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Casey Anthony Competent to Stand Trial; U.S. Troop Withdrawal From Afghanistan; Syria Lets Reporters In; Asteroid Approaching Earth; Talk Back Question; Groceries On The Go
Aired June 27, 2011 - 12:01 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN ANCHOR: Top of the hour. I'm Suzanne Malveaux.
Want to get you up to speed.
The lead detective in the Casey Anthony murder case on the stand today. Defense attorney Jose Baez questioned the detective, trying to show sloppy police work in the investigation.
Earlier, the judge announced three psychologists examined Anthony at the defense's request over the weekend. They determined she is competent to proceed with the trial. Anthony is charged with killing her 2-year-old daughter, Caylee.
We learned just a few minutes ago the jury in the retrial of former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich has reached a verdict. However, it is not going to be read until after 2:00 Eastern.
Now, Blagojevich's first trial ended in a hung jury on 23 of 24 counts. He is accused of corruption. In particular, trying to sell the U.S. Senate seat vacated by President Obama in 2008.
Floodwaters are inching closer to a nuclear power plant in Nebraska. Now, a levee broke yesterday which worried nearby residents that a nuclear disaster similar to Japan could be brewing, but an official emphatically says that the chances that water is going to reach the reactor and cause trouble are almost zero. The reactor was shut down in April for refueling, wasn't brought back on line due to the flooding. Forecasters think the Missouri River will crest six feet short of that level that would inundate the plant.
The Supreme Court says California cannot ban selling video games to kids just because the games are grotesquely violent. Justices struck down the California law today. They say that the commercial free speech rights of video game manufacturers trumps concerns over violent content.
Another candidate joins the race for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination. Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann, she went to the town where she was born, Waterloo, Iowa, to make that formal announcement. That happened just a couple hours ago. A new "Des Moines Register" poll shows Bachmann is a close second to Mitt Romney in Iowa.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. MICHELE BACHMANN (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: My name is Michele Bachmann. I stand here in the midst of many friends and many family members to announce formally my candidacy for president of the United States.
(APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: With bullets flying, Syrian security forces are carrying out another round of arrests. Despite the crackdown, activists say that anti-government protests swelled in the number on the streets of Damascus and its suburbs this weekend. Perhaps the biggest crowd since the unrest began back in March.
Well, the International Criminal Court at The Hague issued an arrest warrant today for Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi. Now, the warrant says that Gadhafi committed crimes against humanity by ordering troops to kill Libyan civilians in the early days of the uprising. Gadhafi's son and brother-in-law also are facing arrest warrants.
The Los Angeles Dodgers filed for bankruptcy protection. That happened today.
Baseball commissioner Bud Selig blocked a new $3 billion TV deal that would have given the team immediate cash. Selig's move is designed to force Dodgers owner Frank McCourt to sell the team. He's accused McCourt of using the Dodgers as his personal piggybank. Major League Baseball took over the Dodgers' front office earlier this year.
Want to get back to the Casey Anthony murder trial. We now know that she underwent examinations by three -- three psychologists -- all who found her competent now to stand trial.
Our David Mattingly, who is outside the courthouse, he is in Orlando.
David, first of all, explain to us how that happened. Who asked for these competency tests? Do we know if that is actually the reason why there was this kind of abrupt recess that happened on Saturday?
DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, that was the mysterious reason behind the ending of court on Saturday. And what we're finding out is that it was the defense who came forward to the court asking for this sort of an examination.
And we've just got the briefings back. And we can read this to you. It says, "Based on privileged communications between Casey Marie Anthony and her counsel, counsel reasonably believes that Ms. Anthony is not competent to aid and assist in her own defense and is incompetent to proceed."
She was then examined by a psychologist, a forensic psychologist, and a psychiatrist over the weekend. This morning, the judge took their findings and was able to determine that, yes, she is competent to continue to stand trial.
So we got back on track this morning after that examination over the weekend. No details, and we're likely not to see any sort of details about exactly what kind of behavior her defense team was looking at when they decided to do this -- Suzanne.
MALVEAUX: David, we know that they're in a brief recess right now. Do we know who we're going to hear from or see today?
MATTINGLY: We're hearing from more experts. We've also been hearing from investigators again being called by the defense.
