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Justice Department Sues to Overturn Arizona Law; Immigration Reform Politics; Report: Trading Spy for Spy

Aired July 07, 2010 - 12:01   ET

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

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Let's get going here. I'm Tony Harris, top of the hour in the CNN NEWSROOM, where anything can happen.

Here are some of the people behind today's top stories.

Immigration: the legal lines are drawn. But what about the national push for reform?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It needs to stand, because I don't think the federal government understands what's going on here. And I have no problem with people from other countries coming here. Just do it legally.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm here legally, but I'm still brown. They're still going to stop me. You know? They're going to question me because of the color of my skin.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: And if you've got a hot job tip, an unemployed Texas woman has 1,000 bucks for you.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I figured the worst-case scenario, I'll give them my first paycheck, literally. I mean, that's better than going another year like this.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Yes, that's for sure.

You're online right now, and we are, too. Ines Ferre is following the top stories trending on the Internet -- Ines.

INES FERRE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Tony, trending right now, anticipation builds. Germany and Spain about to compete in the World Cup.

And also, Ringo Starr turns 70 today. And I'll tell you how he plans to celebrate and how he wants you to celebrate -- Tony.

HARRIS: Love it. Me, personally? OK, Ines. Thank you.

Let's get started with our lead story.

It is a legal showdown over illegal immigration; the United States of America versus the state of Arizona. It has come to this: the Justice Department is suing to block Arizona's tough new law. The federal government argues immigration is its jurisdiction.

The suit says, "A state may not establish its own immigration policy or enforce state laws in a manner that interferes with the federal immigration laws."

Arizona's governor says the state is stepping in where the feds have failed.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. JAN BREWER (R), ARIZONA: We need the federal government to do their job. And if they don't do it, then Arizona will.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Our senior legal analyst says the issue of federal jurisdiction is the main basis for the government's lawsuit.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN SR. LEGAL ANALYST: Most of what we discussed about the law is, is it profiling, is it discriminatory about -- against Hispanics? That's not the claim, at least by the federal government in this litigation.

What they are saying is that under the Constitution, this area of law, immigration is reserved for the federal government, and states have no right to pass laws because that is -- they simply -- it's like declaring war. Arizona can't declare war on Mexico. That's a federal responsibility. The same thing with immigration. That's the theory behind the lawsuit.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: OK. For more on the implications of this legal showdown, let's go to CNN's Casey Wian. He's in San Francisco for us.

So, Casey, here's the deal -- we have a challenge from the federal government. Now the state of Arizona gets to respond.

What's the state planning to do here?

CASEY WIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The state of Arizona is clearly going to fight this lawsuit, and they say they're going to continue to go ahead and try to implement this legislation. Governor Jan Brewer sent out a tweet yesterday, immediately after the federal government announced their lawsuit, saying that we will continue to enforce or we will try to enforce the immigration laws because Obama won't do it, to paraphrase her tweet.

The AZPOST, which is the Police Officer Standard and Trainings Board in Arizona, they're moving ahead with a training video that they have released last week that basically says to all the law enforcement officers the in state, the entire country is watching you because of the controversy over this issue. So when you go about enforcing this law, you need to be very careful to respect everyone's civil rights, and go along with the letter of the law, and not racially profile anyone, which, of course, has been the main concern of those activists who have been protesting this law -- Tony.

HARRIS: Well, Casey, then that brings us to the next question. How does Arizona plan to implement this law?

WIAN: Well, they're distributing this training video to law enforcement officers throughout the state. They also are saying that they're going to have to be a little bit flexible in implementing this law, because they don't know what's going to happen with the court challenges.

The courts could decide to stop the law. They could decide that Arizona is required to make changes in the law. And also, in the practical application of this law, when they go out and question people that they suspect may be illegal immigrants, they're going to learn things, and they're going to gain through their experience, and so they're going to have to modify some of the training and some of the procedures.

They know that this is new territory that they're embarking on, so they're trying to be -- at least prepared to be flexible in how they implement it.

