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Wars Without Ends; Casey Anthony Trial; Stanford-Educated Rapper Embraces Piracy; Live Coverage of the Casey Anthony Trial; Computing in the Clouds; Graduation Prayer Allowed; Santorum's Campaign Strategy
Aired June 06, 2011 - 14:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
RANDI KAYE, CNN ANCHOR: Sixty-seven years ago today, the allies landed on the northern coast of France and turned the tide of World War II. It will always be known as D-Day. We've since been involved in numerous wars and hostilities all over the world, but none with such a clear-cut beginning objective and end. That's painfully clear as five U.S. troops are killed in a rocket attack in Iraq.
And Defense Secretary Robert Gates wraps up an emotional tour in Afghanistan. Gates is retiring at the end of this month with no end in sight of the Afghan War.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERT GATES, DEFENSE SECRETARY: I just want you to know I think about you every day, and I feel your hardship and your sacrifice and your burden, and that of your families. More than you could possibly know. You are, I believe, the best our country has to offer. And you will be in my thoughts and prayers every day for the rest of my life.
Thank you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: Back at the White House, President Obama today brought in the rest of his national security team to update the plans to begin -- keyword "begin" -- pulling troops out of Afghanistan. Now, here is where things stand.
If you take a look, technically, the war in Iraq is over as far as America is concerned. The last American combat forces departed last August. Forty-six thousand U.S. troops still there are all about training and supporting Iraqis, and they are supposed to be gone by year's end. That is of course subject to change.
Some 90,000 U.S. troops are in Afghanistan, and when the White House decided on last year's surge, it also planned to begin drawing down next month. Numbers yet to be decided.
The bloodshed today in Baghdad is the single deadliest attack on U.S. forces in more than two years.
My colleague Chris Lawrence joins me now from the Pentagon with much more on all of this. Chris, combat or no combat, U.S. troops are still targets, clearly, in Iraq. Will today's attack do you think hasten or hinder the total pullout plan for December?
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: It really depends what happens from here on out and what happens when you place it in context. Is this an isolated incident or is this something that's going to develop into at pattern?
Look, when you say that this is the deadliest attack in two years, it means we haven't seen an attack like this in over two years. So, definitely, the violence is down.
I remember being in Iraq six years ago, when you couldn't drive anywhere without the threat of IEDs almost constantly. And then being there last August and driving across a large part of the country to get to our embed, something that even with security would have been unthinkable even three or four years ago. So things have changed.
The key now is going to be what happens internally in Iraq. Is there a political will to ask the U.S. to stay?
Defense Secretary Robert Gates, just a few weeks ago, said he sure hopes so. He said he wants Iraq to ask the U.S. to extend the commitment to keep some troops there to help out past December. And he said he would hope that the United States would say yes to that request.
KAYE: Yes. And Chris, Gates, we know, pushed hard for that surge last year, but the president's inner circle has changed since then. An election is coming, and the Afghan War costs $2 billion a week. So, no doubt the drawdown dates for troops in Afghanistan could also be changing, right?
LAWRENCE: That's right. Even though they always say, hey, everything is going to be determined by boots on the ground, the reality is that is not -- or your conditions on the ground -- the reality is that is not the only consideration.
You know, you do have to look at the pressures to cut the budget. You do also have to look at the different faces that may be sitting around that table in the months to come. You know, how will Leon Panetta's views, if confirmed, differ from Secretary Gates? We now have a new national security adviser, Tom Donilon. You know, how will his views differ?
So there's going to be a different mix of people giving their input to the president when those decisions get made on how fast to draw down in Afghanistan.
KAYE: All right. Chris Lawrence, thank you, at the Pentagon for us.
Our "Sound Effect" today comes straight from the line of fire in Arizona. One of the biggest wildfires in that state's history has burned some 200,000 acres and is entirely uncontained. Fire crews are hoping to hold the 30-mile line of defense, but the weather, not on their side.
More than 2,000 homeowners have cleared out, including Jesse Walker. He and his wife abandoned the House he built with his very own hands, and it wasn't easy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JESSE WALKER, WORRIED HOMEOWNER: A person doesn't realize just how hard it is to face something like that. You think you're prepared for it. You think you're mentally prepared for it, physically prepared for it. You're not. I cried all the way to town.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You did?
