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Casey Anthony Trial; Al Qaeda Leader Reported Killed; Syrian Violence Intensifies; GOP Candidates At Faith Conference; You Can Afford To Eat Healthy; Case Against Casey Anthony; Butcher Of Bosnia Arrested; E. Coli Outbreak Spreads in Europe; President and Boehner to Play Golf; Home Prices Fall 5.1 Percent in 1Q; Anti-Foreclosure Summit in D.C.; John Edwards Indicted; Fight Over School Prayer; Winnie Mandela's Story

Aired June 04, 2011 - 12:00   ET

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

RICHELLE CAREY, CNN ANCHOR: All right, we're going to being with the trial that has captivated the nation, Casey Anthony. The young mother in Florida accused of killing her two-year-old daughter Caylee back in 2008. Like last Saturday, court is in session again today because this jury is sequestered and the judge wants to get them home. Much of the testimony is focused on microscopic evidence found in the trunk of Casey Anthony's car.

So let's bring in Sean Lavin, who's outside the courthouse for us in Orlando.

Sean, kind of get us up to speed on what happened in court today, because Saturday court is so unusual, generally speaking.

SEAN LAVIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's right, Richelle. Today was a very intense day for forensic testimony. This was the second day of the trial where the state went ahead and brought in this whole new theory of the car trunk and the possible dead body in the trunk. Today they brought in a forensic expert from the FBI.

She came in there, sat on the stand and told the jurors why she thinks that Caylee's dead body was in that trunk based on a hair she found that had a postmortem band around it. She compared them side-by- side on poster boards to show the jury what the difference would be from a possible live hair and one that's dead. Let's take a listen to what she had to say on the stand earlier today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAREN LOWE, FBI FORENSIC EXAMINER: The hair in Q 12 was microscopically dissimilar to the head hair sample identified as coming from Casey Anthony. The head hairs in Q12 exhibited similarities to a hair found in a hairbrush which was identified as belonging to Caylee Anthony.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LAVIN: So that was the expert there, Richelle, with some pretty back and forth stuff between the state today and the defense. CAREY: And a lot of this forensic evidence, Sean, Defense Attorney Jose Baez fought very hard for it not to be admitted into court. Tell us why is that. From my understanding is that he tries to say that it's not reliable. That it's junk science even.

LAVIN: Yes, he's called this junk science. He's been fighting. Right out of the gate today he even made another objection trying to stop this. The judge wasn't hearing it, though. He said this woman had 15 years of experience. Let's let her talk.

The defense thinks that it's just not conclusive enough. They've cited some other cases where there may have been problems with it, but the judge didn't think that was totally relevant to this case. So he let it in and the defense is going to have to live with it. And in two weeks, when they have their chance, they're going to have to try and explain away this compelling testimony from the FBI today.

CAREY: Compelling and really tough to get your mind around the fact what the prosecution is saying is that two-year-old Caylee Anthony was in the trunk of her mother's car.

Sean Lavin, thank you very much.

In about 15 minutes, we're going to bring in our legal guys to talk more about this case. You don't want to miss what they have to say. I'm going to put a question to them -- should Casey Anthony take the stand? That's right here in the NEWSROOM.

Let's update our breaking news right now.

Suspected U.S. drone strike in Pakistan may have killed a man considered al Qaeda's military brain. A spokesperson for his jihadist group says Ilyas Kashmiri died along with some of his aides. The strike targeted a hideout in south Waziristan, that is in Pakistan's volatile tribal region. CNN's Phil Black joins us live from Islamabad.

Phil, if this turns out to be true, what would the impact be on al Qaeda?

PHIL BLACK, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it would presumably be quite significant, Richelle. Ilyas Kashmiri was very much a high-value target. He was a man who has risen through al Qaeda's ranks in recent years to become, as you say, the military brains of the operation. What many describe as the operational chief. The man whose job it was to implement al Qaeda's global strategy, if you like, by carrying out attacks. Resourcing, planning them, carrying them out ultimately by taking lives.

So a significant loss from their ranks, particularly if it were to come so soon following the death of its leader, Osama bin Laden. But an indication of how significant this man had become within al Qaeda in recent years is the fact that among all the speculation about who would fill the vacuum left by Osama bin Laden, Kashmiri's name has certainly been mentioned -- Richelle.

