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Norway Mourns Attack Victims; Amy Winehouse Dead at 27; Rush for Debt Deal; Gay Couples Tie the Knot in New York; Smartphone Games for the Summer; Debt Talks Intensify; Palin and Perry Not on the Iowa Straw Poll; Bachmann Ready to Campaign for Republicans; Amanda Knox's Appeal; Margaret Cho on Same-Sex Marriage

Aired July 24, 2011 - 14:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: You're in the CNN NEWSROOM this Sunday, July 24th. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

We begin this hour in Norway, from the king and queen to parents and private citizens, Norway mourned today. At least 93 people died in Friday's attacks in downtown Oslo and at a nearby youth camp. King Harald V and Queen Sonja wept openly at a memorial service at the Oslo Cathedral.

Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg called the attacks, quote, "a national tragedy." The leader of Norway's Lutheran Church argued against giving into fear.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HELGA HAUGLAND BYFUGLIEN, HEAD OF LUTHERAN CHURCH OF NORWAY (through translator): Our future is still ours. We will not resign. Then the evil forces will win. But, immediately, we feel the fear that other - other people feel daily.

Do not let the hearts be gripped by fear. These words may seem a little distant.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Police say the suspect claims to have acted alone. Media reports have identified him as a 32-year-old Norwegian. A live report from Norway is coming up in just a few minutes.

Celebrations in New York as gay couples legally tie the knot for the first time. Kitty Lambert and Cheryl Lee (ph) Rudd got married just after midnight at Niagara Falls. They are the first couple in the state to legally wed.

New York legalized same-sex marriage last month, and today is the first day ceremonies can take place.

And in Washington, cutting a deal on the debt is the focus. House Speaker John Boehner has scheduled a conference call with all Republican House members at 4:30 Eastern time today. He and other Congressional leaders are trying to come up with a plan to raise the debt ceiling before Asia's financial market open at 8:00 tonight. We'll have a live report from Capitol Hill straight ahead.

And six people are dead and four others hurt after a shooting at a family birthday party near Dallas. It happened last night at a skating rink rented for the occasion. One of the fatalities is the shooter who apparently killed himself after shooting dead five other people.

Police say it looks like a fight between a husband and wife escalated until the husband started shooting.

In New York City today, hundreds of same-sex couples lined up outside city offices to be among the first to wed under the state's new gay marriage law. The law went into effect today.

CNN national correspondent Susan Candiotti is outside the City Clerk's Office in Manhattan where ceremonies have been taking place all morning long.

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Fred.

We're seeing a lot of people with bouquets, some women are in wedding gowns, some men are in tuxedoes as they continue to line up - as you can see over my shoulder - line up outside the City Clerk's Office because they wanted to be part of this historic first day for same-sex marriage in New York.

New York becomes the very first state where same - the sixth state where same-sex marriage is legal. And one city official said she is so excited about watching the ceremonies inside that it sent chills up her spine.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CANDIOTTI (voice-over): They're the first male couple to say "I do" as cameras rolled at the City Clerk's Office.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Till death do us part.

MARCOS CHALJUB, MARRIED SAME-SEX PARTNER: When I heard those last words, "And till death do us part," that's it. I just started to cry and I couldn't stop it at that point.

CANDIOTTI: Freddy Zambrano and Marcos Chaljub exchanged vows in front of a handful of witnesses. They met online, fell in love at first sight, and have been fighting for same-sex marriage ever since.

FREDDY ZAMBRANO, MARRIED SAME-SEX PARTNER: It's the moment we all - we've been waiting for for years, so -

CHALJUB: A dream come true for us. A dream come true to say this is my husband now, Freddy, as opposed to my boyfriend or my partner.

CANDIOTTI: Becoming among the first same-sex couples to marry in New York, the significance hasn't escaped them or what they hope to proudly tell their children one day. CHALJUB: I guess we'll be telling them, when we were young, you know, there was no such thing as us being able to say get married, and we were part of that day. We were part of, like, the people who were there when it did happen, in New York at least.

CANDIOTTI: They plan on saving the e-mail that told them they won a city hall lottery, allowing them to marry this morning.

CHALJUB: And as soon as I read this line, "Congratulations from the Queens - "

CANDIOTTI (on camera): Did you scream?

CHALJUB: I - did I scream? I'm amazed you guys didn't hear me on the other end of the city.

CANDIOTTI (voice-over): Freddy works for an insurance company, Marcos a law firm. Together, they supported the same-sex marriage movement.

