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Critical Day for Casey Anthony; NASCAR Drivers Open Up; High Profile Case in Jeopardy; All Eyes on Strauss-Kahn; E-Book Readers Double in Sales; A New Facebook Offering; $8.5 Billion Settlement by Bank of America; Tips on Fireworks Safely; Fewer Fireworks on the 4th

Aired July 03, 2011 - 14:00   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: You're in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Fredericka Whitfield.

For murder defendant Casey Anthony, it all comes down to this holiday weekend in an Orlando court today, attorneys for the state are making their final arguments to convict Anthony of killing her 2-year-old girl. Anthony's attorney meantime is asking jurors to judge the case on fact not emotion.

Our David Mattingly is at the courthouse in Orlando. So where do we stand right now?

DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We're still listening to the defense. They are expected to resume after a lunch break. But we've already heard this morning from the prosecution then laying out what they believed happened in this case and they say that Casey Anthony murdered her daughter, sacrificed her so that Casey could live the care free life she wanted to live. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEFF ASHTON, ASSISTANT STATE ATTORNEY: And as hard as it is for anyone to imagine she had to choose between two - sacrificing two things, the first was her dreams and the life she wanted. And second, was her child. And would submit to you the evidence in this case shows that the choice she made was her child.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MATTINGLY: Now, remember the defense doesn't really have to prove anything in spite of the claims that were made early on that Casey was the victim of sexual abuse and that she kept quiet about an accident in which her daughter drowned in the family swimming pool. They don't have to prove that. Instead they're pushing for reasonable doubt.

And the defense attorneys now, they are looking right at the jury and warning them not to be swayed by emotion. Not to listen to the prosecution as they try to paint Casey Anthony as a heartless woman who only wanted to party and get rid of her daughter. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOSE BAEZ, ATTORNEY FOR CASEY ANTHONY: The way the case was presented, the first couple of weeks, you see the strategy behind that is, is if you hate her, if you think she's a lying no-good slut, then you'll start to look at this evidence in a different light. You'll start to - oh, wait a minute, maybe I'm seeing something that's not there, and start to actually discriminate against her rather than give her the standard that is afforded to each and every citizen in our country.

And that is that the state - that the government come in here and prove their case beyond and to the exclusion of every reasonable doubt. But you can get away with that if we can get a jury to hate her.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MATTINGLY: And we're expected to get under way shortly after a long lunch break. Expect the defense to continue hammering away trying to establish that feeling of reasonable doubt in this case. And experts watching this - this trial believe that that's the defense's best chance to keep Casey Anthony off of death row - Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: And so David, the composure of Casey Anthony throughout all of this, how would you describe it?

MATTINGLY: She has been quite emotional at times during today, actually looking away when they were showing pieces of evidence on the monitor. This is when the prosecution was up there and some of the remarks that really seem to be hitting her - hitting her very hard, shedding some tears at certain times.

But remember, this is a long and tragic story and we're very close now to getting a finish, a conclusion, an answer to what really happened here. And emotions are high with everyone inside that courtroom.

WHITFIELD: All right. David Mattingly, thanks so much from Orlando. Appreciate that.

We're going to talk further about this with our legal experts now who are with us. On the phone from Cleveland, Avery Friedman, and from Las Vegas, Richard Herman also on the phone with us.

So, all right, gentlemen. Avery, you first. Did the prosecution make a convincing argument as you heard from David there, the prosecution said to the jury, that this is a woman who wanted a carefree life, drawing that inference?

AVERY FRIEDMAN, CIVIL RIGHTS ATTORNEY (via telephone): You know, I think, Fredricka, that Jeff Ashton did exactly what he was supposed to do. While there were bits of emotion, he laid it out in a very clear way. What's interesting is that we've only heard obviously that piece of it and the prosecution is going to return after Jose Baez and Cheney Mason are done with their argument.

But, at this point, the think the jury gets it. We need the prosecution, Fredricka, to fill in some more detail. We really need to know a little bit more about chloroform, about - about duct tape. But by and large, the prosecution ended its closing argument with exactly the way it should have done. The jury understands it, simple, clean, tight and I don't know that he could have done a better job.