CAREY: And now his group is promising revenge against the U.S. What else do we know about that?

BLACK: Well, we know that in the way that this man's life may have been taken, it was as a drone strike, as you say. It was a drone strike conducted by a U.S. drone just overnight in an area of south Waziristan it is believed. And it's important to note here a couple of things.

The confirmation of his death comes from some of his followers. At this stage, it has not come from Pakistani officials in the military, government or intelligence communities, nor is the U.S. confirming it at this stage either. And they're probably being cautious here for a few reasons. Most importantly being that they had thought and claimed to have killed him previously back in September 2009. He was said to have died in a drone strike just like this one. In this case, they say they want to be pretty sure first before confirming that, yes, they got him.

But he was a man who was believed to be mounting or in the process of planning large, spectacular global attacks. And that is why he is such a key target for the U.S. A man whose ambitions had become more global and a man who they believe had the ability and the resources to conduct strikes that could attack the west, particularly in Europe and possibly even the United States as well, Richelle.

All right, Phil Black, a major development. We'll have to see what the fallout is. Phil Black reporting live from Islamabad, Pakistan.

Phil, thank you.

We're also following breaking news out of Syria. Security forces are escalating their crackdown on anti-government protesters and more civilians are dying, many of them children. CNN's Arwa Damon joins us live by phone from neighboring Lebanon.

Arwa, get us up to speed on what's happening.

ARWA DAMON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): Well, Richelle, hundreds of thousands turned out, according to one of the human rights organizations, in the city of Hamas (ph) for the funerals of dozens of people who were killed on Friday. And on Friday we saw yet again the (INAUDIBLE) regime pointing to activists with determination to continue to fire lethal rounds directly into crowds of demonstrators.

I witnessed an activist in Hamas telling us that on Friday tens of thousands had gathered in various neighborhoods. They were trying to converge on the square. They were calling for the downfall of the regime. And then they say (INAUDIBLE) security forces opened fire on them. The death toll standing right now at 60, according to one human rights organization. However, they do believe that it is going to be much higher.

They're still trying to get information from the hospital. Communications inside Syria incredibly difficult. And on Friday, according to activists, the regime also went so far as to shut down the Internet in some parts of the country. Activists say that is an attempt to try to keep the news from getting out.

CAREY: As many as 60 people dead. Arwa Damon, thank you so much for that report live from Lebanon.

There's a huge political event going on right now in Washington. It's called a Faith and Freedom Coalition Conference. And almost every Republican presidential candidate is there courting the social conservative vote. The candidates are focusing on things like reducing government spending, social issues like abortion and gay marriage.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We're united tonight in a lot of things. We're united in the love we have for this great country. We're united in our belief in the sanctity of human life. We're united in our belief of the importance and significance of marriage between one man and one woman.

TIM PAWLENTY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Traditional marriage matters. And we need to tell each other and the country that we need to keep traditional marriage elevated on a platform. All domestic relationships are not the same as traditional marriage. It needs to be protected.

RON PAUL (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The family is the bedrock. The educational system should be through the family and the church. We should be promoting homeschooling and private schooling and not depending on our public school system.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAREY: Ron Paul, kind of fired up there. Let's turn to CNN political producer Shannon Travis, who is live at the event.

OK, Shannon, tell us what the significance is of this event. And I think it's kind of clear when you see the kind of people that are there.

SHANNON TRAVIS, CNN POLITICAL PRODUCER: Absolutely, Richelle. And that's an excellent question, because you've seen these kinds of events a lot. Conservative conferences, gatherings of conservative activists. So why is this significant? This is significant because this is one of the largest efforts to merge different factions of the conservative movement. And what I mean by that is, you have here traditionally Christian evangelicals, values voters who vote based on religion and social issues, trying to merge with the Tea Party movement, economic conservatives, the grassroots activists who are out there at protests and buses talking about spending and debt. They're trying to bring those factions together here.

Just moments ago, I spoke with Ralph Reid, who's the organizer of this event. And I said, hey, this is one of the biggest efforts that I've seen in covering this movement at trying to bring these factions together. And he said, yes, because together putting those different factions together, they believe that they will have electoral success against the Democrats and Barack Obama. And Ralph Reid told me, Richelle, that he estimates that about 40 percent of the electorate could possibly either be a part of the evangelical or economic conservatives or sympathize with them. So this is very significant.