HARRIS: Hey, one more, Casey. What's the view of Arizona law enforcement on this particular issue? You've been spending some time over the last couple of weeks now talking to law enforcement in Arizona.

WIAN: You know, like much of the country, many politicians, they're very divided on this issue. Some of the law enforcement officers you talk to in places like Phoenix and Tucson, where they have heavily immigrant communities, they say they need the cooperation of people who may be here illegally to solve other crimes, that they have worked hard over the last several decades to do sort of community policing so those folks will not fear the police and fear cooperating with the police.

They say that this law is going to endanger that cooperation they've been receiving. But those law enforcement officers who are in rural areas, in the ranching communities along the border, even as far as Pinal County, where we spent a lot of time last week with the sheriff there, where 80 miles north of the Mexican border, drug cartels basically control some of that territory, they say that these cartels, these immigrant smugglers are more violent than ever, and they need laws like this to show that the state of Arizona is serious about enforcing immigration law and taking back some of this territory from the smugglers who now control it. HARRIS: OK.

CNN's Casey Wian for us in San Francisco.

Case, good to see you.

You know, we're fighting one another over this. Maybe we should get to a larger question here. Why hasn't the federal government passed comprehensive immigration reform?

Let's bring in Juan Carlos Lopez, correspondent in Washington for CNN en Espanol.

Juan Carlos, great to see you.

What is the political appetite for reform?

JUAN CARLOS LOPEZ, CNN EN ESPANOL CORRESPONDENT: Right now, Tony, I would say there is none. And it has to do with midterm elections.

Democrats want to hold on to their majorities, Republicans want to take them from them. And immigration is a hot-button issue. So, in this case, I'll give you an example.

Senator John McCain, in 2006, he was one of the driving forces behind that year's proposal for immigration reform. Now he says that he favors immigration reform if it focuses on border security, and has recently said that many of those illegally in the country will have to go home. He favors deportations, and he has also said that he would favor a temporary guest worker program.

That's a big change from what he was proposing in 2006. So there is really no appetite right now for that legislation.

HARRIS: OK. So you talked about a Republican changing support for immigration reform. What about the Democrats?

LOPEZ: Well, that's where it gets interesting. The agreement they have in Congress is that the House won't act until the Senate does.

Now, in the House, there are over 100 co-sponsors for an immigration reform bill headed by Congressman Luis Gutierrez of Illinois. The Senate has a rough draft on immigration reform, presented by Senators Menendez, Reid and Schumer. But that isn't really going anywhere.

The House can't act until the Senate does. The Senate isn't moving. So it doesn't seem like anything is going to happen before the November elections.

There is a scenario that Senator Menendez has talked about, and that's between November, the lame duck period, until January, something could move forward. But obviously, in the immediate future, we don't see anything happening. HARRIS: Yes. And in the breach, the states act.

Juan Carlos Lopez for us in Washington.

Juan Carlos, great to see you. Thank you.

Cold War flashback. Are the United States and Russia working on a spy swap?

First, though, our "Random Moment" in 60 seconds.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Friends don't let friends go without a Facebook page. A Wal-Mart greeter in Missouri with a whole lot of Facebook fans is our "Random Moment of the Day."

Have a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MACKENZIE WESTPHAL, STARTED FACEBOOK PAGE: Before this whole thing started, he didn't even know what Facebook was.

CLYDE SMITH, WAL-MART GREETER: Every day they come in the store and say, "You're on Facebook." I say, "I am? What is that?"

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: What is that? Facebook.

Clyde "Smitty" Smith knows what Facebook is now thanks to an admiring and Internet-savvy customer in the 7th grade.

Think you have a lot of friends? Try 5,000 and counting.

How is that for random?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: OK. New developments on those alleged deep-cover spies for Russia. Five of the 10 held in the United States are in federal courts in Boston and Alexandria, Virginia, today for routine hearings. A short time ago, a federal judge in Boston ordered two suspects there moved to New York.

The U.S. rounded up the group in late June. Officials say they blended into American society over the course of two decades, gathered information, and reported back to Moscow.

