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Greece Buys Time and Trouble; Nuclear Lab at Mercy of Wildfire; California Passes $86 Billion Budget; Emergency Hearing In Loughner Case; Casey's Parents Grilled By Defense; Footprints Forever; Bachmann Versus Palin?
Aired June 29, 2011 - 13:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
RANDI KAYE, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, Suzanne, thank you very much.
Well, too much debt and not enough money. A country in revolt and risking default. A legislature forced to make an agonizing choice. It sounds all too familiar but these sights and sounds are from Greece. Riot, police, and thick clouds of tear-gas are keeping protesters away from the parliament building in Athens where lawmakers not only passed a five-year package of spending cuts, tax hikes, and spill-offs of government access. Had they not, their fellow Euro states would likely stop bailing Greece out, and the country would likely default on loan payments due in near weeks and that could send shock waves all over this map and beyond.
Just take a look here, all of these countries share the euro which means all pay the price, when one, even a small one like Greece gets in trouble. Today's vote clears the way for $17 billion in emergency loans from the EU and IMF. The final installment of a $156 billion package approved last year. Athens hopes for a second bail- out and the new austerity measures make that much more likely.
CNN's Richard Quest is in the thick of the demonstrations in the Greek capitol, and he'll join us live at quarter past the hour.
Our "Sound Effect" is from the epicenter of the economic issues at home. As you may have see live, right here on CNN, President Obama held a full-on news conference at the White House today, and debt ceiling talks with republicans topped his agenda.
Republicans refuse to consider tax increases to go along with spending cuts that seem to be a condition for raising the nation's borrowing limit, but the president says that is not a sustainable argument. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Any agreement to reduce our deficit is going to require tough decisions and balanced solutions, and before we ask our seniors to pay more for health care, before we cut our children's education, before we sacrifice our commitment to the research and innovation that will help create more jobs in the economy, I think it's only fair to ask an oil company or a corporate jet owner, or oil company that has done so well to give up that tax break that no other business enjoys. (END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: Mr. Obama says nobody wants to see the United States default, and so he's confident the White House and Republicans can bridge their differences.
Now, I want to get to New Mexico, where the nation's premiere nuclear research lab is still at the mercy of an out-of-control wildfire. My colleague, Reynolds Wolf, on the fringes of the Loss Alamos lab which is shut down for one more day but not, officials stress, in imminent danger. Reynolds, how are things going there? What's happening at this hour?
REYNOLDS WOLF, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Well, so far, so good. We still have some issues out there, no question. The fire is only 3 percent contained. We're talking about an aggressive fire, Randi, one that has basically thrashed about 60,000 acres of pristine wilderness in three days. And it's still burning, the wind is now beginning to pick up, conditions are very dry, weather not cooperating whatsoever. Rain chances get a little bit better as you make away towards the weekend, but still, they're going to be minimal at best. Perhaps into the middle of next week, we might see them exceed to 15 maybe 16 percent, but until that time, it's going to be very rough.
One of the biggest threats we have, of course, is with that fire and its location and topography. Let me back out of the way for a moment. We've got CNN photo journalist, John Torigoe, with us. John, if you can give our viewers a shot of that ridge we see back in the distance, and Randi, I know you can barely see through the smoke, but that is the ski area, much of which was ripped - much of the vegetation gone from a fire from a decade ago and from between that point, toward the very end of that ridge to the place where now stand, there is a huge area of virgin forests that remains untouched.
The big problem is, the big fear that they expect is the possibility of the strong western winds that will carry some sparks, spread the fire to the forest, and if that happens - John, I'm going to step back in for a moment, if that happens, Randi, the threat then pushes the fire possibly into some of the canyons that separate the three or four maces that make up the community of Los Alamos. I know the big concern, obviously, the laboratory itself, you know, it's a huge areas, it's some 30 to 40 square miles.
And one of the big issues we have, of course, is that radioactive waste anywhere from 20 to 30,000 canisters of it. Although it certainly sounds like a bad thing, we spoke with some experts who told us that you never want plutonium to burn but it's in a very, very safe area. It's basically on a giant slab of concrete away from vegetation. So, although the fire came within five miles of that spot, they say - they insist it's a very, very safe location - Randi.