CAREY: That is significant. That's a pretty big number. So explain what the candidates get out of going to this event?

TRAVIS: They get exposure. They get media time. Us being here. Hopefully -- they're hoping that they get votes. But what they're also hoping for is attention. And some of these early states, like Iowa, where Christian evangelicals vote in numbers in force. In places like South Carolina, where the same is true. So they're hoping to get attention and buzz in some of those early states.

A most recent CNN poll shows that among Republicans, it's almost evenly split among the people who say that they are Christian evangelicals versus not, 48 percent and 47 percent. So this will help these candidates, the Mitt Romney, Ron Paul, Michele Bachmann was here yesterday. She hasn't declared yet. We expect her to at any point. But this will get them attention and hopefully votes especially in some of these early voting states where there are a lot of Christian evangelicals.

Richelle.

CAREY: All right, Shannon Travis, political producer. Shannon, thank you very much.

President Obama is congratulating America's big three automakers for making a pretty major comeback. He focused on their financial turnaround during his weekly address, which was delivered from the Chrysler plant in Toledo, Ohio. Just a couple of years ago, the government helped rescue the big three automakers from the brink of collapse and now the president says Chrysler, GM and Ford are all turning a profit.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We could have done what a lot of folks in Washington thought we should do -- nothing. But that would have made a bad rescission worse and put a million people out of work. I refused to let that happen. So I said, if GM and Chrysler were willing to take the difficult steps of restructuring and making themselves more competitive, the American people would stand by them. And we did.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAREY: The president says Chrysler has repaid every dime of the government rescue package six years ahead of schedule.

Homeowners at risk of foreclosure and their lenders, they're all coming face to face at an event in Washington. Both parties say they mean business. That story is up next.

And the food pyramid has been replaced by lots of fruits and vegetables. And you do not need to break the bank to afford it. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CAREY: It's official, the longstanding food pyramid is out, as in gone. Now the government's using a simple plate to show you what you should be eating. And half of it is fruits and vegetables. Now, if you're wondering how in the world can I afford that, our Christine Romans has some tips in today's edition of "Smart Is The New Rich."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's a message from the very top.

MICHELLE OBAMA, FIRST LADY: Fruits. We're going to do some fruits here. We're going to do some berries.

ROMANS: A call to arms from the first lady. Her "Let's Move" campaign to combat high rates of childhood obesity and promote healthy eating and exercise.

OBAMA: We're all here today because we care deeply about the health and well being.

ROMANS: But many people think eating healthier equals spending more money. Not so says Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Kathleen Merrigan.

KATHLEEN MERRIGAN, DEPUTY SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE: I've been on a campaign, a crusade if you will, a myth busting exercise, trying to say that actually you can afford to eat fruits and vegetables much more than people think.

ROMANS: The USDA calculates --

MERRIGAN: A little bit less for vegetables, a little bit more for fruit. But if you boil it all down, it's 50 cents a cup. So that means for a 2,000 a day calorie diet, you would spend somewhere between $2.18 and $2.50 to meet that half a plate recommendation.

ROMANS: It's not always easy, but you can actually save money.

MERRIGAN: We know that in this country, on average, a family of four is spending about $185 a week on groceries. If you follow a healthy diet plan, as we propose, you can bring that cost down to $175.

ROMANS: Buy fruits and vegetables while they're in season. Frozen and canned are also OK. And have a plan when you hit the supermarket. And, of course, there's always your own back yard.

ROMANS (on camera): It's so interesting to see little first graders with their shovels talking about composting.

And running a household where you're healthy. I mean you pack lunches. You try to pack sustainable lunches where there's no waste.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Definitely.

ROMANS: Tell me about that, a no waste lunch.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It gets a little dicey sometimes. At 7:35 you're trying to make all the snacks and all the lunches for the day. But I find the kids are actually watching over our shoulders going, oh, you want to make sure -- don't put that in a wrapper, put it in a container that we can bring home and wash again. And it means the food that you're packing is better too.

ROMANS: Christine Romans, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CAREY: Casey Anthony caught in a pattern of lies. Our legal guys are ready to weigh in on what her mother, her brother and investigators have been saying on the stand. That is just minutes away.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CAREY: More emotional testimony this week in the trial of Casey Anthony. Of course, she is charged with killing her two-year-old daughter, Caylee, in 2008. And this week her mother and her brother took the stand. So did they help her? Did this hurt?

