prodding congress. >> my cursory look at the responses we have had today have been a lot about that. people are now tired of the politics. they want this done. >> get it done and do it right and too bad there aren't term limits and too bad it's more about politics. >> the people aren't seeing politics the way they are playing politics as usual. jay leno sat down with our zain verjee to talk politics. zain, how did that go? >> it was great! he was very cool. we chatted for about 10 or 15 minutes. i asked him which candidate would give him the best fodder, the best material for his show. he said sarah palin. listen. >> yeah, she has the fire in the belly is what she said. it's not the fire. it's the air in the head. >> the air in the head? >> the air in the head. i think that -- fire in the belly is not a problem. air in the head is. >> reporter: what about the titanium in the spine? >> that just happened today. i just saw that. >> reporter: michele bachmann on fox says she has the titanium in the spine. >> you know, that could be a really bad porn movie. i don't know what it means. i didn't want to go there. >> reporter: he's a big collector of cars. i asked him how many cars he actually had. he didn't give me a number. he says you sound like my wife! he said, look. i just love cars. i see an old abandoned one, i want to take it and put $50,000 down and fix it up. he was here and invited by jaguar and he got to actually drive one of princess diana's cars so he was happy. >> what i miss about london is the taxis. so roomy. >> reporter: they are and about ten times the price. >> i hear you. the duke and duchess are on their trip. only one day in canada. >> that is correct. canadian going for a barbecue, cooking classes, a rodeo. that doesn't sound very royal there, does it, guys? that is what they are doing. they will be in ottawa for canada day and montreal, which is a great city. they are taking a cooking class there. they love the fries and gravy and cheese there. and qt quebec city and actually you know what is interesting? kate has never been to either canada or the u.s. so she is excited beyond belief. she says she has got a small entourage, including a hairdresser. not giving a speech or anything but her hair will look good. >> i told friends about earlier this morning. the potential run-away bride in royal monaco? >> reporter: kind of like a hollywood movie script. prince albert of monaco, this weekend, is supposed to marry a former olympic swimmer named charlene whitstock. she bolted for the airport and tried to buy a one-way ticket to south africa and the officials did not let her leave and instead called over prince albert. he came to the airport and persuaded her to come back. now, the french magazine "express" reported this and basically said that she had heard all of these awful rumors about him and wanted to ditch the wedding. the palace put out a statement and saying no rift between the two. they are leading a major manhunt that they leaked to the press she had done a big runner. what are the rumors? is this wedding going to happen? a huge celebrity wedding. who is who of europe is going to be there and. is she going to ditch him at the altar? we don't know. >> the wedding is still scheduled? >> officially, the wedding is still scheduled. almost a hundred thousand dollar wedding. it's going to be like totally glitzee and hopefully, the wedding that prince albert will stabilize and the question is what ask going on. is she just going to go swimming and just live him out. >> swim away! >> ali velshi was filling us in on the royals news earlier today. ali velshi, chief business correspondent! >> your run-away bride. >> from your mouth over the satellite to my ears. >> thanks, zain. are you ready for a road trip this summer. is your car ready? the car geeks from car m.d. are here to get your ride ready to roll. i'm heading outside to meet with them and back in a couple of minutes. and soft tacos? why don't we have both? [ male announcer ] old el paso. hard and soft tacos. ♪ feed your fiesta. 48 minutes past the hour right now. pakistan defense minister telling the u.s. to leave a base it uses to launch drone attacks. international forces say they have killed a top militant leader suspected of providing support for tuesday's deadly attack at the intercontinental hotel in kabul that killed four people. former boston mob boss james "whitey" bulger back in court this morning asking for a public defender to take his case. federal prosecutors say that taxpayers should not have to pay for his defense. he was caught last week with more than 800 grand in cash after years on the run. futures are up slightly ahead of the opening bell. 428,000 people filed for unemployment benefits for the first time last week. down about a thousand from the previous week, but still considered a high number. you're caught up on today's headlines. "american morning" will be back after a quick break. new promise when it comes to fighting lung cancer. a study 53,000 current and former smokers found getting routine cat scans can potentially save their lives. >> this is very promising. senior medical correspondent joins us now, elizabeth cohen. detecting early stage lung cancer, what did they find? >> they found if all smokers and former smokers got ct scans, that they would save about -- that they could cut down on the death rate by about 20% if these heavy smokers and former heavy smokers got ct scans routinely, you can save tens of thousands of lives. >> wow. is radiation a concern here? >> you know, radiation is a concern because ct scans do, indeed, have radiation. for example, take a look at this. when a ct scan will give you much more radiation than you would see in an x-ray. the numbers are just bigger but many people would say it's worth it. by the way, if you can look that is an actual ct scan of a lung with cancer in it. the red arrow is pointing to it. the ct scans do a good job of showing it as you can see on your tv. >> the survival rate, lung cancer being very deadly. is it easier to treat if you catch it earlier. >> it is much easier to treat but ct scans will find a lot of false/positives and see something they think is cancer but it's not and then you have to have a lot of procedures to investigate it. in this study, 16 people died not from cancer, but from all of the procedures they had to have to