The defense trying to show that there were certain questions not asked, there were certain directions in the case that took them away possibly from other possibilities, and that, in particular, that they may have drawn the wrong conclusions when they tested the gases inside the trunk of the car belonging to Casey Anthony. The defense had an expert on the stand saying those gases in there, you cannot really determine if there was a human body decaying in the trunk of that car.
So, again, this is a tact that the defense has been using for quite a few days now, bringing in their own experts and calling attention to things that weren't asked, and facts that were interpreted away that they say should have been interpreted another way.
MALVEAUX: And David, how's Casey's behavior today? We know that she's from time to time been emotional during certain testimony. What does she look like today?
MATTINGLY: Well, the last couple of days last week, we saw her get very upset, particularly when her brother was on the stand. She was crying quite a bit where she was sitting. She also got emotional as they were showing pictures of little Caylee while her mother was on the stand testifying.
Today, she walks into the courtroom, she's smiling at some of her attorneys, appearing to laugh very briefly at one point to something they were talking about. So she seemed to be in a much better mood after this examination that took place over the weekend.
MALVEAUX: David, thank you very much.
Here's your chance "Talk Back" on one of the big stories of the day. New York passes a law allowing same-sex marriage. And our question: Is it time for marriage equality in America?
Carol Costello joins us from New York.
Hey, Carol.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Suzanne. It's certainly what New York's governor thinks.
On July 24th, same-sex marriage will be legal in New York, as it is in five other states. It was a bipartisan effort. Yes, four Republican New York State lawmakers voted yes to same-sex marriage. Gay advocates are celebrating and already handing out their roadmap to other states working on same-sex marriage legislation.
New York's governor, Andrew Cuomo.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. ANDREW CUOMO (D), NEW YORK: I believe New York has sent a message to this nation, loud and clear, it is time for marriage equality all across this country.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Maybe. Nationally, even some staunch conservatives are on board like Dick Cheney, who has a gay daughter.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RICHARD CHENEY, FMR. VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I think people ought to be free to enter into any kind of union they wish.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Cheney did add that it's up to each state to decide. Other conservatives are on board, too, like John McCain's wife Cindy, George W. Bush's daughter, Barbara. Advocates say it's a sign young Republicans are much more supportive of this issue.
Still, there are plenty people opposed to same-sex marriage. According to Politico, 29 states have enacted some type of constitutional prohibition against same-sex unions. And religious groups like the Catholic Church say New York's vote leaves it worried that both marriage and family will be undermined.
So, the "Talk Back" question today: Is New York's governor right? Is it time for marriage equality in America?
Facebook.com/CarolCNN. I'll read some of your comments later this hour -- Suzanne.
MALVEAUX: I find it fascinating, Carol, that they said there were Wall Street big Republican donors, super-rich donors who were involved in all of this working with the governor to give a little bit of political cover, I guess, for some of those Republicans who voted for it. It's a very different scenario than what we've seen in some of those others.
COSTELLO: That's right, who have conservative constituencies. And these Republican lawmakers were afraid that the money would dry up. So the governor enlisted the help of these Wall Street tycoons so they could, like, you know, shore up some of that money for those Republicans the next time they ran for office.
MALVEAUX: OK. Interesting. Interesting backstory. It's all fascinating. Thank you, Carol. Appreciate it.
Here's a rundown on some of the stories ahead.
Up next, I'll be talking to Lieutenant General William Caldwell. He is the commander getting ready for the Afghanistan drawdown.
And look out above. An asteroid, speeding through space, closing in on us.
Then, Amanda Knox back in an Italian courtroom. Her appeal suffers a potential setback.
Plus, lower prices at the gas pump. It's just in time.
And this --
(MUSIC)
MALVEAUX: Protests better (ph) education in Chile choreographed to the rhythm of Michael Jackson's "Thriller."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: Six suspected militants have been killed in Pakistan. It happened in the volatile tribal region of South Waziristan on the Afghan border. Now, intelligence officials tell CNN a suspected U.S. drone fired two missiles on the militants' vehicle. It is the 37th suspected drone attack this year based on a count by the CNN bureau in Islamabad.
Well, this comes as the U.S. military prepares to start bringing troops home soon from the Afghan War.
Lieutenant General William Caldwell has commanded U.S. forces in both Iraq and Afghanistan. He currently serves as commander of the NATO training mission in Afghanistan and commanding general of the Combined Security Transition Command.
