u.s. officials say there are indications he was on the scene at time. asiri is suspected of making the underwear bomb that was worn by a nigerian man that was worn on a flight to detroit on christmas day 2009. he is also behind the failed plot to put bombs disguised as printer cartridges on planes last july. samir kahn was considered "" he used to live in charlotte, north carolina at one point. molly graham spoke with people who knew him and asked how she was able to track down kahn last november but the federal government could not. >> we started off by ringing the door bell of samir kahn's parents house. no answer. so we talked with jabrile huff, the spokesman of the family. >> you can imagine if it was your child, a number of emotions, embarrassed. frustrated. >> reporter: he said the ideology that samir wrote about was wrong. he said samir was dangerous but he wouldn't take the next step. was samir a terrorist? >> that's a good question. he definitely was a terrorist supporter. >> reporter: but you wouldn't say he was a terrorist? >> did he actually commit an act of terror? you know, i don't think it's ever been proven that he has. >> reporter: would propaganda, would the words he used against people online, would that not be considered an act of terror? >> i don't know, because he was doing the same thing while he was here. >> reporter: so he was backyard terrorist here? >> if he was that while he was here, i would say he should have been arrested and tried for that. >> reporter: the federal government might agree with him on that one. at one point kahn was listed as the number two guy in al qaeda when it came to propaganda. last year a u.s. representative couldn't believe we could track him down yet they couldn't. if he is the number two guy, how did federal intelligence let him get away? move from charlotte, hop a plane go to yemen when i can find him in a parking lot. >> i know. it's crazy. those are the things i'm asking now. those are the same questions i'm asking now. >> reporter: jabrile said he tried to council samir several years ago, as did other muslim americans, including his father. it didn't work. there are americans who say this is a huge day to rejoice, because he was a terrorist, he was taken out along with al awlaki. >> yes, but i'm not one who rejoices in the loss of a human life, regardless if they had it coming or not. >> molly graham having some great questions there. thanks to her. she is from wbtv in charlotte, north carolina. drone attacks have been a game changer in the war on terrorism. cnn international correspondent nick robertson filed this story two years ago about how a drone or uav can deliver a kill shot even though the person pulling the trigger is thousands of miles away. take a look. ♪ >> reporter: watch these two men in iraq. they have no idea they're being hunted by a deadly uav. it is following their every move, even recording them fire their weapons. they have no idea their insurgent activities have been spotted and have no idea that the uav operator thousands of mileses away is about to fire a missile at them. it's what makes uavs or drones a must have for the u.s. military. >> the real advantage of unmanned aerial systems is they allow you to project power without projecting vulnerability. >> reporter: this is an air force base where drone pilots remotely fly missions over iraq and afghanistan. these pilots saw a surge in mission requests from frontline commanders after weapons were first installed on drones. >> when we put hellfire missiles on the predator, now you have these airplanes that are capable not only of providing the pictures, the full motion video that you need, but now also capable of taking out targets where there may not be other assets available. >> an estimated 40 or more countries including china, russia and pakistan are also developing drones. even hezbollah, the lebanese-based party and paramilitary group, has used them against israel. no one feels the urgency of staying ahead of the competition more than the personnel at this air force base. >> right now we're hanging on to everybody in the system. we mobilized the international guard. mobilized reservists. if you are assigned here, we don't allow you to move out. >> already commanders are considering ways to cut out pilots altogether. >> we are looking at a future where we can program unmanned vehicles to operate autonomously. >> with weapons. >> with weapons or without weapons. >> reporter: unimaginable a few years ago. new weapons appear to work with less and less human input. >> there's nothing that is a te technologic barrier to using armed autonomous systems. we think about it as a never ever thing. yet it's not the technology that's holding us back. it's trying to figure out the applications of it. >> unmanned technology is here to stay. wars will never be the same again. if ever there is a moment to borrow a line from a science fiction