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American Morning
Pakistan Arrests Five CIA Informants; Horror Story Upon Horror Story in Syria; Showdown Looming Over Libya Between Boehner and Obama; Weiner Might Resign; Perry Weighs Presidential Run; Missouri River Rising; Casey Anthony Prosecution to Rest its Case; Workers Strike in Greece; Federal Court Backs Gay Judge's Ruling
Aired June 15, 2011 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: Ahead on AMERICAN MORNING, the divide widens between the U.S. and Pakistan this morning. Sources telling CNN that the Pakistani government has arrested five CIA informants who helped the U.S. find Osama bin Laden. A live report from Islamabad ahead.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: The House speaker and the president in a showdown over Libya. John Boehner sending a letter to the White House warning President Obama, the military operation in Libya could be breaking the law.
ALI VELSHI, CNN ANCHOR: Anthony Weiner facing even more calls to resign. The disgraced congressman may be listening because one of his New York colleagues says she's hearing he may just be days from stepping down.
CHETRY: Plus the anchorman who landed an interview with the Dalai Lama then thought it would be a good idea to tell him a Dalai Lama joke. We'll tell you how it turned out on this AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROMANS: Five CIA informants arrested in Pakistan. I'm Christine Romans.
They helped the U.S. find Osama bin Laden. Now they're in the custody of the Pakistani government, a development that's driving a deeper wedge between two countries with an already troubled relationship.
CHETRY: I'm Kiran Chetry. There's a showdown brewing this morning between the president and the speaker of the House. The issue is the U.S. military operation in Libya. Speaker John Boehner sending a letter to the White House warning President Obama he may be breaking the law.
VELSHI: I'm Ali Velshi. Ignoring the pleas of the GOP, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie puts the speculation to rest once and for all. He will not run for president. We'll tell you why on this AMERICAN MORNING.
ROMANS: And welcome to AMERICAN MORNING. It is Wednesday, June 15th. I'm Christine Romans. Good morning, you guys. VELSHI: Good morning.
CHETRY: Nice to see you this morning.
VELSHI: An awful lot of news for you. We begin with breaking news. Another deep fracture in the relationship between the United States and Pakistan. Pakistan's top military spy agency has arrested five informants who helped the CIA locate Osama bin Laden. Among those taken into custody, a Pakistani army major who reportedly wrote down license plate numbers of people who visited bin Laden's compound and then turned them over to American intelligence officials.
Reza Sayah is live from Islamabad, Pakistan, this morning. Reza, you have spoken to Pakistani officials about this. What are they saying about these arrests?
REZA SAYAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Ali, Pakistani security officials confirmed to CNN that the ISI, Pakistan's top spy agency, has indeed arrested several suspected informants for the CIA. These are Pakistani men who allegedly help the CIA, fed that information before the big raid on the bin Laden compound last month.
"The New York Times" is reporting one of these individuals is an army major who, as you mentioned, was apparently writing down license plates of cars going in and out of the compound. One of our sources, a Pakistani security official, flatly denies that among the men arrested is an army officer. We also know that among the men arrested were men staying at a safe house near the bin Laden compound. This was a safe house rented by the CIA that served as a lookout for the compound. So the details are minimal but when you look at these developments, lots of questions. First and foremost, what's the ISI, Pakistan's top spy agency, doing arresting informants when they're supposed to be on board with efforts to look for bin Laden and capture them? You would think they'd be applauding these individuals, commending them, not arresting them. The fact that they've arrested them, suggests -- suggests that they're not happy with them and this certainly muddies the big questions, Ali, is Pakistan on board, helping the U.S. in the fight against militants or are they playing this deceptive double game.
VELSHI: We know that you're digging for more information on this to get more detail about it. Reza, thanks very much. Reza Sayah live for us in Islamabad.
CHETRY: Meantime, this morning, we're getting a rare first look inside of Syria and the humanitarian crisis caused there by a brutal crackdown. The regime does not want us there. The government has refused to give CNN and other news organizations permission to enter the country, but our Arwa Damon found a way inside and she uncovered a camp filled with people who fled the advancing Syrian military.
Arwa Damon now back in turkey and that's where she joins us today. What was it like there when you made it across the border to see what these people are going through, Arwa?
ARWA DAMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kiran, the conditions that they're living in are absolutely miserable, especially when one takes into consideration the fact other than today, it has been raining for the last few days.
These are refugees who fled with little more than the clothing on their backs and for protection against Mother Nature. They basically have a plastic tarp strung between two trees. The rains have turned the ground into mud. The children were covered in it. Mothers were trying to do whatever they could to comfort their kids but there really wasn't a lot. When it comes to that, to bathe themselves, there's a muddy, filthy river nearby. A pharmacist there was telling about his concerns of disease and illnesses spreading for food. They're relying on the charity of the Turkish villagers on the other side who have been ferrying bread and other basics back and forth and the horror stories that they tell, Kiran, it is just absolutely chilling to hear them speak about how they say Syrian security forces indiscriminately opened fire on unarmed demonstrators in their neighborhoods, how the Syrian military advanced, brought with it scorched fields, the killing of livestock, the destruction of their homes, many of them fleeing for their very lives. And even though they do say that they feel relatively safe in this camp site right up against the border with Turkey, there are numerous reports that the Syrian militarily is barreling down on them, Kiran.