look into the cancer. and several of many of those people didn't even have cancer to begin with. imagine you get ct scan telling you you have cancer and you don't and you have follow-up procedures and you die from the follow-up procedures. >> that could be invasive and all of that sort of thing. should smokers get advanced screening like this for lung cancer? >> these incredible results make you wonder if i'm a smoker or if i was a smoker should i? by the end of the summer, groups like american cancer society will come out with some recommendations. in the meantime, talk to your doctor and say i want to know is it worth my getting a ct scan? it will be especially worth it if you're over 50 and if you are or were a very heavy smoker. >> a cost issue, of course. will your insurance companies cover this? >> right now, your insurance companies might not cover it because the study just came out. as the months go by, they might. it's about $300 to get one of these ct scans. >> elizabeth cohen, thanks. we are talking cars, especially with the summer driving season kicking into full gear. ali velshi is outside in columbus circle. >> any excuse to talk about cars. i'm not going to waste your times whether to keep your windows tightly tuned or air pressure right or change your oil. you know that. i'm going to give you three things you might not know about to save you money. we are coming right back. maybe, it's something you haven't seen yet. the 2nd generation of intel core processors. this is visibly smart. i'm here with the vice president at car m.d. mario is a technician. they are telling us about a few things that you can do to your car right now that can really help you save gas and keep your car more efficient as we head into summer. >> this is an oxygen sensor. the number one reason that pesky engine light comes on is this sensor. if you don't replace this part it will leave to 40% drop in fuel economy and cost you up to a thousand dollars at the pump each and every year. >> you do it at a mileage level? >> you need to find out why the engine light is on and costs about 200 dollars to change this and a couple thousand dollars at the pump if you don't get it fixed. >> is that to have somebody change it? >> yeah. it's easy and he will have it done in a few seconds. >> let's walk over here. there are a couple of things people know about. this is not as obvious as changing your oil. but checking that gas cap. what goes wrong with gas caps? >> this is number two reason check engine lights come on is loose or chipped gas cap. >> a lot of cars give you some sort of signal if you don't tighten it properly, it will -- >> the check engine comes on. the reason that happens is the government is focused on this. 147 million gallons is a big problem with $5 gas around the corner that is $700 million e va evaporate rating into the atmosphere. >> the system requires you to check the leak at 0.2 inches. a pin hole, a leak in the system gas will evaporate. this shouldn't be in the top ten. durable part. the reason this is number three is because people put off small repairs like oxygen sensors and spark plugs. >> this comes up? >> yes. this cost $1,300 to replace and something as simple as a spark plug. small problems lead to big problems with big price tags. if you don't take care of the smaller problems when they are small -- >> this will cause you problems and a reason you may not have it. >> this is from an actual vehicle here in new york. what happens is a fire actually starts in the catalytic converter and unsafe and melts it. you can see it's melted. that is what happens with this. >> wow. you mentioned spark plugs. >> the smaller mighty spark plug rounds out the top five. this is something very simple for everybody to change. if you know how to work a wrench you can change a spark plug. under $5 to change. this leads to a fire that starts in your catalytic converter. you need to get it addressed right away. >> torque issues with that so you might want to leave that to a pro. >> exactly right. >> let's walk over here to the toyota prius. been around ten years. hybrid a new thing but as a result of being around ten years some need repairs and they don't need them often but repairs can get costly. >> hybrids are important for consumers to be aware of. when they fail have your checkbook ready it's expensive. two of the top ten most expensive repairs were related to hybrids. the assembly here cost $5,000 to recalibrate. >> does it have to be done on a certain mileage or when it fails? it doesn't happen very often. as hybrids get more common in the marketplace we will see the prices come down but right now it's not run into any shop and get it done. something you have to have a

Related Keywords

New Mill ,Moray ,United Kingdom ,El Paso ,Texas ,United States ,Charlotte Town ,Prince Edward Island ,Canada ,Ottawa ,Ontario ,San Francisco ,California ,Prince Albert ,Western Cape ,South Africa ,Mexico ,Prince William ,New Brunswick ,Arizona ,Columbus Circle ,New York ,Massachusetts ,Cambridge ,Cambridgeshire ,Newark ,New Jersey ,Spain ,Monaco ,Norway ,Afghanistan ,Virginia ,Los Alamos ,Hidalgo ,San Antonio ,Market Square ,Michigan ,Cincinnati ,Ohio ,London ,City Of ,Pakistan ,Campeche ,Montreal ,Quebec ,Sweden ,France ,Hawaii ,Alaska ,State House ,Illinois ,Minnesota ,China ,Delaware ,Ellis Island ,New Mexico ,Kabul ,Kabol ,Washington ,District Of Columbia ,Nigeria ,Hollywood ,Greece ,Tampa ,Florida ,Rhode Island ,Boston ,Wisconsin ,Athens ,Attikír ,Kenya ,Nebraska ,Calgary ,Alberta ,Kansas ,Dallas ,Paris ,Rhôalpes ,Italy ,Nigerian ,Americans ,America ,Mexican ,Alaskan ,Greek ,Pakistani ,Afghan ,French ,British ,American ,Canadian ,Chinese ,Britain ,Spanish ,Kenyan ,Jill Dougherty ,Gabrielle Giffords ,Emma Watson ,Ian Cole ,Nick Payton Walsh ,Dave Clark ,Davy Crockett ,Jessica Yellin ,Virgin Atlantic ,Patricia Howard ,Michael Bloomberg ,Doug Tucker ,David Mattingly ,Peter ,Michele Bachmann ,Justin Timberlake ,Jared Loughner ,Al Qaeda ,Julian Castro ,John Boehner ,James Whitey Bulger ,Mick Payton Walsh ,Ismael Jan ,Casey Anthony ,Jay Leno ,Jim Mclaughlin ,Amanda Knox ,Kay Bailey Hutchison ,Elvis Presley ,Stan Wilson ,Los Angeles ,Brad Herrington ,Robert Zimmerman ,Christine Romans ,Ismail Jan ,Sarah Palin ,Elizabeth Cohen ,Krystal Holloway ,George Anthony ,Carol Costello ,John F Kennedy ,Caylee Anthony ,Jose Baez ,