movie, now is it. mankind is boldly and irreversibly going where man has never been before. towards an uncharted era of warfare. nic robertson, cnn, nevada. now, killing al awlaki and kahn, american citizens, has sticky ramifications for the white house, but the death of al asiri could be a success. he is a top bombmaker for al qaeda in the arrayian peninsula i want to bring in athena jones standing live for us in washington. we want to talk about who is al asiri and what would his death mean for al qaeda as a whole. what does it mean? >> as you mentioned, this would be a big success for the u.s. if he is, in fact, dead. we spoke with usa official earlier today who said by all indication -- there are indications that he was on the scene. but they just don't know yet whether he was, in fact, killed. that backs up some other thing we have been hearing from a yemeni official who said the operatives killed in that attack have not been identified. if he was killed it's important because of his technical capabilities. he was said to be the top bombmaker for al qaeda in the arabian peninsula, so his loss would be a blow. he was behind the thwarted christmas day bombing when the underwear bomber tried to blow up that plane headed into detroit in 2009. he was also behind a plot later on in late 2010 to put explosives on printer cartridges and put them on cargo planes headed into the u.s. if he is dead, this is a blow to them. >> athena, you bring up great points, something that we all remember. and it certainly changed the way security is at airports. are we hearing anything about the white house and are they reacting to the drone attacks that reportedly took these men out, if, in fact, they did. >> certainly we know that anwar al awlaki was killed. the president spoke about that yesterday. he said the death of al awlaki is a major blow to al qaeda's most active operational affiliate. aqap was behind these big attempts we have heard of lately. so killing al awlaki is a big blow to them. he said it marks another significant milestone in the broader effort to defeat al qaeda and it's affiliates. so we have that larger reaction. we have not had a reaction about people like al asiri because we are still trying to -- they're looking into what happened regarding him. >> switching gears a bit, let's talk about president obama, what he's doing tonight. the president has said right now, as of now, he supports civil unions, but not same-sex marriage. tonight he is addressing thousands on that topic. >> well, that's right. he will go to a dinner, the human rights campaign. their 15th international dinner. nearly 3,000 people will be there. we expect it to be a good reception for him. the human rights campaign endorsed his re-election a couple months ago. they don't expect to hear him make any news on the marriage topic. we heard from the president that he is evolving on that topic. i wouldn't expect big announcements today. you probably can expect to hear the president tick through some of his accomplishments. namely the repeal of don't ask don't tell. but i expect it to be a positive reception there from a lot of supporters at the human rights campaign. there are other groups, the log cabin republicans and others who say, hey, this is basically a big rally. they want to see the president come out more firmly in support of gay marriage. >> the repeal of don't ask don't tell, i can see that getting standing ovation tonight. athena jones, thank you. cnn will bring you the president's speech tonight live around 7:30 p.m. eastern time. all right. imagine having to face a judge because you failed to predict this earthquake that killed hundreds of people. it is happening to a half dozen scientists. that story after the break. also american student amanda knox may learn this monday whether she will be free from a prison in italy. her parents have been waiting for years. it is a murder case that has drawn international attention. ♪ ♪ [ dog barks ] [ birds chirping ] ♪ [ mechanical breathing ] [ engine turns over ] ♪ [ male announcer ] the all-new volkswagen passat. a new force in the midsize category. ♪ ask me. if you think even the best bed can only lie there... ask me what it's like... when my tempur-pedic moves... ...talk to someone who owns an adjustable version of the most highly recommended bed in america... ask me about my tempur advanced ergo. ask me about having all the right moves. these are real tempur-advanced ergo owners! find one for yourself. check out twitter. try your friends on facebook... see what they have to say...unedited. it goes up... ask me what it's like to get a massage ---any time you want. ...it goes down... ergo...nomics... ergo...nomics... tempur-pedic brand owners are more satisfied than owners of any traditional mattress brand. (in chinese) ask me why i never want to leave my ergo. ask me why i'm glad i didn't wait 'till i was too old to enjoy this. start