Well, let's bring in our legal guys. Avery Friedman, a civil rights attorney and law professor from Cleveland, and Richard Herman, a New York criminal defense attorney and law professor who joins us from Las Vegas.

Guys, this is the trial that it seems people cannot turn away from. And what really, I think, grabbed people this week was those jailhouse tape. These tapes of Casey visiting with her family. We'd seen them before, but I think the reason maybe we see them in a different light now in her questioning is because of what the defense alleges.

The defense alleges that, yes, you're going to see Casey Anthony lie a lot. But they say the reason is because she was allegedly molested by her father. So what is your take on the effect that these tapes will have on the jury when the defense has already said, yes, we know our client's a liar?

Richard, you can go first.

RICHARD HERMAN, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Hi, Richelle.

What happened this week was devastating to Baez's opening statement to the jury. We know she's a liar. The jury is not going to buy, she's a liar because of all this incest and sexual abuse, which, by the way, they're not even going to be able to prove because the only way they can prove that, Richelle, is to put Casey Anthony on the stand.

Now, can you imagine when she puts her hand on the Bible and swears to tell the truth? I mean she is the most untrustworthy person in America. The jury is not going to believe one word out of her mouth. Therefore, she cannot testify in the case in chief.

If the jury hates a defendant, Richelle, and begins to hate the lawyer, they're going to convict regardless of the burden of proof, which I don't believe the government is going to be able to sustain. But regardless of that, if the jury hates you, they're going to bring you down.

AVERY FRIEDMAN, CIVIL RIGHTS ATTORNEY: Well, wait a minute.

CAREY: Well, Richard, we'll get to the burden of proof in just a moment. First, let me let Avery weigh in on it. He's about to burst.

FRIEDMAN: Yes, sorry to interrupt.

CAREY: Go ahead. Go ahead.

FRIEDMAN: Yes, but the fact is -- the fact is that the burden of proof beyond a reasonable doubt, Richelle, is overwhelming. And the fact is that the lack of Casey Anthony's credibility is clearly a --

HERMAN: What trial are you watching, Avery?

CAREY: Richard, wait a second.

FRIEDMAN: Clearly a factor. I'm watching the same trial every day. And the fact is that despite whatever problem there is with the defense counsel, it is her behavior introduced methodically, carefully by the prosecution that's going to do this defendant in.

And the very point that's been made that, well, you know, when she takes the stand, puts her hand on the Bible -- let me tell you something -- and a lot of people disagree with this, Richelle, but they're going to have to put Casey Anthony on the stand for a variety of reasons, not the least of --

CAREY: You think so?

FRIEDMAN: Not the least of which the jury will see that there's clearly something wrong with her and that's what the strategy is here.

CAREY: OK, Avery --

HERMAN: Richelle -- Richelle -- Richelle.

CAREY: Go ahead.

HERMAN: They have to prove, in order to get the premeditated murder, that Casey was the one that put the duct tape on her face, on her mouth and her nose. They have not proven that. They are not going to be able to prove that. They do not have a cause of death in this case. And, therefore, they should not and should not put her on the stand in the case in chief because the jury is just going to hate her worse and she's going to get convicted and probably get sentenced to death. FRIEDMAN: Wow.

HERMAN: They have to save her for the mitigation phase.

FRIEDMAN: Well --

CAREY: Avery, let me ask you something. Now her mother, Cindy Anthony, also took the stand today. I think -- this week, rather. I think that was some of the most emotional testimony that anybody has seen.

FRIEDMAN: This week, right.

CAREY: And they brought her up so that they could play the 911 tape where (ph) even her mother, Cindy Anthony, calls to say, I haven't seen my granddaughter in 31 days. The car smells like a dead body. She broke down on the stand. What do you think this does for Casey's case?

FRIEDMAN: Well, it clearly hurts her because the jury is watching the dichotomy between a loving grandmother who literally falls apart on the stand and then they look over to the defendant who barely has a tear in her eye. So it's a smart strategy, but it's a reality that I think prosecutions -- the prosecutors expected to see from the grandmother. And, again, it bolsters this idea that Casey Anthony is guilty of this murder. No doubt about it.