KAYE: And Reynolds, just real quickly here, what about the town of Los Alamos itself? I mean, we know that the folks have cleared out, but what about the homes? Have any been lost?
REYNOLDS: Wow, that's -- thankfully that's the good news of all, we haven't had anything happen yet in terms of losing homes in this community, in Los Alamo, but that's the big fear. People who have left or who were forced to evacuate back on Monday are terrified of what they may find when they return, hopefully within a matter days, perhaps within a week. And, again, it all depends on the weather.
KAYE: All right, Reynolds Wolf there in Los Alamos for us on the scene. Reynolds, thank you.
And this just in to CNN. Judges for the sixth circuit court of appeals have ruled that the mandate that all individuals have health care under the new health care reform law is, quote, "A valid exercise of Congress's authority under the commerce law." This is the first time a federal court ruled on the constitutionality of President Obama's health reform law. The decision came as a result of a lawsuit filed against the act by the Thomas More Law Center.
After months of protest and back if and forth in the state legislature, Wisconsin's new collective bargaining law takes effect today. Among the changes, state and local government workers can only collectively bargain over base salary. And they will face higher healthcare and pension costs. Like many states, Wisconsin faces a large budget short fall and the new law is expected to make up some of that, though it's unclear how much. The Milwaukee Teachers Education Association says it expects a number of teachers to be laid off as soon as this week because of the new law.
California lawmakers have passed a new $86 billion budget which makes cuts but does not extend tax hikes. The budget is a disappointment for Governor Jerry Brown, a Democrat who spent months trying to convince Republican legislators to put an extension of personal income and sales tax increases before the voters. The budget makes big cuts in education and health and human services among other things, it also relies on a projected $4 billion in tax revenue. If that does not materialize, it could force more cuts and leave open the possibility of putting forth a public vote on tax increases next year.
An emergency hearing set a few hours from now in San Diego to determine if prison officials can forcibly administer anti-psychotic drugs to Jered Loughner. A court filing last Friday from Loughner's defense argued that the federal prison where he is being housed violate his rights by deciding to treat him with drugs against his will. The government has argued that it was necessary because Loughner is, quote, "dangerous to others." Loughner is accused of shooting 19 people, including Congresswoman Gabriel Giffords at a Tucson area supermarket back in January.
The George Anthony suicide attempt and the defense confronts Casey Anthony's mom about Lee and the alleged sexual abuse. The Anthony family is back on the stand. More shocking new details from the Casey Anthony trial, coming your way next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Time to get back to the economic crisis that's morphed into violence on the streets of Athens. As promised, CNN's Richard Quest is outside the Greek parliament where a do or die package of spending cuts and tax hikes has squeaked through. And while many economists are breathing easier, the air around you, Richard, from the looks of the video that we're seeing and that we've been seeing probably reeks of tear-gas, am I right?
RICHARD QUEST, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely, Randi, and the shot you're looking at at the moment, is the center of the square, and what just happened, quite interesting and remarkable, there was a massive charge by the riot police. They put an enormous amount of tear-gas with stun grenades into the square, and literally cleared out the square. But it's not clear to me what their game is here, or what their policy was, because they seemed to have then retreated. I have to just say, while I have just been talking to you, the wind has changed and that tear-gas is going right into my face, so we'll leave you on the picture of the square at the moment while I answer any questions you may have.
KAYE: Just - if you would, just remind us what's at stake here, but I'm also curious about the reaction to the fact that this has passed now - this package has passed.
QUEST: I don't think that there was any doubt that the package would pass eventually. The anger that there was from the real protesters, those are on a matter of principle. They will just go to the next level of the fight. They will take it a bit further, they will go through the parliamentary process of the next days or two as the laws are enacted and implemented.
As for the hooligans, the thugs, the hoodlums on the street, well they will just continue to battle on until finally there is not anymore tear-gas to throw and they get a defeated. The battle for the austerity measures is substantially over. The government got its majority, a bigger majority than we had thought, and now, for Greece's point of view, it has to be implemented.
KAYE: And Richard, we've talking so much about the actual austerity measures themselves, but I'm just curious, because we have you there, I know it's painful for you, I see you off camera wiping your eyes from all of that tear-gas, but I am curious what the scene is like still on the street as much as they have dispersed a lot of the people? I mean, is it - is it organized? Is there chaos down there? I mean, are the people returning?