CHETRY: Is there any hope for any type of international intervention, at least on a humanitarian level, or are they completely cut off with the exception of the goodwill of the Turkish military?
DAMON: Well, at this stage, Kiran, any sort of international organization has, in fact, been banned by the Syrian government from entering Syria along with the international media, which is why we do end up having to report the way that we do now.
Some of these refugees along this camp site are entering, choosing to enter into Turkey into the various refugee camps set up on this side of the border. But the others are choosing to stay and it's because in some cases they've been separated from their loved ones and the chaos of having to flee and in other cases because they're still hoping that they're going to be able to go back home. But at this point in time, they are pretty much at the mercy of this regime that they have been trying to flee from.
The Syrian government, remember, it has been claiming that this military offensive and in fact all the measures that it has been taking in trying to tamp down this uprising have been aimed at targeting armed gangs and that's how it's justifying this crackdown where its refugees who we spoke would say that's absolutely not the case, that they're all simply unarmed civilians asking for their basic freedoms.
CHETRY: And that's why it's so vital that you were able to get these pictures. Amazing work and we'll see what happens now that they're out there.
Arwa Damon for us in Turkey, thanks so much.
ROMANS: All right. There's a showdown looming over Libya between House Speaker John Boehner and President Obama because the president failed to get consent from Congress for the military operation in Libya. Boehner is warning the president he will be in violation of the 1973 War Powers Act by this weekend. That law requires the president to inform Congress when an overseas operation begins and get congressional approval within 60 days. This weekend the operation in Libya will reach its 90th day.
The speaker sending a letter to the president saying, quote, "It would appear that in five days the administration will be in violation of the war powers resolution unless it asks for and receives authorization from Congress or withdraws all U.S. troops and resources from the mission."
What is the War Powers Act? Is the president violating it and what happens if he does? At 7:30 Eastern, we'll ask Matthew Waxman, an associate professor at Columbia University and a fellow with the Council on Foreign Relations.
VELSHI: Very interesting discussion --
ROMANS: It really is.
VELSHI: -- we'll have in a little while.
And this drumbeat for Congressman Anthony Weiner to quit is growing louder and louder again this morning. House Democrats met yesterday for the first time since Weiner admitted to sending lewd messages to women. Kate Bolduan is covering this for us in Washington.
CHETRY: OK. We have New York Congresswoman Carolyn McCarthy now saying that she's hearing Weiner might actually choose to resign in a couple days. What's changed so far?
KATE BOLDUAN, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: She did not elaborate on that and everyone definitely did pique everyone's interest there. But, Kiran, along with Democratic leadership and their coordinated public call that we've been talking about for Congressman Weiner to resign, you could see as lawmakers return to work yesterday that the other Democratic colleagues of his are clearly frustrated that this distraction as we've heard so many times and so many people call it has continued now into a third week.
Here's a little bit from one of his fellow New York Democrats who you talked about, Carolyn McCarthy. She says she's confident Weiner will, quote, "make the right decision." Listen here.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. CAROLYN MCCARTHY (D), NEW YORK: We're going to find out. We're hopefully hearing that he might resign in a couple days.
SEN. CHARLES SCHUMER (D), NEW YORK: Those of us who have been friends of Anthony Weiner for a very long time, feel his wrongful behavior is distressing, saddening, it's heartbreaking. Now it's clear he needs professional help.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BOLDUAN: That's Senator Chuck Schumer. He is Weiner's political mentor. He stopped short of calling for Weiner to resign. But you can -- but he called it heartbreaking. You can really sense the despair and the sadness in his voice with this whole situation. So the question remains, what can Democrats do? What more can Democrats do here if they want him to resign?
Well, it seems at this point not much. They were kind of waiting to see what move Anthony Weiner makes. Congressman Steve Israel, one of the members of leadership that has called for Weiner's resignation says that Weiner is waiting for his wife to return from an overseas trip with her boss Hillary Clinton before he decides his future and that could be as early as this morning. So we'll see how things develop today.
VELSHI: Kate, thanks very much. We'll continue to follow this with you.
BOLDUAN: Of course.
CHETRY: A federal court in California upholds a ruling from a gay judge that overturns a ban on same-sex marriage. Former Judge Vaughn Walker revealed that he was gay last year after ruling Proposition 8 was unconstitutional. Supporters of the same-sex marriage ban questioned whether Walker was capable of being impartial in the case. Yesterday a federal judge found no evidence of prejudice from Judge Walker and ruled not to throw out his ruling.
And same-sex marriage could soon be legal in the state of New York if Governor Andrew Cuomo gets his way. Governor Cuomo proposed a marriage equality bill yesterday. He says it's a matter of fairness and legal security. If passed, New York will be the sixth state to legalize same-sex marriage.
