Transcripts For CNN CNN Newsroom 20100805

is still left. and naomi campbell, certainly no stranger to the courtroom. but this is a first, at least as far as we can tell. a supermodel on the witness stand out a war crimes trial. good morning, everyone, i'm brooke baldwin in for tony harris. the story, the comments right here, right now in the cnn newsroom. highlighting the struggle for out-of-work americans they're facing in critical condition. i want to you take a look at the numbers. first time claims for unemployment jumped unexpectedly last week. economists had predicted a small drop but the labor department said 679,000 americans filed jobless claims for the week that ended july 31st. by the way, that's a jump of 19,000 from the previous weeks. folks, this is the highest level since the week that ended april 10th. and speaking of jobs where is the president today, this day after his 49th birthday? still in chicago, talking jobs. he's visit a ford plant that is adding jobs. right around 11:15 eastern, we will bring that live. >> in the meantime, is this president obama's third stop after visiting detroit with chrysler last week. suzanne malveaux is travel wig the president. and i'm sure the president will mention job creation, which is something that many of us were hoping for a year ago? >> reporter: you're absolutely right, brooke. it's back to business. you mentioned his 49th birthday. he did go out to dinner with oprah winfrey and gayle king. it's back to business, at the chicago plant. he's emphasizing the fact that the auto industry is coming back. last week we saw him in detroit, highlighting ford and chrysler. ford is different. they never borrowed from the government in the big bailout. why is he here? what is he highlighting? well, they did receive a loan from the department of energy to help build the more fuel-efficient smaller suvs. it's set to create some 1 it 200 new jobs here at the chicago plant. this say part of the president's goal, the overall goal, of doubling the number of exports in the next five years. all kinds of goods. one of the things they want do is take the ford explorer and export it to at least 90 countries. that is the goal. that is what the administration is saying they'll be abe to do. so not only are they creating the jobs of loans through the department of energy, but they're also increasing the exports of american goods. brooke, it's one of the examples, that the president, the administration feel is a good story. it's an economic recovery story that isn't getting enough attention. that's why you've seen the president out there, just within the last week. the third plant, the third highlight to show, look, the three big u.s. auto companies are turning around and doing well. >> so, he's pushing this positive message. i guess the question here, though, still here in the august 2010 are americans buying it? or are we still skeptical really of the economy. we'll be hearing from you -- go ahead. >> reporter: and important the jobs are actually being created. to whether or not people are feeling it. and there is still a big question about gm and chrysler, whether or not they're able to pay back all of the money to the taxpayers. we know a big chunk of it came from the obama administration. but another chunk of it came from the bush administration. it is unclear, brooke, whether or not that money is going to be fully refunded back to the taxpayers from those bailouts. so there's still a lot of unanswered questions. and just how much these plans are going to make up for the job losses. >> we will wait to see what the president plans to tackle coming up in the next hour at the ford plant behind you. suzanne malveaux, thank you. thanks for the skinny on the president's birthday. also, we're getting new information into cnn it has to do with the case that more than a dozen u.s. citizens are indicted on terror charges, homeland security correspondent jeanne meserve has been digging on the story in washington. jeanne, tell me what you know. >> well, brooke, the attorney general eric holder is going to be holding a press conference an hour from now to announce this. what we're told from a source is that indictments will be unsealed against more than a dozen individuals for providing support to forces in somalia, specifically, al shabaab, which is an affiliate of al qaeda. in addition, a different law enforcement source say there will be some arrests for people who did fund-raising. of course, there's a concern of number of americans going to somalia to fight and train with al shabaab. there's concern they might be able to make their way back into this country and stage some kind of attack here. in fact, within the last couple of weeks, there have been two arrests, just yesterday, shamas was about to board his flight to make his way to somalia, where he wanted to be a suicide bomber. in addition, last week, a muslim from northern virginia was arrested, also the allegations were that he wanted to go to somalia to fight. a lot about that part of the world, a lot about the interface with muslims in this country and other individuals in this country. we're going to learn more about the specifics of this indictment in an hour's time. >> jeanne, quick question, forgive me if you said this, i missed it, of these 12 people arrested and we'll be hearing from eric holder next hour, we'll bring it to you live, are these individuals americans? somali-americans? do we know their ethnicities? >> well, let me tell you there will be indictments unsealed against people. in addition, some arrests. we don't know the number of arrests. i'm led to believe there's only a handful of arrests. as to their ethnicity, no, we don't know what that is right now. we have been told that these people come from three different jurisdictions. there's a clue for the press release, u.s. attorneys from minnesota, the southern district of alabama and the southern district of california are all going to be there for this event association th so, this would indicate these are the communities where these individuals lived. >> i have that press release in my hand. attorney general holder to hold that press conference at noon eastern. jeanne, if you get more information, definitely bring it back to cnn. other big stories we're keeping our eye on, the next step, permanently sealing the busted oil well in the gulf is under way right now. in fact, in the last hour, we got news from bp. here's what they're saying, they began pumping cement into the well. you know how they pushed the mud in? this is the cementation process, the next stage in the operation. also, a look live at the u.s. senate this hour. a final vote on elena kagan's nomination to the u.s. supreme court is expected today. wants this debate entirely wrapped up. five republicans have indicated they will support kagan. what does that mean? pretty much that she's assured -- virtually assured a seat on the high court. a new support today for that mosque near ground zero in new york. next hour, a number of rabbis will be rallying at that exact location where this islamic center, this community center, will be built. keep in mind, this whole controversy over the whole thing really stems from the fact that this location is just two blocks from the world trade center site. a leading jewish organization, has called for the mosque to be built elsewhere. they will be rallying with the abl to disagree. out of manchester, connecticut, police have now released 911 tapes from that beer distributorship. if you haven't heard this, the caller was steve hollander, he was one of the two managers who c confronted the shooter. take a listen. >> i need to the hartford distributors right away. a shooting. >> who got shot. >> i got shot. >> omar thornton is shooting people. >> i need to know what his name is. >> omar thornton. he's a black guy. gets cops here, please. >> okay. how many people got shot? >> i don't know. >> okay. you don't know. shot where? >> in my head. >> you're shot in the head? >> yeah. >> what's your name? >> my name is steve hollander. >> where are you in the building? >> hiding in an office. >> where? >> an office. >> was he targets his witnesses? witnesses say he tracked down specific victims. now they're saying looking like they're targeting them. gunman told relative he had been racially harassed but the company and union say he never filed a complaint. and a supermodel is getting grilled over a dictator and diamonds? we will bring you the testimony everybody is talking about. 