QUEST: OK. The best way - the best way to show you what's happening on the street, I'll get out of the way, and I'll instruct my cameraman to show. We start over in the far corner of the square. That is where they have been assembling, that is where they keep coming into the square. It does make you wonder why they haven't stopped anybody else coming into the square. Move down to the middle of the square, and you see this is where the indignants are. These are the protesters on the part of policy, they deeply feel that the austerity measures are unfair, and they believe that it's the wicked bankers, that they should be given more time, and that ultimately, it is going to be bad for the Greek economy.
And then you come to this part of the square where you have the black shirts. These are, frankly, the thugs and hooligans who need no opportunity to start an opportunity or a fight. You can see what's happening now. They are regrouping, we've got them with drums, they're banging on bins, and they're moving back forward again.
If I can just move into the picture, I can point out in the direction they are going. They are moving back forward and they're moving towards the finance ministry just over there. What will happen, I am pretty much guaranteeing in the next five minutes or so, down the side streets, the riot police will come full throttle, stun guns and grenades into the middle of the square, tear-gas will billow across the hull of Athens' the center, and the whole process starts over again.
KAYE: Does it seem, Richard, that there is any clear leader to these protesters, or is this just a group of all kinds of folks coming together to take advantage of this opportunity?
QUEST: I think the latter. I am sure there is some informal leadership going on down there, but it doesn't appear to be -- there is a lot of them. I mean, we're not talking about ten, you know, there are several hundred people, whether it's communist, anarchists, who knows what they support, but they are determined to wreck and ruin large parts of this square. And they are -- and what I have seen at various points, Randi, is the peaceful protestors coming up and trying to demonstrate (ph) with them. Trying to tell them not to do it. And they get nowhere. These thugs are determined to have their fight.
Now, what are the police up to? I don't know. I am not a law enforcement expert, but their failure to get control of the square over many hours, maybe some would say this is their game plan that's contained in a relatively small part of Athens. Who knows. It's quarter past eight in Athens. The law has been passed. The fighting goes on. And I suspect we're in for a busy night of (INAUDIBLE).
KAYE: Yes, I'm sure you are, Richard. If you would, please do keep us posted. We're going to be on the air here for the next couple of hours or so. So we will check back in with you as it warrants. Thank you.
QUEST: There we go. There you go. I promised you within a couple of moments, and sure enough I can hear the stun grenades going off just over to my left. I expect a charge in the next couple of minutes.
KAYE: Sounds like you have the timing on this one down, Richard. All right, well, protect your eyes and stay safe there and we'll check back with you again.
QUEST: Thank you.
KAYE: Coming up, George Anthony's suicide attempt and the defense confronts Casey's mom about Lee, her brother, and the alleged sexual abuse. The Anthony family back on the stand. More details from the Casey Anthony trial coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: The Anthony family drama was on full display today in the Casey Anthony murder trial. Casey Anthony's alleged sexual abuse by her dad and brother, George Anthony's suicide attempt, the rotting smell in Casey's car and the fights about Casey's lies. Both Casey's mom and dad are back on the stand to answer some very blunt questions from the defense. You can imagine there were some very emotionally charged moments in that courtroom today.
So let's bring in Holly Hughes, a criminal defense attorney and former prosecutor. She's here with me today again in studio.
Holly, the defense going after George Anthony pretty hard there, questioning him about molesting his daughter Casey. He said, quote, "I would never harm her in that way." But the defense brought this up in their opening. They're trying to prove it. Did they?
HOLLY HUGHES, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY, FORMER PROSECUTOR: No. And here's a tip for Jose Baez, Randi, never hand your enemy a club because he just might use it to beat you over the head with it. George Anthony is having Jose Baez for lunch because he's rehabilitating him. That's not what he's trying to do, but yesterday we saw a defiant George who said, I didn't have an affair. Today we see a broken, heart-wrenching, emotional plea by a father, and a grandfather, saying, I wouldn't do that.
KAYE: Yes. You mention that. And we were watching this earlier and you can see George Anthony on the verge of tears several times. But there were one moment where he just broke down when he learned that investigators had found his granddaughter's body. Let's listen to that and then I want to ask you about it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JEFF ASHTON, ASSISTANT STATE ATTORNEY: Had you held out the hope that Caylee would be found alive?