And former Utah Governor Jon Huntsman thinks he has what it takes to take on President Obama in 2012. He'll formally announce his bid on Tuesday at Liberty State Park in New Jersey. It may be tough though for Huntsman to gain GOP support. He's a former ambassador to China for the Obama administration.
ROMANS: Now New Jersey Governor Chris Christie ruling out -- ruling out, folks, a presidential run in 2012. He's been seen as a potential top contender for the GOP. You keep hearing his name come up. But in an interview with CNN's Piers Morgan, he finally put an end to months of speculation. Christie says he's just not ready for the White House and he's standing firm in that decision.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PIERS MORGAN, HOST, "PIERS MORGAN TONIGHT": You're a straight talker, right?
GOV. CHRIS CHRISTIE (R), NEW JERSEY: Yes.
MORGAN: We're 18 months away. It's a long time in politics. CHRISTIE: It is.
MORGAN: A long time in life. I don't believe this is 100 percent closed to you and I don't think you could look me in the eye, given everything that's going on, and say, Piers, I'm 100 percent certain I'm not going to run.
CHRISTIE: You're wrong. I'm 100 percent certain I'm not going to run.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROMANS: There you go. When asked who's the best choice for the GOP bid, Christie said they don't have a best option yet.
VELSHI: Very interesting. That is a very -- it's a great way to --
ROMANS: That's why his name keeps coming up. He said there's not a best option yet.
VELSHI: But he has said before -- he actually got in trouble if you recall for the way he said it. He was so strong about how he's not going to run. He got in trouble for using some less than measured words in doing that. So no secret but --
ROMANS: Chris Christie less than measured?
VELSHI: Less than measured.
CHETRY: That's why they love him.
ROMANS: Yes.
VELSHI: Interesting he does not want -- he shut the door and yet he says they don't have a candidate.
All right. Somebody else they're talking about is Texas Governor Rick Perry. He's offering his strongest hint yet that he may run for president.
CHETRY: Maybe this is what Chris Christie was talking about.
VELSHI: Maybe too. Exactly. He says he's giving it appropriate thought. In a speech to the New York County Republican committee yesterday, Perry said the country needs a conservative vision to solve its problems and blasted the Obama administration's handling of the economy. Perry also listed some of Texas' success including its job creation, but the governor is not making any concrete decisions just yet. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Governor Perry, few words for CNN?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We'll catch you tonight.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How did it go?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Going to run?
GOV. RICK PERRY (R), TEXAS: I may run in Central Park this afternoon.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELSHI: Perry's fueling that speculation he's going to run in Central Park, with some high-profile trips, of course, to big cities that have big political donors. And you know, the Federal Reserve has put out a report that says 37 percent of all the jobs created since the recession have been in Texas.
CHETRY: Yes.
VELSHI: Texas is booming.
CHETRY: It's about the economy. He's got some good ammunition.
VELSHI: Right.
ROMANS: People move from the rust belt in the northeast to Texas --
VELSHI: Right. That's right.
ROMANS: -- looking for jobs and looking for industries that are growing. So that's right, especially if the Republican mantra is going to be blame the president, blame the president for the economy --
VELSHI: Right.
ROMANS: -- here's somebody they're going to get.
VELSHI: They need somebody who's got a solution. Yes.
ROMANS: Right.
CHETRY: The Missouri River is still rising and farms are now under water. Thousands threatened by flooding in four Midwest states. We'll have a progress update coming up.
ROMANS: Also the Wallow fire, now the largest ever wildfire in Arizona's history gobbling up hundreds of square miles. We'll get the latest on that.
VELSHI: Thirteen minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Sixteen minutes past the hour.
The Missouri River continues to rise this morning and it's now threatening thousands of homes and farms in Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska. Also there have (ph) been a lot of damage already done in Northwest Missouri where the river ruptured two levees sending floodwaters spilling over farmland and straight for the resort town of Big Lake.
ROMANS: See that corn under water.
VELSHI: Yes (ph).
ROMANS: I mean, that tells you how hard it's been for farmers in trying to plant this.
VELSHI: Yes.
ROMANS: They can't - they just can't.
VELSHI: (INAUDIBLE) about it, yes.
ROMANS: I mean, that's a lot of lost money right there.
CHETRY: It really is. And it could turn into higher food prices for us down the road.
Casey Wian joins us from Omaha, Nebraska, this morning. So FEMA wants everybody along the Missouri River Basin to be prepared for more flooding?
CASEY WIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And you can see why. Look behind me. You can see the Missouri River and you can see how high the water is here in Omaha, Nebraska. Those sculptures behind me, clearly under water and you can see how quickly the water in the Missouri River is rising this morning. It's expected to begin cresting today.
The National Guard has been patrolling the levees all up and down the river here in - in Nebraska and on the other side in Iowa. They've been asking for volunteers over the last couple of days to fill sandbags. Two hundred and fifty thousand sand bags they're trying to get filled to prevent the - the river from overflowing these banks.
