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Federal Bailout Bill; O.J. Simpson Found Guilty; Financial Crisis Hitting Europe

Aired October 04, 2008 - 12:00   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN NEWS ANCHOR: All right, much straight ahead, let's begin with the O.J. Simpson trial and the latest verdict on this one, guilty on all charges. Listen as the verdict is read in Simpson's armed robbery and kidnapping trial.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We, the jury, in the above-entitled case find the defendant, Orenthal James Simpson as follows: count on, conspiracy to commit a crime, guilty. Count two, conspiracy to commit kidnapping, guilty. Count three, conspiracy to commit robbery, guilty. Count four, burglary while in possession of a deadly weapon, guilty.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: While the verdict comes 13 years to the day after Simpson's acquittal in the murders of his wife and her friend, CNN's Ted Rowlands is following the story from Las Vegas, he's joining us now.

And just looking at the expression of O.J. Simpson certainly he seemed stunned and, if anything, very dejected.

TED ROWLANDS, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely. People in the courtroom supporting O.J. Simpson were in tears. Simpson himself sort of looked straight ahead for a while and then turned and looked at the jurors, didn't show as much emotion, but later his lawyers said that he was very dejected and very upset. This was the worst case scenario, two-and-a-half weeks of testimony, 22 witnesses and the jury comes back guilllty on all counts.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We, the jury, in the above-entitled case find the defendant, Orenthal James Simpson, guilty.

ROWLANDS (voice over): With friends and family crying in the courtroom seats behind him, O.J. Simpson listened as the 12 guilty verdicts against him were read in court.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Guilty.

ROWLANDS: A jury of nine women and three men worked well into the night deliberating, arriving at a verdict after 13 hours.

JACKIE GLASS, CLARK COUNTY DISTRICT COURT: Remanded to custody right now.

ROWLANDS: Following the verdict, Simpson was handcuffed and taken into custody. Simpson, whose 61 years old, could spend the rest of his life in jail, the most serious guilty verdict was for first- degree kidnapping which carries a possible life sentence, a charge his attorneys say doesn't fit the crime.

GABE GRASSO, SIMPSON ATTY: Had O.J. walked into the Bank of America with an AK-47 and duct taped all the tellers and stuck them in the safe, OK, and stole a million dollars, he'd be charged with the same exact thing he's charged with here.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Guilty.

ROWLANDS: Also guilty on all 12 charges was Simpson's co- defendant Clarence Stewart.

BRENT BRYSON, STEWART ATTY: The fact that Mr. Simpson was sitting across the table, there is no doubt in my mind it was extremely prejudicial.

ROWLANDS: Jurors left the courthouse without talking to reporters. Simpson's sister, who was overwhelmed with grief, was taken out in a wheelchair. The verdicts came exactly 13 years to the day that Simpson was found guilt guilty of double murder in California.

YALE GALANTER, SIMPSON ATTY: Thirteen years ago, 13 hours of deliberation and, you know, it's eerie, it really is, it's eerie. You know, I don't know what to think of it just yet, but it's either a very strange coincidence or somebody's sending a very powerful message.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROWLANDS: And today O.J. Simpson is waking up in las Vegas in a jail cell. He will remain in the Clark County detention center here in downtown Los Angeles, Fredricka a until December 5, that's when he'll be sentenced by Judge Glass.

WHITFIELD: Ted Rowlands, thanks so much, in Las Vegas, appreciate it.

All right, well the bailout bill is law today. Now, we're talking Washington, the administration, must put the mechanics of the rescue in motion and that means hiring staff at Treasury and outsourcing management of toxic mortgage securities to financial firms. President Bush cautioned today this will take time, but he says the plan will work.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

GEORGE W BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The legislation Congress passed provides the necessary tools to address the underlying problem in our financial system. The root of this problem is that as assets that banks hold have lost value, their ability to provide credit has been restricted, making it more difficult for businesses and consumers to obtain affordable loans. Without decisive action, this credit crunch threatens to harm our entire economy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: The bailout prompted two weeks of negotiations and stomach-churning drama on Capitol Hill. CNN's Brianna Keilar reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The bill is passed without objection; the motion to reconsider is laid on the table.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A $700 billion bailout plan signed into law. Now what? First up, the hard sell -- lawmakers on both sides of the aisle trying to win over constituents who think they're being played for fools in the rescue of Wall Street.

REP ROY BLUNT, (R) MINORITY WHIP: I'm looking for the next couple of weeks where we all get a chance to talk to the people we work for and the people of this country about what the final product really did, how it really protects the taxpayers.

KEILAR: Lawmakers want to convince voters that taking toxic mortgage-backed securities off the hands of financial institutions will undo the credit crunch and stop home loans, car loans, and student loans from drying up. It's an election year. In the Senate, one in three seats faced re-election. In the House, every seat is on the ballot next month. And some admit, their support for the bailout could be the political kiss of death.