ZAMBRANO: And I have certain people in my life that they're not totally OK with it, but they accept it. And just the fact that they respect us because of that, it's really the most that I can ask for.

CANDIOTTI: They've already been wearing their rings for five years.

CHALJUB: We're just going to polish them up and exchange them again, since we weren't able to do so.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: With this ring -

ZAMBRANO: With this ring.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: -- I thee wed.

ZAMBRANO: -- I thee wed.

CANDIOTTI: But now they have something they did not have before - a wedding certificate with the words -

CHALJUB: We're married.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CANDIOTTI: And, in fact, business experts are suggesting that all of these new weddings that will now start taking place could bring in almost $400 million a year in added revenue to New York in weddings and in tourism - Fred.

WHITFIELD: So, Susan, were most of the people who got married today, were they all New York residents, or did people come from out of state?

CANDIOTTI: Yes, we - in fact, we ran into couples from Mississippi, as just one example. And, talk about different ages, there's a couple here, the very first couple to be married, the woman is 84 and her spouse is 76 years old. We saw them walk out of the building. Let's see - Connie Koplove (ph). She was in a wheelchair - no, she was wheeling her up. No, she was in the wheelchair. That's right. And Phyllis Siegal. Phyllis in a wheelchair, even wearing a neck brace. And the couple said they've been together for 23 years, and are hoping for 23 more.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PHYLLIS SIEGAL, MARRIED TODAY IN NEW YORK CITY: It was just so amazing. It's - it's the only way I can describe it. I - I lost my breath, and a few tears, and it's - it's indescribable.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CANDIOTTI: And, as they put it, now they have a real life paper to hold up, a wedding certificate. And as they - one wheeled the other away, Phyllis waved - held up her hand in a fist and waved everyone to celebrate and show how excited she was. It was something to see, Fred.

WHITFIELD: Oh, what a sweet moment.

All right, thanks so much, Susan Candiotti. Appreciate that.

And we're actually trying to reach that couple to talk with them live. And, of course, stay posted to see if that happens, 4:00 Eastern time.

All right, while same-sex marriage in New York is now legal, the debate over the issue goes on. At the half hour, we'll hear from Republican State Senator Jim Alesi, who was against same-sex marriage in New York two years ago but then voted for the measure just last month.

And we'll also hear from Reverend Jason McGuire, an opponent of same- sex marriage.

And now on to Washington, the drama over the debt is intensifying as law makers race against the clock to come up with a deal to raise the debt ceiling. House Speaker John Boehner is holding a conference call with House Republicans in a little over two hours from now.

Let's turn now to our Congressional correspondent Kate Bolduan, who is live on Capitol Hill.

So, Kate, Speaker Boehner has been holding negotiations with lawmakers really all weekend long after walking away from talks with the president on Friday. How will this be different? What's at the root of these negotiations?

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, the talks are continuing here on Capitol Hill. Right now, we're hearing really mainly probably at this very moment on the staff level. But negotiations, they really seem to be continuing as they all have an eye on the clock. And really, there's a sense of kind of building anticipation as we're all watching the deadline tick closer and closer. And, as we've heard from both Republican and Democratic Congressional sources of the leaders that were at the table and in the room yesterday evening as we were covering the meeting of Congressional leaders, said that they would like to be reaching an agreement before Asian markets open this evening.

Speaker Boehner and House Republican leaders on a conference call yesterday with House members - well, I guess I should first say Speaker Boehner's holding another conference call, as you alluded to, Fredricka, at 4:30 this afternoon to update members on where things stand.

Yesterday, during the conference call, House Speaker John Boehner said that he's pushing for a plan of some $3 trillion to $4 trillion in cuts that would allow the debt ceiling to be raised in two parts, a two part process. But, I'll tell you, Democratic leaders as well as the White House continue to oppose that, and Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner came out again this morning on CNN's "STATE OF THE UNION" to say too that any short term extension, they do not support. Listen here.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TIMOTHY GEITHNER, U.S. TREASURY SECRETARY: Well, let me tell you what we're trying to do, OK? The most important thing is that we remove this threat of default from the country for the next 18 moths. It's very important we do that. We can't leave the American economy over this cloud of -

CANDY CROWLEY, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Through the election?

GEITHNER: Yes, I would say through the election, you know, because this is a hard thing to do and you want to take this out of politics. You don't want politics messing around with America's credit.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: But House Speaker John Boehner also this morning on FOX News says that two step process, in his mind, is inevitable. And he also said the Republicans are ready to go it alone. Listen here.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. JOHN BOEHNER (R), HOUSE SPEAKER: I would prefer to have a bipartisan approach to solve this problem. If that's not possible, I and my Republican colleagues in the House are prepared to move on our own.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Today?