Across the river is Council Bluffs, Iowa and that's where a lot of folks are very, very worried because it's a lot flatter over there. We had businesses saying that if any of these levee breaks - levees break, they could be under 10 feet of water any time in the next several days. They're hoping, of course, that's not going to happen.
Now here in Omaha, the major concern is actually something that's coming up this weekend, which is the College World Series. They've got a brand new ballpark here that they're opening. The games start on Saturday and they are very, very concerned about people being able to get to that game.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STEVE OTTMAN, CHIEF OF STAFF, CITY OF OMAHA: The roads here, I-80 is open, of course. There are some other roads that are closed, but I-80 is East/West shouldn't be a problem getting here.
We've - all of our hotels in the downtown area have a preparation plan, emergency preparation plan. We're checking with them today. We continue to do that daily. They'll have excess sandbags if they need them. Again, hopefully, they wouldn't need them.
So we're - we're very conscientious about what could happen. We're planning for the worst, obviously praying for the best.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WIAN: Obviously praying for the best. Now, the worst scenario - that the case scenario that they're talking about is if there is a big rainstorm that comes in the next several days. The forecasts are predicting that that's not going to happen, but if in fact that does happen they're very, very worried about the - the flooding and this river overflowing.
Back to you, guys.
ROMANS: You know, Casey, it was a really brutal spring and winter in that part of the country, too, across the country -
VELSHI: Right.
ROMANS: -- made, you know, hard to decide whether to plant beans or - or plant corn. You look at those pictures, the corn under water. There's an old phrase farmers like to say knee high by the fourth of July that's where you want your corn to be, you know, now it's a little higher than fourth of July because -
VELSHI: Yes.
ROMANS: -- of, you know, the technology and all that. But it's going to be knee deep by the fourth of July, isn't it? They've got a lot of water there. And some of these fields are just - that's it for the year.
WIAN: And given what's happened north of here, the fact that there's still snow in some of the mountains and states north of here, they're very, very concerned that even if they get through this weekend, no significant flooding here, this water is going to remain high for a couple of months. So it's an issue they're going to have to deal with throughout the summer.
ROMANS: All right. And river traffic, too. OK. Thanks so much, Casey Wian.
State of Arizona battling the largest wildfire in the state's history. Firefighters are making progress on the wallow fire. Now, 20 percent contained. Remember, we've been telling you for about a week that it was zero percent contained. Now, they're getting a little bit of a handle on it. That wallow fire has burned more than 730 square miles in Arizona and now New Mexico, destroying homes and forcing entire communities to evacuate.
Rob Marciano in the Extreme Weather Center for us. And so the weather has given them a little bit of break down in the southeast - southwest.
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes. And another day today, Christine, so that's good news there.
But we have fire issues elsewhere across parts of the southeast. This is a NASA imagery showing smoke coming out of the Okefenokee Swamp and here's some of the pictures that we have for you. This is a much, much smaller fire but it's engulfed already about 4,000 feet of the board walk that tourists use to go through there and check out some of the wildlife pristine stuff there in the Okefenokee and it's just burning quite rapidly now and this is expected to continue.
Dry weather here and extreme heat. That's the other deal that these firefighters are dealing with. They're dealing with extreme heat. You can imagine the kind of critters that are in that swamp including dangerous snakes and gators and so there are a number of obstacles these firefighters have to contend with.
We have a red - red flag watch that's - or a warning that's in effect for parts of the Panhandle all the way to Jacksonville. It doesn't include officially parts of Georgia, but all that heat certainly not helping. Tallahassee got 103 yesterday, Saint Simons Island 99 degrees. Folks probably dipping into the Atlantic Ocean there.
Stormy conditions across the Midwest. We are seeing intense thunderstorms right now moving through Chicago. That's going to create a problem as far as seeing delays there across Chicagoland and in through eventually lower parts of Michigan and the heat continues across the south. The temperatures in the 90s. It will be 82 degrees in New York City today and 67 with that rainfall in Chicago.
Back up to you in New York.
ROMANS: All right. Fire, snakes and gators, not any of those things.
VELSHI: Yes. Good combination (ph).
ROMANS: Thanks, Rob Marciano.
VELSHI: All right. We want to take a quick break. When we come back we're going to tell you where some of your hard earned money has been going particularly when it goes to the Social Security Administration after this break.
CHETRY: Also interesting, while more colleges move to a co-ed campus, one college says no way. Binge drinking is a big problem and one university said - says the solution is to split up the guys and gals. We'll tell you about the changes they're making.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VELSHI: It is 26 minutes after the hour. "Minding Your Business" this morning.
Stocks posted their biggest gains since April yesterday, but futures are down this morning in free market trading. Markets also like top words from Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke in Washington yesterday. He warned lawmakers to stop holding the debt ceiling hostage calling it, quote, "the wrong tool for forcing difficult policy adjustments."
And no mail in Canada this morning after a 12-day postal worker strike. Canada Post announcing it's closed operations. Negotiations between the government and the union are ongoing.