GEORGE ANTHONY, CASEY ANTHONY'S FATHER: Absolutely. Every day from July 15th until the day we were told it was Caylee.
ASHTON: In January of 2009 you went -- I'll give you a moment.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: He is broken, as you described there. But what was so interesting, too, was his daughter's reaction. Casey's reaction sitting there. So I'm curious. I mean what, as a defense attorney, would you worry in that case what jurors might think of your client and how she's reacting?
HUGHES: I absolutely would because we already know that Casey does not react properly. You know, her mother was on the stand falling apart because this little girl is missing --
KAYE: And she shows nothing.
HUGHES: Nothing. She is completely unaffected by this. And that's just not normal. That's not the human emotion. When we see Cindy and George having these very real, human drama breakdowns, that's what we want from the mother of this precious little girl. We want the mother to be this upset that her baby went missing. Whether she drowned, whether she was murdered, we want her to care, Randi, and she doesn't.
KAYE: Very quickly. They also brought up George Anthony's suicide note. He had left a note saying that he wanted to be with Caylee. Why would the defense bring this up? This was in, what, 2009 I think.
HUGHES: Because they are trying to infer that he was getting about molesting his daughter, that he was guilty about hiding the body and now Casey's on the hook for it.
KAYE: Just so wracked with guilt that he would take his life?
HUGHES: Correct. But it's going to backfire because when the state gets to put up rebuttal, you better believe Jeff Ashton is entering that suicide note into evidence as a rebuttal. Right now it's hearsay and the defense certainly isn't going to enter it because it doesn't say what they want it to say.
KAYE: All right, Holly, we'll check back with you in about an hour from now. We'll let you get back to watching the trial and keep us up to date on that.
HUGHES: You got it.
KAYE: Thank you.
Well, all this week, we're taking a look at an important issue -- online security. Up next, our Michael Holmes shows us how technology makes it difficult to avoid being tracked no matter what you do.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Welcome back.
Every day each of us leaves behind what you might call digital footprints. Pieces of personal information we may not even realize are being collected and, yes, saved. So what would it take to live just one day without leaving a digital trail? CNN's Michael Holmes tries to find out.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Every time we use online technology, we're exposing some kind of personal information. Countless digital footprints left behind, lasting sometimes forever. Our location, our interests, information about our friends and families. What would it take to live life just one day without a digital trace? I set out to find out with the help of "Wired" magazine writer Evan Ratliff. In 2009, he tried to disappear and leave no digital trace behind and dared his readers find him.
EVAN RATLIFF, ATAVISTIC.ORG/"WIRED" MAGAZINE: What surprised me most was how quickly people were able to uncover facts about me. People conducting their own investigations, finding information about me online. You know, the deed to my apartment. Those sorts of things that they could find really within a matter of hours.
HOLMES (on camera): If I'm going to leave no digital trace, the first thing I have to leave behind is this, my smartphone.
RATLIFF: If you think about it, it's basically a device that says where you are within a few feet at any given time, all the time. If you look at the history, the graphic history of a phone, it's basically the graphic history of your life.
HOLMES (voice-over): Even without a smartphone tracking my movement, I'll have to be careful online. Even with simple things, like Internet searches, since many search engines keep records of everything I type into that little box.
HOLMES (on camera): Now the same goes for online shopping. That's when you leave a lot of digital fingerprints. If you don't want to do that, you've got to go to bricks and mortar shops and just do it the old fashioned way. A lot of these online companies aren't just selling you a product, they're selling your information.
RATLIFF: Any time you're shopping online, your information is probably going to into a database and it's probably a database that they can sell. If you go look at most sites' privacy policies, they will tell you that they are able to sell the information to select marketers or marketing databases. And that's sort of the reality of online shopping.
HOLMES: And it's not just online either. Even when you're away from the computer, technologies like that guy there, that's a toll booth transponder. It keeps digital records of where I've been and when I was there.
HOLMES (voice-over): But the biggest challenge may be social media. All those tweets, the photos and status updates leave a trail that can be hard to erase.
RATLIFF: You, of course, have to realize that that's information that you're putting out there that you can't pull back in. So you can't later get that information off of the web.