WALKER: It's hard. I've got to go.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: Walker says he has a brother who lives nearby and is not leaving. He wants to fight for what is his, Walker says, and he also says he does not blame him.
We also have our eyes on Apple today, which unveiled its mysterious new Internet service called iCloud. Steve Jobs got back in the spotlight today after going on medical leave to help show off the new service.
iCloud will let users store all their music online and access and listen to from anywhere, at any time, on any of the user's devices. Apple has reportedly made deals with several major record labels that will make it easier for you to access your music without having to upload all of it like you do with Google and Amazon. But iCloud comes at a cost, reportedly probably $25 a year.
Well, the Texas high school that was banned from praying during its graduation ceremony got to thank God on Saturday. A federal appeals court lifted the ban the day before graduation just in time to allow the valedictorian to read her prayer.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANGELA HILDENBRAND, GRADUATE: God, I thank you for the support of our whole entire community through this case hearing, and it's in Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: A judge initially ruled to ban speakers from calling on the audience to bow their heads and join in prayer, or even say "Amen." It also removed the terms "invocation" and "benediction" from the graduation ceremony. But despite the reversal of that ruling, the debate isn't over.
Should prayer be allowed at public school graduations? We debate it with our "Stream Team" later on this hour in the show. And we want to know what you think, of course. Join the conversation on our blog, CNN.com/Ali. You can also post on either Ali's or my Facebook and Twitter pages as well.
Important testimony today in the Casey Anthony trial. Let's take a quick listen to the trial right now. Dr. Arpad Vass, a research scientist at Oak Ridge National Laboratory is being cross-examined -- well, he was being cross-examined. Now they are at the bench talking about the crime scene tactics in this case.
We'll have much more on it right after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: All right. So it doesn't sound like much, but chloroform measured in parts per million could add up to big trouble for Casey Anthony. Among the evidence in Anthony's first-degree murder trial in Florida is carpet from the trunk of the car that she abandoned in June, 2008, 11 days after her 2-year-old daughter Caylee was last seen alive.
Prosecutors claim Anthony chloroformed Caylee, smothered her, stashed her in the trunk until she could dump her body. Well, today, jurors heard from a forensic scientist who could hardly believe his instruments or his own nose.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ARPAD VASS, FORENSIC SCIENTIST: The odor was extremely overwhelmingly strong. And I was shocked that that little, bitty can could have that much odor associated with it.
JEFF ASHTON, PROSECUTOR: And did you immediately recognize the odor that was emanating from the piece of carpet in the can?
VASS: Yes.
ASHTON: And what did you recognize that odor to be?
VASS: I recognized it as human decomposition.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JOSE BAEZ, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Did the amount of chloroform that you found in the chromatogram surprise you?
VASS: We were shocked.
BAEZ: Why?
VASS: We have never seen chloroform in that level in environmental samples before. At least I never have in 20 years of shooting these types of samples. The concentration of chloroform in that sample was in the parts per million range.
BAEZ: And I believe you said that what you have seen in decomposition was parts per trillion.
VASS: Trillion, correct.
BAEZ: So it's million, billion, trillion.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: And let's take you live back to Orlando right now, where this trial is taking place. You're now watching it live. And once again, that is Dr. Arpad Vass, a forensic scientist at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. He's being cross-examined by defense attorney Jose Baez.
Let's listen in for just a moment.
(JOINED IN PROGRESS)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You said a report.
VASS: Yes, sir.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Doctor, do you understand the question?
VASS: No, sir.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Refrain the question, Mr. Baez.
BAEZ: In your report in this case, did you disclose that you had a financial interest with the database?
VASS: My report to the detective and the investigator?
BAEZ: Correct.
VASS: No, I did not disclose it.
BAEZ: OK. Now, the differences between -- and I know we touched on this briefly -- you work at a research lab, right?
VASS: Correct.
BAEZ: And the difference between a research lab and a forensic lab is a research lab does experiments.
VASS: Research data is our product.
BAEZ: OK. And a research lab isn't required to have protocols?
VASS: Usually the research labs are the ones that develop the protocols and procedures.
BAEZ: So the answer is correct, yes? Right?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Objection. Asked and answered.
BAEZ: I wasn't sure. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Overruled. You can get clarification.
BAEZ: Can we get clarification? The answer is yes?
VASS: Sometimes.
BAEZ: It is not required to have protocols?