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[ male announcer ] at toyota, we care about your safety. that's why we're investing one million dollars every hour... to improve our technology and your safety. it's an investment that's helped toyota earn multiple top safety pick awards for 2010 by the insurance institute for highway safety. no other brand has won more. these top safety picks, and all our new safety innovations are available at toyota.com/safety. you know her face. supermodel naomi campbell, she's reluctantly taking to the stand in the hague. prosecutors have called her to testify after reopening this war crimes trial of former liberian president charles taylor. what's this whole thing about? they're trying to determine if taylor ever handled so-called blood diamonds that were at the center of this civil war in sierra leone. and campbell, she's involved because she said she was given, quote, dirty looking stones after dinner with nelson mandela in south africa. presumably, presumably from taylor. here's what she told the court she did with the stones. >> i wanted to find my friend who's someone i trust and does great things in south africa, for charity, to give them to him to do something with. i didn't want to keep them. and that's exactly what i did. >> and josh levs joining me with background and some of the courtroom drama today. josh levs, how is it in there? >> there's real fireworks in there. interesting to follow throughout the day. first of all, how often do you even see anything remotely like this. a supermodel, testimony at the hague, and this is the war crimes trial of charles taylor. he's the former leader of liberia, accused of stirring of a war in sierra leone. about 50,000 people would kille there. all sort of atrocities. prosecutors actually rested their case more than a year ago, but they reopened it now to subpoena naomi campbell. here's how she fits in. it was back in 1997. she was with him at this event, as well as other dignitaries. she was with him and later that night, she said she was given these diamonds. the next morning she was with mia farrow and agent carol white, and she said someone suggested the diamonds came from him. prosecutors want to link authority diamonds. here today is campbell being grilled by the defense. >> neither of the men told you that these diamonds came from charles taylor, is that right? >> correct. >> furthermore, the next morning at breakfast, you did not tell either mia farrow or carol white that the men said the diamonds came from charles taylor, did you? >> no, i did not. >> the suggestion about charles taylor came from one of them? >> yes. >> and so consequently, it is pure speculation that these diamonds came from charles taylor, that's correct, isn't it? >> i just assumed, they were. >> but it's pure speculation, isn't it? >> the nelson mandela children's fund has denied getting diamonds from naomi campbell, hours after she testified she had given some to its director. more fireworks. reporters on the ground say her former agent, carol white, will be providing a different string of events that could bring a stronger link. let's go to google earth. you know, this country was set up in the 1800s as a refuge, as a home, for freed slaves. and there was various reasons for that. there were some americans who wanted freed slaves to have a home. there are others who said if they're not here as slaves, send them back to africa. liberia was set up in the 1800s. ever since then, united states has had an important relationship to and responsibility for liberia. that's one reason, the u.s., brooke, is so interested in what happens there in this case. >> real quickly because i have you, do we know what she did with the diamonds? >> she said that she passed them along. she said they were dirty, rough looking stones. one thing we did hear, she did say she were passed on and presented them to a charity. now, they're saying, no, that never happened. exactly what came of the dirty rough stones that she says she was given, not clear at this point because they're saying they never got any. >> josh levs, thank you. we're also following president obama still in chicago, the day after his birth day, speaking shortly at a ford motor assembly plant in chicago. take a look there. packed house. we're expecting him potentially any minute now. as soon as we see him talking economy, jobs, auto industry we'll bring it to you live. [ woman ] nine iron, it's almost tee-time... time to face the pollen that used to make me sneeze... my eyes water. but now zyrtec®, the fastest 24-hour allergy relief, comes in a new liquid gel. new zyrtec® liquid gels work fast, so i can love the air®. got some new information for you from bp. been following the static kill, right, deep down, in the gulf of mexico. here's what bp is saying that it actually started pumping the cement into the busting oil well in t in the gulf. this is the second phase in that static kill procedure. most of the scientists are saying, 74% of the oil that flowed out of the well is gone, but people who live next to the gulf coast, talk thome, they're skeptical. cnn's jim acosta reports from new orleans. >> reporter: brooke, down here on the gulf coast, it's a question who do you trust, the officials who say the oil that is appearing or the local residents who still say it's ashore. yes, the people in louisiana have seen the latest video. of the clear blue waters. yes, they've heard the latest government report, all but 25% of the oil spilled in the gulf is gone. that doesn't mean people like louis molero is believing it. >> where did it go? >> reporter: in his response teams are made of fishermen who are also skeptical. >> where it went? who picked it up? we didn't. you know, when it went is still there. >> the long battle to stop the leak and containment of the oil is finally close to coming to an end. and we're/pleased with that. >> reporter: the latest white house message from the president right down to the president secretary -- >> many of the doomsday scenarios that were talked about and repeated a lot, have not and will not come to fruition because of that. >> reporter: along with bp's new-found confidence that its damaged well is no longer a threat, sounded like a political mopup operation to st. bernard parish president craig taffaro. >> is it possible that people in the gulf coast are so weary and so beaten up that it's difficult to believe their own eyes? >> no, i don't think so because we believe what we see and that's why we continue to have concerns. >> reporter: so taffaro's staff goes out every day, to capture the image of the oil to convince bp that the cleanup operations are sorely needed. if bp says, guys, we don't need you anymore. >> that puts us in part in an entire community in no-man's land. >> reporter: no man's land because they're stuck. it's no wonder louis wearing the fisherman's prayer. >> to keep us the hope and courage. the faith and challenge that lie ahead. >> reporter: in the end, government officials may find it tougher to kill the skepticism in the gulf coast than it is to kill the well. down here, taking them at their word is just as slippery as cleaning up the oil. >> if you're concerned about the whole cement process, what does it mean, what do we have to look forward to permanently sealing that well, we'll be hearing from national commander thad allen at noon eastern. checking the top stories in the hour. the senate is expected to confirm elena cage ton the supreme court. she could be sworn in maybe in a couple days. also, south korea has started massive submarine drills in the yellow sea. they say this is in response to a sinking of a warship blamed to the north. but north korea are upset about it. and the birds are being leased back into the wild. they're being released into miami's pelican seaboard station. and this news is on day 108. randy johnson a bad idea? randy: sorry man, you all right? man: yeah, im good. yeah you just winged me. randy: think anybodys going to notice that? man: yeah, probably. maybe we should just go sledding... vo: geico. fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more. into revolutionary performance. one word makes the difference between defining the mission and accomplishing the mission. one word makes the difference in defending our nation and the cause of freedom. how... is the word that makes all the difference. with new gold bond intensive healing cream. it targets the underlying causes of itch and irritation. new gold bond. intensive healing for lasting relief. i don't know where you live. i walk outside near atlanta, it's like woosh, heat wave, jock there's no letup, it seems in this deadly heat wave that has hey big chunk of the country in the grips. heat advisories in 20 different states. that's the latest numbers today stretching from texas, way up to new york. so it's hot in new york. and in fact, cooler centers, cooling centers are pretty popular places right now. check out these highs. this is yesterday. 108. 108 degrees in hot springs, arkansas. 109 in pine bluff, arkansas. and a cooler, dare i say this quite facetiously, in mississippi and greenville, mississippi. and the guy who drew the short straw, i guess. rob marciano is outside in the heat. in atlanta. in what i love, piedmont park, but, rob, not so lovely today? >> reporter: no, it's getting a little toasty. we've been out here since the sun had even rose yet, that's when the people were out here. now, there's not a whole lot. a couple of bravehearts trying to endure the heat. not a good thing to be outside exerting yourself if you don't have to. in memphis, we were talking about record-breaking cold. now, it's record-breaking heat. fire department doing the same thing they were doing six months ago for the cold which is for heat, nauging iknocking on doo sure everybody is okay. as you mentioned, records, definitely eye-popping. in arkansas, especially, this could be their hottest summer ever. 108 for high temperature in hot springs. 102 in little rock. and the century mark plus as far north as louisville, kentucky. as far as what it feels like right now, it feels like 100 in shreveport. it feels like 104 in little rock. we're not at the noon hour. 104 is what it feels like in memphis, tennessee. in the pink highlighted areas that's where the most dangerous is. new york to d.c., upper 90s. note wah forecast for hurricanes, there's thunderstorms by the way, rolling across the ohio river valley, we watch those for potentially severe weather this afternoon. extended forecast for this season. they dropped just a little bit because we got off to a slow start. 14 to 20 named storms expected. 8 to 12 hurricanes. 4 to 6 of those becoming major hurricanes. and the reason for that activity is because we're getting into la nina, as far as hurricanes goes, that helps them. and at the moment, nothing worry about at least near term. brooke. over to you. >> hey, rob, i know there's a pool like 50 yards away. maybe when you're off, take a dip. rob marciano for us. thank you, thank you for that. mean while, renowned author anne rice says the christian rights stance on gay rights and women's issues has forced her, she's saying, to leave the church. >> i read scripture every day of my life. i can't find a basis there for most of the stance that churches and denominations take today on the civil rights of gay people on women and reproductive rights. on the questions of how you vote in our society. i mean, i can't find it. >> it's pretty compelling. pretty fascinating interview. you can hear the rest of it coming up in the "cnn newsroom." stay with us. it's the fusion proglide challenge. woow! hey man, how ya doin'? 