Investigators announcing the Social Security Administration paid out $6.5 billion by mistake in 2009. About 10 percent of payments by the agency's supplemental security income program were found to be improper.
And shares of the internet radio company Pandora will begin trading on the New York Stock Exchange today. What's interesting here is Pandora has priced its shares at $16 apiece, that values the company at $2.6 billion, at the same time they admit the company has never turned a profit.
"USA Today" reporting this morning that digital video recorders cable and other set top boxes may be increasing America's electric bills by $3 billion per year even when they're turned off. So make sure to unplug it if you've got one or try plugging your TV and its accessories into a power strip and turn them all off when you're not using them.
AMERICAN MORNING will be back right after the break with crucial testimony from a tattoo artist in the Casey Anthony murder trial.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROMANS: It's 30 minutes past the hour. Time for this morning's top stories.
Pakistani officials have arrested five CIA informants who helped the U.S. track down Osama bin Laden. One of those informants is a Pakistani army major who reportedly wrote down license plate numbers of people who visited bin Laden's compound and then turned them over to American intelligence officials.
House Speaker John Boehner sending a letter to President Obama, warning him about violating the 1973 War Powers Act for failing to get congressional authorization for the military operation in Libya.
Meanwhile, NATO airstrikes overnight hit Moammar Gadhafi's Tripoli compound again. No word on possible injuries there.
A federal court in California upholds a ruling by a gay judge that overturns Proposition 8. Former Judge Vaughn Walker ruled the same- sex marriage ban unconstitutional last year and then he later revealed he is gay. Prop 8 supporters questioned his ability to remain impartial. A federal court found no evidence of prejudice from Judge Walker. It will not throw out that ruling.
CHETRY: Arnold Schwarzenegger's former housekeeper telling her side of the story for the first time since it was revealed that Arnold fathered her son. In an interview with "Hello" magazine, Mildred Baena said as her son Joseph got older, he began to resemble California's governor and that's when Maria Shriver began to suspect and asked Baena if Schwarzenegger was the father. Baena says, quote, "She cried with me, we held each other and I told her it wasn't Arnie's fault, that it takes two."
The prosecution in the Casey Anthony murder trial is expected to wrap up today. The defense begins its case tomorrow.
CNN's Gary Tuchman was in court to hear from the final prosecution witnesses, including crucial testimony from an Orlando tattoo artist.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): On July 2nd, 2008, two weeks and two days after Caylee Anthony disappeared, never to be seen alive again, her mother Casey walked into this man's shop.
BOBBY WILLIAMS, TATTOO ARTIST: She came in to get tattooed.
TUCHMAN: It was this tattoo shop in Orlando.
Bobby Williams, tattoo artist, is a crucial prosecution witness because of this testimony.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did you ask her what she wanted done?
WILLIAMS: Yes, sir. Bella vita and a feminine type font.
TUCHMAN: Bella vita means beautiful life in Italian, a beautiful life tattoo is what Casey asked for 16 days after she says her daughter accidentally drowned.
She's pleaded not guilty to what the prosecution calls a cold, calculated murder.
Was she sad, solemn or serious when she got the tattoo?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How would you describe her demeanor?
WILLIAMS: Normal.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What does that mean?
WILLIAMS: Didn't seem upset about anything, pretty happy for the most part.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did she immediately leave the store some.
WILLIAMS: No, sir. We ended up ordering pizza and she had a couple slices.
TUCHMAN: The prosecution is hoping to paint a picture of a callous young woman, using examples like the tattoo and this picture already shown to the jury. It shows Casey in a hot body contest just four days after Caylee disappeared.
So, how does the defense plan to explain away the beautiful life tattoo? By trying to convince the jury that it was done to honor her dead daughter.
JOSE BAEZ, CASEY ANTHONY'S ATTORNEY: Is it customary in your business that people get tattoos to remember their loved ones that have passed?
WILLIAMS: They do, yes.
TUCHMAN (on camera): Potential problem with that defense, though, is that the tattoo artist testified that later, Casey Anthony said she wanted another tattoo, and made an appointment to do so, saying this time, she would bring Caylee with her.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Cynthia Anthony.
TUCHMAN (voice-over): Meanwhile, Casey's mother took the stand for a second time and testified she had not seen Caylee's Winnie the Pooh blanket for weeks before the disappearance. The blanket was found with Caylee's body.
Casey Anthony looked at her mother vacantly during the testimony. And when Cindy Anthony walked off the stand, it appeared she mouthed the words "I love you" to her daughter who looked away.
Gary Tuchman, CNN, Orlando, Florida.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VELSHI\: Wow.
CHETRY: And in the next hour, more details on the Casey Anthony murder trial with CNN legal contributor and former federal prosecutor Sunny Hostin. She's going to be joining us live to talk about what we can expect once the defense begins its case.
VELSHI: What a story.