VASS: Sometimes. It depends upon what you are doing.
BAEZ: For the work you did in this case there are no protocols?
KAYE: All right. Clearly there, as you're listening to this, you can see that the defense attorney, Jose Baez, is trying his best to discredit the expert for the prosecution now on the stand.
So let's get to the law on this and Sunny Hostin. She's a legal analyst and contributor to "In Session" on our sister network, truTV.
Sunny, I'm struck not only by the growing mountain of prosecution evidence that we were talking about before, but by the utter futility of the defense's objections. We were talking about this chloroform before.
Casey's lawyer objects and objects and objects, but doesn't seem to prevail.
SUNNY HOSTIN, "IN SESSION," TRUTV: Well, that's right. I mean, there are two reasons why defense attorneys and prosecutors, quite frankly, do something like that, Randi. Sometimes you do it just for the theater of it. You do it because you want to throw your opponents, your opposing counsel, off the track.
You also do it because you have got to preserve your objection for appeal. Should there be a conviction here, and should she be sentenced to death, this will automatically go on appeal, and certainly you want to preserve all those issues.
But I will say this Randi -- what's been so fascinating, I think, about this witness is he has been controversial from the very beginning. He is a forensic anthropologist, he's a research scientist, and he is the only one though in the world that uses science in this way.
He has pioneered a novel technique for detecting human decomposition from air, from the smell of air. And that is why you see and hear so many objections from this defense team, because it is so novel. The defense team thinks it's junk science.
KAYE: I'm curious, because now we seem to have entered the scientific phase. Last week was really personal. I mean, the tapes that we watched between -- tapes that were recorded between Casey and her parents at the jail and her interrogation with police.
Can you tell if there is a difference in the jury's reaction between the more personal testimony and the scientific testimony? HOSTIN: Well, there is no question that there has been a change in this courtroom. The focus now is all about science.
These are jurors that are allowed to take notes, Randi, but they haven't been taking many notes. Since Dr. Vass has gotten on the witness stand, they are leaning forward and they are taking notes.
I like to call it the CSI effect, because now, with shows like "Forensic Files" and "CSI," jurors are expecting forensic evidence. They are expecting this type of evidence. And that is where this prosecution is going, the hard forensic evidence, beginning with an FBI analyst over the weekend that testified about hair banding, a hair that she says came from a dead body, potentially Caylee Anthony, and now with Dr. Vass. He's the first witness on Monday, and it's all about the science.
KAYE: Yes.
HOSTIN: In his case, eye-popping levels of chloroform, and he also says in his experience, he believes that there was a dead body in Casey Anthony's car.
KAYE: So, Sunny, if you are Casey's lawyer, do you put her on the stand?
HOSTIN: I think you have to. Again, you know, we heard Jose Baez' opening statement. It was really shocking.
She is saying that little Caylee Anthony died accidentally by drowning. She is the only witness other than George Anthony, she alleges was there as well. In order for her to shore up this defense, Randi, she has to take the witness stand.
We know that the prosecution is going to say they are going to complete their case June 17th, so Casey Anthony may get on the witness stand as early as the following week.
KAYE: All right. Yes, that is only 11 days away. OK. Sunny Hostin, thank you.
HOSTIN: Thanks.
KAYE: And you can watch special coverage of the Casey Anthony trial all day long on our sister network, HLN.
In today's "Taking the Lead," we look at an independent rapper who says his key to success is embracing piracy. Yes, he let kids steal his music.
Poppy Harlow reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
POPPY HARLOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): He doesn't look, sound or think like your typical rapper.
ANDREW NIELSEN, INDEPENDENT RAPPER: Hip-hop is poetry, and there is not much difference between Edgar Allan Poe and Kanye West.
HARLOW: You may beg to differ, but at 28 years old, MC Lars, a.k.a. Andrew Nielsen, has figured out how to make it in the rap game at a time when traditional record labels are seeing profits dwindle.
(MUSIC)
HARLOW: Lars got his start playing in a high school punk rock band and moved on to hip-hop as an English Lit major at Stanford.
NIELSEN: Karl Marx would love Indy Rap.
HARLOW (on camera): Oh yes?
NIELSEN: Yes.
HARLOW: Why?
NIELSEN: Because it's the proletariats speaking their mind and keeping it real, and destroying, like, the machine that exploits so many people.