CAREY: OK. And, Richard, I see you shaking your head. We've got to move on, but I understand you're saying that you don't think that the prosecution is making their case so far. There's a long way to go, so we'll have to see.

Let's turn now to the man known now as the butcher of Bosnia, Ratko Mladic. He was a -- he's been in hiding for about 15 years. He has now been charged with war crimes. Things like genocide, ethnic cleansing, that massacre at Srebrenica. What kind of defense will he have in The Hague?

Richard, you can go first.

HERMAN: You know, Richelle, I think he's going to have a stoic defense. He's proud of his military career. He's proud of the way he handled himself. So I think they're not going to be able to shut this guy up. I think he's proud of his accomplishments.

I think he's going to say that's the course of treatment. That's the way I have to be as a leader. I had to take care and protect my people. And this was just, as a casualty of war, and I did nothing out of the ordinary. It's really -- it's kind of absurd. And I don't see -- I don't know where this guys is going to go, really.

FRIEDMAN: Well --

CAREY: Avery, go ahead.

FRIEDMAN: Yes, they have to put some kind of defense on. To be honest with you, it would be baffling to figure out what it is. They actually have a videotape, Richelle, where he boasts about the revenge taken for the murder of Serbians, what they were back in the 18th century. He says it, they have video, and they have his personal diary. So we even saw that sort of mindless macho behavior in the courtroom where he ignored the judge yesterday and said, I'm not going to enter a plea. The judge is bringing him back in mid July. If he refuses again, the judge will enter the not guilty plea.

CAREY: Just some horrific, horrific things he's charged with.

Richard and Avery --

FRIEDMAN: Absolutely horrific, you're exactly right.

CAREY: Richard and Avery, thank you so much for your take. You guys will be back in about 20 minutes to talk about the woman who left much of her estate to a doomsday prophet. Can her family get it all back?

All right, and you'll see a -- you see the signs everywhere, houses for sale, but many of them are foreclosures. Now a D.C. summit brings homeowners and lenders together to help keep people in their homes. That's coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CAREY: Our top stories now.

Former Yale University lab technician Raymond Clark has been sentenced to 44 years in prison for the 2009 killing of graduate student Annie Le. She was 24-years-old. She was strangled to death. Clark's DNA was found at the crime scene.

Scientists are trying to find the source of a deadly E. Coli outbreak linked to certain produce. It's spread to 12 nations in Europe and blamed for 18 deaths so far. All but one of them in Germany. About 1,800 people have actually gotten sick. Four people who came to the U.S. from Germany last fall are still in the hospital.

A show of bipartisanship in Washington. President Obama and House Speaker John Boehner have scheduled a golf date. The president extended the invitation a few weeks ago. Boehner accepted. They're scheduled to play two weeks from today. No word yet on which course they'll visit that should be interesting.

This week, we learned home prices hit a new low in the first quarter of the year, down more than 5 percent from a year ago. A high number of foreclosures are flooding the market. That's what contributed to this decline. Repossessed properties are selling at bargain prices.

That's driving down overall values, affecting everybody. A summit in the nation's capital is focused on preventing foreclosures by bringing homeowners face to face with their lenders. That is key.

CNN's Mark Preston is live at the event. So, Mark, are these lenders empowered with the ability to actually negotiate with these homeowners?

MARK PRESTON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL EDITOR: Yes, Richelle. That's exactly what's happening at this seminar here today. Lenders are actually here sitting at the table across from these folks facing foreclosure who are in the process of foreclosure right now.

That's a big leap for a lot of these folks who are on the phones trying to talk to these lenders every week trying to get their loan modified and trying to figure out what their financial situation is.

But they can in some cases actually sit down, talk to the lender directly and get an answer. In many cases, though, what they're being told is that they will have to take a couple of more steps.

Like who I have with me right here is someone from the Treasury Department, Tim Massad. He's the assistant secretary of Treasury. Tim, how did we get to the situation we are right now?

TIM MASSAD, ACTING ASSISTANT SECRETARY, TREASURY DEPARTMENT: Sure, well, we had the first financial crisis our country really has ever experienced, at least since the great depression, 2 1/2 years ago.