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that's not how you build a better america. we don't give up. the united states does not quit. we always compete. that's what we do. and that's what we're doing with the u.s. auto industry. so, i refuse to walk away from this industry. and american jobs. i put my faith in the american worker. i believe the american worker is the best worker in the world. and if we were working hard together and we build and sacrifice in the short term, it will be a great beginning for a great american industry. if we could just get a sense of common purpose, we could once again see the best cars in the build, designed, engineered, forred right here in chicago. right here in the midwest. right here in the united states of america. >> president obama rallying the troops, says essentially he's putting his faith in american workers. he is there. he was in detroit last week with gm, chrysler. he's at this plant specifically because it is adding some 1,200 jobs thanks to the department of energy loan. they're talking about how this is one of the plant, thanks to that loan, it's retooling, pumping out those vehicles. of course, president obama defending perhaps his choice that federal government cash injection that we, the taxpayer, federal government paid for. but some people kind of skeptical about where the jobs are, when they happened. we'll still listen in, they're in chicago. the fred now 49 years of age. also, a huge story out of california. the question is what is next for same-sex marriage. a federal judge striking down a ban but don't mail those wedding invitations just yet. my subaru saved my life. i won't ever forget that. love. it's what makes a subaru, a subaru. my friends at work think there's more than one "me." ...because on our trips, i always get there faster. see, expedia lets me mix and match airlines. so i can take one airline out... and another home. so with more flight options, i can find the combination that gets me there and back quickest. with a little help from expedia, my friends will think i can be everywhere at once. where you book matters. expedia. it's just a terrific moment today. because now we're a giant step closer to restoring that basic freedom in california. >> as soon as prop 8 passed, they knew they were going to overturn. so the trial, the so-called trial isatrics is making it look like there's some legality behind it. hopefully, we have to rely on the supreme majority now to save the nation. >> the tragedy, he says, he would be a supporter of california's proposition 8 or prop 8. they are getting ready for the appeals process and as that man indicated it is one that will likely end in the u.s. supreme court. a federal judge says this ban on same-sex marriage, though, is unconstitutional. here's cnn's ted rowlands. >> reporter: in san francisco's castro district and l.a.'s west hollywood in downtown, the party went late into the night. lisa bartoli and anita zuber were married two years ago. >> we're in it in the end. we're going to the supreme court. i think americans will understand that we are people. we lead exciting lives. boring lives. we love our family, our friends, our children. it is a great day. >> reporter: david boies and ted olsen the attorneys who faced up against each 84 in 2000 for them. >> this is the man who did that. >> reporter: last night, they took the stage at a rally in west hollywood. >> we're a part of the way to the end. but it is a very, very important first step. >> we're a nation of a culture. and that culture is the culture of quality. >> reporter: the mood may be festive here in west hollywood, but the bottom line is, prop 8 did pass in the state of california. and there are a lot of people, not only here, but across the country, that are very upset with the judge's ruling. >> mark my words. if words mean anything, marriage will ultimately mean nothing. >> reporter: in the ruling judge walker wrote prop 8, quote, does nothing more than enshrine in the california constitution the notion that opposite sex couples are superior to same-sex couples. >> 7 million californians believed we had a course, a right, to vote for marriage. one federal judge in san francisco has stripped us of that core civil right. >> reporter: the judge also issued a stay, meaning same-sex couples will have to wait to be married until after the appeals process, which both sides say they are looking forward to. ♪ needs to be dealt with here, as this is appealed to the ninth circuit court of appeals is the stay at that judge in this case has implemented. basically right now, if you're a same-sex couple you cannot get married until the stay is solicited. both sides are going to argue this week, judge walker who issued this ruling will also make a decision on how long the stay will be impact. the prevailing wisdom it will most likely be impact until the ninth circuit enters the fray. >> and ted, just in terms of sheer meetings. you saw the video, in the thick of things yesterday. what was your sense from the people you talked to? is this say major victory or people afrontedly upset? >> reporter: it depends how passionate you are about it, since 2004 when san francisco started issuing the licenses. depending on which side you'd been on over the years, one thing universal about this decision both sides are attune to the fact that this was step one in the process. so it's tempered and the elation tempered looking forward to the ultimate supreme court decision here which, of course, will be the final say. >> the final, perhaps on victory or defeat. depend yorng perspective. throughout date here on cnn, of course, both sides of the issue will be getting their say on the debate. austin mimic supports prop 8, he's a senior legal counsel at the alliance defense fund, adf, i spoke with him about the issue a short time ago. >> it's really disappointing anytime a single federal judge takes it upon themselves to cancel out the voices of over 7 million californians. we know that californians turned out in record numbers after hearing a full debate, hearing both sides, making the decision that they wanted to make. for a single federal judge to throw out that entire process is really a tragic day for america. >> why decide in the first place, sir, to take this case on? >> well, when californians get together and decide they want to vote on an important issue that's important to them, that's part of the democratic process in california and so many other states across the nation. that voice deserves to be upheld. this is america, home of the free, and that's exactly what californians did. and that vote and their voice deserves to be defended. >> you mentioned californians representing the ballot in '08 when 52% of voters had voted to overturn it. is this from a "san francisco chronicle" article saying the majority of voters approved of allowing same-sex marriage which boosts the chances possibly of a 2012 initiative. yet, i imagine, you, adf, planning to pile an appeal? >> well, we're going to file an appeal in this case. when we talk about polls, the only poll that really matters is the one on election day. that's when the people who matter come to the ballot box and make their decision. so while that poll is the law of california, it deserves to be defended. when you have the governor and attorney general refusing to do their constitutional law, that's a real tragedy. if californians want to put it on the ballot and revote on it, that's their constitutional right. but we should never have a single federal judge, telling california, especially in the record numbers that they turned out, that their vote doesn't matter. >> as noted earlier, we'll be hearing from both sides in the next hour. two of the plaintiffs from the lawsuit, we'll get reaction from them. all right. let's get a quick check of the top stories now. this deadly heat wave stretching all the way from texas, way up to new york. heat advisories now in effect. 20 states in total. weather watchers say it will feel like 115 degrees in some places today. yikes. british supermodel, naomi campbell, taking the stand on the war crimes trial for the former liberian president. it's not clear if investigators at the hague got what they accountanted from campbell. and proved that charles taylor said he was lying when he never handled so-called bliemd diamonds. >> and first ladies michelle obama take a vacation in spain with her daughter sasha and a couple friends. they're staying at a hotel on the coast. as you can imagine, pretty tight security. for those of us who have lactose intolerance, let's raise a glass to cookies just out of the oven. to the morning bowl of cereal. and to lactaid® milk. easy to digest and with all the calcium and vitamin d of regular milk. 