HARLOW (voice-over): And in a move he swears is good for business, Lars embraces piracy rather than fighting it.
NIELSEN: We're pro-piracy.
HARLOW (on camera): You are?
NIELSEN: Because if the kid has my entire catalog and they come to a show, they'll bring their friends and they'll listen to my burned CDs in the car.
HARLOW: So you're OK if kids steal your music but then come to your show?
NIELSEN: Yes.
HARLOW: Then they buy the T-shirts behind you.
NIELSEN: Yes.
HARLOW: And then they buy your stuff and you profit in the end.
NIELSEN: It's the new media economics.
HOWIE ABRAMS, MANAGER, MC LARS: As an independent artist, there's a lot of revenue streams. It's not just from records. I think that's the last place you ever expect to make money.
HARLOW (voice-over): Roughly 60 percent of Lars' income comes from merchandise sales, and he says he would never sign with a major record label.
NIELSEN: It really can hurt your career. Let's say they give you $100,000. They want five records and they want to own a piece of all this.
ABRAMS: It's better than ever for independent artists. It really is, because, again, I think the biggest change that's come about is that the fans have let it be known that we're in control now.
HARLOW: And the fans are speaking. Lars has more than 20,000 Facebook fans and he just hauled in more than $20,000 on fund-raising Web site Kickstarter to finance his new album.
(on camera): Would you be where you are today without social media?
NIELSEN: No. I think that it would be, like, pretty impossible.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAYE: Running or not, mum is the word from Sarah Palin. But we now know Rick Santorum's plans. Details right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Well, Sarah Palin sure seemed to be having a lot of fun last week at the expense of the media following her every move. But the question remains, will she run for the White House next year? No answer yet, but we now know what a couple of other GOP hopefuls are planning.
Here is CNN's chief political correspondent, Candy Crowley.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CANDY CROWLEY, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Sarah Palin capped off the first week of her "this is not a campaign tour" aboard a "this is not a campaign bus" with a "this is not a campaign appearance."
SARAH PALIN (R), FMR. VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: What President Palin would do is cut the federal budget.
CROWLEY: Unclear is whether Palin's hide-and-seek tease tour will continue this week or not. Somewhere in Pennsylvania, Rick Santorum is hoping not. Making his bid official Monday, Santorum could use some oxygen for his campaign.
SANTORUM: It's been great to be out on the husting. I've been to New Hampshire, I think, it's my 15th time.
CROWLEY: Who knew? Not many. A recent survey by Pew Research found fewer than half of voters who lean Republican have ever heard of the former senator from Pennsylvania. Counting Santorum there are seven people known and not so much known know officially running for the Republican nomination for president.
Former Minnesota governor Tim Pawlenty will outline his cure for what ails the economy this week in Chicago, Illinois. Need we say more? TIM PAWLENTY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: President Obama's policies have failed.
CROWLEY: In the cycle of presidential elections, this is big dream season.
REP. RON PAUL (R-TX), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I am so delighted to see you involved in our revolution.
CROWLEY: And Texas Congressman Ron Paul is on round three. He first ran for president as a Libertarian 23 years ago, preaching lower taxes and less spending.
PAUL: Mainstream is moving in the direction that I have been talking about for a long time and, therefore, nobody knows what the outcome will be in this election. During the last campaign I knew what was happening. You know, they mocked me for my foreign policy and they laughed at my monetary policy. No more.
CROWLEY: And finally on Capitol Hill, where the campaign runs through it, this may be big miracle season.
REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA), MINORITY LEADER: There is a bipartisan discussion going on that is civil and constructive and that they've come to some areas where they can possibly reach agreement but that nothing is agreed to until everything is agreed to.
CROWLEY: What the House Democratic leader will not agree to is cuts in Medicare which sounds like square one. Except Nancy Pelosi is not known for her sunny outlook on bipartisan deals. Time is running out to raise the debt ceiling and throughout Capitol Hill history, deadline pressure has always outperformed miracles. This could be the week -- or not.
Candy Crowley, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAYE: And here is a date that we want you to remember, June 13th. Mark your calendar and be sure to tune in then to CNN for the Republican presidential debate from New Hampshire, only right here on CNN.
We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Severe weather expert Chad Myers is with us now.
Things are certainly getting pretty hot in Arizona. Are people in danger at this point?
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes and no.