And that resulted in the situation we have, which is the worst housing crisis we've seen in decades. We still have many, many people at risk of losing their homes. That's why we've been very active in trying to provide programs of assistance like this, like we have here today.

PRESTON: And what Tim - the fact of the matter is that the Treasury Department is trying to work with non-profit groups, trying to work with the lenders. Bottom line is the lenders -- the banks don't want these homes.

They want people to stay in their homes because it doesn't make any sense for them to have to take a house and try to resell it. What you're seeing here today is part of that process. It's happening all across the country. In fact, two weeks this same seminar will be down in Atlanta. Richelle --

CAREY: Mark, I certainly hope these people can get some help. Mark Preston, thank you.

John Edwards from political star to a felony indictment. We'll get some insight from our legal experts next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CAREY: Former presidential candidate and Senator John Edwards indicted on conspiracy and violating campaign laws. Our legal guys are back for this one, Avery Friedman in Cleveland and Richard Herman in Las Vegas.

Guys, let's kind of get people up to speed, John Edwards actually went to federal court yesterday in North Carolina. Said he didn't do anything wrong. He's accused of basically using money from some wealthy donors to hide his affair with Rielle Hunter, which everyone says clearly is morally wrong.

The question is whether or not it is legally wrong. Avery, I'll let you go first this time. Do you think the prosecution has a case here?

FRIEDMAN: Well, there's something there, Richelle. They are using a theory that is untested in American jurisprudential history. They're relying on 2,000 internal opinions at the elections commission and there is no case law supporting it.

This is the first indictment, frankly, I've seen in decades, if ever, that relies on a "National Enquirer" article. And the bottom line is well, they're going to look to the sleaze factor. A federal district judge may very well throw the case out because of the unprecedented nature of the case.

CAREY: Richard, do you agree? Is this ever going to get to a jury?

HERMAN,: I think there's a chance it gets to the jury, Richelle. But the problem here is that he's relying upon -- Edwards acknowledges, yes, this money was used to cover up his relationship with Rielle towards his wife, Elizabeth.

But the money was not politically funded. It was personal donations to him, which he's allowed to use any which way he wants. That's going to be his defense. Avery is right. The statute is extremely vague. It's never been used before.

I think he's got a good case, but there's a conspiracy element to it. There's also a false filing to the government. Martha Stewart got convicted of false statements to the government. I don't know. His hair is going to get a little messy on this one before it's over.

CAREY: You had to do that. Speaking of hair, former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich is back on the stand in his retrial --

FRIEDMAN: Great going, Richelle. That was good. Good segway.

CAREY: He's facing 20 criminal counts, guys. He is charged, of course, with trying to sell Barack Obama's Senate seat. He is testifying this time around. He did not the first time. We all know he can talk. Is it benefiting him to be testifying, Avery?

FRIEDMAN: No. The bottom line -- no. U.S. District Judge James Agle who's presiding over this, you don't usually see circuses in federal district courts. We're seeing one in Chicago. It's out of control.

This judge has warned Blagojevich 16 times literally to stay on message and whether it's getting anywhere I think what Blago is trying to do is make the jury like him. I don't think it's working. CAREY: He didn't get enough people to like him to elect him governor so I think that's where he's probably go on with this. Richard, is it plausible what he's saying? He's saying, I did all these things for the benefit of my state. I'm just asking.

FRIEDMAN: That's good.

HERMAN: He's saying for the benefit of the state, except he wanted a major political appointment to support the benefit of his state.

FRIEDMAN: Sure.

HERMAN: I don't know how that supports his state by him getting a political appointment as a result of an office given, but you know, here's the thing, when a defendant takes the stand, Richelle, it's extremely dangerous because juries are very forgiving to government witnesses when they get caught up in a lie.

But when a defendant is on the stand and gets caught in a lie, Richelle, the jury just says, you know what? He lied here. I don't believe anything he's saying and they come back and bang him. I think it's very dangerous. I think he can't keep his mouth shut like Avery. I think he's going to get convict this time around.

CAREY: This time around. OK, guys, let's talk about this. Remember, we weren't supposed to be here past May 21st because of that doomsday prophet. And actually I've had some viewers take exception in me calling him a prophet because certainly he was wrong.

But a woman left her entire estate, about $300,000 to this group, this family radio group, because she believed in this doomsday warning and she actually passed away on May 2nd. Her family said she would not have done that had she realized we would all be here beyond May 21st. Does her family have a shot at getting this money back, Richard?