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[ female announcer ] lyrica is not for everyone. lyrica may cause serious allergic reactions or suicidal thoughts or actions. tell your doctor right away if you have these, new or worsening depression, or unusual changes in mood or behavior or any swelling or affected breathing, or skin, or changes in eyesight, including blurry vision or muscle pain with fever or tired feeling. common side effects are dizziness, sleepiness, weight gain and swelling of hands, legs and feet. don't drink alcohol while taking lyrica. don't drive or use machinery until you know how lyrica affects you. i found answers about fibromyalgia. then i found lyrica. ask your doctor about lyrica today. have you ever heard of novelist anne rice? she's pretty well-known. she's turned heads recently when she announced she's quitting christianity. to be clear though, rice says she remains committed to christ. she said it's organized religion that has her fed up. don asked rice about that, and specifically about the ban on gay marriage. >> after 12 years i can't find in the scripture any basis for many of the things that organized religion does today. i can't connect them back to christ. i read scripture every day of my life, i can't find a basis there for most of the stands that churches and denominations take today on civil rights and gay people. on women and reproductive rights. and on the questions of how you vote if our society. i mean, i can't find it. so certainly, theological decisions lie behind my decision to step away. now, i would not say churches need to modernize. that's not the question. the question is what is the authentic message of christ for us? you know, we exist in time. he put us here. 2,000 years have passed and since he rose from the dead. now, there's got to be a reason for this that we're moving through time. there have to be some implications. are we really meant to simply cling to the interpretations of the bible that we had in the first century? have we clung to them? i mean, these are very complex issues. i'm somewhat overwhelmed by those issues. but i know this, i have to walk away. >> okay. we're going to talk about -- you're saying some very subversive things. are you prepared for the possible backlash for any of the things you're jsaying? >> i have to be prepared for that. you can't make a statement like this without expect something whirlwind. i made it because there was a lot of toxic anger in me and toxic pressure. i couldn't go on as a public christian, being implicated in the things that churches are doing. yes, i'm prepared for a backlash. i'm prepared for whatever happens. is it going to be difficult? yes, it's somewhat difficult. right now, what i'm getting is overwhelming support. and in the e-mails coming in. the blogs being written. the public statements being made. are very supportive. >> your son, christopher, is gay. did this factor into your decision at all? >> right. no, no. but certainly, gay rights have mattered to me all of my professional life. i've always been for complete equal rights for gay people. i felt that way before christopher was ever born. >> what would you like to chris women, as far as gays and other people you feel that they are -- and i don't want to put words in your mouth -- being hypocritical towards, is that correct? >> i'm not somebody that would seek to reform these institutions. i would just say again, i can't find in scripture, a basis for persecuting gay people. for segregating them as a target for the hatred of christians against them and for trying to deprive them of civil rights, or interfere with their civil rights revolution. i can't find the basis. so maybe if the churches had not been so strident about these things. if they hadn't been so outspoken about political matters in this country, it would have been easier for somebody like me. when i spoke out about issues that concern me like gay rights or many different issues, i got a lot of pressure from catholics and from christians, not to do this. they would go on my facebook page and they would say, if you're going to criticize the catholic church for the clergy abuse scandal, ha kind of catholic are you? how can you do this? how can you post a link to a "new york times" story that criticizes pope benedict? how dare you do this? i'm come out now and i've said, i'm not part of your group. so i feel free. >> so ha was novelist anne rice, we're hearing from some of the plaintiffs in this case. we're also hearing from you, a lot of you very engaged in this issue on both sides. and eye these frai joining us next. ??????????????????????????? well here's one thing we figured out with the whole prop 8 story. you have a lot to say about it. ines ferre has been looking over a lot of your comments on our cnn.com blog and it's tough to find out what people are saying in some cases. but not the case here. what are you hearing? >> so many people are sounding off. let me start with twitter. the mayor of los angeles, antonio vee villaraigosa is saying that it doesn't violate the constitution because marriage is not defined by the constitution. also, you've got jeff saying i'm not against gay marriage. i'm against the whole idea that one couple, married or not, has more rights than the other or an individual. take married off the tax forms. so you can leave your comments to us on cnn.com. lots of people that are commenting on this, brooke. >> a lot of people, a lot of officials, a lot of celebrities. lots and lots. keep them coming. ines, thank you. we're fair, we tell both sides of the story. you heard of those in favor of prop 8. coming up, two of the plaintiffs from the laurt, pwsuit coming u hour here in the cnn news room. also in the next hour of cnn news room, a tipping point for social security. starting this year it's expected to take in less revenue than it must pay out for benefits. our question is, is social security going broke? we'll go over some of the suggestions to fix it. plus, bomb and martyr attacks, leaving u.s. troops with critical injuries. but their journey home is faster than at any time in history. cnn's barbara star has this exclusive look at their amazing medical care. stay with us. i'm robert shapiro. at legal zoom we'll help you incorporate your business, file a patent, make a will and more. at legalzoom.com we put the law on your side. there are millions and millions of people all around the world who have been forced from their homelands under the threat of persecution and violence. and in this week's "impact your world" queen noor of jordan is talking about why it's so important to support refugees. >> i'm queen noor and we can make an impact on refugees all over the world. i'm a trustee of refugees international, i'm trying to strengthen our ability to act on behalf of those who have been displaced from their homes. and that they return home as soon as possible. join the movement. impact your world, cnn.com/impact. and hello once again to you, i'm brooke baldwin in today for tony harris, top of the hour here in the cnn news room, where anything can happen at any point in time, here are some of the people behind today's top stories. first, same-sex marriage. a court victory for supporters, but what's next? we're talking with the plaintiffs, two of the plaintiffs in the case. >> with this decision, the system worked. our courts are supposed to protect our constitutional rights. today, they did. >> mark my words, if marriage can mean anything, then marriage will ultimately mean nothing. >> also, heroes heading home, more of our exclusive journey with wounded soldiers. >> i didn't think i was going to have an arm because of the way it was, it was just skin attaching to it. so yeah, i was actually really amazed when i woke up and seen it on there. >> and many of you guys, you're online right now. guess what, so are we, ines ferre following the top stories trending on the internet. >> trending on cnn.com right now. people posing and talking as their pets on facebook. also, she calls herself a secret agent of kindness. and i'll tell you all about her. brooke? >> ines, thank you. and stopping the oil leak deep in the gulf. we expect a live briefing in moments from admiral thad allen. first to our lead story. gay marriage, whether you support it, oppose it and just kind of shrug your shoulders, the emotional debate growing louder today. you know the story. a federal judge in california struck down the state's ban on same-sex marriage. the voter-approved measure known as prop 8. we want to push forward on what the court ruling, what does it really mean? cnn's ted rollins covering the story for us in los angeles. ted, i think the question, number one, is what does this mean for same-sex couples? they can't just run out and get married today, can they not? >> no, they can't. because there's a stay in place. along with the ruling, the same judge issued a stay. it is interesting, though, the length of the stay has not been ruled on yet. in fact, the judge is asking both sides to come to court friday and hash this out. and the decision he's going to make will obviously impact a lot of people that want to get married now. because this is a protracted process. going through the federal system. it's going to be the ninth circuit court of appeals first, probably with a three-judge panel. it may go to a full panel and obviously onto the supreme court. some of the couples say hey, the judge ruled so emphatically in our favor, he should allow us to get married, which he says we have a constitutional right to do. so both sides will submit briefs on this this week and the judge is expected to put a time limit on the stay that he's issued. the answer to your question right now -- nobody can get married, no same-sex couples can get married in california until this stay is lifted. >> at least not yet. that's the issue with the stay. let's talk appeal, ted rollins. we know people who support prop 8 are planning this appeal. and that means the ninth circuit, this is a court that is perceived with more of a liberal bent, is it not? >> yeah. and the proponents for prop 8 are quick to say that they don't expect to win at the ninth circuit level. they say they weren't surprised by judge walker's decision, because of the way the proceedings were going in san francisco. they do believe that they can win at the u.s. supreme court level. and that, of course, is still probably conservatively a year away, plus. possibly up to two years before the high court would rule on this. it depends on the court of appeals, the ninth circuit, whether it will extend from a three-panel to a full-blown panel after the initial ruling. so we'll have do wait and see. but it's going to