People have been evacuated, but the fire line is uncontrolled, which, you know, usually we say 10 percent containment, 30 percent. They have no number. There is not a number because the winds are just blowing again today.
Let's see what they are right now right near the fire -- 24 miles per hour, gusting in some spots to 30. And the fire is right under this extremely critical area, and that's where the winds are the strongest. Plus, later on today, we could get thunderstorms that put down some lightning, but not enough rain to stop the fires that the lightning can start.
KAYE: That's terrible news.
MYERS: Yes. And that's exactly what could happen east of there, and then a critical danger across parts of Texas as well.
Something that we'd love to get, some tropical moisture up there, maybe get the monsoon going. I know it sounds like it's always hot and dry in Arizona. Not really.
KAYE: No?
MYERS: Not in the summer. No, it gets very muggy, it gets very humid. Humidity comes up from the south, and that actually -- you can even get thunderstorms, that rain every day, especially across Phoenix and Tucson.
But we have this little box here. That could be the first tropical disturbance in the Gulf of Mexico. That one right there will be the first one in the eastern part of the Pacific.
So, yes, some things are going on, and it will eventually get going, but right now it's just hot and dry.
KAYE: Not looking good. Just about the last thing they need, right?
MYERS: Let's go "Off the Radar."
KAYE: OK, let's!
MYERS: You want to see something that looks - something that is so really cool. People of Chile have had a rough couple of years with volcanoes, earthquakes, miners and the like. Go ahead, we'll zoom right into the volcano that is erupting. It's kind of a cool little shot from Google Earth. This thing has erupted in the past, but would you believe that there are 3,000 volcanoes Chile?
KAYE: No!
MYERS: And only about 60 of them have erupted in the last hundred years or so, but there are volcanoes all up and down at the center --
KAYE: Is this a big eruption or small eruption?
MYERS: Well, let's take us some pictures.
KAYE: OK! See? You see, this is why I ask you these things. MYERS: See? Yes, lightning inside the dust cloud. The shearing of the atmosphere, the pumice all grinding against each other will make static just like a thunderstorm can make static and some spectacular shots there. And I just saw a couple coming in on iReports as well. You can find these online, you can go to iReport.com and see them as well.
KAYE: Those pictures are incredible!
MYERS: Right now, the ash is going into Argentina and away from populated areas here, but they have moved about 3,000 people away from the volcano.
KAYE: OK. Good the know.
MYERS: Cool stuff.
KAYE: Thank you, Chad. Very cool!
Well, moving on now. You may know them from the TLC reality show "19 Kids and Counting." When that massive and deadly tornado ripped through Joplin, Missouri last month, members of the Dugger family took action, packing up supplies and driving through the night to join the rescue effort. Well, Josh and Jill Dugger talk about their experience in this "Impact Your World."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
JILL DUGGER, "19 KIDS AND COUNTING": Hi, I'm Jill Duggar.
JOSH DUGGER, "19 KIDS AND COUNTING": And I'm Josh Duggar.
JILL DUGGER: And we can make a difference with search and rescue.
JOSH DUGGER: And tornado relief in Joplin, Missouri.
So, we were here in Arkansas where we live when the tornado hit.
JILL DUGGER: You know, thoughts started coming. OK, what - what can we do to help?
JOSH DUGGER: So, basically, we packed everything up. We got water bottles, Gatorade. You know, I have been around emergency situations and working as a volunteer firefighter. Being that Jill and Jana, and John are active duty volunteer firefighters, they were able to plug right in, giving them hope by being there, I think, really inspires them to continue on.
Join the movement.
JILL DUGGER: Impact your world.
JOSH DUGGER: Go to CNN.com/impact.
(END VIDEOTAPE) KAYE: Well, Katie Couric may be gone from CBS, but she's not gone from television. Up next, Couric's next big network and career shuffle.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Thirty-three minutes past the hour. Let's get to the latest on the big stories today and some developments that you may have missed.
In Arizona, one of the worst wildfires in the state's history is burning out of control and could get even worse today, as Chad was telling us. Fire crews are battling the extreme fire conditions fueled by high winds. They are especially worried about the wallow fire. In eastern Arizona, the windy conditions are threatening to reverse what little progress the firefighters have made. The wallow fire has burned nearly 193,000 acres and has forced more than 2,200 people to leave behind their homes. Various fires burning throughout the state have destroyed more than 270,000 acres so far.