All right. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke is chiming in on this business about the debt ceiling. He's warning lawmakers not to play chicken when it comes to dealing with the nation's addiction to borrowing or spending money. Speaking yesterday, Bernanke said Republicans' refusal to raise the debt ceiling unless there are deep spending cuts is the wrong approach.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BEN BERNANKE, FEDERAL RESERVE: I fully understand the desire to use the debt limit to force some necessary and difficult fiscal policy adjustments, but the debt limit is the wrong tool for that important job.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELSHI: Bernanke went on to say failing to raise the debt ceiling would, among other things, cause severe disruptions in financial markets and slow down the recovery.
But it was important that he did say -- ROMANS: Necessary.
VELSHI: -- the spending cuts are necessary. This is just the wrong tool to achieve them.
ROMANS: That's right. And Republicans will say, well, you know what? Congress doesn't ever make these necessary cuts on their own.
VELSHI: Right.
ROMANS: So, this is now the leverage that they have.
VELSHI: So, you got to force it.
ROMANS: Right.
CHETRY: Well, how do you curb drinking among college students?
One university president thinks he may have the answer. Get rid of the coed dorms. In a "Wall Street Journal" op-ed, Catholic University President John Garvey announced he is separating the men and women on the campus starting with the freshmen class this fall. Garvey says that several recent studies found that coed housing fuels binge drinking and casual hookups among students.
ROMANS: Because that doesn't happen in separated dorms.
CHETRY: Well, it's interesting in the study, we're reading it, because I lived in -- I lived in all-girl housing.
VELSHI: Right.
CHETRY: But --
ROMANS: Me, too.
CHETRY: -- a lot of my friends lived --
ROMANS: Did you have coed housing?
VELSHI: Yes.
CHETRY: No parties at the female dorms.
VELSHI: Yes. The not being in a coed dorm I didn't think was the deciding factor on that stuff. But interesting, nonetheless.
ROMANS: All right. Men, listen up. If your wife isn't getting enough sleep it could be wrecking your marriage. According to a study published by the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, when a woman is sleep deprived, the marital relationship suffers, in many cases, it suffers the very same day. But when a man isn't getting quality sleep, there's simply no impact at all.
VELSHI: Another weird study.
CHETRY: They claim women are the emotional drivers of the marriage on a day-to-day basis.
VELSHI: Right. So, if they're not in a good mood, you're in trouble?
CHETRY: Yes. I say, if mom ain't happy, no one is happy.
(LAUGHTER)
VELSHI: Well, let's see what you think. That leads us to our question of the day. Is the lack of sleep hurting your marriage? Send us an e-mail, a tweet, tell us on Facebook. We'll read some of your thoughts later in this hour. If you're not married, you can tell us how your lack of sleep affects whoever it is your lack of sleeping with.
ROMANS: In the coed dorms.
CHETRY: Or, you know, single sex dorms. In fact, who knows?
An Australian anchorman gets a one on one with the Dalai Lama. And he decides --
VELSHI: Which is a good get, right?
CHETRY: Yes. Except he decides he's going to tell him a Dalai Lama joke that begins, so the Dalai Lama walks into a pizza shop. We'll tell you how it ended after this.
(LAUGHTER)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TUCHMAN (voice-over): Deep in the woods of Upstate New York, a strange spherical object is confusing residents.
VERONIQUE VENCAT, HOMEOWNER: Every time that people show up here, they're like, what is this structure in the woods?
TUCHMAN: It looks like a UFO, but it could be a sign of a new wave of home design.
DAVID FANCHON, DESIGNER: It took us a couple years in research and development to come up with a truly innovative concept.
TUCHMAN: Which is breaking down the four walls and instead giving homes a dome-like shape. It's not just for looks. The aerodynamics and off the ground build help protect the structure from hurricane strength winds and earthquakes. It also allows homeowners like the Vencat family to take full advantage of the sun's energy.
VENCAT: Economically, it's also very profitable because we use so much less, you know, energy.
TUCHMAN: In the summer, when the sun changes its position, with the push of a button the house follows along.
VENCAT: Three days more to go. TUCHMAN: Allowing it to capture heat in the winter and keep cool in the summer.
VENCAT: OK. Stop.
TUCHMAN: While the exterior protects it from nature's elements, the interior is inspired by it, mimicking the swirl of a seashell.
The dome home concept is something designers think homeowners now find more welcoming.
FANCHON: People are adamant about going to something that's truly innovative, doing something positive for the environment as well and for themselves.
TUCHMAN: Putting a new spin on living green.
Gary Tuchman, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROMANS: Happening now: a mass general strike underway in Greece. Offices are closed, reports that public transportation on land and sea have been seriously disrupted. Protesters are angry over the country's economic crisis and the government's plan to raise taxes and cut wages so that they can get the loans they need to try to get out of the mess.
VELSHI: Right. If you think we've gone through this before, we have. Greece has already gone through this. It's now a second round of going through this.
Zain is live -- Zain Verjee tracking these developments live for us from London this morning.
Zain, what's going on in Greece?
ZAIN VERJEE, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Here we go again, Ali. They need a bailout. But before they can get that, they've got to fulfill some pretty tough austerity measures.