HERMAN: Yes, I don't think so, Richelle. I think this family radio network was important to her. There's testimony or there's statement that is she listened to it 24/7, in the morning, day, night. She found comfort in this station.

She had a very troubled and tough life and she found comfort and she wanted to make this bequest. Unless you can show that it was fraudulent or she was under some sort of duress, I think the will is going to stand. I think the family's out of luck.

CAREY: Avery, you're nodding your head. You agree?

FRIEDMAN: Yes. Harold Camping, by the way, has attempted to vindicate himself. He's the doomsday prophet. He said on the 21st, the world was destroyed spiritually, but he's now predicting the physical destruction in October.

This guy is something, 89 years old. Dora Schmidt has a right to do what she wants to do. Other than fraud or if she is not lucid, the bottom line, $250,000 goes to Harold out in Oakland, California, $25,000 goes to each of the nieces.

CAREY: All right, guys, great talking to you. We appreciate it. I appreciate it very, very much. Avery Friedman and Richard Herman, thank you.

Listen to this, an estimated 2,500 young people are newly infected with HIV that's according to a recent report from the World Health Organization.

Patricia Soyu is making sure her community and her country get accurate information to stop the spread of this disease. That's why she is our CNN Hero of the Week.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PATRICIA SAWO (voice-over): Back in the 1990s, I believed that AIDS was a punishment from God. When I passed an HIV positive test, it was, my God, how could this happen to me? I fasted and prayed for years hoping that I would be healed.

When I went public, I lost my job. My husband lost his job. The landlord wanted us out of his house. The stigma was terrible. I realized that I'd been wrong. My name is Patricia Sawo. My mission is to change people's attitudes about HIV.

All that you need is accurate, correct information. As leaders, we need to teach people that HIV is not a moral issue. It is a virus. When I'm helping somebody else who is HIV positive, I want them to know that you can rise above this.

The 48 children at the center, most of them saw their parents dying of AIDS. I provide that motherly love and all their basic needs. HIV, it's making me a better person. We want to be there for people. So if we have it, we share it out. It's what I want to do because it's what I'm meant to do. God has his own ways of healing. So, for me, I'm healed.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CAREY: We always want to hear from you. So tell us about heroes in your community. Send your nominations to CNN.com/heroes.

There is no let-up in the oppressive heat in parts of the country. Reynolds Wolf, my friend, will join us with the forecast.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CAREY: Checking stories cross country. People at a high school graduation in Texas will be offered the chance to pray, but it would take a court ruling to make that happen.

A family filed a lawsuit saying their son, an agnostic, would suffer irreparable harm if anyone prayed. Well, a judge ruled in their favor banning people from asking others to join them in prayer.

But on appeal, that ruling was overturned. The valedictorian one of the people who appealed the judge's decision is being threatened and the school is now on security watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AMANDA HILDENBRAND, MEDINA HIGH SCHOOL VALEDICTORIAN: My dad received actually a phone call this morning saying that there was a big threat given to the school via phone call that included my name and so it's intimidating.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We've added additional staff to be there. We are utilizing staff from across the district to be there as well. We have added law enforcement.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAREY: Governor Perry supported the appeal, calling the original ban on prayer reprehensible.

Wildfires in Arizona have burned more than 200,000 acres. They've spread so far so fast there's now a smoke alert in Albuquerque, New Mexico, 200 miles away. More than 1,000 firefighters in Arizona are battling the fires burning in the Eastern part of the state.

And before his speech in Toledo, Ohio, yesterday, President Obama made a surprise visit to a local hangout. Rudy's Hotdog is a 90-year- old diner and it's a landmark in Toledo. The president picked up the tab for the entire entourage. Incidentally, one of the waitress have said he's a very good tipper and we hear about it if he wasn't.

All right, for a lot of folks this weekend, the best place to be is inside with the air conditioning blasting. Reynolds Wolf is here with more on the heat wave that is gripping parts of the country. It is oppressive. It is miserable.

REYNOLDS WOLF, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Surely this is not a big deal to you. You're from Texas?

CAREY: And you know what? In Texas, do you know what, yat means? It does not mean bow. Yat means you're hot. I know you've actually think it's funny.