U.S. troops in Iraq today suffered the single largest loss of life in two years. Iraqi security officials say that five American service members were killed when militants attacked a U.S. military base in Baghdad with mortars. The deaths come as Iraq debates whether U.S. troops should stay beyond next January's withdrawal deadline. Mortar attacks and roadside bombings against U.S. troops have increased recently ahead of the deadline.
The Casey Anthony murder trial unfolding today like a real-life CSI crime drama. The 25-year-old mother accused of murdering her two- year-old daughter Caylee. Jurors got a grim lesson on human decomposition as prosecutors try to build their case around a strand of hair and the smell of death in Anthony's car. A research scientist testified that samples taken from Anthony's trunk smelled of human decomposition. He also discussed another disturbing observation.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. ARPAD VASS, FORENSIC SCIENTIST: The reason we progressed is because the chloroform was shockingly high, unusually high.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: Lawyers for Anthony are attacking the state's forensic evidence, calling it junk science.
Anti-government protestors celebrate the departure, finally, of Yemen's president, but he may still return. What that could mean for the country in the fight against al Qaeda right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: A very deadly day in Syria. State television says that 120 security forces were killed in the northern part of the country. Joining us from Washington for much more on that and the other developments in Syria. Hala Gorani joins us. Hala, security forces killed in ambushes by armed gangs? What's happening?
HALA GORANI, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, this is the version of events that the Syrian government has told from the beginning, that these are not peaceful protesters who want democracy, who want their government to change. That these are people who are motivated by armed gangs.
Now, human rights groups and protesters themselves have always disputed that version of events. Now Syrian state television is saying that more than 80 security forces were killed by quote "armed gangs." Because we have not been allowed into Syria, though, Randi, it is virtually impossible for us to verify the claims of the Syrian government. But it would sort of be part of a wider version of event that the government has been telling about these anti-government and anti-regime protesters.
KAYE: And let's turn to Yemen now, if we can, Hala, because the country seems to be in chaos. We know that the president is in Saudi Arabia, and we know he is being treated after the attack on his compound. But we don't really know whether or not he is coming back.
GORANI: Well, we don't. We are hearing, again, varying accounts of whether the president, who is in Saudi Arabia right now, is going to return. We hear from the vice president, oh yes, that he will be back in a few days. But then we hear from others that he is being treated for shrapnel wounds, other injuries in Saudia Arabia, and that it will be several weeks before he is well enough to go.
And then those who say, look, Saudi Arabia brokered a tenuous peace deal that seems to be sort of holding in Yemen right now, a country on the brink of civil war. They will not let this president go back because protestors seem to be happy with his vice president taking control over the country right now. So, it is very much a wait and see situation in a chaotic country, Randi.
KAYE: Yes, and we certainly know, Hala, that the U.S. is waiting and watching, because I mean, there is a major concern there. Because Yemen has been the ally really, a key ally in the fight against al Qaeda.
GORANI: Right. The government with the small portion of the territory that it still controls in Yemen, Randi, because as you mentioned there, al Qaeda and the Arabian peninsula is implanted in certain parts of the country over which the central government has very little control. But the United States is extremely interested in what happens in Yemen for that very reason.
If that government crumbles, if the peace deals don't hold, it means that this becomes a lawless, ruderless sort of country with a portion of its territory occupied and controlled by al Qaeda in the Arabian peninsula. And it becomes extremely difficult or more difficult than it already is to get a grip on what is going on in that part of the world, especially when al Qaeda is using Yemen and parts of Yemen to plot against Western targets. KAYE: And I can't let you go until we also talk about this E. coli outbreak in Europe. First, it looked like it was coming from Spain. Spain was not happy about that, blaming its farmers for cucumbers and now, what, it looks like it started in Germany?
GORANI: Well, now where that whole theory is sort of thrown into doubt once again, because some bean sprouts were tested near Hamburg today. And according to I think a little more than a dozen test results so far, these bean sprouts have tested negative. Which that means we know it is the not the Spanish cucumbers.
But now we think it might not be these bean sprouts in Germany. So, it is becoming harder and harder as time passes, Randi, to pinpoint the origin of this outbreak. Because it's now more than two weeks old, so as far as scientists are concerned, getting your hands on the possible source of the outbreak is becoming more and more difficult. It has killed 16 people, it's sickened thousands, and we still don't know exactly where this all came from.