WHITFIELD: And so, Richard, you know, the judge also instructed the jurors that they cannot consider the defense's initial allegation that the defendant was a victim of incest, molestation. So how did this redirect the defense's closing arguments? Did they do a good job of redirecting themselves?

RICHARD HERMAN, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Well, we've only heard a portion of the defense so far, Fred, you know? They're coming back into the courtroom now and I think she's got a good three hours left if you want all of that time. But that was devastating news to begin the morning right before summation. I mean, the judge really gutted a huge portion of Baez's summation.

But with respect to the prosecution's summation, two points that were made, one, that the duct tape, there were three strips of the duct tape, Fred, and only one was really needed to close off the mouth and nose. So that goes to the premeditation.

And the second very strong point that was made was that, you know, this child was two and a half to three years old and there are six jurors with children on this jury. That's when children begin to talk and that's when Caylee would have exposed Casey's fantasy world and lies and Casey just couldn't go on with that s she had to make a decision. I thought that was very powerful.

But we have the summation that comes from Baez and, you know, he put up different people that did not smell any kind of decomposition from the car, thought that was very powerful. And he tells the jury, I'm worried about emotion, I'm worried - but don't be swayed by emotion. But, Fred, if I tell you don't think of the color red, what are you going to think of. This is a very emotional case.

WHITFIELD: OK. And they are back in the courtroom, live pictures right now. And there is Baez right there as you mentioned, Richard, he's going to continue with his summation. So I'm wondering, even though it's early on with the defense in their closing arguments trying to look ahead now to the rebuttal from the prosecution, Avery, what do you suppose their focus will be? Will they be filling in some of those blanks that you talked about?

FRIEDMAN: Oh, they absolutely have to. And let me predict this. And really was evident when Ashton ended his argument. Where this is going to end and I - I think we're not going to see three hours' worth of rebuttal. I mean, even though the judge has said four hours. I think it's going to be about an hour. Everyone wants to keep that - as the prosecution wants to keep their attention.

Here's where it ends up, Fredricka. He has teed up the issue of Casey Anthony either being a stay-at-home single mother or living the beautiful life. And where this is going to end is it will crescendo at Vita Bella. It will crescendo with that tattoo that Casey Anthony had put on, presumably two days after the death of their daughter and that's where I think the drama will end the prosecution's case.

WHITFIELD: And, Richard, you get the last word. Do you think the last word coming from the prosecution in that rebuttal really is going to be the sentiment that just might cement the thoughts for those jurors?

HERMAN: Yes, Fred, the rebuttal of the prosecution in any criminal case is the most devastating feature of it. It's the last words that the jurors hear when they go back. They get instructed after that and they deliberate and they get the last licks, the final word.

It's really very scary for a defendant to sit back and know you can do nothing else and I am sure that they've prepared over lunch and they are going to take shots at Baez's summation and show how he lied in his opening to them, how they cannot believe him because he didn't produce with respect to the promises he made in his opening. And then they are going to tie in, as Avery said, the chloroform, the duct tape, the murder weapon, Ashton said was the duct tape. He hoped the chloroform put her to sleep before so she wasn't in pain. Very emotional. They'll tie up on the emotions.

One juror though, Fred, Jean Casarez says one juror sitting there with the arms folded, not really buying into Ashton. So this could be a very long jury deliberation.

WHITFIELD: Richard and Avery, thanks so much, gentlemen. Appreciate that. And you're going to be watching the proceedings all day long. We'll check back with you again at 5:00 Eastern hour if not before. Thanks so much.

All right. Now, take a look at this. This is what happens when tempers and frustrations run high.

All right. So what in the world is going on here? And what has this city mayor so fighting mad?

Plus, if you think accelerating to become a top race car driver is difficult, it's even tougher staying in the race.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOEY LOGANO, NASCAR RACE CAR DRIVER: It's harder to be here than it is to get here in my eye -

WHITFIELD (on camera): Which is to stay.