asking real owners. ask me how to make your first move... find out more about the tempur advanced ergo system! call the number on your screen for your free dvd and information kit. to find an authorized dealer near you, visit tempurpedic.com. tempur-pedic. the most highly recommended bed in america. welcome back. checking headlines from around the world. amanda knox could learn her fate as soon as monday in a murder case that's drawn international attention. you may remember her. the american student, she is appealing her murder conviction in italy. there she is. she was found guilty two years ago of killing her roommate brutally, meredith kercher and sentenced to 26 years in prison. her lawyers say she's innocent. prosecutors say amanda knox and a former boyfriend are killers and their conviction should stand. her mom, amanda's mom said she has hope but is not celebrating yet. the trial of seven people accused of manslaughter in italy in connection with the 2009 earthquake has been delayed to the middle of the month. the defendants were members of a government panel that met on march 31, 2009 to address concerns about recent seismic activity. they are accused of giving "a rough generic and ineffective assessment of seismic risk." one week later a quake struck that killed 300 people. now they're paying for it a city near the epicenter is asking for $68 million in damages. thousands of civilians are fleeing the fierce battles near sirte, libya. groups are trying to deliver desperately-needed supplies to the city without luck. a red cross boat had to turn away from sirte because of the violence. some 5,000 fighters loyal to moammar gadhafi are thought to still be in the city. sirte is gadhafi's hometown and one of the last places held by his supporters. all right. we are switching gears. imagine this -- a marriage with an expiration date. almost like leasing a car. a bill in mexico city would allow engaged couples to decide how long their marriage will last. more traditional couples can choose until death do us part for their contract. those who don't want to be tied down can pick as few as two years. the bill is designed to solve the problem of painful and costly divorces by letting marriages end easily. the catholic church, as you can imagine, are not for it. they call it absurd. next a tear jerker to put it mildly at a texas rangers baseball game. we'll explain after the game. but first -- in a recent international test, 15-year-olds in the u.s. ranked 25th in math and 17th in science out of 34 wealthy nations. not so good. china had the top scores, but south korea, japan and finland were among others topping the u.s. sesame street has made a goal of getting kids learning about these topics called s.t.e.m. christine romans met with up with of the show's stars and producers to find out what it's all about, including elmo. >> elmo what does s.t.e.m.? >> that's hard. what does s.t.e.m.? >> well, remember, it's science, technology, engineering and the m is the easy one -- >> math. >> there you go. >> do you like that. >> elmo likes math. elmo likes to count. >> can you count for any. >> one, two, three, four, five -- >> is it fun? >> yes. you can use it when you're cooking. if you're going to use two eggs or three eggs, stuff like that. >> why is it important to get kids excited about s.t.e.m., science, technology, engineering and math? why is "sesame street" trying to make this part of the series this year? >> as a nation, we realize we're falling behind others. it's always been sesame street's tradition to give kids a head start, leg up. when you boil down the curriculum, it's perfect for preschoolers because it's about asking questions and investigating and experimenting. >> experimenting. >> right. that's how you learn. >> experimenting. >> it's a big word, elmo. >> you've learned words like i'm told you learned about amphibian and balance? >> and ingredient and liquid. yeah. >> why are you learning these words? >> because they are really cool words. it's really fun to learn what they mean. >> you also learned engineer. what's an engineer? >> when you build something. you're an engineer. >> so it's creating. >> creating. >> not necessarily static numbers, math and tables, but something you're trying to show kids is part of learning and part of life. >> it is. it's very physical. s.t.e.m. is fun. it's physical fun. it's about testing out things. any questions kids have we encourage parents not to answer the questions that kids have did, but explore the answers with their kids together. who does not love elmo? this generation of preschoolers may thank elmo and his friends in adulthood. demand for s.t.e.m. jobs is expected to grow by 70% by 2018. for more information about s.t.e.m. and other high-growth sectors, check out christine's new book "smart is the new rich." americans are always ready to work hard for a better future. since ameriprise financial was founded back in 1894, they've been committed to putting clients first. helping generations through tough times. good times. never taking a bailout. there when you need them. helping millions of americans over the centuries. the strength of a global financial leader. the heart of a one-to-one relationship. together for your future. ♪ [ gnome ] awwwwwwww. i just feel bloody awful. she told tiffany, stephanie, jenny and becky that she was coming to a place like this! but somebody didn't book with travelocity, with 24/7 customer support to help move them to the pool daddy promised! look at me, i'm swimming! ♪ [ gnome ] somebody, get her a pony! 