Well, General Caldwell, thank you so much for being with us.
LT. GEN. WILLIAM CALDWELL, U.S. ARMY: Well, thanks for having us today.
MALVEAUX: Appreciate it.
We heard President Obama's announcement, 10,000 troops to be withdrawn this year, another 20,000 or so before the election. There's been a lot of criticism saying, look, maybe the timing of this, it's overlapping with the campaign, with the re-election effort.
Do you think there is at all a political component to this?
CALDWELL: Well, what I would tell you, Suzanne, what really most people don't realize is, during the time period that we brought the surge forces in, one of the stated objectives of our president was to increase the number of Afghan security forces. And in the last 20 months, we've increased them by over 100,000. And in the next 15 months, during the time period where they're talking about taking out these 33,000 forces, there will be an increase of about 70,000 more Afghan security forces.
So those should in fact have a real impact on the ground inside of Afghanistan.
MALVEAUX: Do you think those are the kind of considerations that the Obama administration was taking into account when the president decided these are the numbers of the troops that are going to be withdrawn?
CALDWELL: Oh, absolutely. No question at all that he looked at that complete picture, that end. Also many -- more strategic level things even back here at home.
MALVEAUX: I want you to take a listen here at home. This is Congressman Mike Rogers, a Republican from Michigan. He's one of the critics who essentially is suspicious of this when it comes to whether or not this is a good idea, the Obama administration and the pace of withdrawing troops.
Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. MIKE ROGERS (R), INTELLIGENCE CHAIRMAN: At the end of the day, if we leave Afghanistan with a safe haven, we have done nothing except accept a pre-9/11 mentality. And the timeline is just to darn close.
I'm a former FBI guy. And coincidences are one thing, but the fact that it lines up to have those troops out before the first debate of 2012 is concerning to me, mainly because the conditions on the ground have not changed.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: I assume you take exception to that, but what needs to happen? What do the conditions on the ground -- what do they need to be in order to withdraw perhaps more troops out quickly?
CALDWELL: Well, again, I've been on the ground now for almost 20 months continuously. And what I'll tell you, the conditions on the ground today are far different than November, 2009. What you see is an Afghan security force today that's far more capable, better led, better trained, who actually want to take the lead for security in their country, too, that perhaps you would not have seen as robustly back in November of 2009.
MALVEAUX: Are you satisfied with the pace of the Afghan forces that are being trained? Is there something they could be doing differently to move faster, to get more troops out?
CALDWELL: It's being done at a pace that's about right for Afghanistan right now. I don't know if you'd want to try to do it much faster than we're doing it. But it has been very significant. Again, in the last 20 months, 100,000 additional Afghan security forces on the ground now operating that weren't there before, with 70,000 more still coming on line.
MALVEAUX: I want you to take a listen. Fareed Zakaria, over the weekend, he interviewed the Afghan president, Hamid Karzai, who seemed to essentially be complaining about all the resources that we've put into his country, but he says they're misdirected.
Here's what he said over the weekend.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HAMID KARZAI, AFGHAN PRESIDENT: The money where it was invested directly has achieved. The United States has been built roads for us, the United States has been schools and clinics for us. But the United States has not invested in major infrastructure projects for us like dams and electricity that we can produce of our own.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: Why support this guy? I mean, we have invested billions of dollars in propping up his country, and many projects. He says it's going to the wrong place.
CALDWELL: Well, what I'll say is we're supporting the government of Afghanistan, not necessarily an individual, but rather the government of Afghanistan and the people of Afghanistan.
MALVEAUX: Well, he is the president.
CALDWELL: He is. But what I would tell you is there has been a significant investment in the infrastructure, especially in the military and police side where we have oversight, where we have in fact done a tremendous amount of infrastructure development in building military facilities, police stations, hospitals, clinics, and those type of things necessary for a functioning army and police force.
MALVEAUX: Do you dismiss what he says out of hand?
CALDWELL: No. You know, there's always that concern about how money is moved in each country. But what I can tell you, what we do in the training mission is in a very transparent, open manner with our Afghan counterparts. They're very much aware of all the different activities that are taking place. And there's a routine interaction between us and the minister of defense and the minister of interior.
MALVEAUX: All right. General, thank you so much for your time. And obviously, best of luck to the mission and all the troops who are over there who are fighting.