LOGANO: To stay and to beat the best race car drivers in the world is harder than anything.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Even harder than taking pointed questions from you the viewers and you had plenty of them. NASCAR drivers Joey Logano and Jason Leffler are revved with answers. That's coming up.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SPC. BRIANA MIDGETT, U.S. ARMY: Hi. I'm Specialist Briana Midgett from Joint Base Balad in Iraq. I'd like to say Happy Fourth of July to my mom and my beautiful daughter Charisma (ph) in West Valley, Utah. Have a Happy Fourth of July and I love you guys and miss you.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: It's the dangerous job being the first to respond to a bomb threat as was the case in Thailand. Take a look. A police officer from the Bomb Disposal Unit right there, right next to that - to that vehicle when the explosive went off. But keep your eyes on him, the policeman gets to his feet right there. That big protective suit did its job. He had only minor injuries. Police say the bomb in the car was detonated by someone who was probably near the scene watching that.

And now to the Philippines where a political argument got physical, very physical, right in front of television cameras. Take a look.

Uh-oh. That furious fighting woman is the mayor. The target of her anger is the court sheriff. She lashed out after he reportedly ignored her order to postpone the demolition of a shanty town until she arrived. The mayor has since apologized. The incident is now under investigation.

All right. On to London now, a new Wimbledon men's champ celebrating on Center Court with that one right there, that move. Novak Djokovic earns the world's number one ranking beating defending champ Rafael Nadal in today's Men's Final. Djokovic came into the tournament as the second seed. He almost looked surprised there. Maybe that was just being completely euphoric. He lost just one match all year long.

On to Canada now, it's day four of Prince William and his wife Catherine's first official visit as a married couple. The royals attended a prayer service in Quebec City this morning with the crew of a Canadian Navy Ship, which brought them from Montreal.

Some anti-monarchy protesters showed up as well, but supporters outnumbered them. Later, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge attended a Freedom of the City ceremony at City Hall and you can hear all the folks cheering them on. Lots of supporters there. All right. Another pair of royal newlyweds hosted a private brunch in Monaco today looking ever so lovely and looking quite relieved and happy today.

OK. Except for this was the scene last night as Prince Albert of Monaco shared a dance with his new wife, former Olympic swimmer, Charlene Wittstock. Their formal wedding took place at the palace yesterday. The couple heads to South Africa, Wittstock's home country on Tuesday for their honeymoon.

All right. And now to presidential politics here and a state getting a lot of attention from candidates this holiday weekend - Iowa. Minnesota Republican Michele Bachmann is touring the early voting state speaking at a church service, then chatting to voters at the pizza joint in the town of Carroll. Dessert comes later with a stop at an ice cream parlor in Le Mars, Iowa.

Also, in the state today, rival Republican Herman Cain. He is holding a meet and greet at an American Legion Hall in Indianola. Then he heads to John Wayne's hometown of Winterset to visit Godfather's Pizza, a company that he once ran.

A fierce competitive spirit is a job requirement in any professional sport and NASCAR racing is no exception. But top driver Joey Logano says winning should not be the focus when the racers are kids especially.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LOGANO: I've raced against kids that were pushed by their parents to race. And I remember running quarter midgets and, you know, I'd win all the time and I'd beat this kid and his father would yell and scream at him and I started to feel bad I beat him. This is supposed to be fun, you know? This is not - we have plenty of time to make this serious when we get to this level.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: He was just six when he started with go carts, Logano and fellow NASCAR driver Jason Leffler who's right there behind the wheel, that number 38 car, well, they'll tell it like it is. We're "Face to Face" and they'll answer your questions next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: On this Independence Day weekend, you're looking at the United States Marine Corps War Memorial just outside Arlington National Cemetery.

So it has been a huge July Fourth Weekend for NASCAR in particular and for the drivers, particularly Jason Leffler, number 38, and Joey Logano, number 20, Logano won a Nationwide Series Race at Daytona Friday night and Leffler came in second. Then, last night, at the Coke Zero 400 Sprint Series in Daytona, Logano finished third.

Recently, "Face to Face" I was the passenger and Leffler was behind the wheel on the Charlotte Motor Speedway.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD (on camera): Oh, my gosh! That is so -

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: That was fun. So off the track, more "Face to Face" with Leffler and Logano and we also post some of your questions about racing and their careers to them. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: So, I've got a couple of questions coming from viewers, and one is, what do - what do the drivers today know of its heritage?