WOLF: I do think it's funny.

CAREY: Thank you.

WOLF: I'm friend with Richelle and because we're friends I have to give her a hard time. Richelle is right and it certainly is warm. If you happen to be in Houston, you know what it's like. Same deal up in Dallas, got plenty of heat right along the I-35 corridor.

In Memphis, we're talking 100 degrees, Atlanta with 93, but with the humidity. It's going to feel even warmer. Out to the west, in Albuquerque, El Paso, Phoenix, you haven't seen the number there, but it's very warm there.

Not only are you dealing with the heat in Phoenix as Richelle was talking about moments ago, we're dealing with the fire issues. In fact, we've got fire watches, red flag warnings in effect. One area we're concerned with is in parts of Arizona where the wind is pretty strong, anywhere from 25 to 35 miles an hour.

With that, you have very low humidity, anywhere from 6 percent to 12 percent. Over 120,000 acres burned. It is a tremendous mess. But what's even more ironic, over towards California, just the opposite, plenty of rainfall.

And you've got a storm system right off the golden state of California bringing the rain all along the I-5 corridor down into the San Joaquin Valley. They could see some heavy rainfall in San Louis back into Santa Maria.

Another spot where rain is likely is going to be in the Ohio Valley. Got this frontal boundary that extends just from Detroit back over towards the Central Plains and right along this area, we may be dealing with some stronger storms in the afternoon, some damaging winds, perhaps an isolated tornado, some small hail and even flash flooding a possibility. Richelle, that's your weather all wrapped up.

CAREY: Thank you, buddy.

Up next, our exclusive interview with Winnie Mandela. Why she is not happy with Jennifer Hudson's movie about her life.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CAREY: News just in to CNN to tell you about. Several loud explosions are being heard right now in the Libyan capital of Tripoli. At least eight have been heard. That's actually not that unusual. It is unusual because it's daylight.

This week NATO announced it would extend the mission in Libya by 90 days. The campaign began in March.

Winnie Mandela's story is very much in revival these days. There's an opera that premiered in South Africa and a movie that has been shot with what you're seeing here with Academy-award winner Jennifer Hudson playing the activist.

But how does she feel about these various projects about her? Winnie Mandela rarely gives interviews, but she invited CNN into her home and she said she's disappointed in the movie project.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WINNIE MADIKIZELA-MANDELA, EX-WIFE OF NELSON MANDELA: I was not consulted. I am still alive. And I think that it is a total disrespect to come to South Africa, make a movie about my struggle and call that movie some translation of a romantic life of Winnie Mandela. I think it is an insult. I don't know what would be romantic in our bitter struggle.

(END VIDEO CLIP) CAREY: And there Ms. Mandela speaking with Nadia Bilchik. Now as for Winnie, the opera, Mandela famously attended the world premiere in South Africa and was impressed with how that turned out.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MANDELA: I made those remarks about the opera having been a lily white thing before. And I honestly found it difficult to imagine how you would translate a struggle into an opera. I think they did an amazing job.

Of course, not everyone would be happy about how that life was depicted. I don't think it is possible to show 18 months of confinement in an opera situation. And I don't think it's possible to translate to a platform and dictate those 9 1/2 years of punishment.

It is not possible to translate the actual torture each and every mother went through. I was one of those who got the bitter end of the apartheid.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAREY: CNN contacted Jennifer Hudson's representatives. And her publicist says the actress would have love to have met Mandel, but that the producer wanted, quote, "keep the integrity on the book" on which the story was based and so they didn't set up a meeting.

The Casey Anthony trial has recessed for the day. That and other top stories right on the other side of the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CAREY: Let's check our top story. Forensic evidence took center stage in the Casey Anthony trial today. She's the young mother from Florida accused of killing her 2-year-old daughter back in 2008.

A short time ago, an FBI forensic expert linked hair samples found in the trunk of Casey Anthony's car to her child, Caylee Anthony. Prosecutors say they need about two more weeks to wrap up their case. The trial just wrapped up for the day. It's now in recess until 9:00 a.m. Monday.

Do you have extra money lying around? You want to give it away to your kids or grandkids? Join us again at our 2:00 p.m. newscast. We have the rules to gifting coming up in our financial fix segment this week.

And speaking of cash, "YOUR MONEY" starts right now.