CALDWELL: Well, thank you very much.
MALVEAUX: All right. Appreciate it. Well, there's surprising news at the gas stations as summer begins. It's probably not what you would expect.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: We are also following another good news story. It's continuing. Actually, if you believe it or not, it's trickling down. Each time we stop at the gas station, the price going down now, 24 straight days of seeing those prices fall.
Our Alison Kosik, she's joining us from the New York Stock Exchange.
This is amazing, Alison, when you look at it. Just last month, you know, it seemed hopeless. And now we seem to have a turnaround this summer.
How did that happen?
ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Exactly. So, yes, the national average, Suzanne, now sitting at $3.57 a gallon. That's down more than 20 cents in just a little more than two weeks.
So, sure, we all want to know, why the drop? And you know why? Because it's simple supply and demand.
Prices wound up going just high enough that we changed our driving habits. We pulled back on how much we were filling up. So that cut down on the demand for fuel. And at the same time, the supply is increasing, most recently with the U.S. and the IEA pumping extra supplies of crude oil from their emergency reserves into the market to get prices down.
Now, look how dramatic the change this is in the past two months -- in less than two months, actually. Look at this. Since early May, we've gone from almost a dozen states over the $4 mark. Now we're down to just two, Alaska and Hawaii -- Suzanne.
MALVEAUX: How low do you think we're going to go here? I mean, this is pretty amazing.
KOSIK: We could very well go lower than this. The general consensus is that prices have not yet hit bottom, with some experts saying we could see prices drop yet another 20 cents a gallon over the summer.
Of course it's not enough to get prices back below that $3 mark. But you know what? It's a whole lot better than where we were in May.
(STOCK MARKET REPORT)
MALVEAUX: We appreciate good news. We like good news coming from you.
KOSIK: You got it.
MALVEAUX: Thanks.
Now it's time for you to "Choose the News" you would like to see.
Today, a look at how social media and technology are having a unique impact on the way we do things. So, here are your choices.
First, "Facebook Standoff." A man holed up in a house with a hostage updates his Facebook profile several times during this ordeal. Now police are looking at how to handle social media in future cases just like that one.
And second, "Homeless Web Site." Two Twitter accounts run by homeless women have sparked a popular new Web page. Well, how that's creating an online community in helping organizations help people who are in need.
And finally, "Scan It," the new device that lets you scan your groceries, bag them, and head out the door in record time.
So, you can vote for your favorite story by texting 22360. Text 1 for "Facebook Standoff"; 2 for "Homeless Web Site"; or 3 for "Scan It."
The winning story will air later this hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: Here's a rundown on some of the stories ahead.
Up next, inside Syria on the streets of Damascus. We are there. It's the first time the government lets reporters inside.
Then, as euphoria over same-sex marriage spreads across New York, we're going to see if other states decide to follow suit.
And later, a close call above Earth, an asteroid zipping past us. You're going to want to see that one.
Well, for months, Syria refused to let journalists within its borders while reports of this brutal government crackdown blew up on the Internet. Well, now the government is finally letting reporters in.
Arwa Damon reports from inside Syria.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ARWA DAMON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's unsettling arriving in the town of Jisr-Al-Shugur. For weeks, we heard stories of brutal attacks by Syrian security forces, of thousands fleeing, of mass graves. Now the government is bringing journalists to this dusty and very empty town.
We're escorted not only by officials, but two truckloads of military. That's for our own protection, we're told. Armed gangs that once controlled all of Jisr-Al-Shugur are still a threat. Military officials tell us the crackdown here was unavoidable, to stop terrorist elements whose aim is to bring down the Assad regime and to establish an al Qaeda-style Islamic state. Most of the shops are closed. A handful of people wander the streets. This is what is left of the post office, where we're told security personnel trying to surrender were gunned down.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MALVEAUX: Arwa Damon joins us live from Damascus.
Arwa, I mean, first, kind of extraordinary that you now have access, along with other journalists. Explain to us what you are seeing on the ground. We've reported so much signs of violence that have taken place. Have you seen this where you are?