REP. HOWARD COBLE, (R) NORTH CAROLINA: This vote for me, I'm voting aye today, and it may be politically damaging and the sky may fall tomorrow but it will fall upon my head. It won't fall upon anyone else's and no one else will be adversely affected.

KEILAR: President Bush pointed out Friday what many analysts are saying about the plan.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Americans should also expect that it will take some time for this legislation to have its full impact on our economy.

KEILAR: And so, members of Congress will be watching and waiting to see if the bailout eventually buoys the American economy, but sinks them in the process.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And Brianna Keilar, now, joining us live on Capitol Hill. So how soon, Brianna, before the Treasury Department actually starts buying those bad mortgage-backed securities.

KEILAR: Well, Fred, it's expected to happen quickly. We don't know exactly when, I do I have to tell you that, but we're hearing from the Treasury Department they're going to come forth here in the coming days with some of those details, so for that we still wait, Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right, so why so many nos? We still have that even though the yeses outweigh the nos. Why?

KEILAR: Well you know, some people have said that's an election year and obviously that's a consideration, it is an election year and after all this is Washington, but there are 171 members who voted against this yesterday in the House and there were various number of reasons. Some people thought this isn't going work and some people are ideologically opposed to the idea of government getting so involved and then you also had some liberal members who said look, this doesn't do enough for individual homeowners. Some members of the Congressional Black Caucus, they were really holding tout get bankruptcy judges to re-write mortgage terms for individual homeowners forcing foreclosure, they didn't get that, so some of them voted no yesterday.

WHITFIELD: All right. Well, we know it's far from over, Brianna Keilar, thanks so much on the Hill, there.

All right, so Congress says a resounding yes. What are you saying? Well, we're going try and kind of keep our finger on the pulse, find out from a lot of people what some of the questions they have in mind about what's talking place on Capitol Hill and what the ripple effect may be and so we decided to go out to an art festival in Norcross, Georgia, which is just outside of Atlanta and our Catherine Calloway is there getting a chance to talk to a lot of people.

Well, Congress says yes, are folks saying yes as well or are there a lot of nos?

CATHERINE CALLOWAY, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT: It's been -- well, we haven't heard any nos, actually, we've heard a lot of "wish we knew more about it before it passed," Fred, but, you're right, we're in Norcross, it's 20 minutes outside of Atlanta, it's a town of about 8,000. I was just noticing here that actually BB&T is one of the sponsors of the festival, here. You know, local banks very involved in the community and this town is certainly (INAUDIBLE) to certainly more than 8,000 people today and we've been talking with them about if they feel about the plan and if they wish they knew more about it. That's what we're hearing the most of.

Joining us now is Gordon (ph) and Angie Tomlinson and their dog Marley, there's Marley. And we -- you were saying to me, you're a local attorney here, right? And you've been following this plan very closely.

GORDON TOMLINSON, ATTORNEY: That is correct. A little too closely. I actually get in trouble for watching CNN too much.

CALLOWAY: What did you think about the final bill that passed?

TOMLINSON: Well, I think Congress and the Senate rushed it through. Of course, the president hurriedly signed it, but you know, the American citizens didn't get the opportunity to find out the exact details. I'm aware that they posted some of the details online, but there are a lot of concern, a lot of insecurities about the current bill, a lot of spending and, you know, we need to know what the effect will be and there's no assurance that this will repair the market as they hoped.

CALLOWAY: We heard the president say in his radio address that he hopes it will instill some confidence in the ailing financial system. Do you think that that will happen with this?

G TOMLINSON: I think to an extent, yes, it will insure some confidence; however, the uncertainties are still there, the skeptics are still there and the people still don't have 100 percent assurance that this will solve the problem.

CALLOWAY: Angie.

ANGIE TOMLINSON, WIFE: I agree something had to be done, though and so I'm happy to see that something was done, but I would have liked to have known a little bit more about it and had more information.

CALLOWAY: Do you think people here, like the Main Street America, are more concerned with the mortgage issue and all of the homes in foreclosure than what exactly passed yesterday?

G TOMLINSON: Oh, absolutely. I think the mortgage issue is a primary, primary concern for the folks, also with the retirement accounts, you know, how it will affect people because people are very worried and very concerned, right now.

CALLOWAY: All right, Gordon, Angie, thank you so much for join us. Have fun today, right?

You know, Fred, we're about 50 feet from a train track and a train just passed during the live shot and also a kiddie train just went by, too, so I hope you were able to hear that.

WHITFIELD: Oh, we can hear it just fine, and it's understandable. I think Gordon did a great job of explaining that not everyone knows a whole lot about it and that's why they're trepidations about the whole thing and folks are still waiting for more answers. I know you're going to be out there all day, Catherine, and talking to folks all day so we look forward to hearing from more folks just like Gordon and find out what people are thinking these days.