LOGANO: I think a lot of them do. And I think It's come up more recently since the Hall of Fame opened up and you - and you pay more attention to it. You know, it's easy to have tunnel vision and focus on exactly what you're doing but it's, you know, I'm a fan of the sport before I was a driver. And you like to know the heritage and where it started and how it started and hear all the stories. It's - it's really cool to see.

WHITFIELD: Your thoughts on that Jason?

JASON LEFFLER, NASCAR RACE CAR DRIVER: Yes, same here. I mean, I'm a fan of auto racing so I like to think I know a lot about the history of all types of racing, especially NASCAR. So to come here to the Hall of Fame and check these cars out, it's pretty cool and every fan should come here and look - and look at where it all began.

WHITFIELD: It is a beautiful place, it's so inspiring, too. Jason, you first, you know, how do you condition yourself to drive that many laps and how do you maintain and stay in the right lane when cars are turning?

LEFFLER: On the race track?

WHITFIELD: Yes.

LEFFLER: You just react but condition - you know, I work out every day I'm home and got a trainer and - and work out hard. And, you know, there's really no conditioning for racing other than driving is the best condition - conditioning.

But, you know, as far as staying in the lane, I don't know, I didn't know there was a - there was a proper lane. Some - some guys you just got to watch out for. Some guys you got to expect the unexpected.

WHITFIELD: Maybe they mean not wiping out, staying on the track.

LOGANO: Yes. Exactly.

WHITFIELD: What would - what would be your thought on physical training, or do you have a routine or do you maintain that same kind of stamina?

LOGANO: Same as Jason here, you know, you work out every time you're home. But, you know, being in the car, seat time is the most important thing. And you can't do that every day. There's - there's no way it's possible. It cost so much money to go test with the cars these days, you know, tires and, you know, finding your team on the race track and spending a day there testing, renting the track out. It's - it's not possible to be able do that.

So that's why you do all this other stuff to mentally prepare yourself and try to prepare yourself as much as you possibly can for when you get to the race track. Because you can't - like I said, you can't drive a race care every single day.

Something I do a lot is I have a simulator and, you know, and I'll go to the race track and I feel that's the closest thing I can do, you know, to do that. And, you know, and every once in a while I go to (INAUDIBLE) and I'll go to go cart track and mess around with my friends, you know? And you just want to go racing and stuff like that. And I think all of that actually helps I think. (END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right, 5:00 Eastern, these rock stars of the race track tell me "Face to Face" the keys to their greatness.

And former IMF head Dominique Strauss-Kahn for president of France? It may be a possibility now that the sexual assault case here in the States against him is in jeopardy. We'll talk with a French journalist straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: The murder case against Casey Anthony could go to the jury this afternoon. Attorneys for both sides are presenting their closing arguments. This morning, Assistant State Attorney Jeff Ashton said Anthony killed her little girl because she wanted a life of her own. The defense urged jurors to base their verdict on the evidence, not emotion.

Let's listen in to Defense Attorney Jose Baez right now in his summations.

BAEZ: Dr. Michael Sigmund, another individual, another chemist from the National Center of Forensic Science, testified that the main compound was gasoline. And they want to say, oh, well, you know, the liner was removed. Well, the air is the air, especially if they're going to test something six weeks later.

The person who conducted the air test and collected the samples in this case was Michael Sigmund, who is a state expert. He was hired by the State of Florida, not by the defense. He was hired by the State. He was hired by the State. The only defense expert you heard from was Dr. Furton, but we had to call him off -

WHITFIELD: All right. The summation now by the Defense Attorney for Casey Anthony still to come today. The prosecution will have a rebuttal closing statement to make and then instructions to the jury.

We'll keep a close watch on the Casey Anthony case there in Orlando.

And now this Independence Day weekend, the center of a sexual assault case, Dominique Strauss-Kahn is enjoying some freedom after being released on his recognizance. The case against the former head of the International Monetary Fund may be on the verge of collapse.

CNN National Correspondent Susan Candiotti joins us live now from New York. So, Susan, tell us more about what's happening.