And this is the scene right now on the streets just outside of parliament in Athens. Thousands of people are out demonstrating and they are really mad. They do not want to lose jobs, wage cuts, higher taxes. That's all what is in their future.
They're saying you know what, go tax the millionaires, don't give us more pain. But you know, the government has to do this because there's a danger they could default on their loans. It will be bad for the euro. There are 16 other countries that will be dragged down.
Look, there appears to be a scene breaking out here. I heard shots being fired. Police are there. There could be just warning shots or tear gas. There is a lot of anger in Greece right now that this situation is coming to a head and they have to deal with it. They're waiting for the lawmakers to come in.
VELSHI: Are you seeing this, Zain? Are you watching this, Zain? Are you seeing this one?
VERJEE: I am. I am.
VELSHI: Something just went off on the left side of the screen there. It looked like, it could be tear gas.
ROMANS: The tear gas canisters and hear -- I can't see any water rockets or water cannons.
VELSHI: But there's a big boom.
ROMANS: Right.
VELSHI: And the crowd is starting to disperse.
You can see -- there appears to be police moving in the middle of the screen there. They're pushing some people out to the sides.
ROMANS: Now, we have seen this before. You remember what initially people were very concerned about was they would have to work longer in retirement, which is something that after the age of 50 which really in this country, people couldn't quite understand because, obviously, you work much longer than that before you get requirement.
Also, taxation -- a lot of people simply don't pay their taxes. A lot of companies don't pay their taxes as well. So, to qualify for bailout loans to help this economy, they had to sort of fix a lot of these structural problems in the economy. And that's something that the people say directly affects their day-to-day living, and that's what they're angry about, right, Zain?
VERJEE: Right. That's exactly right. Because not only did they get a blow once before, when they had to go through a round of austerity measures, but here we go again. The government needs another bailout.
And there's going to be a debate today in parliament, which is why they've surrounded parliament today, and the lawmakers are essentially going to be talking about a five-year austerity plan that will hurt the citizens of this country, but they have to do it in order to get the bailout they want. We're looking at something like $170 billion and they're going hand in hand to Europe and the IMF to try to help them out.
But the scenes that we're looking at right now is something that is really representative of a lot of the anger. There are about 7,000 people out on the streets and millions more in Greece that are furious that they have to bear the brunt and the pain. They're saying go tax the rich billionaires, why do they have to suffer?
But the problem is, over the years, that Greece has really lived above its means. When it joined the European Union years ago, and became part of the Eurozone, they did not undertake some of the reforms that need to be done, which is why they're in this situation and you can just see it, playing out on the streets now in Athens. Tear gas canisters being fired. Thousands of people have ringed the parliament there. They refused the lawmakers to go in and debate the issue of austerity. They want to stop the cuts.
CHETRY: All right. Well, Zain, we're going to continue to dip into these live pictures as we see the situation heating up again, public anger over these proposed --new proposed austerity moves on the part of Greece. Really, the government between a rock and a hard place right now because their viability depends on it.
VELSHI\: Absolutely.
CHETRY: And the public is extremely opposed. All right. Zain, thanks so much. By the way, you can watch Zain every morning 5:00 a.m. eastern, "World One" right here on CNN.
ROMANS: All right. It's 45 minutes past the hour. Opening night for "Spiderman: Turn off the Dark" on Broadway. We'll tell you what Bono, The Edge, Julie Taymor, all the principals have to say about the success about opening night. It was long delayed opening. We'll come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROMANS: Lot going on this morning. Here's what you need to start your day. Happening right now --
A mass general strike under way in Greece. Offices are close. You're looking at live pictures here of the scene in the street. Reports of public transportation on land and sea have been seriously disrupted. Protesters there are angry over the country's economic crisis and the government's plan to raise taxes and cut wages to fix it and qualify for another bailout.
Pakistani officials have arrested five CIA informants who helped the U.S. find Osama Bin Laden. Among them, a Pakistani army major who copied license plates of visitors to Bin Laden's compound and then turned those numbers over to American officials.
House Speaker John Boehner warning President Obama he is violating the 1973 War Powers Act for failing to get Congressional authorization for the military operation in Libya. He wants a response by Friday.
The Missouri River keeps rising. Floodwaters threatening thousands of homes and farms in Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska. FEMA warns the worst flooding is yet to come.
A federal court in California upholds a ruling by a gay judge that overturns Proposition Eight. The judge ruled the same-sex marriage ban unconstitutional. Prop Eight supporters question his ability to remain impartial, but a federal court found no evidence of prejudice.
Former Utah governor, Jon Huntsman, will launch his presidential bid next week. We're told he'll make the formal announcement on Tuesday in New Jersey. Huntsman is also the former ambassador to China for the Obama administration.
You're caught up on the day's headlines. AMERICAN MORNING back right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VELSHI: Spidy is back. The Broadway musical, "Spiderman: Turn off the Dark" had its share of problems during its extended preview period, much longer than a play is normally in previews. It had injuries, it had technical issues, it was way over budget, and got poor critic reviews.
ROMANS: I think it was in previews as long as "Cats" was on Broadway.