BOEHNER: Today.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: And again, we're watching to see how these negotiations develop throughout the day. But, as we were told Friday by officials in a briefing, House Republican officials in a briefing, they do say that Monday is really the day, tomorrow, when they need - want to get the legislative ball rolling, Fredricka, in order to beat this deadline, as the legislation needs to pass both the House and the Senate ahead of August 2nd.

So we're watching, Fredricka -

WHITFIELD: All right. Kate Bolduan, keep us posted. Thanks so much.

BOLDUAN: Of course.

WHITFIELD: All right, now back to our top story, the aftermath of Friday's bomb and shooting attacks in Norway. At least 93 people were killed, many of them teenagers.

CNN's Michael Holmes is in Norway, digging up more information. So, Michael, are we learning anything more about the suspect, the motivation, anything?

MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, well, he's going to be in - in court tomorrow, actually. It'll be his first court appearance. And we're told that although he has confessed to what happened here on Friday, he's going to plead not guilty. Why? Well, it's going to give him a chance, people say, to espouse on his believes.

You know, we - those beliefs, of course, are contained in that manifesto that we've heard so much about, a - a document that appears to have been done over nine years. It's a - it's basically a rant against Muslims and their growing presence in Europe, and - and calling essentially for a European civil war to overthrow those governments that support multiculturalism and allowing more and more Muslims into European countries.

And, you know, when the police say that they haven't had a motive from this guy, a clear motive, well, that is a pretty good indication when you look at the targets. The Oslo bombing was targeting the government, which is a Labor government, and - and the kids, where they was 650 were attending a - a political camp, which is to develop their knowledges - knowledge of the political process and the like, and this is a government that supports this multiculturalism as well. So, clearly, that looks like a motive.

But he will be in court tomorrow and we're likely to hear more. He will have a chance to speak - Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: And, Michael, I understand you spoke with someone who helped rescue people from the youth camp. What more did he say?

HOLMES: Yes. One of the - one of the local heroes, if you like - you know, when - when the shootings started and word got out here in this local community, before the police even got there, phone calls were going out and - and a few local people with boats jumped into those boats, headed over to that island. They managed to save dozens of kids, get them off the island. And I did speak with one of those men. He went over there and ended up doing three trips getting kids off. And have a listen to a - a sound byte we've got now, then I'll explain one of the little side stories. Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KASPAR ILGAUD, RESCUER: I was very calm. I was very focused. I thought my objective is to do what I'm here for, and that's to try to rescue as many as possible.

At one time I realized that I might be in a kind of situation myself, but I thought that -

HOLMES: When you realized that the gunman was still out there?

ILGAUD: Yes. But I consider - I thought that, OK, we - we are here all together, and there was also other boats, many private like me, and we had some type of contact and the short messages. Are there more people this way? And I looked at the other one, he was very calm, and I thought I just have to do the things I have to do.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: And you can get a sense from that short sound byte of the size of the boat that he has. It's not a big one, Fredricka. The first trip he made, he had 14 kids in that boat. He went back two more times.

On one occasion he said he couldn't fit any more kids in. There were four still on the - that part of the shore, and he said one of the hardest things, when he had to leave them there, and he said I'll be back. And he did go back and get those kids.

And the other sort of side story, he said one girl burst into tears and said, "Are you a policeman?" He said, "No, I'm not. I'm a local resident." And she said, "Oh, that's a relief, because the man who is shooting at us and shooting my friends said he was a policeman," and we do know that, of course, he was dressed as a policeman, Fred.

WHITFIELD: Wow. And incredibly tragic.

Thanks so much, Michael Holmes, for that update.

Worldwide, fans of Amy Winehouse are mourning, and in Britain they're leaving mementos and flowers outside the singer's London home. Celebrities are also reacting to the sudden death.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VAL KILMER, ACTOR: The thing about addiction that - that I learned from playing a bunch of these guys that are addicts is that it's not wrong or bad to want to get out of the pain of mortality. That's what we're trying to do, and a lot of artists are just too sensitive for the world.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: British police aren't saying yet how the troubled singer died. We'll have a live report from London in a minute.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(AMY WINEHOUSE PERFORMING AT 2008 GRAMMYS)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Amy Winehouse performing at the Grammys back in 2008.

In London today, still no official word on what killed the troubled 27-year-old singer. Her body was found yesterday in her apartment.