be a while before this is decided in earnest at the top level. >> yeah, i think i was reading they may take it up as early as october 2011. if it gets to that point, ted, let's talk about the national implications here. depending on how scotis rules, this could be far-reaching beyond california. >> after the ninth circuit rules it could have an effect on the districts the states have already, the definition of marriage between a man and a woman. and once the supreme court weighs in, that will trump everything. it will have to be litigated state by state. and once that ruling comes in, it will change everything, literally. so what happens in california is being watched very closely nationwide. >> ted rowlands for us. we want to take you live to where admiral thad allen is talking. he's giving an update on the static kill procedure. let's listen in. >> when that is done, they'll make sure they have all the cement in place where it needs to be. the big conversation yesterday really had to do with whether or not the drill pipe was still intact. and how that might impact the cementing plan. we pretty much kim to a consensus on that. so today's effort into tomorrow will be to finish off cementing the well from the top down. let me state and i stated this several times, that this is not the end. but it will virtually assure us, that there will be no chance of oil leaking into the environment. we will then proceed to finish the relief well. the relief well is currently four and a half feet away from the mecondo well and 100 to 110 feet away from where they would enter the annulus. they have a drill pipe down and they're ready to drill through the cement shoe and continue finishing out the relief well. and that will happen after the cement has been cured for a certain amount of time and we'll proceed. elsewhere in the gulf, we are starting to take a look at the large vessels offshore. the skimming vessels. what we need to do is kind of collapse those back in closer to shore. we need to start focusing on the areas we already know had impacts. these are places like bretton sound, mississippi sound, the barrier islands of mississippi. and continue the clean-up back over towards mobile and the florida panhandle. we will continue to focus our recovery efforts and we'll say once again to the people of the gulf that we are committed to finishing this clean-up, holding bp accountable and we will continue to do that. our focus will become more locally-focused. looking at the shoreline and making sure the oil marshes, the beaches and so forth, are properly attended to. and to that end, we will remain and get the job done. with that, i could take questions. >> how many million gallons got out. how did the government arrive at those figures, including the one that says 26% of it remains unrecovered. just it establish reliability, what was the process and where are the numbers coming from? >> there's been a lot of talk about numbers moving forward. let me say at the outset, if you don't have a number, that's a bad thing. when you do have a number, that's a bad thing. because they always have to be explained or why do you arrive at that conclusion. i think we need to walk through the process here. this really goes back to flow rate. and we know from the start there have been issues about flow rate. as we walked 32 the 1,000, 5,000, 12,000 to 25,000, 35,000 to 60,000. we've gotten to a point now where based on a lot of inputs from the scientific community under the direction of marshall mcnut, we've been able to focus in and get what we think is a fairly reliable estimate on flow rate and we know that's 53,000 barrels a day, plus or minus 10%. and we know earlier in the spill it was 60, and that probably dropped off as the reservoir was depleted. once you have a flow rate that's not a range any more, within a reasonable error rate, which is 10 3 10%, plus or minus. the logical next question is how much oil. and once you establish how much oil, below the five million barrel mark, which we've publicized, the question is, where's the oil? we know certain things happen. we know a certain amount was produced, that's measurable. we know a certain amount was skimmed, that's measurable. we know a certain amount was burned, that's measurable. we know based on tests and records and data that you have a certain amount of effectiveness with dispersants and we know a certain amount evaporates and a certain amount is biodegraded. to go back to our basic algebra that we all tried to struggle with in school, if you solve for x, that's it. >> when you have a 10% airor in the flow rate, combined with the 10% flow rate evaporation -- >> i would say yes and no. we know to a virtual certainty how much was produced. some of the numbers are absolute, okay and it's a model. models are approximatation of reality and therefore, they're never perfect. but i think it's a point of departure to try to have the discussion to understand what are the implications long-term. we still have to deal with natural resource damage estimates and so forth. so i would be the first it admit and i wasn't the scientist taking part in this. i'm a user in this, that you can argue at the margins about is this the proper model or not. the question is, do we think we know what happened? do we have a starting point to have a discussion. and i think marshall mcnutt would say, if we have better information we could find this. but we've slowly close in on the flow rate. flow rate leads us to a total amount. from a total amount we know that certain things happen. there's certain things we can't quantify right now and what we can't quantify allows us to do a model to estimate. >> you've been listening to admiral thad allen. we've pumped the mud and they're almost finished with the cement. that will finish tomorrow. it's not all done yet. people need to go back to their lives along the gulf. but at least some good news for now. want to get to this story. if you've been watching the pictures in the bottom righthand portion of your screen. this is a story coming out of missouri. state and county law enforcement are confirming -- look at this. they're confirming to cnn they're working on this school bus accident, it looks like two possibly involved, just judging by the pictures. cnn affiliate knlv is reporting that two school buses and a tractor-trailer were involved in an interstate 44 accident. this is in gray summit, missouri this morning. you can get a better sense of the helicopter zooming out. you can see the scene on this interstate. here is what we know, and folks, it's not much at this point in time. authorities are telling our affiliate there are about 50 people involved. but as for injuries, that is still the big variable. clearly, though, this is a massive scene. given the fact that the fire trucks have set up shop. looking almost like a command center there in the middle of the interstate. possibly foamed down. we don't know if there was a fire. we don't know much beyond what we're seeing. but this is a huge scene. obviously stopping traffic in this portion of gray's summit, missouri, two school buses, we don't know how they collided with this tractor-trailer. we just clearly know from the pictures, that they did collide, 50 people involved, we don't know if those 50 people perhaps presumably are children. we do not know. we do not know if they were on their way to school. perhaps on a field trip. there is part of the tractor-trailer, wow. with the school bus just up over the back of it. where's the rest of the tractor-trailer? perhaps it wasn't there. perhaps it's elsewhere in the midst of this wreckage. but unbelievable pictures here, coming out of missouri. and again, at some point, again, to reiterate, two school buses and a tractor-trailer somehow collided on this interstate. and we're going to continue watching this and figure out what exactly happened and see how those 50 people involved, how they're doing. meantime, another live event, we have attorney general eric holder, he's holding this news conference on these 12-plus indictments, let's listen. >> by either indictment or by criminal complaint. the remaining three defendants had not been charged before. in the district of minnesota alone, the total of 19 defendants have now been charged in connection with this investigation. nine of these defendants have been arrested in the united states, or overseas. five of whom have already pleaded guilty. ten of the charged defendants are not in custody. and are believed to be overseas. additionally, two united states citizens and former residents of alabama and california omar hamami and mustafa have been charged in separate cases with providing support to elshabab. both are believed to be in somalia and fighting on behalf of elshabab. according to public reports, hamami has been appeared in videos. and he's believed to be a ranking member of the elshabab organization and has operational responsibilityings. and finally, ali and hassan both naturalized united states citizens and residents of minnesota, were arrested by fbi agents earlier today. they have been charged with providing material support to terrorists among other offenses. the indictment alleges that these two women raised money to support elshabab through door-to-door solicitations and telephone conferences in minneapolis, rochester and other locations in the united states, as well as in canada. in some cases, these funds were raised under the false pretense that they would be used to aid the needy and the poor. now while our investigations are ongoing around the country, these arrests and charges should serve as an unmistakable warning to others who are considering joining or supporting terrorist groups likae al-shabab. if you choose this route you can expect to be a casualty on a somali battlefield. we are seeing an increasing number of individuals, including u.s. citizens, who have become captivated by extremist