(LAUGHTER)
CHETRY: Almost about 183 preview shows. They tweaked, they tweaked, they tweaked.
ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: 183.
CHETRY: 183, right. Yes, that's what I said. 183.
ROMANS: Wow.
CHETRY: No joke. Finally though, it opened yesterday for real, and the show revamped, rewritten. Our Alina Cho was there last night. So, I mean, talk about hype. Did it live up to the hype for you?
CHO: I mean, you know, let me just say, it's hard for me to be objective because I didn't see the old musical before they made all of the changes. Having said that, you know what, there was a standing ovation as my friend said, it was cirque de Spiderman, you know? It was definitely a spectacle, you know? I have to say, the most memorable moment for me was the first time that you saw Spiderman fly through the air, that definitely took your breath away.
You know, he didn't just fly, he landed on the second balcony, not once, but several times. You know, there were definitely moments in the show when I ducked, I was craning my neck. I mean, you know, the music, the song writers, of course, were U2's Bono and The Edge. Some of the songs were quite memorable. They are looking at the curtain call there. You know, some not so much.
The sets, some were a bit cartoonish. There were some that very were high tech using audio visuals and so forth. I mean, you know, you look at that video there, and you can see the crowd went wild. You know, the story line, I spoke to some people who had seen the show several times, and they said, the story was definitely easier to follow, definitely that classic story of Spiderman, you know, with great power comes great responsibility.
I mean, during the preview performances, there was a lot of talk about beefing up that love story between Peter Parker and MJ, his love interest. You definitely could feel that in the show. And As I said, with Bono and The Edge, there as songwriters, we caught up with them on the red carpet, especially Bono, and he talked about all of the obstacles this production has had to overcome.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BONO, U2, "SPIDERMAN" WRITER: If people were let in to our studio, when U2 makes albums, when U2 prepares for a tour, you would see all of both, you know calamities. What we weren't expecting here was the level of scrutiny.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHO: Level of scrutiny. That's an understatement. You know, remember, this is a show that was roundly panned by the critics, slammed on all fronts. You know, the most expensive Broadway show in history, $80 million.
ROMANS: Wow.
CHO: Nearly. In fact, the Green Goblin at one point made a joke about it during the show. He said I'm a $65 million circus tragedy. Well, make that $75 million.
ROMANS: Right.
CHO: You know, 183 previews. They had six scheduled opening nights including last night. You know, they pushed it back and pushed it back and pushed it back. A lot of people thought there would never be an opening night, you know? You know, Bono said listen, they're still tweaking the show. There's, you know, there's never --
CHETRY: Which they do on Broadway.
CHO: They do. It's never finished, he says. It only opens.
CHETRY: Do they think they're going to get that money back? I mean, they're going to make that kind of money on the show?
CHO: Only a small percentage of Broadway shows ever make a profit, ever turn a profit. This show is extremely expensive.
VELSHI: Right.
CHO: I mean, it's mind numbing to think about it. It's more than a million dollars to produce a week, and you know, and they're making a million dollars a week.
VELSHI: And you got a little souvenir?
CHO: I do. Yes. Yes. You know, what's a Broadway opening without gifts for the anchors.
(LAUGHTER)
CHETRY: Cute. VELSHI: So nice.
CHETRY: These are adorable.
CHO: You know.
CHETRY: It's a five and over, Ali, so, you're safe.
(LAUGHTER)
VELSHI: Looks like me a little bit.
ROMANS: Looks kind of like E.T. meets Spiderman.
CHETRY: I love it.
CHO: Little Spidy.
CHETRY: I mean, and this is a good example, Alina, because, I mean, these are Marvel comics. They're making money off the memorabilia, too.
CHO: The souvenir shop was packed, let me just say that.
CHETRY: Can't leave the show without getting a little something for the kiddies.
CHO: It's good for the kids.
CHETRY: Thanks, Alina.
CHO: You bet.
ROMANS: OK. Earlier in the hour, we told you about a study at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.
CHETRY: Yes. It found that when women or wives in the relationship are sleep deprived, it actually affects the marriage. When a man isn't getting enough quality of sleep, apparently, according to the study, it doesn't impact the relationship.
VELSHI: So, it leads us to our question of the day, is a lack of sleep hurting your marriage? We got some responses.
ROMANS: That's right. Jude Burk on Facebook says, "Sleep in a relationship is just as important as intimacy. If there's a lack of either, it can cause frustration, resentment, irritability, et cetera." None of us know what he's talking about.
(LAUGHTER)
CHETRY: Also, Ralph on Facebook, "I think in the case of sleep deprivation, it would be better to spend time making out."
(LAUGHTER)
VELSHI: And Paul writes --
ROMANS: Is it a guy who said that?
VELSHI: "If it is having an impact on your relationship, get some sleep."
(LAUGHTER)
VELSHI: Keep your comments coming. Send us an e-mail, a tweet, or tell us on Facebook. We'll read more of your thoughts throughout the morning.
ROMANS: All right. Top stories coming up next on AMERICAN MORNING.
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