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, this could be the week when the charges are dropped. Certainly that is what Dominique Strauss-Kahn hopes and that is what his defense team is hoping for, but it's unclear whether he will learn this week whether he'll be free of those charges that he allegedly sexual assaulted a hotel maid.

A source with knowledge of the investigation tells CNN no decision has been made yet. Now, prosecutors for the Manhattan DA's office still trying to determine exactly what happened in that hotel room. Prosecutors have said there is strong forensic evidence of sexual contact. Strauss-Kahn has denied he assaulted the woman.

And, of course, we've all heard about those major credibility issues with the accuser. Prosecutors also have yet to decide whether to pursue an interview with a boyfriend of the maid who called her from jail less than two days after the alleged sex attack.

After a search of the maid's phone records, a source tells CNN, that call was discovered from an Arizona jail to the hotel maid in New York. And during that recorded call from his jail, quote, "She said she's fine and this person is rich and there's money to be made." The source tells CNN. However, investigators have no evidence that the sexual encounter in the hotel room was pre-planned. There is no indication of a set up I am told none, according to a source.

Now, on Sunday, authorities also discovered - have previously told us actually that there were several bank accounts in the woman's name in different states into which quote, "several thousand dollars at a time had been deposited by people she knew potentially involved in drug dealing."

Now attempts to reach the maid's lawyer for comment have been unsuccessful, Fred.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN NEWSROOM: All right, and so is Dominique Strauss-Kahn still being watched his every move, he went to dinner and all of the cameras were there. You can see he and his wife emerged from their townhouse, has he been seen in the public very much since?

CANDIOTTI: Well, certainly even yesterday they went out for a couple of hours and we still don't know exactly where they went. Of course, there's nothing to keep him in that town home because as we know, he's been released on his own recognizance.

And really he can travel anywhere in the United States should he choose to do so, but certainly cameras are following him still everywhere he goes to follow his every move.

Naturally, he might want to be staying close to New York because he is hoping that he might be hearing a decision soon about his fate.

WHITFIELD: All right, Susan Candiotti, thanks so much in New York. Appreciate that. So before his arrest, Dominique Strauss-Kahn was widely expected to be the French Socialist Party's candidate for president. Well now what?

I spoke with French television journalist, Christian Malard a short time ago about how the French public is reacting to this latest news that this case against him might be crumbling.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: What is the reaction from the French? Is this an I told you so moment? CHRISTIAN MALARD, SENIOR FOREIGN ANALYST, FRANCE 3 ITV: Today, I have to give you two polls this morning in Paris, in France. We get a poll asking the French, do you want DSK to be back as soon as possible to France?

The answer, 49 percent said we favor his return as soon as possible and 45 percent are against. But if you go deeper into the analysis, into the poll, you have another poll about the socialist voters, socialist electorate.

And 55 percent say they would like him to be back and to participate to the primaries, which date of registration normally is over on the 13th of July.

WHITFIELD: Does it mean that there is some wiggle room, that there's a possibility that the deadline could be extended so that Dominique Strauss-Kahn could actually pursue still a run for presidency?

MALARD: What they say openly, quote, "we wait to hear Dominique Strauss-Kahn. Does he want or not to participate?

WHITFIELD: Now that he's been to move around with his wife in the United States, is there this feeling or have the French been watching him in terms of how he has displayed dignity or how he has composed himself throughout all of this? Does he in any way kind of score points with the general public the way he has handled this?

MALARD: The French are mad at the U.S. justice right now. Does he have more sympathy in the country in France? It's split again. A lot of people think he has been ill-treated and deserves a better treatment after what happens and seeing the latest development.

But at the same time, there are two things, the French are shocked by Strauss-Kahn's behavior and attitude. First, we know that he has a problem with women. The way he's been treating women, it's not new.

Some people say it's a path logic problem and we might be close to the truth when the people say that. At the same time, the French and especially the socialist voters, the workers and all of that who work socialist have been shocked by the way the luxury has been displayed in New York.