ideology and have taken steps to carry out terrorist object ins, either at home or abroad. this is a very disturbing trend, that we have been intensely investigating in recent years and will continue to investigate. and will root out. but we must also work to prevent this type of radicalization from ever taking hold. members of the american muslim community have been and continue to be strong partners in fighting this emerging threat. they have regularly denounced the terrorist acts and those who carry them out. and they have provided critical assistance to law enforcement helping to disrupt terrorist plots and combat radicalization. now, these individuals have consistently and correctly expressed deep concern about the recruitment of their youth by terrorist groups. many members of the community have taken proactive steps to stop the recruitment of their youth by terrorist groups. just recently, a group with prominent american muslims joined together in a video to repudiate the tactics employed by radicalized militants to recruit young muslims via the internet. there needs to be more recognition of these efforts. and of the losses suffered by the muslim community here and around the world. many of the victims of terror attacks by al-shabab, al qaeda, taliban and other terrorist groups are innocent muslims. they are innocent muslims. i want to applaud the work of the fbi joint task force. and i want to thank the dutch klpd, the dutch ministry of justice, the state department, including the u.s. embassies in the united arab emirates and yemen, the hague and the netherlands and the department of defense for their assistance in the minneapolis cases in particular. now, these indictments and arrests would not have been possible without the critical contribution from the national security division led by -- >> we want to move away from this and move to jean mazerve who has been listening and i know we were talking about these indictments, just explain to me the crux of this. we're talking 12-plus indictments of these people in the united states. providing support to this group that the u.s. has deemed a foreign terrorist organization. >> the attorney general announcing four separate indictments, naming 14 individuals, charging them with providing money, services and personnel to al-shabab, which is a designated terrorist group in somalia. the attorney general said they were part of a deadly pipeline, routing funding and fighters to this designated terrorist organization. seven of these individuals had been previously charged, he said. interestingly, there have been two arrests in minneapolis that he announced of women. the attorney general alleges that these individuals were going, raising money for al-shabab, sometimes going door to door. sometimes conducting teleconferences and sometimes raising this money under false pretenses, saying that the money was to aid the needy and the poor. those two individuals in custody. many of the others named in this indictment are not in the united states, many of them are in somalia or believed to be in somalia. where they have been fighting. amongst them, omar hamami, a well-known name now, to u.s. authorities, because he, though raised in the state of alabama has been over in somalia, is believed to play an operational role now in al-shabab and has been prominently featured in recruiting videos for that organization. the attorney general saying here, they're trying to send a message, if you want to go over there and you want to fight -- you risk ending up either in a u.s. jail cell or being dead on the battlefield. back to you. >> and jean, one more question. and eric holder touched on the fact, he was talking about the people, the extremist ideologies, the people who want to be part of the extremist groups and how it is frightening. is it on the rise? is that safe to say? >> yes. he mentioned in fact that there has been an increase in this. and i can say just within the last couple of weeks, we've seen two individuals arrested who allegedly wanted to go to somalia to fight. one of them was zachary adam chesser, he's a muslim convert. very much standard american guy through much of his youth, according to those who knew him. and he allegedly tried to go to somalia, not once but twice to fight and we heard yesterday about the arrests this week about another individual, shakir masri, who was just about to board a flight in an effort to make his way to somalia, where he allegedly wanted to become a suicide bomber. just within the last couple of weeks, definitely seeing an uptick in these kind of cases, a great deal of concern months u.s. authorities about this phenomenon. >> to use the attorney general's word -- frightening. our homeland security correspondent, jean meserve. helping me get through what the attorney general was saying. also frightening, two school buses and a tractor-trailer, again to reiterate, missouri state county law enforcement, they're working on this massive school bus accident right now. our affiliate, kmob is reporting two school buses, a tractor-trailer involved in some kind of collision. i-44 is the road you're looking at right now and clearly some of the rescue personnel working on someone in the middle of the road. 50 people according to our affiliate, kmov, 50 people involved. the accident of the injuries not known yet. as soon as we get more information, everyone wondering how these people are doing, who they were, were they children. we will bring it to you here in the cnn news room. my subaru saved my life. i won't ever forget that. love. it's what makes a subaru, a subaru. my friends at work think there's more than one "me." ...because on our trips, i always get there faster. see, expedia lets me mix and match airlines. so i can take one airline out... and another home. so with more flight options, i can find the combination that gets me there and back quickest. with a little help from expedia, my friends will think i can be everywhere at once. where you book matters. expedia. waking up with morning pain can drain the energy right out of you. fight it with new... it combines extra strength bayer aspirin to treat pain plus an alertness aid to help you get off to a running start. try bayer am the morning pain reliever. host: could switching to geico realis a bird in the handre on worth 2 in the bush? appraiser: well you rarely see them in this good of shape. appraiser: for example the fingers are perfect. appraiser: the bird is in mint condition. appraiser: and i would say if this were to go to auction today, appraiser: conservatively it would be worth 2 in the bush. woman: really? appraiser: it's just beautiful, thank you so much for bringing it in. woman: unbelievable anncr: geico. 15 minutes could save you 15% or more. all right. let's get back to the pictures out of missouri. you're looking at i-44. this is in gray summit, missouri. we've been watching and we're digging on this, this accident happened at some point this morning. you can see the two school buses and one of the school buses is almost on top of, you can see the front one on top of a tractor-trailer. all colliding at some point. we're hearing according to our affiliate, kmov, as many as 50 people involved. we don't know if they were children, we don't know if they were on their way to school and we don't know the extent of the injuries. frightening pictures, we're digging, we're making calls, as soon as we get more information, i'll pass it along to you. the other big story we're all over today, prop 8 and the big decision that came out in california, the legal victory for same-sex couples fighting for the right to marry. it's been less than 24 hours since a federal judge ruled california's ban on same-sex marriage is unconstitutional. now meet two of the key figures in that fight. jeff cerillo and his partner, paul katami were plaintiffs in california's voter-approved ban known as prop 8 the they were good enough to join us from los angeles. and paul and jeff were aided in their effort to bring this case to light by the american foundation for equal rights. gentlemen, thank you for sharing your story with me this morning. >> thanks for having us, brooke. >> let's start right out of the gates, prop 8 deemed unconstitutional. waking up this morning, do you believe it or is it surreal for you. >> you just said it and i got chills. yesterday was a great day for us. yesterday was a great day, not only for the ltb community in california, but a great day to be american. >> it still feels like you might want to wake up. because it still feels like a dream to us. because it's been such a long and tough process. but we're so happy and just letting it digest. >> letting it digest. perhaps a little bit surreal. i was talking one of our reporters in l.a. and he was making the point that this has been a fight, really since '04 and it will be a fight until this thing goes all the way to the united states supreme court, until you can finally perhaps in your case be victorious. are you still waiting for bated breath for it to come through for you on the national level? >> absolutely. at the end of the day we know this is a long process. we knew from the beginning we would be in it for the long haul. and at the end of the day, you saw the amazing eloquence of ted and david, not only in the courtroom, but then you saw it yesterday at the press conferences and on the stages in west hollywood, in san francisco. and we're really confident knowing we have ted and david and an amazing legal team and an amazing foundation on our side. at the end of the day, we just want to get married and we want our legal rights just like every other american. >> and for both of you, you've been together for nine years, you thought about having a civil union performed. but it felt perhaps short of feeling officially official and getting married. but you can't quite run out and get married just yet. what's your plan? >> well, you