DAMON: Well, Suzanne, if we just take the example of that snippet that you aired right there, that very much is exactly what the government wants us to see and hear. And our movements are regulated by government minders who are constantly out on the streets with us whenever we are filming. And so what we end up with are these two competing narratives, with the government maintaining, as you just saw there, that it's targeting these armed gangs that are trying to bring down the regime, and with activists fiercely disputing that fact, saying that they're going out and demonstrating peacefully because they want to bring about reforms, because now they want to bring about the downfall of the regime simply because the regime has resorted to using so much violence against them. And in trying to clarify exactly what is happening, it's really almost just as challenging as it is to figure that out when we're inside Syria as it is when we are outside.
MALVEUAX: Arwa, that's an excellent point. I mean, because up until now, you've been getting all our news from citizen journalists inside Syria, the people who are uploading their cell phone video and sites to YouTube and Facebook. The people you meet in Damascus, are they willing to talk to you and share their stories about what's really going on?
DAMON: Well, that's a great question in the sense that even if people were willing to speak with a Western journalist, people are incredibly cautious when approaching us simply because we are constantly operating in the shadow of our government minders.
Because we have been having to rely so much on the YouTube videos, one of the first requests we put forward to the government minders was to go to areas around Damascus where those demonstrations were taking place so that we could see for ourselves exactly what was happening. That request was denied. We were told the permissions did not come through and it was for our own security.
Instead, on Friday we were taken to an area where a pro- government demonstration was happening. People there most certainly very passionate about the point they were trying to put forward. But again, it's incredibly difficult to have candid, on-camera conversations with people because they are very concerned about their own safety. That being said, it is possible to try to go out and speak to individuals. We do sometimes hear people coming up and whispering things to us when we're out there in the streets. But again, you are still trying to pull apart these competing threads and figure out exactly what is taking place in this country, Suzanne.
MALVEAUX: Arwa, we appreciate your efforts in doing that. I know it's a tough job there, but thank you once again.
New York becomes the sixth state to legalize same-sex marriage. What state could be next? We're going to take a look at the new battlegrounds.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: A reminder for you to vote for today's Choose the News winner. You can vote by texting 22360. Vote 1 for Facebook standoff, a man holding a hostage updates his Facebook page during the standoff. Now police are coming up with new tactics to battle criminals using social media. Vote 2 for homeless Web site: how two Twitter accounts helped spark a Web site that's creating an online community for the homeless. Vote 3 for Scan It. Scan 'em, sack 'em, walk out the door. A new device that could change the way you grocery shop. The winning story is going to air later this hour.
New York hopes to rake in billions of tourism dollars by becoming the destination wedding spot for same-sex couples. City's annual gay pride parade celebrated a new law legalizing same-sex marriage in New York. It's now the sixth and by far the largest state to allow gay couples to marry.
Last hour, I spoke to the lawmaker who led the Marriage Equality Act to passage, New York State assemblyman Daniel O'Donnell. He's the first openly gay man in the New York state assembly and the brother of comedian Rosie O'Donnell. He says everything just fell into place.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DANIEL O'DONNELL (D), NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLYMAN: In a lot of ways politically, this was a perfect storm. When the assembly passed the bill for the first time in 2007, the polling numbers were at 38 or 40 percent. The polling numbers now in New York are close to 60 percent. So, that's a wonderful thing.
Our previous governor, David Paterson, was as committed as Andrew Cuomo was to the idea, although he didn't have the political power and popularity that Andrew Cuomo did, and so our governor was able to use that political power and that political support to help marshal this through.
And the third thing, all the disparate groups that were working for this in the past all joined together and worked as a coordinated campaign.
(END VIDEO CLIP) MALVEAUX: New York governor Andrew Cuomo believes his state's actions could change the momentum for the gay rights movement on a national level.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. ANDREW CUOMO (D), NEW YORK: What this state said today brings this discussion of marriage equality to a new plane. That's the power and the beauty of New York. The other states look to New York for the progressive direction. And what we said today is you look to New York once again. Because New York made a powerful statement, not just for the people of New York but the people all across this nation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: New York's new law takes effect on July 24. Our CNN's Carl Azuz is here to go beyond the headlines. And Carl, tell us what other states this may be gaining traction?
CARL AZUZ, CNN STUDENT NEWS ANCHOR: We're going to have sort of a macro look at this story, Suzanne, taking a look at where the country stands on this at the time.
There are six states and the District of Columbia that have legalized gay marriage. Those states include Massachusetts, Connecticut, Iowa, Vermont, New Hampshire and now New York. Two other states recognize same-sex marriages from other places. Those include Rhode Island and Maryland. But this battle continues in several other locations.