All of the money spent to rent this 600 square meters apartment downtown Manhattan and all of this going around with the restaurants and new life and all of this money, which has been spent. These people are shocked.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Christian Malard of French television journalist there. Well, coming up, e-book readers are booming in sales, at least the e- books are. We'll tell you why they are so popular next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) LTC INGRID MOERLL, ARMY, IRAQ: Hello this is Lieutenant Colonel Moerll. I want to say hi to everybody back home in the United States and happy Fourth of July. Seth, happy birthday, buddy, take care. Bye-bye.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right, most people believe the iPad is the hottest gadget right now, but according to Pugh Internet Research, e-book readers are more popular than the iPad, another tablet on the market.

Their sales have doubled in the first half of 2011. Why is this? Joining me right now, our own gaming and gadget expert, Marc Saltzman, why are e-book readers so popular?

MARC SALTZMAN, SYNDICATED TECHNOLOGY WRITER: Right, well, there's a number of reasons why the percentage of Americans, adult Americans who own an e-book reader has doubled from 6 percent as of November of last year to 12 percent as of May of this year.

Let's go through the five reasons why you might want to consider picking up an e-book reader for yourself or a loved one. Number one it's lighter and thinner than most magazines yet it can store literally thousands of electronic books.

This model in particular is new, it's the Cobalt E-reader Touch edition. It's only 7 ounces or about 200 grams and it can store 1,000 books with the built-in memory or with that little expandable memory slot on the side, up to 32,000 e-books. Not that you would want to carry that much.

WHITFIELD: Just in case.

SALTZMAN: That's number one, they're very affordable. Just in case, you're right.

WHITFIELD: And then you can customize it, enlarge or shrink the text et cetera, to your liking.

SALTZMAN: That's right. You have your default font or text size. But with most e-book readers you can enlarge or shrink the text, instead of, you know, buying books or renting them from your library with the enlarged font if you need that.

Plus, not only can you change the size, but you can change the font type as well. So you can really customize the way the e-books look to you, which is something you can't do with paper.

WHITFIELD: OK, there are accessible, you can shop anywhere, anytime, it's got a built in dictionary, all kinds of interesting perks there.

SALTZMAN: Not only is it more environmentally friendly to download books electronically than buy paper and with all that trucks bringing the books to the stores and all of that.

But you can shop 24/7 from anywhere so instead of waiting for your favorite book store to open, you can shop in the middle of the night if you're awake and you feel like reading a new book and you're not limited to a certain geographic location.

Most of these e-book readers have Wi-Fi activity so as long as you're in a wireless hotspot, you can download books in less than a minute or in some cases they have 3G or cellular conductivity so you can be on park bench and download something new.

WHITFIELD: OK, and so not only are you, I guess, you always have the option of buying a book. Apparently you can rent them too?

SALTZMAN: That's right. Another tip is that a lot of these e-book readers, most of them anyhow let you rent books digitally from your local library.

So you do need a library card, you need an account, but once you have an account, you can find all these information very easily online.

But instead of having to go to the library to take out books and then, of course, bring them back by a certain date or you're penalized with a small fine.

It will just expire the day it's due and you can renew it on the e- book reader. That's another advantage keeping it digital.

WHITFIELD: That's fantastic. You know, I kind of just naturally thought that people were gravitating towards the iPads and the tablets and that meant that they could consolidate.

They didn't need the e-book reader as well as, but people are instead coupling them together because they're convenient in different ways.

SALTZMAN: That's right and it's also a budget thing. If all you want is to read digital book, newspapers and magazines, you can guy for over $100 a really solid e-book reader that does that one task with a screen that is easier to read is called e-ink technology.

It's easier to read than a tablet and a battery that lasts up to a month with that Cobalt One I showed. If you have more budget, a tablet is more of a digital Swiss army knife. It serves as a great e- book reader, but it does so much more.

WHITFIELD: Cool. All right, Marc Saltzman. Thanks so much. Happy reading this holiday weekend in between fireworks and the picnicking.

All right, thanks a lot, appreciate it. Although he's Canadian, he's not until like we are but what can we say. All right, so for more high tech ideas and reviews, just go to cnn.com/tech and look for gaming and gadgets tab.

All right, a watch for an announcement by the way from Facebook this week. The social media giant is mum on what that announcement might be, but Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg promises it will quote, "be awesome."

Speculation centers on two possibilities, a Facebook app for the iPad and a mobile photo sharing tool, whatever it is, we will have to wait until it is unveiled Wednesday. You can learn about it more later on in the week right here on CNN.