CALLOWAY: All right, Fred, we'll be here.

WHITFIELD: All right, well, just as you heard from Gordon, it's kind of difficult to explain and understand the whole bailout proposal or now law, even for daytime talk show host, Oprah Winfrey. She, too, had needed a little help from our friend, CNN's Ali Velshi. So she invited him to help explain.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OPRAH WINFREY, TALK SHOW HOST: My friend Gayle King on XM and Friends -- Oprah and Friends on XM had interviewed Ali. He explained it to her so well she could explain it to me, so I said this is the guy. This is the guy. Welcome, Ali.

ALI VELSHI, CNN YOUR MONEY ANCHOR: Thanks, Oprah.

(APPLAUSE)

OPRAH: You get poked fun at -- I hear often you get poked fun for your gloom and doom reports, but is it really as gloomy and doomy?

VELSHI: It's serious, Oprah, but the fact is we'll get through this if we understand how it affects us and what we can do.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: And you can hear more on that and of course, you can hear more from Ali Velshi because you can watch him all weekend long. There's a special edition of YOUR MONEY coming your way. He and Christine Romans, in fact, are looking through the bailout plan, they'll take you through the next step and explain what it means for you directly. YOUR MONEY at 1:00 p.m. Eastern and a special replay again tonight at 6:00 Eastern.

All right, the Vice presidential debate, everyone is still talking about it, so what they had to say, was it fact or fiction? Our "Truth Squad" is on the job.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right, I wonder if it's sunny in your area like it was in Norcross, Georgia, where we saw our Catherine Calloway out at an arts festival. It is the weekend, after all.

Reynolds Wolf in the Weather Center, is it beautiful everywhere like it was there? Sunny?

REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: You know, I wish it was. I wish we could take what's happening in Norcross and spread it across Georgia...

WHITFIELD: No clouds across the United States.

WOLF: Wouldn't that just be picture perfect?

(WEATHER REPORT)

I know people in Miami might like that. They're getting scattered showers and embedded thunderstorms. Temperatures can come back into the 80s and maybe a few 90s. You could have more thunderstorms and it could get rough there, too. We've had stronger storms today and we've had incredible lightning in Tulsa and now that is drifting farther to the south and southeast.

WHITFIELD: A little mixed bag out there, not bad.

WOLF: A little something for everyone. WHITFIELD: I know, I know, you got to share the wealth, as they say.

WOLF: Yes.

WHITFIELD: All right, thanks a lot, Reynolds, appreciate it.

All right, Sarah Palin and Joe Biden, well, they had plenty to say during this week's debate, but in trying to score points with voters, did the candidates' words actually ring true? Time now for the CNN "Truth Squad."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(voice over): After polite pleasantries...

SARAH PALIN (R), VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: OK, can I call you Joe?

WHITFIELD: Gloves off.

PALIN: Barack Obama voted against funding troops thereafter promising that he would not do so.

WHITFIELD: True or false? The CNN "Truth Squad" did some digging. In 2007 Obama was among 14 senators who voted against a war spending plan, but he voted for an earlier version that included a timetable for ending the war, the same one that McCain voted against. So Palin's charge, misleading, according to the "Truth Squad."

PALIN: Can we talk about Afghanistan real quick also, though?

WHITFIELD: There was this moment.

PALIN: The surge principles that have worked in Iraq need to be implemented in Afghanistan, also.

JOE BIDEN (D), VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Our commanding general in Afghanistan said the surge principles in Iraq will not work in Afghanistan.

PALIN: McClellan did not say definitively that the surge principles would not work in Afghanistan.

WHITFIELD: In a "Washington Post" interview, General David McKiernan, the top commander in Afghanistan, said no Iraq south surge of forces will end the conflict in that country. So Biden's response? True. When Palin boasted of cutting taxes in Alaska...

PALIN: As mayor, every year I was in office I did reduce taxes.

WHITFIELD: True. As mayor of Wasilla, she cut the city's property taxes by three-quarters, but raised sales taxes by a quarter. America's healthcare?

BIDEN: John recently wrote an article in a major magazine saying that what he wants to do for the healthcare industry deregulate it and let the free market move like he did for the banking industry.

WHITFIELD: The "Truth Squad" calls that misleading. Saying yes, McCain wants to overhaul state oversight of healthcare, but the deregulation he calls for is not as extensive as in the banking industry. Stretching the truth, analysts say it's classic debate strategy, not considered much of a risk at all.

ROLAND MARTIN, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: We all know the speed limit 55, but we do 70. Why? Because we can stretch it just a little bit.