Let's bring in CNN Nina Dos Santos in London. So, Nina, when will we know the cause of death?

NINA DOS SANTOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's likely, Fredricka, that we'll know the cause later on in the week, because for the moment the police, as you can see are standing guard outside Amy Winehouse's home here in North London, they're currently treating this death as unexplained. They're going to be performing the postmortem tomorrow. And that's when we'll have and start to get a clearer picture of what exactly caused this extremely talented young British artist to die at quite such a young age of just 27.

WHITFIELD: And what has the investigation revealed so far? I mean, her body was found. Who located her in the house?

DOS SANTOS: Well, we don't have confirmation of exactly who found her. It's safe to say the police were the people who found her at 4:05 P.M. local time yesterday. So it's now about 26 - 27 hours since her body was discovered in that very property behind me.

Fredricka, I should also bring you up to date with a number of tributes that have been coming out at the moment. We heard her friends and former producer, Mark Ronson, coming out with tribute saying that she was his musical soul mate and like a sister to him.

And if we pan out with the camera towards the crowds, you can see we've got hundreds of people of all age groups. Fans of Amy Winehouse who've arrived and they've been laying floral tributes to the singer. Also, cards of condolences for her and her family. As you can imagine, a number of them say "Rest in Peace." You can also hear in the background they're playing her songs. Those songs that were so famous, songs that made her the first British artist, Fredricka, to win no less than five Grammys in one single night.

WHITFIELD: All right. Nina Dos Santos, thanks so much from London and for that update.

And tune into "DR. DREW" this Monday evening. He's going to address the sudden and tragic death of Amy Winehouse and all that led up to it. That's Monday evening, 9:00 Eastern on HLN.

All right. Also looking overseas now, Somalia's famine crisis descends even deeper. The militant group that controls most of Somalia has announced it will no longer allow international food donations into the country. Claiming U.N. aid agencies are enemies of Islam. That's while an estimated 1,000 deaths per people a day arrive in Mogadishu in need of food, water, and medicine.

And then on to China now, one high speed train smashed into another one yesterday killing 35 people and injuring more than 200. Witnesses say the first train had lost power and was stopped on the tracks, and quite the tragedy unfolded.

And Cadel Evans sporting the yellow jersey there, becoming the first Australian to win the Tour de France. At 34, he is also the oldest rider to win the race since World War II.

All right. Let's check in with our Jacqui Jeras. Surely no one riding vigorously outside anywhere in the U.S. right now, because it's just too hot.

JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Do you know how nice it is in Seattle right now?

WHITFIELD: Oh, is that the only place?

JERAS: Because it's like sunny and 79 today.

WHITFIELD: OK. That tiny, little pocket in the northwest then.

JERAS: Gorgeous. What you can do, you just, you know, I would advise doing it, say, before 9:00 A.M.

WHITFIELD: Very early. Very early.

JERAS: Yes.

WHITFIELD: I saw someone running this morning with their dog, big, old German shepherd.

JERAS: Yes.

WHITFIELD: The dog was just dying and, you know -

JERAS: You got to bring water for your dog, too.

WHITFIELD: -- the guy was just stripped down, just in this like in this little briefs or something. But, anyway - it was hot. It was hot. I know. I just had to paint the picture for you.

JERAS: You really did very well.

WHITFIELD: But it was very hot and I was feeling for the dog. That's all I have to say.

JERAS: Yes. I know. You got to watch out for your pets as well. WHITFIELD: Yes.

JERAS: Because they get overheated and overexerted. And that heat unfortunately is still out there for a whole lot of people.

Now, we have seen some breaks, and that's the good news. And the number of states with advisories have gone down dramatically. But we're still seeing it at Oklahoma City the heat advisories have returned now for you. In Dallas-Fort Worth, St. Louis, excessive heat warnings. And into parts of the Mid-Atlantic States, we still have those advisories, but it's gone for you in Northern New Jersey, as well as New York City and northward. So that's the good news for some of you folks. And we'll gradually see some improvements especially by the middle of the week in same places like Washington, D.C. and Philadelphia.

So there is your current heat index. Seattle 73 degrees.

WHITFIELD: That is lovely.

JERAS: Gorgeous and sunny. Got to focus on a little bit of good.

WHITFIELD: They can bike. Go, bike on, people.

JERAS: Seventy-one Portland. Bike on in Minneapolis, 79 degrees. You guys can handle that as well.