know, like jeff said, this is the long haul. we want there to be a finality to our marriage rites, we want to make sure that we can have those rights and no longer be prohibited from having those rights. when you get married you make a huge investment emotionally, you're inviting friends and family and a financial investment as well, in getting married and putting an event together. and with the options we have right now, it's not necessarily as much a celebration as it is a partnership, and a business agreement. we know there are further steps we're going to take, we're so happy we have the legal team we do. and we're very confident that very soon we will be able to be married and happily put that together. >> i have to jump in. because we have to talk about this as part of the conversation. look, you look back to 2008 on the ballot, prop 8, 52% of californians voted in favor of prop 8. i want to get reaction to some sound. i interviewed a man with the alliance defense fund, senior legal council and he said seven million californians don't believe in same-sex marriage. >> its disappointing any time a federal judge takes it upon himself to cancel out the voices of over seven million californians. we know that californians turned out for the vote in record numbers after having a full and fair debate, hearing both sides of the issue and making the decision they wanted to make and for a single federal judge to throw out the entire process is really a tragic day for america. >> all right. jeff and then paul, i want your responses. what do you say to those people? >> well, well at the end of the day, you know, in america, we're about democracy. and we applaud that process. and we wouldn't want that process to change at all. but when someone goes into a voting booth and votes to take away the rights of a minority, that can't happenth and that's why the courts are there. that's why we have a constitution. that's why judge walker did what he did yesterday. is because at the end of the day, we can't allow the majority to vote on the rights of the minority. >> paul, prop 8 people feel very strongly. >> and we appreciate people that have convictions. i mean this isn't, we're not trying to take something away from anyone. jeff and i aren't trying to change the world. what we're trying to do is reiterate what our government has already told us, that this right is a fundamental right for every single american. and during that fair debate, you know, we were described as less american. as we needed, that we needed to be prohited from having the same rights as other people, simply because we were gay. and being gay doesn't make us less american. it doesn't make us less patriotic. and it doesn't make us less than in the eyes of our government. our government is there to protect us, and it should protect those rights that are innately ours, based on the constitution. those marriage rights are our fundamental rights and that's what we're fighting for. >> jeff and paul, it's nice to hear from both sides, yours included. gentlemen, thank you and good luck to you. >> thank you, brooke. thanks for having us. let's go back to the breaking story, we're watching this unfold out of missouri. unbelievable pictures here. again, some sort of accident happening on i-44 in gray summit, missouri. quite a rescue personnel, fire presence here on this interstate. here's what we know. and i got to be honest, it's not a lot. two school buses involved. and a tractor-trailer involved in this accident. sometime this morning, we're hearing from our affiliate, kmov, that about 50 people were involved in this accident, were they children? were they adults? where were they headed? what sorts of injuries? we're working on it and making phone calls, as soon as we get that information we'll pass it along. happening in gray summit, missouri. clearly the incident and the rescue process under way. stay with us, you're in the cnn news room. ♪ [ woman ] when i grow up, i want to take him on his first flight. i want to run a marathon. i'm going to work with kids. i'm going to own my own restaurant. when i grow up, i'm going to start a band. 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[ female announcer ] together we can discover the best of what's next at aarp.org. my doctor told me, as we age... together we can discover it's harder to build bone density with calcium and vitamin d alone. he recommends citracal plus bone density builder... the only calcium supplement with genistein found in nature in soy and proven to significantly build bone density. citracal. got to tell you, i just got a new piece of information a second ago on the horrific school bus crash in missouri. i was telling you 50 people were involved. cnn has confirmed that two people have died in this accident. and we're trying to glean more information. as we do so, i want to talk to jordan durand, with the missouri department of transportation, a spokesperson on the phone to hopefully answer more questions. let's start simply, what happened. >> well we're trying to find that out as well. we're not sure exactly who started it or what transpired. but as we, as you just pointed out, two confirmed fatalities, no word on how many injuries there have been. the wreck happened we're told between 10:15 and 10:30. it happened at mile marker 250 on interstate 44. heading eastbound. sometime between 10:15 and 10:30. we have closed i-44, heading eastbound. starting at mile marker 247. so three miles about where the accident took place. so i-44 is closed. at 247 and it will be closed for about four to five miles. we do not know how long i-44 eastbound will be closed. when you, when you involve two school buses, a tractor-trailer and a vehicle, i don't think it's going to be a short time, it's going to take, to clear this away. >> jordan i'm afraid of the answer you may give me, but i have to ask it were the school buses full of children? >> we're trying to find it out as well. it's a situation where when you first hear about it, that's what you think. oh, god, how many people were on the bus. and so we're still trying to track that down as well. the investigation for the most part has been turned over to the missouri highway patrol. so really starting after this phone call, it's kind of out of our hands, other than just to ma sure that the detours, getting people off i-44, is being done and we're going to assist the highway patrol in any which way we can. but unfortunately, this has happened and hopefully, no other horrible news comes out of this. >> jorma, let me bring in one of our meteorologists, ted myers, who has just joined me, watching the scene the last couple of minutes. >> mr. durand, there is an suv between the top bus and the tractor-trailer of that tractor-trailer. there is a vehicle that you can't even see. on, i've been watching the video offline here in the satellite feeds area. and the top of the school bus is here up kind of at a ramp and then you see the tractor-trailer here, but in between is literally, a mangled suv. what do you know -- >> let's take a look, take a look. >> it's silver and -- can we pull down the breaking news banner? we can't control the photographer and the helicopter. >> do we know where the fatalities came from yet? >> we, unfortunately, do not. most times when something like this happens. people don't have time who are on the scene, to give us the details. i have to believe that of that mangled mess, it's not good news. not only obviously for the two people who were pronounced dead, but again when you see a wreck like that, you have to believe there are injuries involved. we're hoping that the injuries don't become fatalities later on as the day continues on. it's a horrible situation, it really is. >> we have this picture, this unbelievable picture of two school buses, the rig and as chad astutely pointed out, this mangled suv crunched in between the school bus and the rig. do we know, jorma, were they all traveling in the same direction? >> well, as of right now i've been told they were all traveling eastbound on i-44. i have not been told of any vehicle that crossed the median. so as of right now, yes, these vehicles were heading in the same direction. we just simply don't know right now what transpired to cause this mangled mess. >> what hospital are they going to right now? >> great question. and i do not know that answer. i am in the jefferson city area. so i'm not directly tied into that area to know what hospital is the closest. >> haven't seen lifeflight there yet. do you know if they've been called? >> i do not know if they've been called. >> what about, i saw in other pictures, it's almost like a tour bus, a larger bus out there as well. do we know what role that bus is playing? >> not sure. i just know that two school buses, a tractor-trailer and that suv that you pointed out were the, the four vehicles that were directly involved in this. i'm not sure if maybe that bus that you just brought up, it looks now like it was a tractor-trailer. it now looks like a bus, i do know that two school buses, a tractor-trailer and a vehicle. >> just checking email. we have an suv, a tractor-trailer and two st. james school district buses. two st. james school district buses involved. just to reiterate, we're confirming two people have died. we do not know which vehicle those two individuals were in. but jorma, i want to get more information. is there anything else i'm missing? >> you guys have got all the information i know of. in fact you're getting actually information faster than i am right now. so -- i think everything that i know, you know. >> we've got a lot of good people at cnn, i can tell you that. jorma, thank you for calling in. get some more information, call me back. we've got to take a quick break. we'll be right back. then you're ready for new zegerid otc. zegerid otc is the first 24-hour treatment ever with two active ingredients: prescription-strength medicine plus a protective ingredient that shields the medicine from stomach acid so it's effectively absorbed. just one zegerid otc capsule a day can relieve your heartburn all day and all night. if you have frequent heartburn, try dual-ingredient zegerid otc. heartburn solved. ♪ [ male announcer ] it's a universal gesture... ♪ a way of telling the world "you did it!"