JEANNE CUMMINGS, POLITICO: Well, you don't want to say something that's blatantly false. You probably want to avoid that, but to hedge the facts or choose the facts that only work your way? That's what a debate is all about.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right, so next up, John McCain and Barack Obama in their second of three scheduled presidential debates and this one is Tuesday and it's in Nashville. I wonder if they were taking notes from this debate. We find our CNN senior political analyst, Bill Schneider with the CNN "Election Express," there in Nashville, already.

All right, good see you, Bill.

BILL SCHNEIDER, CNN SR POLITICAL ANALYST: Good to see you , Fred.

WHITFIELD: So, looking ahead now to Tuesday, you do have to wonder how much these presidential candidates were looking that the particular debate and say I need to make sure I hit these points, I don't want to hit this landmine, et cetera.

SCHNEIDER: Well yeah, they are going to be careful, we're running into the homestretch. We've got a month before the election. You know, a lot of people have made up their minds and they've already voted, but there are some people who are out there waiting to make up their minds finally until they see the last two debates. They want to be fair, they want to give the candidates a complete hearing, so I can assure you in these last couple of debates the two contenders are going to be making their strongest points.

From McCain, we're going to be hearing liberal, liberal, liberal as he tries to discredit Barack Obama. And from Barack Obama we're going to be hearing Bush, Bush, Bush, as he tries to tie McCain to President Bush.

WHITFIELD: You know, and Bill, you underscore, there are still a lot of undecided voters, some who kind of made up their mind once they saw the debate or maybe come Tuesday, a lot of others who may have made up their mind once they heard Congress passing this bailout plan. I wonder between these two candidates who stands the most to lose from this bailout plan? SCHNEIDER: Well, certainly the economic crisis, the financial cris has given Barack Obama some momentum. That happened before even the first debate, Obama started picking up support. The real reason was the collapse of confidence in the Bush administration when the financial crisis hit and people began to want change more than ever and the demand for change is driving the vote for Obama.

The bailout is a big question mark. It has passed. It's been signed into law. People want to know, is this going to work? Both parties were responsible for the bailout. No one, except the president really had ownership of the bailout and he's not on the ballot. So, it's a little unclear how the success or failure of the bailout will work out and even if people will be able to decide whether it's working or not in as short a period as 30 days.

WHITFIELD: Yes, and that's the bottom line. Every little bit count every day because we're only talking about four weeks away before people actually go to the polls. So, neither candidate can afford, or their running mates, can afford to make any slips, period.

SCHNEIDER: That's right, because gaffes at the end count for a great deal. There was a lot of discussion in the past about, say, the revelation towards the end of 2000 that George W. Bush had once been charged with drunk driving. What effect did that have on Christian conservative voters? The release of the Osama bin Laden videotape right at the end of 2004 campaign, a lot of Democrats continue to think that was responsible for the defeat of John Kerry. All these last-minute October surprises can have an impact on those last-minute undecided voters.

WHITFIELD: All right, Bill Schneider, thanks so much.

You know what? Some good eating in town there in Nashville, so have a good meal today...

SCHNEIDER: Oh yeah, thank you.

WHITFIELD: ...there on that stop with the CNN "Election Express." All right, thanks so much, Bill. Enjoy the weekend.

All right, reminder, mark your calendar, CNN Tuesday night, Nashville is the battleground as the presidential candidates face off in their second debate, now. Don't miss a minute of the action on CNN, your home for politics.

All right, the U.S. has plenty of company in this financial cris. European leaders are getting together right now trying to figure out what to do. A live report from Paris, just minutes away.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right, the financial crisis is, well, it's hitting Europe, too. Right now leaders of Europe's four biggest economies are meeting in Paris and CNN's Jim Boulden is following the developments there -- Jim. JIM BOULDEN, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Fredericka, they should be coming out of this meeting any moment, now. They've been talking for about two hours and what they're trying to do is decide if they can have some kind of coordinated action here in Europe to help shore up the banks. It won't be anything like what we saw out of Congress on Friday, nothing -- no massive bailout plan. In fact, the Germans have made it very clear they do not want to give money to any of the bad banks and Prime Minister Gordon Brown has said what they need to do is come out with a system where they can help the healthy banks to get them to loan to each other, also to help small businesses to get the loans they need to keep going so they don't collapse if the banks don't loan to each other.

So, it's on that kind of level that they're discussing this. Of course, they're very pleased with what happened in the U.S. last week, but it's not the taxpayers here who have to pay it. They just hope this will restore confidence. But, the problem is many of the banks here have been suffering and they are getting caught up in this because they bought up some of this toxic debt, as well. And they're talking about what they're going to do to help those banks and at the moment, each country has to save its own bank. There is not a really coordinated action together.

There's no E.U.-wide treasury and no E.U.-wide regulation, so each country can do what it likes, and so that's why we might be hearing some more unified voice of what Europe should do, especially when it comes to saving the money of depositors.