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[♪...] >> male announcer: now, for a limited time, your companion flies free, plus save up to 65%. call 1-800-sandals. conditions apply. welcome back. there were a lot of tears at the texas rangers baseball game. it was not because of the score. it is so sad. the tears were at the start of friday's playoff game when the 6-year-old son of rangers fan shannon stone threw out the first pitch. take a listen. >> ladies and gentlemen, throwing out the ceremonial first pitch for game one of the -- >> it was the first time cooper stone had been back to the rangers ballpark since his dad fell out of the stands trying to catch a ball for his son. that is cooper stone. look at the hugs. that was his dad. the 20-foot drop killed the firefighter. you have to wonder is this the right time for the boy to return to the place where he lost so much? he lost his dad. joining me now is dr. wendy walsh, human behavior expert, co-host on "the doctors" now and a prend to mfriend to me. his dad died in july. what i would think, not being an expert as you are, that maybe this will bring closure to cooper in terms of losing some of the guilt that it wasn't this little boy's fault. what do you think? >> you know, as traumatic as it might be to throw out that pitch and go to the stadium again, the time to do it is when he's young, before he's developed years of fears or anxiety or a kind of post traumatic stress disorder around stadiums, groups of people. i'm sure his family has worked closely with therapists to help him through the grieving process and this is a final stage of desensitizization. traumatic, yes, but the time to do it is now, not when he's 35. >> i can't imagine the guilt from the baseball player who threw up the pitch to the dad. this is a tragic accident. there it is. look at that hug. brings tears to my eyes. it's so sad. i think you're right. it's a good time now before he gets too old, the little boy. >> exactly. prevent him from developing fears around stadiums, around groups of people. around cheering crowds, all those things that could be debilitating to him later on. >> from great behavior to rude behavior. i think all of us have seen bad customer service out there. some of us put is on youtube. one-third of people experience rude behavior. let's look at this. >> how do you figure? aren't you supposed to try them on so you get the right side? >> one of each color? >> yeah. >> have you shop lifted before? >> i'm asking the question. >> this one's got a little bit of sass. is this how you treat all your customers? >> just you, buddy. >> wendy, i know everyone has a bad day. it's true. we should try not to take it out on other people. should you say something on the spot if you're in a store? should you hold it in and leave the store? what do you think? >> no, you absolutely should say something, because at the corporate level, companies need to know why certain stores are losing money and not being productive. sometimes it's because there are these toxic employees. we've been a casual culture any way. you know, casual attire, in casual language. i think the only place where you get first class service now is those five-class hotel industries that even teach them my language. my pleasure, right this way. may i help you. we have to get back to that if we're hoping to get the business we want. >> the ritz carlton hotel, i believe, even has a whole schooling on how to treat people. even in a dental office they can be rude to you and people won't go back because of it. a good friend of mine said i'm not going back there. they're mean to me. >> you have to vote with your checkbook. >> exactly. vote with your checkbook. we will talk about this. it's baffling. a new phone app called is my son gay. 20 questions get you to answer questions like does he like football? does he take a long time do his hair? does he like musical comedies? the french developer says it's meant to be funny. it's not funny. those are my words what is your take on this one, wendy? >> we have to remember that all comedy is tragedy viewed from across the street. it depends on how wide that street is for you to find the humor in it. the problem with this is this subject matter is highly sensitive here in america, especially