HOLMES: Despite our best efforts leaving no digital footprint may be all but impossible as Evan learned when readers tracked him down by following an online trail he tried his hardest to hide.
Michael Holmes, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAYE: Well, Kate Middleton is on the cover of "Newsweek" with who? We will tell you about the controversial photograph that has some critics up in arms right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: It's about half past the hour. Here's a look at the headlines and stories you may have missed. Judges for the sixth circuit court of appeals have ruled that the mandate that all individuals have health care under the new health care reform law is, quote, "a valid exercise of Congress' authority under the commerce clause." This is the first time a federal appeals court has ruled on the constitutionality of President Obama's health reform law. The decision came as a result of a lawsuit filed against the act by the Thomas More Law Center.
Protesters are not happy with Greek lawmakers' decisions to approve a package of austerity measures today. As you can see here, these are live pictures, they are not afraid to show their disapproval. You can see the fires burning there in the streets. Riot police are using tear gas to try and to keep the stone-throwing crowds away from parliament, and have sent dozens to the hospital. The move clears the way for more bailouts, which will allow Greece to avoid defaulting on debt repayment. But unions are angry about the tax hikes and job cuts.
President Obama held a news conference at the White House just a short time ago using much of the time to cover the economy and the deficit. He stressed the importance of creating jobs and used the U.S. trade deal with Korea as an example of one potential solution. He admitted that any agreement on raising the debt ceiling will include tough decisions and balanced solutions. He even went so far as to say lawmakers should cancel their vacations if they cannot reach a deal.
All right. Take a look here, have you seen this? Newsweek magazine decided to dedicate their July 1 cover to the late Princess Diana's 50th birthday. But did they go too far? The magazine is drawing criticism for its front cover that features this computer- generated photograph of the late Diana walking next to Kate Middleton, the current duchess of Cambridge. Newsweek mocked up the photo in an effort to show what Diana would have looked like today, but some critics are calling the cover disrespectful.
There is one thing about Texas that you cannot ignore. If you've ever met a Texan, you know exactly what we're talking about, the old Texas pride, but why it's becoming so important to our economy and politics? We'll go to Texas next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: It's not just big, it's the nation's second-largest state economy. We're talking about Texas. If you have ever been to Texas or know anyone from Texas, you definitely know just how much they love the Lone Star State. In our "Defining America" series, Ed Lavandera gives us a glimpse into that Texas pride.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Texas pride is as subtle as getting smacked across the face with an iron skillet. But around here, that's just the way they like it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, my dad used to say, don't ask somebody if he's from Texas, because if he's not, you don't want him to embarrass him, and if he is, he'll tell you pretty quick.
LAVANDERA: Of course, if you are not from Texas, that kind of swagger probably rubs you the wrong way. Texas is the state the rest of the country loves to hate.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think most of the country thinks everyone wears a cowboy hat and rides a horse everywhere.
LAVANDERA: But in San Antonio's Texas Treasure Gift Shop, Taylor Dwyer makes a living selling Texas, and business is good.
TAYLOR DWYER, "TEXAS PRODUCTS" SALESMAN: A Texas-shape and star ice tray. Texas golf balls. Texas swimsuit there. Texas note cards. Magnets, as you can see, there's tons and tons.
LAVANDERA: Dwyer thinks this T-shirt says it all for those who don't think Texas is the center of the universe. "Whatever."
DWYER: That's sometimes our point of view, and a lot of people don't get it because they're probably a little bit offended by that T- shirt, but it's kind of the way we sometimes feel for sure.
MATTHEW MCCONAUGHEY, ACTOR: "Don't mess with Texas."
LAVANDERA: These commercials have solidified the Texas mystique for a modern generation. But Texas pride was born during the days of the Alamo, and legends like Davy Crockett and Sam Houston.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We love Texas, we love the history of Texas.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's how we do it here. This is our motto, basically, everything is Texas is bigger and better to us.
LAVANDERA: The rest of the country might wonder what Texans see across the flat, dry landscape and in that oppressive summer heat. Texans see perfection where the Lone Star flies.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I basically tell my kids, anything you want, you are going to find it right here in Texas.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAYE: Ed Lavandera is on the CNN Express and joins us now from San Antonio. Ed, that's a great story we just saw of yours. Let's talk about though this tour that you're on in Texas. Based on the latest Census, Texas is emerging as a major economic powerhouse. How would you say Texas is changing?