... without saying a word. introducing the mercedes-benz sls...amg. [ engine revs ] ♪ the best or nothing... that is what drives us. the best or nothing... of some of the annoying symptoms menopause brings. go introducing one a day menopause formula. the only complete multivitamin with soy isoflavones to help address hot flashes and mild mood changes. new one a day menopause formula. into revolutionary performance. one word makes the difference between defining the mission and accomplishing the mission. one word makes the difference in defending our nation and the cause of freedom. how... is the word that makes all the difference. i want it take you back to the missouri story. we here at cnn making a lot of phone calls, trying to dig deeper on ha caused this horrific crash. two school buses, one tractor-trailer and as chad myers pointed out, there's actually an suv wedged between the school bus and a tractor-trailer, that you can see when the camera shot is zoomed in. 50 people, as many as 50 people involved according to our affiliate and authorities, two confirmed dead. want to talk to our cnn medical producer, matt sloan on the phone with me. matt, i hear you have information as far as medical triage is going, what do you know? >> caller: we don't know anything specific about this site at the moment. but i can tell you what normally happens on scenes like this is that the fire department is usually in charge of the scene. they'll get inside the buses and inside the tractor-trailer and the first thing they'll do is ask if anybody can get up, get up and walk out. so you can pretty much guarantee that those people are doing okay. you get them to an area where you can look at them later. the next group of people you're going to want to look at are the ones that have a little difficulty breathing, but are still conscious, you'll want to get them stabilized and out as quickly as you can. and then there are people left that may be deceased, you want get the most seriously out as quick as you can. but the ones that aren't injured, go et them out of the way so you can deal with the most injured people that you can save. brooke? >> so perhaps in the time that has passed, they have removed the people who were able to get up and walk out and they have removed the people that they've stabilized, we don't know. but i'm telling you i saw some sort of other bus, perhaps that's some sort of vehicle they were able to use to get folks out of the way. but i've seen in some of the pictures you don't see right now, some people, matt, in stretchers there, in the middle of the interstate. obviously getting some sort of medical attention. >> sure, yeah. most likely what happens is they bring in the tour bus or bring in another school bus to get the people that aren't that injured, get them as far away from the scene as you can, and get them to treatment facilities. the people that you're seeing on stretchers, they'll want to get them into ambulances or helicopters, they're probably the more injured folks and get them to local hospitals as quickly as they can. >> what else can you tell me about a scene like this? we know it's a massive amount of people. we're talking as many as 50, possibly children. that's the question that i'm sure everyone sitting at home, including myself. wants the answer to. are these children in the school buss? 50 people, two dead, it's an awful situation. >> absolutely. one of the things you have to think about with school buss in particular, is most of them don't have seat belts, so that's kind of a scary prospect. a scene like this is going to be difficult, like i said, the fire department is often in charge. and you know, they'll be trying to get the people out as quickly as they can. one thing they have to think about is how dangerous the scene is for their own safety. stabilizing those buses that are not going to roll over while the responders are in there. or there's no gas leak. you see the white foam all over the ground, probably to stabilize fluids that might be leaking from the buses themselves. >> some kind of retardant, matt sloan, thank you for calling me in and helping me out. helping all of us understand what kind of immediate cal triage may be going on. again this happening right around 10:15, 10:30 local time. gray summit, missouri. you're looking at i-44 eastbound. the lane on the right side of the screen. obviously nobody's moving as they are tending to this two school bus, one suv, one tractor-trailer accident, as many as 50 people involved, two confirmed dead. we're getting more information. we want to share it with you, when we come back. would you like that to hurt now, or later? uh, what? sir, it's a simple question, do you want heartburn pain now or later? 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[ male announcer ] no you don't, man. pepcid® complete works now and works later. all right. i've just been handed new information regarding this bus accident in gray summit, missouri. we have some information as far as hospitals go. if you know anyone who may have been on a st. james school district bus this morning, here's a head's up this morning, st. john mercy medical center confirming the following, four patients have been taken to st. john's hospital in washington. five patients taken to st. john's hospital in st. louis. again, two school buses, an suv and a tractor-trailer involved in this accident. i-44 eastbound, gray summit, missouri. as many as 50 people injured. two confirmed deaths, and again the two school buses from st. james school district. also, some top stories for you now, including chilling words from the scene of a tragedy. the 911 tapes are out now from tuesday's workplace shooting in manchester, connecticut, that left nine people dead, including the gunman. listen. >> caller: we need the cops. omar thornton is shooting people. i just got shot. >> i need to know what his name is. >> caller: his name is omar thornton, get the cops here right away, please. >> okay, how many people got shot? >> i don't know. >> you don't know. and you're shot where? >> in my head. >> you're shot in the head? >> yeah. >> what's your name? >> my name is steve hollander. >> and where are you in the building? >> i'm hiding in the office. and also, today, elena kagan could be days away from taking a seat on the u.s. supreme court. the senate expected to confirm her today, she could be sworn in by week's end. and how would you like to be with her? first lady michelle obama and daughter sasha break from the spotlight. they're in spain, on vacation at this luxury hotel on the mediterranean coast. joining them, a group of long-time family friends. more top stories here in the cnn news room in 20 minutes. even more information out of gray summit, missouri. an accident on i-44 eastbound. we now know who was inside the school buses. here's what i'm getting from k plmpb ov, our affiliate out of missouri, the buses were full of eighth grade band students headed to six flags. eighth grade students, 50 people involved, as many as 50 injured. two confirmed fatalities. i want to go over to ines ferre who i know has been trying to sort through some of the affiliate websites and glean some information. hopefully what are some tweets, maybe some information on this horrific, horrific scene. >> some people leaving some comments on the affiliate website, kmov. one saying my prayers are going out for all the children and their families and also the bus driver, semi driver and the person or persons in the car, may got put his hands on everyone involved. god be with the medical help on and off the scene who will be treating these children. some people leaving comments on kmov's website on this. brooke? >> and all right. ines thank you for that note. to reiterate if you're tuning in, looking at the pictures, your heart almost skip as beat. you can see the school bus, almost on top of the rig. and in between, there is a crumpled suv. silver suv there in the left side of your screen. this happened according to a guy from the d.o.t. i talked to on the phone, between 10:15 and 10:30 this morning, mime marker 250, i-44 eastbound. all four of the vehicles traveling in the same direction. we were getting some information on area hospitals, let me get that for you again. four patients taken to st. john's hospital in washington, missouri and five patients taken to st. john's hospital in st. louis. the school bus full of eighth grade band students on their way to six flags. making calls, getting more information. a busy news day for us on this thursday. bp manufacturing ahead in the next step of shutting down its blown-out well. the oil giant began pumping cement down into the well after they pumped all the mud to permanently seal the week. the relief well could get under way in another week or so, they're hoping. the attorney who spearheaded an international campaign to save an iranian woman from being stoned to death now seeking asylum in turkey. iran's high court will decide within a week if she will be executed. and with the missouri bus crash story, two people are confirmed dead. dozens injured. after two school buses and a tractor-trailer collided on that missouri interstate this morning. we're talking i-44 eastbound. there's also an suv in between the school bus and the rig. we just got this piece of information. buses full of eighth grade students from st. james, missouri, band students headed to six flags. our affiliate in missouri said it happened about 10:15 local time.

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