One other problem we have going on today, Fredricka. I might want to mention there's a lot of rain. This is the first day and I can't remember how long. It's literally been weeks and weeks that we don't have an area highlighted for organized severe weather. But we are going to be seeing a lot of heavy downpours and some flash flooding. You saw the video yesterday of what happened in the Chicago area. Everything south of there right now, but we could see as much as two inches per hour with these showers and thundershowers around Indianapolis, also down towards New Orleans.

So keep that in mind if you have travel plans today, a lot of people trying to hit the beach or cool off at the pool. So if you hear that lightning or thunder - hear a thunder, I guess you don't hear lightning - and we've seen you follow those rules and get out of the water.

WHITFIELD: Get out of the water. All right. Thanks so much, Jacqui. We appreciate it. We'll see you a little bit later.

JERAS: OK.

WHITFIELD: All right. Same-sex couples in the State of New York are getting married today, and "Face to Face" with comedienne Margaret Cho about this landmark event. And as an activist, Cho has worked for years to see this day arrive. "Face to Face" with Margaret Cho next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: As we've been reporting, same-sex couples began marrying today in New York. It comes after a long battle in the legislature to legalize gay marriage.

One in the entertainment community, its loudest advocate for same-sex marriage, is comedienne and actress Margaret Cho. She and I spoke "Face to Face" just a few hours after the law passed last month. "Face to Face." Listen to why she says New York is the perfect place to usher in this era.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARGARET CHO, ACTRESS/COMEDIENNE/ACTIVIST: I've been working at it personally as an actress since 2004. Like every, day doing things and - and really working towards it. So I feel like these events, really, there's this connection there that - that can't be denied and that's really powerful.

WHITFIELD: And why do you suppose this happened in New York?

CHO: I think it's time. I think it's time that people realize - like people realize now, I think conservatives realize that they cannot legislate morality and - and they cannot continue to discriminate against a group of people in order to kind of fulfill their sort of political agenda. That - that discrimination can no longer be part of your political agenda. I think this is what conservatives now are getting, and that's why things are changing.

WHITFIELD: And do you suppose that with gay marriage, with same-sex marriage being allowed in New York, being the sixth state now, that this is going to be much more impactful than the previous five and the District of Columbia's acceptance of same-sex marriage have ever been?

CHO: Yes.

WHITFIELD: In what way?

CHO: I mean, I feel like New York is - New York culturally, politically, it's really - it's really something that affects the rest of the world, not just the rest of the country. But this - it's a major - it's a major win culturally for the gay community, because New York in so many people's minds is the capital of the world. In my mind, it really is. And so that's - that's going to change everything, I think.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: "Face to Face" with Margaret Cho. She and I also talked about her own sexual identity which she jokingly calls heterophobia. She explains to me how she balances her bisexual lifestyle in what she describes as an open marriage sort of.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: For a very long time, you've been an advocate of gay rights, of women's rights and you just mentioned, you know, being a member of the gay community. However, at the same time you are married to a heterosexual man.

CHO: Yes, but I'm bisexual so that I have different aspects of my life that seem contradictory, but they're not because that's who I am.

WHITFIELD: You kind of made a funny of that in that, you know, in the past, in your tour. You know, I'm the one that I want saying that you are heterophobic, actually.

CHO: Yes. I'm kind of heterophobic. I'm kind of - I'm kind of like scared of straight people. But they're OK. You know, I have a lot of straight friends. No. It's just - it's just a funny juxtaposition, because in my world everything is gay. Everything is queer and so to move outside of that is just sort of a strange experience.

WHITFIELD: How do you help people kind of understand then the dynamic of, you know, you being bisexual living with a man who's heterosexual and how you make plans going forward? So essentially -

CHO: He's the best.

WHITFIELD: -- is it like an open marriage?

CHO: Well, yes. Yes -

WHITFIELD: You see other people?

CHO: Yes, yes. Yes.

WHITFIELD: Does he?

CHO: Yes, yes. But we don't really live together either, so - It's really -

WHITFIELD: So, now I'm confused. So, I mean, it's not a, I guess committed relationship. I guess people think marriage -

CHO: It is committed. I mean, we're married and we're married forever. And that's something that I'm so grateful for and so happy for. But I also know that I cannot be monogamous. I'm just slutty.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: "Face to Face" with Margaret Cho. She's so funny and so honest. She's a comedienne.

So there's much more next weekend "Face to Face" with Margaret Cho. Talking about her TV show "Drop Dead Diva," her influential family, her long list of advocacy, projects, her comedy and the obstacles that she overcame to get there. "Face to Face" with Margaret Cho next weekend.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: A look at our top stories right now.