LAVANDERA: Well, you know, it's really changing in a lot of different ways, not only culturally, where you've seen a massive influx of Latino residents who have moved here, signified here where we are in front of the Alamo here in San Antonio, so you've really seen that, but in terms also of just the way the business community has grown. And you have really seen push, especially pushed a lot by the governor of Texas, Rick Perry, who has gone out, courted businesses, they have really kind of gone off and tried to sell to the rest of the country that Texas has weathered the economic storm better than any other state in the country.
So they are really pushing companies to realize that and move here and relocate here to Texas, which of course is driving many other states crazy as well.
KAYE: Yes, and a whole lot of people have their eyes on two Texans, when it comes to the 2012 presidential race. We're talking about Ron Paul and Governor Rick Perry. Is Texas, do you think, becoming an important factor when it comes to this race as it's shaping up?
LAVANDERA: I think we'll see. I mean, I think a lot of people around Texas are waiting to see exactly what Rick Perry is going to decide here in the coming weeks as to whether or not he is going to jump into the fray and join the presidential race, so a lot of people waiting to hear about that.
You also have Ron Paul, as you mentioned, who has done well and has become -- failed bids, but has been very popular in many ways and in many parts of the Republican Party. So they're watching that closely.
The question really is, and I think a lot of people in political circles around the country have talked after eight years of George W. Bush, is the country ready for another kind of Texan who likes to talk with a lot of bravado. And Rick Perry definitely fits those boots -- Randi.
KAYE: Yes, he sure does. All right. Ed Lavandera, at the Alamo for us. Ed, thank you.
Well, a couple was legally married and thought they would live happily ever after, but now one is being deported. Why their dream is crumbling right before their eyes, next.
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KAYE: Most of the time marrying a U.S. citizen puts you on the path to a green card, but not all marriages are created equal in the eyes of the federal government. A Vermont couple found that out the hard way, one of them is being deported this week because their same- sex marriage is not legally recognized.
Soledad O'Brien has their story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Nestled deep in the scenic hills of Vermont, Takako Ueda and Frances Herbert appear to be living the idyllic life of a newly married couple. But time is running out on their happiness. FRANCES HERBERT, IN SAME-SEX MARRIAGE: So it has been like a ticking clock, yes, anticipatory grief.
O'BRIEN: Takako, born in Japan, is just days away from being deported, even though she is legally the spouse of a U.S. citizen.
TAKAKO UEDA, IN SAME-SEX MARRIAGE: This is my family, because I have established for 11 years with Frances and, you know, our little dogs and cats and home, and beautiful nature.
O'BRIEN: They were married on April 26th. Vermont is one of the few states where same-sex marriage is legal. With deportation looming, the couple got a lawyer.
(on camera): So explain to me why, if a couple is legally married, as Frances and Takako are, it doesn't count for the federal government when it comes to immigration?
RACHEL PIVEN, IMMIGRATION EQUALITY: She should be able to sponsor the person that she is married to and the person that she loves for a green card, but because of the Defense of Marriage Act bars the federal government from giving them any federal benefits on the basis of their marriage in Vermont, and so because immigration law is entirely federal, that means that there's no way that Frances as an American can sponsor Takako as her spouse.
O'BRIEN: When is Takako due to be removed from the country?
PIVEN: Her visa runs out on July 5th.
O'BRIEN (voice-over): The Obama administration announced in February that it would stop defending DOMA, or the Defense of Marriage Act in court, calling it "discriminatory." And some recent deportation cases have already been suspended.
Conservatives like Congressman James Lankford says that's not right.
REP. JAMES LANKFORD (R), OKLAHOMA: You can't just an executive branch reach back to a previous law that is on the books and say, we're not going to enforce that. That is the job of the president of the United States. So it's a pretty frightening precedent.
O'BRIEN: So is refusing federal benefits like immigration rights to married same-sex couples unconstitutional? Attorney General Eric Holder says maybe. Still, the administration has not yet stopped all deportations.
HERBERT: If she had to leave? It's still really hard for me to think of that, even though the whole past year, every season was, oh, God, this is the last season, oh, this is our last Thanksgiving, oh, this is the last birthday.