Every country has a different level of how much deposits will be guaranteed, if you will, and that's causing some of worries in Europe. So, we might hear more about that as well, Fredericka.

WHITFIELD: And then I have to wonder, Jim, about the U.S. dollar. I know we're talking about the European banks, the E.U., et cetera, but as it pertains to the U.S. dollar which has been in the toilet for a long time now, when the Europeans hear about the U.S. bailout plan and the instability of our economy, how might that affect the strength of the dollar when we travel abroad, especially to Europe and try to spend money?

BOULDEN: Well, specifically when you think of the dollar to the pound, and many American goes to the U.K., the dollar's gotten a lot stronger. It was terrible for a very long time, it was two to one and a lot of Americans wouldn't come over. So, it's gotten better there and it's gotten better against the euro, as well. That has to do more with interest rates. Will the U.S. cut interest rates and weaken the dollar again? Will Europe have to cut interest rates, as well? But right now, I think the dollar is doing better and it seems to be a longer trend, in the moment anyway, to get stronger.

WHITFIELD: Yeah, well, it sounds like few Americans will be going abroad, at least to go shopping like you just mentioned. It means the flipside, a lot of Europeans are coming to the U.S. because they're able to stretch their pound there, you know, their euro quite a bit. All right, I almost said frank because of where you are, or franc, I should say. All right, Jim Bolden, thanks so much, I know it's all about the euro these days.

All right, well, a suspected U.S. airstrike inside Pakistan. Pakistan's army spokesman says 20 or more militants were killed. Pakistani intelligence sources say U.S. drones fired missiles at two towns in North Waziristan. The U.S. has not confirmed that. The Bush administration has stepped up strikes against al Qaeda and Taliban inside Pakistan, that has strained ties with Islamabad.

The U.S. military says a top al Qaeda figure in Iraq has been killed in a shootout with coalition forces, there. The U.S. says he was the leader of an al Qaeda cell in Baghdad and he is believed to be the mastermind of several attacks in Iraq since 2006, including this one, a suicide car bomb that killed eight people outside a Baghdad mosque on Thursday.

Guilty as charged. O.J. Simpson faces the real possibility of life in prison. We'll talk to our legal guys about his armed robbery trial.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right, these days, how can you afford a road trip with gas so high? Well, T.J. Holmes has some tips.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Gas prices don't seem to be slowing down any, why should you? There are ways to keep you rolling for less. Here's what the experts say.

TROY GREEN, AAA: If your vehicle is in need of an oil change, certainly do that. Have the braking, cooling and transmissions systems checked and fluid levels set to the proper setting. Making sure that your tires are properly inflated will add to your fuel economy. Just an ounce of preparation will go a long way.

HOLMES: When planning your road trip, you may want to try AAA's online tools.

GREEN: You can go online at www.aaamaps.com for point to point driving directions. Also, you want to go to www.aaa.com/fuelcostcalculator and input your vehicle's make and model, type in your destination, where you're leaving from, where you're going to.

HOLMES: And presto! You have an estimate on what your trip's fuel will cost. A little planning tip to help you know what's down the road.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right, O.J. Simpson, he could spend the rest of his life in prison. A silent and stoic Simpson watched as the verdict was read in his armed robbery trial. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOICE OF SANDRA JETER, COURTROOM CLERK: We, the jury, in the above-entitled case, find the defendant Orenthal James Simpson as follows. Count one, conspiracy to commit a crime, guilty. Count two, conspiracy to commit kidnapping, guilty. Count three, conspiracy to commit robbery, guilty. Count four, burglary while in possession of a deadly weapon, guilty.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right, 13 years to the day after being acquitted of killing his wife and her friend, the former football star is found guilty of robbing two sports memorabilia dealers at gunpoint.

Well, we've been asking for your reaction to the verdict all morning long. Go to CNN.com and submit your i-Report. We'll be showing some of your comments later on in the 4:00 hour of the NEWSROOM later on today.

Meantime, let's get the take from our legal guys. Avery Friedman is a civil rights attorney and law professor. There he is. Good to see you.

AVERY FRIEDMAN, CIVIL RIGHTS ATTORNEY: Hi, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: And Richard Herman is a New York criminal defense attorney and law professor. Good to see you as well.

RICHARD HERMAN, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Hi, Fred.

WHITFIELD: OK, well, Avery, let me begin with you because you have felt pretty certain that there was going to be some sort of guilty ...

FRIEDMAN: Right.

WHITFIELD: ...verdict, but all charges?

FRIEDMAN: That is a bit of a surprise -- well, I should say a surprise. You know, Bill Schneider talked in the political realm about October surprises. This is the October non-surprise, Fredricka. I think, frankly, that based on this kind of a jury, the way the case was presented, the no nonsense judge, Judy Glass, 12 convictions, not a shock. There are going to be issues for the court of appeals, but I don't think we're looking at a surprise at all.