Hundreds of Norwegians attended a service at the Oslo Cathedral today for victims of Friday's bloody twin attacks. At least 93 people died in the bombing in downtown Oslo and a mass shooting at a nearby youth camp. The suspect has been identified as a 32-year-old Norwegian. Police say he told them he acted alone.

An autopsy is set to begin tomorrow in London on Amy Winehouse. Her body was found in her apartment yesterday. Already people are jumping to the conclusion the troubled 27-year-old singer died of a drug overdose. Here's how actress Vivica Fox reacted to news of Winehouse's sudden death.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VIVICA A. FOX, ACTRESS: To kids out there, you guys please learn that drugs are not the way out. They may glamorize it and you think it's the life of a rock star. But wow, what an incredible talent to lose today with Amy Winehouse. Please, please, you guys say no to drugs. Live and be healthy and prosperous and may Amy rest in peace.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: In Washington now, debt negotiations are heating up. A conference call between House Speaker John Boehner and House Republicans is scheduled to take place two hours, maybe an hour and a half or so from now.

Lawmakers are hoping to reach a deal by 8:00 tonight. That's when the Asian markets open. But a more important deadline looms if a deal is not reached by August 2nd, the U.S. risks defaulting on its loans.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REPRESENTATIVE TOM PRICE (R), GEORGIA: Now we're up against a remarkable deadline. So what we're trying to do is make certain we can get through this deadline in a way that brings about the structural reforms not just the spending reductions, but the structural reforms that absolutely have to be put in place so we don't find ourselves in this remarkable crisis again.

MONICA CROWLEY, CNN ANCHOR: Let's say you're more or less optimistic you're going to get this debt ceiling thing done. We'll move on to another subject.

SENATOR DIANNE FEINSTEIN (D), CALIFORNIA: I am neither. This is the first time in 19 years that I feel that something that can be done simply is being held hostage for a very high stakes game.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Boehner says he favors a bipartisan deal, but he says if it's not possible, he is prepared to move forward with a GOP plan today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I now pronounce you married. You may seal your vows with a kiss.

(END VIDEO CLIP) WHITFIELD: A proud day for 76-year-old Phyllis Siegel and 84-year-old Connie Copelove. They are the first gay couples to legally tie the knot in New York City. The state legalized same sex marriage last month and today is the first day ceremonies can take place.

So while same-sex marriage is now legal in New York, it is by no means totally accepted there. The law narrowly passed the state senate last month. With us now from New York City, State Senator Jim Alesi who voted for the marriage equality act last month. Good to see you.

And on the phone with us from Buffalo, Jason McGuire, Executive Director of New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms, he opposes same- sex marriage. Good to have both of you.

Mr. McGuire, let me begin with you. The world is seeing gay and lesbian couples today marry. They're happy. There are tears of joy. Why don't you support this?

JASON MCGUIRE, NEW YORKERS FOR CONSTITUTIONAL FREEDOM: Well, children do best raised by a mom and a dad and public policy ought to reflect that. There is something unique that both a mother and a father contribute to the rearing of children that I think same-sex relationships inherently deny.

WHITFIELD: OK, but it is now legal. Does that allow you or encourage you to embrace what is legally going to be exercised?

MCGUIRE: No. I think that really what happened in New York was a pretty underhanded process that we will see some light shed on what happened in the Senate Republican conference. That people have the opportunity to vote on a issue here in New York, and then it never would have passed.

WHITFIELD: So, Mr. McGuire, would you be discouraging any churches from performing or recognizing marriages in the state of New York?

MCGUIRE: Well, the churches that I represent that I work with, they're the ones that have to make that decision. And they have made clear with me this is something they do not go along with. They will still hold to the fact they think marriage is between one man and one woman.

WHITFIELD: Would there be any effort on your organization's behalf to repeal this law?

MCGUIRE: There certainly will be. I don't think the fight has gone away by any means. I think we'll be looking at a multiyear strategy for a constitutional amendment that would define marriage between a man and woman. And we'll also see there will be legal challenges regarding the religious freedom issues that will crop up from the recently passed legislation here in New York.

WHITFIELD: So Senator Alesi, let me bring you in now. About two years ago you didn't want this to happen. You changed your mind. You did vote in favor of it last month. What happened that changed your mind? JIM ALESI (R), NEW YORK STATE SENATE: I never changed my mind. We have to vote politically a number of times when we're faced with different issues. And my no vote two years ago was a vote that was politically engineered to preserve the Republican conference.