O'BRIEN: With time running out, Takako is packing for Japan.
UEDA: It's a heart-wrenching thing to do. HERBERT: It will feel really, really criminal, just because we're two women. That's all.
O'BRIEN: Reporting for "In America," Soledad O'Brien, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAYE: Another day of protests in Greece. But the protests are falling on deaf ears. Greek lawmakers approved a package of government cuts that should clear the way for an emergency loan to the country. Today is also the second day of a two-day national strike. These are live pictures coming from Greece.
At least 10 people were killed in the attack on the Intercontinental Hotel in Kabul overnight. Two police officers among the dead, and as many nine Taliban militants were also killed. A Spanish news agency is also reporting that a 48-year-old Spanish pilot was among the dead. As many as three of the attackers were shot before they were able to detonate their explosives.
A senior U.K. politician said Iran has been carrying out secret tests of missiles, missiles capable of delivering a nuclear payload. William Hague also said Iran wants to enrich an amount of uranium that goes far beyond its need for peaceful nuclear energy. That is in defiance of a United Nations resolution. Iran has yet to respond to the accusations.
Think you have an idea that could change the world? Well, up next, how it could be worth $100,000. Don't go anywhere.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Every day on this show we do a segment called the "Big I." It's all about big ideas, innovation and solution to problems. In today's "Big I," we're looking at $100,000 winners of phase two of the Ecoimagination Challenge, the Ecoimagination Challenge -- G.E.'s challenge to business, entrepreneurs and innovators to improve green energy in the homes.
So, let's get right to it. Joining me now from Durham, North Carolina, Luke Fishback, founder and CEO of Plot Watt, a start up that created a money saving meter reader for your home that runs on your computer. And from San Francisco, Suminder Singh, cofounder and president of Suntulit, who created a smart air-conditioning system that can actually reduce energy consumption.
Thank you both for joining us.
And, wow, $100,000. Luke, I want to start with your invention. Tell me about Plot Watt, and how it can reduce my bill and energy bill of many of our viewers watching.
LUKE FISHBACK, $100K WINNER, ECOIMAGINATION CHALLENGE: Absolutely. So, the way that we buy and use energy is broking. We're stopping at a grocery store with neither price tags nor checkout counters. Imagine getting once a monthly bill for all of your groceries. Well, that would be a silly way to buy groceries, and it's a silly way to buy energy.
So, at Plot Watt, we fix that problem by providing people with appliance level real-time feedback on how to reduce their energy bills. And the great thing about Plot Watt is that we can do it with your smart meter data alone. So, that means that we can provide the service for free, and on average, our users are reducing their monthly electricity bills by about 20 percent.
KAYE: So, just quickly, I make sure I understand this, it can break down how much I'd save if I turn down my air-conditioning one degree or my lights off for maybe an extra hour or so?
FISHBACK: You got it. And it can do that in real time so we can tell not you how much money you might next month, but we can tell you how much you'd save tomorrow and that would kind of extrapolate over the year or whatever time you are interested in.
KAYE: All right. I want to bring in Suminder Singh, because I want to talk about your invention. Tell us about your smart air- conditioning system and how it works.
SUMIDNER SINGH, $100K WINNER, ECOIMAGINATION CHALLENGE: Yes. Thank you very much for this opportunity.
So, our technology balanced home comfort with energy efficiency, and our technology has three parts. The first is our innovative sensor. The second part is smart algorithms. And then the third part is the wireless battery operated smart ones (ph).
So, when this technology is put together, it enables us to learn the living patterns within a house. And then based on those learned patterns, we can automatically condition the rooms that are occupied or likely to be occupied in the future. So, what this does is it enables us to condition only the rooms, thereby improving comfort while saving 30 percent in energy use.
KAYE: So if I'm understanding this one correctly, just be patient with me here -- it seems it gets to know us in our house and our living patterns. But, say, you have a pet or something like that, say, my cat walks into the room, is it going to accommodate what temperature my cat likes?
SINGH: Well, that's a beautiful question. So, one of the innovation of our technology is that our sensors have the ability to differentiate pets from human beings. And this is very important to overcome the false triggers. Another false trigger is that the existing technology is not able to overcome when somebody is sitting motionless in a room. So, we have to identify, hey, someone is sleeping in the room.