If you want to take a look at California, there has been some intense back-and-forth here over the issue. Gay rights activists are currently trying to overturn Proposition 8. That was a voter-approved measure that banned same-sex marriages after there was this four-month period when they were allowed. That, Proposition 8 could be a big issue in 2012 for Californians if that gets back on the ballot.
Also, take a look at North Carolina, ironically the home of the 2012 Democratic National Convention. That state's considering whether or not to put a constitutional ban of gay marriage on its ballot. And then there's Minnesota, home of two presidential hopefuls, representative Michele Bachmann and former governor Tim Pawlenty. Minnesota is also considering a constitutional amendment that would keep the definition of marriage as between a man and women.
And you've got to remember, there are 37 states that still enforce the Defense of Marriage Act. That was the bill Congress enacted in 1996. It prevents government recognition of same-sex marriages and allows states to do the same thing. So, while what happened in New York is considered a victory for gay rights activists, Suzanne, it's not something considered a sea change at this point.
MALVEAUX: OK. Carl, thank you very much.
AZUZ: Thank you, Suzanne. MALVEUAX: Well, American Amanda Knox is in an Italian courtroom. That is today, appealing her murder conviction. Knox and two others were found responsible for the death of her study-abroad roommate. Now, one of the men convicted took the stand today. And his testimony apparently shocked Knox.
CNN's Dan Rivers joins us from Italy. Dan, fill us in on what happened today. What is this about?
DAN RIVERS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, they were kind of counting, I think, the defense team for Amanda Knox on this co-defendant effectively, Rudy Guede who has also been convicted of the murder of Meredith Kercher. They were hoping he would crack under cross examination, that he would admit he killed Meredith Kercher on his own, that the other two had nothing to do with it.
In fact what happened was the complete opposite. For the first time, Rudy Guede directly accused the other two of being guilty of Meredith Kercher's murder. Guede denied that he had confessed that he alone - alone -- had killed her as had been reported as he confessed to a fellow prison inmate. So, it backfired in a rather spectacular fashion for the defense team here.
Amanda Knox herself dramatically also gave a statement to the court in Italian. She talked about how shocked she was at Guede's evidence. She said he knew we weren't in the house the night of the murder. She didn't know what happened and she was sorry that she couldn't talk to Guede direct.
So, it was a very dramatic day of witness testimony in this appeal, an appeal that still has several months left to run.
MALVEUAX: Yes, Dan, I was going to ask that. This case has taken so many twists and turns. It's gone on for, like, four years now. Do we have any sense of when there would, like, be a ruling on this appeal?
RIVERS: Well, Suzanne, this is just one of a number of appeals that can happen. This one may wrap up in sort of the end of September, but then if they fail to overturn this conviction, they can then go to the supreme court here. So, this may drag on for months more, even years more. And all the while, the kind of intense press speculation and media interest in this case, if anything, is only getting bigger, not diminishing at all.
It was interesting as well seeing Amanda Knox in court today. It was the first time the three of them had been in court all together since the very early days of these court hearings. As she gave her statement, her voice was really trembling with emotion. She kind of paused at one point, almost as if she were about to break down in tears. She regained her composure. But it was clear, when we were watching her at the beginning before proceedings began, she was taking deep breaths. She was being reassured by her lawyers. She was clearly very nervous about today because she knew so much was hanging on it.
MALVEAUX: Very dramatic stuff. All right. Dan Rivers. Thank you very much, Dan.
An asteroid nearing earth. It's a close encounter you don't want to miss hearing about.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: A reminder for you to vote for today's "Choose The News" winner. You can vote by texting 22360. Vote one for "FaceBook Standoff," a man holding a hostage updates his FaceBook page during the standoff. Well, now police are coming up with new tactics to battle these criminals using social media. Vote 2 for "Homeless Website," how two Twitter accounts helped spark a website that is creating an online community for the homeless. Vote 3 for "Scan It," Scan em, sack em, walk out the door. A new device that could change the way you do your grocery shopping. The winning story is going to air later this hour.
Well, about 30 minutes and counting. Close encounter with an asteroid. Alexandra Steele keeping an eye on that for us.
Tell us what that's about. I mean it sounds kind scary. (INAUDIBLE).