And as uncomfortable as it is for me to say this, that was part of an effort for us to preserve the Republican conference so we could come back to the majority. Now that we're back in the majority, obviously, we had the opportunity to either not put the bill on the floor or to put it on the floor.

Because the majority controls what goes on the floor. So I didn't change my mind or change my heart. I made it very clear that it was a very anguishing vote for me. I've always felt in my heart this is matter of equality and nothing else.

So when I took a no vote, I did it for political purposes. And for people that are politically astute they understand that sometimes you have to do that. But in my heart and mind, I've always believed in equality. So it wasn't a change of mind. It was simply I changed my vote.

WHITFIELD: So when you see the pictures of today and see people getting married today and they're euphoric and excited and happy, they've been waiting for an awfully long time. What is your reaction to this history being made today?

ALESI: Well, I'm happy for them. I think that people that live in America that are willing to extend equality to everyone else should have equality extended to them. I see this only as a legal issue and nothing more. And with all respect to the reverend, I don't see this as a religious issue. I can't see it as a religious issue because as you know we have separations of church and state.

And so no one religion can say that this is right or wrong. I am a lawmaker. And as a lawmaker, I can only look at this objectively and say that this is the right thing to do as far as equality.

And in answer to your question I'm very happy for them. I'm happy for people who want to be in a loving and committed relationship as married couples.

WHITFIELD: All right, I apologize for interrupting. So when you hear Mr. McGuire say this is indeed a religious issue and he feels as strongly today as he did days or months ago that this should not be happening, what do you say to him?

You have an avenue right now to speak directly to one another. What you say to him as to whether that sentiment undermines in any way the law that has just been made legal and right?

ALESI: Well, the law as Governor Cuomo has said, the law is the law and I stressed the point that I am a lawmaker. I am not a reverend. I am not a person of the cloth.

So I look at my job and my responsibilities within the confines of a state senator. And because the bill was brought to the floor for a vote, I had the opportunity to advocate for that beforehand and during the vote to cast my vote. It is just a very open and shut case as far as I'm concerned.

WHITFIELD: All right. Let me get Mr. McGuire in. Last word on that, Mr. McGuire?

MCGUIRE: Well, you know, I didn't bring up a religious argument. I simply said that children deserve a mom and a dad. I do appreciate Senator Alesi's acknowledgement that 2009 was political engineering. I believe in 2012 they will be looking for a senator with principles rather than looking for a politically engineered position.

WHITFIELD: All right, would you like to respond to that?

ALESI: You can look no further you've got one right here. Absolutely, sure, I am a principled person. Because I explained the politics of that, I am being honest and forthright about it.

And Jason understands that. He's been trolling the House of Albany for many years. He understands politics. He understands that mechanics of politics and he understands the reason we voted the way we did.

WHITFIELD: All right, I'll have to let that. People ask for it. Senator Jim Alesi, thanks so much. Mr. Jason McGuire, also thanks to you joining us on the phone from Buffalo. Appreciate it, gentlemen.

With the surge of smart phone apps out, there is one paid app that holds the number one spot. Do you know what it is? We have the answer after this.

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WHITFIELD: So before the break we asked you a little app trivia. Out of the paid smart phone apps, which is the number one? Angry Birds. Don't you know what that is? Your kids and grand kids do.

The game is simple. There are five very angry birds that want to get revenge on the pigs that ate their eggs. So you sling the birds across the screen to hit the pigs on the other side. Kids are clamoring for Angry Birds toys, backpacks and blankets, of course, all in time for back to school.

A company that tracks global shipments says imports of Angry Birds merchandise have surged 500 percent over the past five months. Unbelievable so Angry Birds may be the hottest game right now. But we have something new for you and your phone.

Our gaming gadgets expert, Marc Saltzman joins us now with four new smart phone games to keep you entertained this summer or what's left of it. So Marc, let's get started with something called "Eternity Warriors." What's that all about?

MARC SALTZMAN, SYNDICATED TECHNOLOGY WRITER: That's right. This is a free game for iPhone and soon for android devices. It is one of those sort of fantasy role-playing games where you venture into huge lands and through might and magic will tackle all kinds of bad guys.

It's very intuitive, very easy to control. It's free and lots of unlockable content, new armor, new weapons. You upgrade your skills like a role-playing game and a lot of fun.

There's a bit of violence and some red plumes of smoke that implies blood after you defeat the man in me, but it is very fantastic kind of like "Lord of the Rings."