And then we collect all the information and we say, all right, we know someone walks into the kitchen at 7:00 in the morning to make morning coffee. That's where we start conditioning the kitchen half an hour before someone walks in, so by the time the person walks in, it's optimally comfort. So, that's what our system does.
KAYE: All right. Well, they both sound like really cool inventions. We congratulate you on winning this. Suminder and Luke, appreciate your time and thanks for coming on the show.
For more on the Ecoimagination Challenge winners, check out my Facebook page slash RandiKayeCNN, and don't forget to tune in tomorrow, same "Big I" time, same "Big I" channel.
Michele Bachman claims that the media is rooting for a catfight with her and Sarah Palin. Jim Acosta will tell us why right after the break.
But, first, golf balls, lobsters and the sea. Normally, one of these would seem out of place. But CNN's Gary Tuchman shows us how they all come together in this week's "Edge of Discovery."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GARY TUCHMAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The state of Maine is home to some of the world's best lobster fishing, bringing in more than 90 million pounds a year. What's left behind is a lot of waste.
ROBERT BAYER, UNIVERSITY OF MAINE: There are some shells that go into compost. Most go in a landfill.
TUCHMAN: Researchers at the University of Maine have come up with a way to put it to use and it sounds like a hit.
You can't hear the difference, but this ball is made of recycled lobster shells.
BAYER: It's a dynamic, exciting combination, lobsters and golf.
TUCHMAN: It started in the kitchen, but was perfected in the university's labs.
DAVID NEIVANDT, UNIVERSITY OF MAINE: What we really did was take the concept and reduce it to practice, made a product out of it. Had to look like a golf ball, had to perform like a real golf ball as much as possible.
TUCHMAN: Except this one is 100 percent biodegradable.
NEIVANDT: There'd been studies that found where projections are anything from 100 to 1,000 years for traditional ball games to break down in the ocean.
TUCHMAN: The ball breaks down in the ocean about two weeks. It could be use for driving ranges and cruise ships.
And the lobster fishing industry could really feel the upswing.
BAYER: We're taking something that used to go to the landfill and it now has value.
TUCHMAN: The balls are currently being handmade in the lab, but the University of Maine is working on plans to get them into mass production and into water soon.
Gary Tuchman, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Time now for a CNN political update.
CNN political correspondent Jim Acosta joins me from the political desk in Washington.
Hi there, Jim. What's hot on the ticker right now?
JIM ACOSTA, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, get ready for charges of class warfare, Randi. President Obama held his press conference at the White House earlier this morning and he talked about ways to handle the deficit. And he is insisting that raising taxes on the wealthy be part of the debt talks that are going on between the White House and leaders up on Capitol Hill. And he put it in stark terms.
Here's what the president had to say earlier.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: If you are a wealthy CEO or hedge fund manager in America right now, your taxes are lower than they have ever been. They're lower than they have been since the 1950s. And you can afford it. You'll still be able to ride on your corporate jet. You just have to pay a little more.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ACOSTA: So, a line there about corporate jets from the president. And, meanwhile, we should also note that he also chastised Congress for taking too many vacations, saying that his daughters get their homework done on time better than Congress does. It sounds like the president is running against Congress and not the Republican field now.
And speaking of the Republican field, down in South Carolina today, Michele Bachmann who is on the roll since her announcement in Iowa, she made an offhand comment to a voter down there that is raising some eyebrows. She told a voter in South Carolina that what the media wants is a, quote, "mud wrestling" match between she and Sarah Palin, the former Alaska governor who has not decided she's running for president. So, Michele Bachmann raising some eyebrows as she does sometimes down in South Carolina.
And speaking of the former Alaska governor, Sarah Palin attended that movie premiere last night in Pella, Iowa. The question is: will she or won't she?
As a result of all the speculation that is swirling around this movie that's essentially a pro-Palin documentary, Palin says that she has not made up her mind yet. That is a slight contradiction from what her daughter said, who told another network in the last 24 hours or so that her mom has made up her mind and has just not shared it with the rest of us.
So, Randi, we still wait for the answer.
KAYE: We're waiting and waiting and waiting.
ACOSTA: Waiting and waiting. That's right.
KAYE: We'll keep waiting. All right. Jim, thank you very much.