So we know Facebook is doing well financially. When will Americans feel as a whole confident about the nation's signs of recovery? Our money team zeros in on a few of them right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Closing arguments are back under way in the murder trial of Casey Anthony. Prosecutors are trying to convince jurors to find her guilty of killing her 2-year-old daughter.

The defendant's attorney is urging jurors to focus on the evidence not emotion. Let's listen in again to Defense Attorney Jose Baez.

JOSE BAEZ, ATTORNEY FOR CASEY ANTHONY: -- jury deliberation room, it is irrevocable. You can never take it back. You can never say my God, I made a mistake. You can never say, can I change my mind? Can I take that back?

No, it's done. It's done. These types of decisions of reasonable doubt, that's why we have that standard. If this were a financial sheet and you had your entire life savings and you're about to retire and you say to yourself, I'm going to invest with that man because he's given me great numbers --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Your honor, objection to the argument.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sustained. Motion to strike granted.

BAEZ: These types of decisions are life changing unchangeable decisions and this type of evidence is reasonable doubt. That stain that never was is reasonable doubt. All of these aspects, the way this was presented to you --

WHITFIELD: All right, Defense Attorney Jose Baez there, in his summation. And then later on this afternoon the prosecution will have a rebuttal closing statements to make before instructions given to the jurors and deliberations begin.

Again, live pictures of the Casey Anthony murder trial under way in Orlando today on this Sunday.

All right, other news now, a big bank payout and possible signs of recovery on the retail front. Our money team zeros in on the highs and lows. First to Alison Kosik in New York.

ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Fredricka. Bank of America is paying $8.5 million to settle claims from investors hurt by fraudulent mortgage securities that it sold.

It marks the biggest payout so far in the after math of the 2008 financial crisis. The settlement funds will go to the New York fed, Metlife and Goldman Sachs among others. As a result, Bank of America expects to post a second quarter loss of up to $9 billion. But executives feel this is a major step forward for the bank in eliminating the risk associated with mortgage issues. Investors, they are just happy to close this chapter. Felicia --

FELICIA TAYLOR, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: Thanks, Alison. The latest sign of an economic recovery, shoplifting is back. According to a National Retail Federation survey, a spike in stealing could very well mean the economy is on the upswing.

Retailers lost billions more in 2010 from theft than they did in 2009 during the heart of the recession. They believe during tough times, retail employees are more afraid of being caught and fired so they are less likely to steal.

But when the economy improves and the chance of finding another job improves, workers take more risk and theft goes back up. Poppy --

POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM: Thanks so much, Felicia. Well, investors this week will get their latest look at how retail sales fared in June. The nations' chains stores tally up those monthly numbers on Thursday.

And Wall Street wants to know whether people were getting out and spending or not because consumer spending, of course, is a critical force in economic recovery.

With gas prices slowly falling, investors are hoping the consumer spending has picked up. Even with big discounts available, many shoppers remain pretty nervous about spending, especially with unemployment so high. We'll keep an eye on all the numbers all week on CNN Money. Fredricka, back to you.

WHITFIELD: All right, thanks so much, ladies. Appreciate that. Remember you can always get your financial fix every day on CNNMoney.com.

All right, what's more important than weather on a holiday weekend? A hot dry weather is putting a damper on a lot of Fourth of July celebrations. We'll check in with Karen Maginnis of a holiday forecast straight ahead.

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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MSG NEDRA BURCKHALTER, ARMY, IRAQ: Hello, I'm Nedra Burckhalter. I would like to say happy Fourth of July to my parents, Betty and Roy Anderson, and my sons, Brandon and Roderick, in Seattle Washington. I miss you guys and I love you and I'll be home soon. Bye-bye.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right, star spangled celebrations across America as the country celebrate its 235th birthday. All right, a spectacular display over Madison, Wisconsin last night. The fireworks show in Wisconsin's capital city is the biggest in the Midwest.

From big fireworks shows to the small neighborhood kind, we're going to take a moment to remind everyone to approach all fireworks with caution. The U.S. government put out a video again this year as they do every year to make that point clear.