KAYE: Wow. Well, I certainly hope they find out soon. Hala, great to see you and thank you for coming on the show.
All your the files, your music, your pictures, your documents will be just a click away anywhere at anytime from any device. No, is it is not the future, it is now! In the clouds. What it means for you and me in just a couple of minutes.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Welcome back. There is a lot happening in the trial of Casey Anthony. She is accused of killing her two-year-old daughter, Caylee.
We want to take you live now back to Orlando, where we are working on getting the picture for you. On the stand, we are told, is Dr. Arpad Vass. He is a research scientist, and he has been talking quite a bit. You can see him right there. He's been talking quite a bit about the smell of death in Casey Anthony's car. And also talking about quite a bit about a single strand of hair that may connect her to the death of her daughter.
So, let's listen in for a little bit.
(JOINED IN PROGRESS)
DR. ARPAD VASS, RESEARCH SCIENTIST, OAK RIDGE NATIONAL LAB: If you look at the table, and I know it is complicated, but it indicates that without doubt, the point source of the odor was the trunk.
Now, we did do an analysis using a TST of the trunk. Indicating that trace amounts or small amounts of sulfur compounds and chloroform were still detectable in the trunk even though the liner had been completely removed. I did not consider that a valid comparison.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You don't consider the air in the trunk of the car valid? VASS: Not after the liner had been removed. I didn't say valid, but not a valid comparison.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now, Dr. Vass, let's break this down a little bit further for us. Out of the 17, you have found seven to be relevant to your 30 main compounds?
VASS: With the aforementioned caveats, yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And because of some overlap or the trace levels, you only considered five?
VASS: That is true. We were very, very conservative.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And of the five, there was overlap with two of them, right?
VASS: I am not sure I understand. Help me?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Out of the five chemicals there was overlap with some of the other chemicals found in your table, that could be accounted for something else and are only broke down to three.
VASS: Well, again, in most cases what we would call -
KAYE: And there you have what we call a little bit of the latest activity there on the trial for Casey Anthony, and of course, you can watch all of our special coverage on our sister station all day long. Our sister network, HLN, if you want to catch more on on this.
Meanwhile, Google does it and so does Amazon and now Apple has officially entered the computing clouds. We are talking iCloud. Apple CEO Steve Jobs who has been on medical leave returned to the stage to unveil Apple's version of an online storage service. Cloud computing is crucial for the companies, and yes, you and me. That brings us to the big breakdown. What is a cloud? No, I'm not talking about the white fluffy stuff in the sky.
Most of us are used to storing the stuff locally and directly on to our computers and phones and music players. Well, what if you took all of the storage and data and outsourced it to a place with more memory and faster processing abilities? Your data is essentially saved in one dedicated space, separate from all your devices in the Cloud. The Cloud being a remote centralized data center filled with powerful efficient high speed servers that can store all of your apps and music and everything that you have got.
So why is this important? Well, think of it as open to you for everything on your phone or computer or tablet and the door into the library. And the password that opens up the encryptions and the firewalls to your library which means that users like you and I can access all of our files being stored in the Clouds from any device and get our information from laptops or tablets or desktops or smartphones from any device at any time. I hope that made sense. Very interesting stuff though. Offering up a pray at Graduation. It was a hot topic in San Antonio and the courts, but now we want to let your stream team weigh in on this hot topic next.
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KAYE: Prayer at a school function. It is a controversial subject and one that led to a couple of court decisions last week in Texas. First, a Judge barred the school from using the words benediction and innovation in the program. The Valedictorian in Medinah High School was not allowed to offer up a prayer in her speech. An agnostic student brought the suit, along with his parents but an appeals court overturned the decision shortly before the Graduation Ceremony. And the Valedictorian read her prayer and the agnostic student stayed home from Graduation.
The whole controversy went away, but not really. So we have been burned up on the blog with responses, so we decided to continue to talk about it with our Stream Team. Since a lot of you were talking about it we thought we'd continue to talk about it. Should prayer be allowed in Public School Graduations.
On the Team today we have Pete Dominic from Sirius XM, and also Mark Skoda, Founder and Chairman of the Memphis Tea Party. Great to have you both. I can't tell you how many responses from the story. Mark, let's start with you, what is your take on the court decision and prayer in general at the Graduations?