WHITFIELD: So certain age groups, you know, need not delve into that. OK, so how about "Puzzle Agent Two" and "Blobster." A couple other popular ones.

SALTZMAN: Right. "Puzzle Agent Two" is the sequel to a very popular game. I'm showing them, by the way, on the iPad, but they're for iPhone as well. So this is great for puzzle games if you love crosswords and Sudoku and logic puzzles.

They're all tied together in a very fun story where you go back in the sequel to Scoggins, Minnesota, to unravel an epic mystery. So that's a lot of fun if you love puzzle games.

You asked about "Blobster." This is a new game developed by a husband and wife team inspired by the BP oil spill. You move this little blobby guy through multiple environments using your fingertip. It uses physics much like "Angry Birds."

But it's a cross between "Angry Birds" and I say, you know, like "Super Mario" where you've got to jump on bad guys and reach higher levels and unlock new elements. It's really fun for kids and kids at heart.

WHITFIELD: And then for racing fans, "Reckless Getaway."

SALTZMAN: Yes. So this is brand new to the app store. In fact, it's Apple's app of the week, game of the week and it is a game where you play as the bad guy for a change.

You are -- you just completed a bank heist, but it didn't go the way you wanted it to. You're being chased by the fuzz and you have to evade the police by performing tricks and stunts and jumps and drive down different types of terrain.

All by evading the police and it's just really intuitive, really fun to use. Just use your fingertips to navigate and certainly one of those games to help keep the kids fight in the back seat on a summer road trip.

WHITFIELD: Right, also great when your plane is delayed or maybe when that doctor's appointment is just taking way too long for them to call your name.

All right, Marc Saltzman, thanks so much. Have a great rest of the summer. All right for more high tech ideas and review, just go to cnn.com/tech and look for gaming and gadgets tab.

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WHITFIELD: All right, time for our Equals Politics Update. We're keeping an eye on all the latest headlines on the cnnpolitics.com desk.

House Speaker John Boehner is holding a conference call with House Republicans in just over an hour from now. He is expected to discuss a deal to raise the debt ceiling. Lawmakers want to agree to a plan before 8:00 tonight when Asia's financial markets open.

In just three weeks, Iowa holds the Ames Straw Poll. That's a key political test in the first in the nation caucus state, but not every big name Republican will be on it. Sarah Palin and Texas Governor Rick Perry have been left off the ballot. Neither has announced a presidential bid yet, but straw poll voters can write their names on the ballot.

And presidential candidate Michele Bachmann says she's ready to get more Republicans elected to Congress if she wins the Republican nomination. The Minnesota congresswoman vows to campaign for GOP senatorial candidates and help raise money for them. She says, quote, "this isn't about me and vanity, this is about making the country better."

And for the latest political news, you know exactly where to go cnnpolitics.com.

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WHITFIELD: Amanda Knox heads back to an Italian court Monday far critical phase of her appeal. She's the American convicted of killing her college roommate and sentenced to 26 years in prison. I talked with our legal guys earlier about what's at stake on next week's proceedings.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RICHARD HERMAN, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Her defense experts are claiming that the DNA relied upon for her conviction was either contaminated or unreliable. They're claiming that based on that, her convictions should be overturned because that was the essence of the evidence against her and therefore should be set free.

The problem with that argument is that the prosecution's case did not solely rely on DNA. There was other evidence presented that led to her conviction. Even if the DNA is struck from the record, she still has a mountain of evidence that convicted her. I don't know if this is going anywhere. It looks like they're bending over backwards to give her a break, but I just don't see it happening right now.

WHITFIELD: So Richard, you're disagreeing with everything -- I'm sorry, Avery, are you disagreeing with everything?

AVERY FRIEDMAN, CIVIL RIGHT ATTORNEY: Everything. No, not really. Look, this is a forensic free for all going on in a so-called appeal. It's really a second trial. There's nothing in the trial court that quantifies what part of the evidence resulted in this conviction.

So I'm actually convinced. I've held this position since the get go, Fredrica. This case is either going to be radically modified in terms of a sentence of 26 years or she may even be acquitted. I mean, we may even see Warner Spitz who we just saw Casey Anthony pop up in this.

WHITFIELD: Really?

FRIEDMAN: Not really, but I think we'll see a substantial reduction or acquittal.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right, you can catch our legal guys every Saturday noon Eastern.

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WHITFIELD: I'll be back in one hour with ways you can save money. Financial expert Karen Lee has five ways you can save more than $3,000 a year by cutting back expenses at work. "YOUR MONEY" starts right now.