You're looking at what the government says -- could sadly happen if people are not carefully. The Consumer Products Safety Commission says fireworks killed three people in the U.S. last year and injured thousands more.

A few recommendations to keep fireworks as safe as possible. Keep a bucket of water handy, never shoot off fireworks in metal or glass containers and douse spent fireworks with water before throwing in trash. Make sure fireworks are legal in your area.

Guess what, a whole lot of places across America are not going to have fireworks displays because it is simply too hot and dry, too dangerous.

Let's check in with our Karen Maginnis, we know many parts of the Deep South all the way to the desert southwest are canceling a lot of big fireworks celebrations.

KAREN MAGINNIS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: They are because some folks have only seen about a fifth of their normal rainfall totals, but what we're looking at across the southern portion of the U.S., all the way from sections of Florida into Georgia where we're seeing a big swamp farm here, extending through Shreveport.

But especially around San Antonio and Austin, the Austin Symphony Orchestra, they usually light up that beautiful symphony with fireworks. It's not going to happen this year. So a lot of folks could be disappointed as a result of that.

But take a look at these hot temperatures, you know it's hot when the desert southwest is basking in the heat with triple digits, 118 degrees in Phoenix yesterday. In Yuma, 117, even in New Orleans, they were baking with 100 degrees.

Some folks are going to pick up a little bit of rainfall, but it's not going to be enough or in time. Look at the temperatures we're already seeing, San Angelo, 97, Lubbock at 93 and Dallas 97 degrees right now.

But it does look like the rain chances are going to increase substantially especially across the lone star state of Texas where already 3 million plus acres have burned so far this fire season.

But look from Shreveport to Dallas to mid-land, slight chance of showers for the next 48 hours.

WHITFIELD: All right, thanks so much, Karen Maginnis. Appreciate that.

All right, right now, we're also keeping a close watch on the court room activity in Orlando, Florida. Again, proceedings are under way today that is Defense Attorney Jose Baez who is carrying out his closing arguments. We'll keep a close watch on the developments out of Orlando.

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WHITFIELD: A look at our top stories right now, the attorney for Casey Anthony is summing up his case before the jury right now in Orlando.

Closing arguments have been taking up most of this day. Prosecutors say the evidence points to only one conclusion, that Anthony killed her 2-year-old daughter.

The defense calls some of the state's evidence irrelevant and cautions the jury against basing the verdict on emotion. Let's listen in.

BAEZ: He was the first medical examiner, board certified, fully capable of handling this case, but yet, she's the big shot and she comes back in and takes over. And because of her relationship with the media and law enforcement, that's it.

The politics that the medical examiner's office played out in this case and you got to see it with these two. We presented to you and we were fortunate enough to have --

WHITFIELD: Another high profile case we continue to watch. We can learn this week whether prosecutors will drop charges against Dominique Strauss-Kahn.

The former International Monetary Fund chief was released on his own recognizance on Friday and that the indications of sexual assault case against him maybe falling apart.

The prosecution says there are credibility problems with the accuser. We'll continue to watch both of those cases throughout the day.

On to tennis, Wimbledon has two new tennis champs, Novak Djokovic beats Rafael Nadal to win the Wimbledon Men's Singles title. The win continues with Djokovic's remarkable run of just one defeat this year.

And then on the women's side, Petra Kvitova, the Czech Republic star right there beat Maria Sharapova to win her first Wimbledon.

So as we celebrate this Fourth of July weekend, we're also honoring the men and women who fight for America. Coming up at 5:00 Eastern Time, we'll hear from a Marine who was severely wounded in Iraq. He started a charity to actually help other wounded warriors.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JUSTIN CONSTANTINE, FOUNDER, IRAQANDBACK.COM: My wife and I thought, wow, why can't we make a shirt all (INAUDIBLE) can wear with pride and let everyone know who they are so they can say thank you many times over.

(END VIDEO CLIP) WHITFIELD: And I'll be back in two hours from now to tell you about the t-shirt that he's wearing right there -- Iraq and Back, and why it is now so hugely popular and how you're already pitching in to help out.

I'm Fredricka Whitfield. See you again. CNN's "YOUR MONEY" starts right now.