WHITFIELD: All right, Richard -- OK, no nonsense judge. A lot of people have described her that way, but is this kind of like the "finally gotcha" verdict and the fact that this falls on the 13th anniversary, there are a lot of folks who are wondering, including his attorney, how could this be a coincidence.

HERMAN: 13th anniversary and 13th hour of jury deliberation.

FRIEDMAN: Right. HERMAN: Incredible. But Fred, it's like -- you know, when you take an orange and you squeeze it out and then it's just left with pulp? That's what O.J. is right now. It's over for him. He's going to look -- this judge can easily -- there are mandatory minimums for the armed robbery conviction. The kidnapping is five to life.

This judge can easily sentence him to 15 to 20 years in prison. He's 61-years-old right now and you know, the reaction that we're going to take an appeal -- every criminal defense attorney after a conviction -- it's like when you go to the doctor and they check your reflexes on your leg and it snaps up. That's what they say, but there has to be an error of law. I don't see it.

I followed this case from the beginning. I don't see any overwhelming reversible error by this judge. He's going to prison for a long time and Fred, you nailed it. This is payback, it's payback by the jurors, nine white women jurors on this jury. And this judge is going to give them payback, too.

FRIEDMAN: Well, you know --

WHITFIELD: OK. Well then, if that's the argument, then his attorneys are going to say, sure fire appeal, Avery.

FRIEDMAN: Well, sure and they have to. One of the issues is the nature of the voir dire, was it proper? Were these impartial jurors? It's got to be an issue on appeal, but again, there's going to be a deference by the three-judge court of appeals, Fredricka.

The fact is that unless there's something very blatant about the selection process, it's likely to stand. And you know what, ironically, 13, 13, the numerologists are having a ball right now, but from -- in the cold perspective of what happened here, the likelihood of a reversal in the court of appeals is virtually nonexistent.

WHITFIELD: Wow!

HERMAN: Hey Fred, we heard -- you heard the tape where he's saying "Don't nobody move!"

FRIEDMAN: Don't nobody move.

HERMAN: OK, that's bad, that's his voice, everybody could see that. And then, when he stepped out into the hallway, he looks to one of his guys and says, "You didn't pull it out, did you?" So, that kind of gives him knowledge of the gun. "Don't nobody move" is kidnapping. You know, it's -- it was bad and ...

FRIEDMAN: Key piece of evidence. Key piece of evidence in that case.

HERMAN: He went down hard on this one.

FRIEDMAN: Absolutely.

WHITFIELD: Yes, all right. Well, let's talk about Alberto Gonzalez.

FRIEDMAN: Yes.

WHITFIELD: Remember him, attorney general once upon a time? And so, now we're talking about possible criminal charges to be brought against him for the firing of U.S. prosecutors.

So Richard, I'll let you have a stab at this first. Kind of saw this coming?

HERMAN: Well, yes, we saw this coming, Fred. And this investigation is going to be overwhelming. They're claiming that there was basically obstruction of justice in the investigation. People like Karl Rove, Harriet Miers, remember her?

WHITFIELD: Yes.

HERMAN: She was going to be a Supreme Court judge. I mean, come on. And Pete Domenici. These guys are going to pay the piper right now because now the Feds are going to investigate this corruption. They're going investigate this obstruction of justice, the way they hampered the investigation and I'm predicting there's going to be criminal charges filed here.

FRIEDMAN: Well ...

WHITFIELD: Wow, and so -- well, Avery, you know, we talk about civilian cases and when you've got eyewitnesses that can be very incriminating and in this case, it could potentially be Karl Rove and Harriet Miers ...

FRIEDMAN: Sure, right.

WHITFIELD: ...a lot of times, deals are made.

FRIEDMAN: Right.

WHITFIELD: Would deals be made with them to testify against their former colleagues?

FRIEDMAN: Fredricka, it will never happen and it won't happen because your president, our president is going to pardon ...

WHITFIELD: You mean a case would never happen and it will probably never happen?

FRIEDMAN: It's never going to happen, never going to happen because Karl Rove is going to get a pardon. Harriet Miers is going to get a pardon. What about Alberto Gonzalez?

WHITFIELD: Doesn't the pardon come after ...

FRIEDMAN: No.

WHITFIELD: ...a legal ...

FRIEDMAN: It can occur before or after.

WHITFIELD: Really?

FRIEDMAN: That pardon is broad discretion by the president. They're going to walk. That doesn't end the inquiry, though, because Congress is still going to look into what happened here. You got 400 pages.

WHITFIELD: So, it doesn't have to be a case closed and then ...

FRIEDMAN: Absolutely.

WHITFIELD: ...the president before he exits, can ...

FRIEDMAN: Absolutely right.

WHITFIELD: Wow.