MARK SKODA, FOUNDER AND CHAIRMAN OF THE MEMPHIS TEA PARTY: Well, I think that relative to the young lady's rights, Angela, she is the Valedictorian and she is asked to give a speech, and indeed her faith is exhibited in the speech. The Court made the right decision to overturn the Lower Court. There is exclamation to define what she could say and how to say it and even using the word amen and asking people to bow their head.
I support the subsequent decision, and as a Christian, I believe you should pray anytime, but having said that recognizing the need to not institutionalize religion to interpret the law at the corporate level at School, one would suggest they should not present corporate prayer, but in my opinion, this woman's rights were being infringed.
KAYE: And so, Pete, what do you think? Should the Valedictorian be able to say whatever she wanted to in the Valedictorian speech? Is this a free speech question?
PETE DOMINICK, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Yes, it absolutely is Randi. I support her right to free speech as much as what she says turns me off in a public atmosphere and the problem, even though I'm not a Legal Scholar or Constitutional Scholar, but it is whether the school endorsed what she said or chose her to give a prayer, which is unclear in my mind. That is where the problem occurs, and why this issue and other issues like this might not be resolved. I think that the real issue here is taste. We shouldn't be so divisive in the public realm. And religion is divisive as you have seen on the comments on the blog entry and why not a moment of silence for reflection. If you want to pray, pray, regardless of your religion or meditate or say nothing at all and look up to the sky and smile like I do sometimes.
KAYE: All right, well that's your idea Pete. I want to share one of the ideas our viewers had was that this country is founded on majority rules and let the school vote and the majority should decide whether prayer is a part of the Graduation. Mark, how does that sound? Is that is a good plan?
SKODA: Well, first of all, from the point, from 1690 to 1843 we used a New England primer using christian ideals and faith elements and there was no problem. This is a new 21st Century phenomenon. So now, the attack on religion, particularly Christianity is standard now in the Liberal Courts, and mob rule is not appropriate either given the facts that we have laws and made those laws and while I oppose certain elements of mitigating and ability to pray in public, certainly in this case, I understand that we are ruled by those laws, but nonetheless, we should not forget the history.
DOMINICK: But we forget our history, and of course, we don't forget our history, but it is called progress. It is 2011 not 1690. I am so glad we are not practicing what we practiced in 1690 or for that matter 1864. It is called progress, and we have moved on and it is divisive and we should pray in private and do whatever you want, worship a tree, but it should be private. Just because Mark believes it or anybody else believes it, I should not have to believe it. But as far as the vote, Mark and I agree, do not let High School students vote on what should be done in these situations, Randi.
KAYE: All right guys, we're out of time but certainly as I said, a lot of people are feeling strongly about this, and as the two of you do as well. Appreciate your coming on to talk about this. Good discussion.
SKODA: Thank you, Randi.
DOMINICK: Thank you.
KAYE: Have a great day. Another hat in the ring for Republicans and what does Rick Santorum think will set him apart? Your CNN POLITICAL UPDATE is straight ahead.
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KAYE: Time now for a CNN POLITICAL UPDATE. CNN Senior Political Editor Mark Preston joins me now from Washington.
Hi there, Mark. Rick Santorum announced he is running for President and I hear you have insight into the campaign of his?
MARK PRESTON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL EDITOR: Yes, Randi. Rick Santorum is a former two-term member of the U.S. Senate and served two terms in the House of Representatives. He is 53-years-old. He has seven children. Now, Rick Santorum is known for speaking his mind, Randi, and sometimes to the detriment because he sometimes says things that get people frustrated and angry, but Rick Santorum as we follow the Presidential Campaign has a three-pronged strategy to try to win the Republican nomination.
The first prong of that is to be the most socially conservative candidate in the race for the Republican nomination. He is known in those conservative circles and he will try to play that card.
Secondly, he will talk about being a reformer and try to reach out to the Tea Party Activist. He feels like he can get them on his side.
Thirdly, he is going to harken back to his time in the U.S. Senate, and talk about his time on the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee, and talk act his experience. Randi?
KAYE: All right. Mark Preston, appreciate it. Thank you.
Well, we hope that you have a great rest of your Monday. CNN NEWSROOM will continue right now with Brooke Baldwin.
BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: Hey Randi. Have a great rest of your day and hello to all of you all.