ALEXANDRA STEELE, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Hi.
Let's just say it's not a look out below kind of scenario. Not even remotely.
MALVEAUX: OK, that's a good thing. That's a good thing.
STEELE: But, you know, what's one of the coolest things about it, it was just discovered on Wednesday by some robotic telescopes who's job in New Mexico, scan the skies and look for asteroids.
MALVEAUX: Cool.
STEELE: Yes. So, let's get to it and talk about it. It is fast approaching the earth. And in about half an hour, it will be at its closest approach. But what does that mean, the closest approach? Can you catch it? Can you feel it? No. It's going to be about 7,500 miles above the earth's surface.
And how big is this rock-like substance? Well, it's actually the size of a tour bus, believe it or not. It seems pretty big in scope, but pretty small and pales in comparison to what we've got out there.
It won't hit. There's no threat to any of us. But it is pretty interesting.
Now, an object this size, the size of a tour bus, believe it or not, passes about every six years through our earth's atmosphere. So you want to see it? Can you see it? Well, let me tell you, it's going to be a little difficult. You need a moderate sized telescope. Even kind of a small one that you buy in one of the scientific stores, you probably could see it if that were the only thing you needed. But it is lightning fast and it's moving incredibly fast. And, also, it's not that bright. It's about 250 times dimmer than the faintest stars we see in the night sky. So collision with satellites, our weather satellites, really not possible. So I'm saying it's 7,500 miles into the earth's atmosphere. To give you a perspective. The weather satellites we use all the time are about 22,000 miles up into the atmosphere.
So, kind of neat. Probably not going to see it. But if you really have the correct scientific acumen, you maybe could see a little bit -- faint vision of it.
All right, in terms of the bigger picture out there, other than asteroids in our beautiful sky, we do have some strong storms, especially this afternoon and tonight. Chicago, Minneapolis, KC (ph), you could be under the gun. Nashville as well. As you head a little bit farther south, Birmingham, Atlanta, certainly more out of the question than not. But hail and some very strong winds part of the package tonight.
And the heat continues to blaze. We'll talk more, Suzanne, about those fires in Los Alamos and the weather impacting them coming up in just a bit. Back to you.
MALVEAUX: All right, thank you, Alexandra. Appreciate it.
Your responses popping up to our "Talk Back" question. Is it time for marriage equality in America after New York's approval of same-sex marriage? Your responses are just moments away.
But first, how many hours a day would you say you spend sitting in front of a computer at your job or at home? Well, a new study says that long hours sitting actually shortens your life. Researchers followed more than 100,000 people over 14 years and found a pretty disturbing trend, especially among women, who sat more than six-hours a day.
So, what do you think they discovered? The women had a, 25 percent higher incidence of death compared to those who sat less than three hours a day, b, a 37 percent higher chance or, c, 10 percent higher?
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MALVEAUX: Women who spend their days sitting more than six hours at a time face a much higher risk of death than those who sit less than three hours a day. How much higher? A whopping 37 percent. For men, it was 18 percent. And here's the really troubling part. Folks who got physical activity when they were not sitting still had a shorter lifespan. Well, researchers say prolonged time spent in a chair has a negative effect on your metabolism, affecting your blood pressure, cholesterol, among many other things. So what would be the solution. If you have to sit a lot on your job, break it up with periods of standing and walking.
You've been sounding off on the "Talk Back" question with New York passing a law allowing same-sex marriage. Is it time for marriage equality in America? Carol Costello joins us from New York with your responses.
Hey, Carol, what are folks saying?
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Oh, passionate responses, Suzanne. The "Talk Back" question, is it time for marriage equality in America, like you said?
This from Jeremy. "I do not understand why this is such a huge issue. In this country, there's a very old document that we hold very dear that says all men are created equal. Last time I saw it, there wasn't a asterisk next to the word men."
This from Braydan. "If same-sex relations were meant to be, why are there two sexes, evolution would have created a super-sex. I makes no sense, in science or religion."
This from Jennifer. "For the people opposed, ask yourself this question, does it truly affect you if gay marriage is made legal? Will you lose your job, your house, your safety? If not, then shut up and let people in love get married. How would you like being with someone for years and not being able to make it legal? I'd feel like I didn't matter."
This from Robert. "Gay marriage should be banned only when we ban straight people from getting married two, three, or four times."