FRIEDMAN: It is broad discretion. I think those two walk. Alberto Gonzalez, twisting in the wind right now.

WHITFIELD: Wow. All right, so, Richard, maybe this spoils their, I guess future aspirations, you know, even if they get a pardon, but at least they may not face any kind of jail time or fine.

HERMAN: Well, they should.

WHITFIELD: Because Bush would -- Bush would most certainly protect them.

HERMAN: Hey Fred, they should. It's outrageous. They should because if a normal citizen obstructed justice in a criminal investigation, if Martha Stewart lied to the Feds --

FRIEDMAN: Right.

HERMAN: -- they go to prison, so these guys should go to prison. That's how the law works.

FRIEDMAN: Well, wait -- Richard, Richard, don't you think they're looking at a pardon?

HERMAN: Oh, I think -- and I'm waiting for Libby's full pardon. I'm waiting for that, too. But yes, I do, I really do, Fred, it's tragic. It really is tragic.

WHITFIELD: All right. Avery and Richard, thank you so much. Always good see you.

FRIEDMAN: Good to see you. Take care.

HERMAN: Have a great weekend.

WHITFIELD: And look, we'll have another date in which to talk about O.J. Simpson.

HERMAN: And see Fred, we answer -- Fred, we chose to answer every question you put to us today.

FRIEDMAN: Every question you put.

WHITFIELD: I know. You all ...

HERMAN: We didn't say we're not going to answer this.

FRIEDMAN: Didn't miss one.

HERMAN: Right.

WHITFIELD: You're so forthright. I appreciate it.

All right, thanks so much.

FRIEDMAN: See you soon. Take care.

WHITFIELD: Oh, but my producer just said you guys would never make good presidential or vice presidential debaters then, because you're answering all the questions. Get it?

All right, Hispanics. Well, they could tilt the presidential race in battleground states. What supporters for Senator McCain are doing to get their vote.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: OK, it's time to go outside. Let's check in with Reynolds Wolf, see what the activity is like. We know a little rain shower -- well, a lot of rain showers in the west, and a lot of sunshine in the east. What else?

(WEATHER REPORT)

REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: We're going to take you a bit farther to the southeast and that will bring you to Albuquerque, New Mexico where temperatures are at 69 degrees, you've got plenty of sunshine. Perfect weather for going outside and maybe enjoying, oh, I don't know, maybe some hot air balloons like these.

Check this out, Fredricka. This is a beautiful sight that we have in Albuquerque. This is the balloon festival, international balloon festival. This actually started back in 1972 with -- get this -- 13 balloons, but then you fast forward to present day, they have over 700 that are going to be taking part in today's events.

This event lasts through the week and into next weekend and certainly a beautiful, beautiful sight to see, weather conditions there today will be just spectacular. Looks like a pretty nice spot. Wish you could say the same farther to the north where they're expecting the snow in Colorado and into Utah.

OK Fred, that's the latest. Let's send it back to you.

WHITFIELD: I love that. I especially like the cow there.

WOLF: How can you possibly have anything wrong in your world when you see a flying cow?

WHITFIELD: I know. That is so fun. And now that I've seen that, I'm adding that to my list of places I must go and things I must do.

WOLF: Check it off on the list.

WHITFIELD: I got to do that one. It looks like fun.

WOLF: Absolutely.

WHITFIELD: All right, thanks a lot, Reynolds.

WOLF: Any time.

WHITFIELD: Appreciate it.

All right, more election talk. The fight for Hispanic voters, it's a battle being waged along the lines of faith and values as well as economics.

CNN's Chris Lawrence reports from Las Vegas.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Senator McCain supporters are aggressively recruiting Nevada's Hispanic voters.

TIBBI ELLIS, LATINAS FOR MCCAIN: Hi Julie (ph), this is Tibbi Ellis from Latinas for McCain ...

LAWRENCE: From phone calls to bilingual flyers, they're appealing to voters' faith and how that reconciles with abortion.

ELLIS: Let's talk about life.

LAWRENCE: Tibbi Ellis says she's winning over women by telling them when it comes to teenagers and abortion, Barack Obama didn't vote yes or no, only present on two parental notification bills in Illinois.

ELLIS: You ask any Hispanic mother in this country and ask them if they will vote for a candidate that will vote against giving them the authorization to know what their 14-year-old daughter is going to do.

ADRIANA MARTINEZ, OBAMA SUPPORTER: Well, I could be a great example. I'm Catholic.

LAWRENCE: Adrianna Martinez is a church-going mom who supports Obama. She says Hispanics won't be voting on abortion.

MARTINEZ: Specifically, it's the economy. It's, you know, where is my family going go if my house is being foreclosed on.

LAWRENCE: Nevada led the nation in foreclosures and nothing sums up its economy like this.

ROD STILLWELL, BOYD GAMING: We feel good about our projects and we feel good about Las Vegas as a destination.