Oh, please, continue the conversation, facebook/carolcnn. And, as always, thank you for your responses.
MALVEAUX: All right, Carol, thank you.
Also, Carol, want you to check out this video here. This is a protest. This is anger expressed quite like you've never seen. Just check this out.
Carol, these are students that are protesting, right? They're protesting the state of Chile schools to the beat of Michael Jackson's "Thriller." These folks say that Chilean education is as rotten and as dead as the ghouls in that music video. That's a pretty cool way to protest, huh?
COSTELLO: And the "Thriller" -- you know, I'm always amazed that everybody knows -- everybody knows the steps. I'm amazed by that. And, I must say, that's my kind of protest.
MALVEAUX: Carol, I know the steps.
COSTELLO: It's peaceful. It gets the message out respectively (ph).
MALVEAUX: I mean, I would think you'd know the steps. I'm sure you know the steps. I know the steps. We know the steps.
COSTELLO: I did back in the day.
MALVEAUX: Oh, back in the day. COSTELLO: You do? You do still?
MALVEAUX: Absolutely. All the -- they'd have nothing on us, huh. And I want you to show -- and wanted you to see this one. This is the red leather jacket Michael Jackson wore in the video. Sold for $1.8 million to a Texan.
COSTELLO: Wow.
MALVEAUX: Second -- yes, and a second "Thriller" jacket is owned by the Jackson estate. All of that after the two year anniversary of the death of Michael Jackson just days ago. So, a lot of Michael Jackson stuff out there.
COSTELLO: $1.8 million. Can you imagine paying $1.8 million for a red leather jacket just because Michael Jackson wore it dancing like as a zombie.
MALVEAUX: You know, if you love him, some people are willing to do it. I don't know. That Texan sure loves him.
All right, Carol, we'll let you go. We'll talk to you tomorrow.
You told us what you wanted to see. Your "Choose The News" story moments away.
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MALVEAUX: Time for your "Choose The News" winner. CNN's Felicia Taylor shows us a new grocery store gadget that is giving new meaning to the phase fast food.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I love scanning it.
FELICIA TAYLOR, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Why?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Because it makes shopping fun.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I love those pop-up coupons.
TAYLOR (voice-over): Scan It is the latest gadget to hit grocery stores, promising to save customers time and money. The system is in use by the Dutch company Ahold (ph). In Sweden, Belgium, the Czech Republic and in about half of their U.S. grocery stores. Names like Ucrofts (ph) and Stop & Shop.
RON ONORATO, STOP & SHOP: It's about giving the customer's choice so they come back here every day, you know, every time they do their shopping. There is -- we have about 10 million people that use Scan It. And a lot of them are repeat customers. It's about getting a choice of technology that you can't find anywhere else.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, this is the first time I'm using it and I think it's going to be very helpful once I get the hang of it because it's quick to get out of the store I anticipate and I just like to be able to see the prices.
TAYLOR: It was time to take Scan It for a test drive.
TAYLOR (on camera): Let's see how this actually works. OK. All we have to do is Scan It. Oh, there it is. Oh, here we are. OK. Here's the little trusty device. Let's see what happens.
Carrots are $1.66. Like that. OK. Oh, Romaine is a little expensive, but it's fresh. OK. Not bad. $2.50. That's really a good deal.
All right, let's start bagging this stuff up. I mean that's the whole point. That's why you're supposed to save time, right.
TAYLOR (voice-over): And be a smarter shopper. While you're shopping, the device displays what's on sale, enticing the buyer to pick up more items. Ahold says the shoppers who use Scan It spend about 10 percent more than the average customer.
TAYLOR (on camera): Ah, let's see how much we've spent. We've spent $45.56, but yet we've saved $6.56 so far. That's not bad. All right. Should we check out?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You don't even have to put these on. I just have to take the gun --
TAYLOR: This?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. And I scan it. And then I take your Stop & Shop card --
TAYLOR: OK.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And then I swipe it. And everything rings up. It's very easy.
TAYLOR: All you have to do is learn how to use the gadget. And, frankly, it's pretty nifty. It didn't take me that long to figure it out. A couple of glitches here and there. But the truth is, about 11 percent of this store's I think it's 20,000 annual customers a week use the Scan It program. Now that's good for the customer and good for the store.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