LAWRENCE: Two months ago, the head of this billion dollar casino project told us everything's OK. Today, the financing's failed. The project's half finished, the workers gone.

Some Hispanic voters say even though they support the right to life platform, it's not the determining factor this time around.

ROSANNA BIESZCZAT: I started out being for Obama.

LAWRENCE: Rosanna Bieszczat and her husband are registered Democrats who now support McCain, but they switched due to his experience, not his social values.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Definitely.

BIESZCZAT: I don't think people should base the vote on whether abortion's going to be legal or whether it's not.

LAWRENCE (on camera): Nevada could be decided by a razor-thin margin. So, whichever candidate wins the Hispanic vote could win the state.

Chris Lawrence, CNN, Las Vegas.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right, hard to believe, Election Day is just one month away. Have you made up your mind? Learn about the candidates' plans from the contenders themselves in their own words. You want to watch the "BALLOT BOWL" this afternoon, 2:00 Eastern right here on CNN.

A Russian soldier takes his grief out in a song. His online rap and why it may spell trouble.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right, we're getting a new view of life in the Russian army. Forget the public image Moscow wants you to see. This one is quite different: criticism from a Russian officer.

CNN's Matthew Chance has that.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A withering critique on Russian army life, set to the tunes of Eminem. This amateur rap video by a Russian officer is a rare, public complaint about squalid living conditions in the barracks, peeling walls, filthy bathrooms and all.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING IN RUSSIAN) CHANCE: The rap takes the form of an e-mail to Russia's defense minister in which the young officer complains about his poor salary and conditions, one of many that have gone unanswered.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING IN RUSSIAN)

CHANCE: It's a sattire, of course, but the problems of decay, poverty and corruption in the Russian military are very real. The officer involved has been posted to Siberia and although defense officials insist that's unrelated to the video, military analysts say the rap may have been viewed very dimly by the Kremlin.

PAVEL FELGENHAUER, MILITARY ANALYST: Right now, Russia and Norwedish (ph) of the Kremlin has very ambitious plans for a military that's going to have air superiority, new weapons that's going to be on par with the United States. The problem is it's a very, very big military. And the end result, we have officers and soldiers that are getting meager pay, bad living conditions and are using very outdated weapons.

CHANCE: This is how the Kremlin would like to portray its military, as a proud, resurgent force able to project power. But this lyrical message from within the ranks paints a far more wretched image.

Matthew Chance, CNN, Moscow.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right, 50 jobs in 50 days. Hear one man's hardworking story.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right, you might be able to identify with this. Most Americans have held quite a few jobs in their lifetimes, but 50 in just 50 weeks? Now, that's a record.

Allan Constantinee (ph) from Minneapolis affiliate KARE caught up with one guy who just can't get enough experience.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The small businesses here, we're the ones that keep America going.

ALLAN CONSTANTINEE, KARE REPORTER (voice-over): Elk River's Metal Craft Machine and Engineering is a bit of an island in a turbulent economy, demand for the medical equipment they make is up.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A lot of manufacturing going on.

CONSTANTINEE: Enough to keep 98 employees on the payroll. For this week only, it's 99.

DANIEL SEDDIQUI, WORKING 50 JOBS IN 50 WEEKS: Oh, you can see the big difference here.

CONSTANTINEE: But the only thing the new guy will earn is life experience.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh well, I learned how hard it is to stand all day. It's tough.

CONSTANTINEE: After graduating from college three years ago and struggling to find his niche, Daniel Sadiky (ph) decided to take a self-guided crash course on working in America.

SEDDIQUI: This is the size you want, so it should fit right in there smoothly.

CONSTANTINEE: The goal is to take 50 different jobs in 50 states over 50 weeks' time and then write a book about it.

SEDDIQUI: I'm driving around in my car, every single state, living with different families, you know? Nothing set up except a job itself.

CONSTANTINEE: In one months' time, he's worked at a Mormon temple, tried his hand as a rodeo announcer and made maps. Since Monday, he's been learning the ins and outs of tooling equipment at this family-owned business.

TRISH MOWRY, METAL CRAFT MACHINE AND ENGINEERING: He's fit right into the company like family, actually. So, he's doing a great job.

SEDDIQUI: Once it comes out, you spray it a little bit. You do your hair sometimes.

CONSTANTINEE: At some stop in his all-you-can-work buffet, Seddiqui may actually find a job that brings him joy, that would be nice, but it's not the point.

SEDDIQUI: No, I'm not doing it for me, I'm doing it for everybody that's kind of curious what's out there, and seeing what different like lifestyles, careers and cities that are out there in America.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Wow! So, he considers it a sacrifice. I guess it is, given that you're never stable in any one place.

All right, well, a special edition of "YOUR MONEY" begins right now.