Let's add another dash of intrigue to this drama. A number of reports today indicate the U.S. and Russia are cooking up a spy swamp.

Let's get to the bottom of this. Senior International Correspondent Matthew Chance live from Moscow.

And Matthew, what's the latest on talks of a deal here?

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I'll tell you, at this stage, it's all very speculative. What we're hearing is from the mother of somebody who is in prison here in Russia. He's accused and obviously found guilty of spying for the United Kingdom.

He's in prison for 15 years. He has told his mother that he believes he's part of a spy swap deal that would see him and, you know, 10 other people be exchanged for the 10 people who are in custody in the United States.

Again, nobody in the U.S. or in Russia is confirming this. But there's a great deal of speculation now in the media, in other areas, as well, that there is some kind of resolution in the offing, perhaps as early as tomorrow. He says that he's been told by security officials here in Russia that he's going to be swapped and sent to Vienna, the Austrian capital, as early as tomorrow, as part of this spy deal -- Tony.

HARRIS: Yes. So, Matthew, what do we know about this guy who is saying he is part of the prisoner swap?

CHANCE: Igor Sutyagin. I have to look down to remember his name. That's who he is.

He's an academic who was part of the Moscow Academy of Sciences, part of the institute for the U.S. and Canada. He's a nuclear weapons specialist, and he was convicted here in Russia in 2004 of passing secret information to employees of a British company that is believed to have been the front for a CIA operation center.

Sentenced to 15 years in prison. His lawyers have repeatedly tried to get his case back in the spotlight again. He's always said that he was innocent of any spying charges.

And so, there's some speculation that this may be just an attempt by the lawyers to bring the spotlight again to this case. But there could be something in it, as well.

HARRIS: Let me add another level of intrigue here. You know, is this going to fuel speculation that the suspected Russian agents held in the United States were set up to secure the release of the agents held by Russia?

CHANCE: It's so convoluted, isn't it? There's all sorts of possible permutations that could happen. It's difficult to keep up.

But, yes, this is one of the other strands of speculation that's coming out, that this whole spy saga in the United States was, in fact, a setup by the Americans in order to set up a situation where they could exchange those spies in the U.S. for the actual spies that are in detention and have been arrested and convicted in Russia in a kind of -- you know, kind of -- it really does sound like it comes out of the pages of a Cold War spy thriller, doesn't it? But the truth is, about all these situations, we don't really know what is actually happening, that has already happened.

HARRIS: All right. Matthew Chance for us in Moscow.

Matthew, good to see you. Thank you.

A priest arrested in Connecticut, accused of stealing more than $1 million from his church over seven years. Listen to this.

Police say Kevin Gray (ph) spent the money on male escort services, hotel rooms, dinners, clothes, and get this -- Harvard tuition for a young man. Police say Gray (ph) told them he was unhappy with his church assignments and began taking money because he felt the church owed it to him.

Desperate for a job and willing to pay.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I figured if the worst-case scenario, I'll give them my first paycheck. Literally. I mean, that's better than going another year like this.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: You heard her right. I will talk live with this out-of- work financial analyst.

Stay with us. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(WEATHER REPORT)

(NEWSBREAK)

HARRIS: Here is the premise: sell more stuff made in the United States overseas, and you will need more workers to make all that stuff. That means made in the USA jobs.

President Obama wants to double exports in order to create, according to the White House, two million new jobs. Last hour, he announced a panel of corporate VIPs to promote his plan.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OBAMA: Ninety-five percent of the world's customers and fastest- growing markets are beyond our borders. So if we want to find new growth streams, if we want to find new markets and new opportunity, we've got to compete for those new customers, because other nations are competing for those new customers.

As I've said many times, the United States of America should not, cannot, will not play for second place. We mean to compete for those jobs and we mean to win.

(END VIDEO CLIP) HARRIS: Yes. That's for sure.

So what is the plan all about, and will it work?

Josh Levs is following that for us.

Josh, OK, the president has made this announcement. Jobs are on the way.

JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, here's the idea. I mean, he definitely wants to double, you know, the exports this country has in order to create two million more jobs.

Now, I proposed you last hour I would pop back with you to look at some of the sectors where we have the most jobs from exports. And the reason is so many people out there looking for jobs, right? If we're going to be doing this massive expansion of our exports, if they can actually pull it off, where will those sectors be? Well, let's take a look here.

We'll start off with the top sectors that are linked to exports right now in industries in it America. Transportation equipment, 463,000 jobs currently directly linked to that. Computers and electronics, 392,000 jobs. Machinery is next, which is around the same area there. Fabricated metals and chemicals.

So these are the top five areas in which if we do expand the exports that are out there right now in industries across America, we would see an expansion there and it could mean some jobs.

Now, a lot of people asking, how could the president pull this off? As we discussed last hour, exports depend on so many factors that are beyond any one administration's control. And it depends on stuff going on in other people's economies.

There's a great article on CNN Money that says you would have to bank on stimulus projects working in other countries. Well, this is the president's plan. Let's break it down. This is what he is trying to do.

It's got five points under the national export initiative: to coordinate trade in 24 countries; to increase loans for U.S. exporters; to break down trade barriers. And two more things here: to enforce trade rules that currently exist, and he says promoting international cooperation.

Now, that's the five points to his plan. There's still this big question hanging over it. Will, ultimately, all of this happen? And will we see more and more exports getting out there and the jobs that come from it? The administration is saying so far there has been a little bit of a boost, but what they want to see is a huge boost over five years.

And like I said, Tony, that depends on a lot of factors in the international economy that no one U.S. president can control.

HARRIS: If this is to work, you just mentioned we're going to see a pop in transportation, correct?

LEVS: Yes.

HARRIS: And it stands to reason on a day when the president is talking about this, we're seeing a nice little run-up in stocks. And one of the sectors getting a bit of a pop, transportation.

LEVS: Oh. See, I didn't know that. I wasn't following the stocks today. But it totally makes sense. This is something they're pushing really hard.

HARRIS: That's why I'm here. Josh, appreciate. Thanks, Josh.

LEVS: Two and two together.

(LAUGHTER)

HARRIS: The federal government launches a court fight over Arizona's immigration law. We will hear from both sides of the debate in just a moment.

You are in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: The United States versus Arizona. It has come to this. The Justice Department filing a lawsuit, challenging the state's controversial immigration law.

Last hour, I spoke with the author of that law, State Senator Russell Pearce, and an opponent of the law, Isabel Garcia, deputy public defender in Pima County, Arizona.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RUSSELL PEARCE, ARIZONA STATE SENATOR: Once they cross that border, it's our health care system, our educational system, our criminal justice system. $2.7 billion a year in Arizona to educate, medicate and incarcerate. When do we stand up?

And the federal government is wrong. And these are the same open-border anarchists that have opposed any enforcement efforts, and it's about non-enforcement issues.

They're not worried about profiling. This bill prohibits profiling.

HARRIS: OK.

PEARCE: Sixty percent of the Hispanics support it in Arizona. You know, enough is enough.

I mean, I get tired of the controversial comments. This is the most popular bill in America. America supports it, overwhelmingly they support it. ISABEL GARCIA, DEPUTY PUBLIC DEFENDER, PIMA COUNTY, ARIZONA: It's preposterous that he argue that the federal government doesn't have the exclusive jurisdiction on this very complicated area of law.

Certainly, Arizona cannot simply regulate immigration, and he is trying to regulate immigration. As much as he tries to hide it over and over, he knows full well that they have created a new offense of not having your documents with you. And the issue of racial profiling, that he can just wipe it away so easy, well, it's because you're a white person, Mr. Pearce.

PEARCE: Oh, what an idiot.

GARCIA: You don't have any qualms about racial profiling at all. You should be concerned about our liberties in this country. You should be concerned about the facts.

The facts are that immigrants are an absolute plus to our economy. Always have been. That's why we have 11 million undocumented people here, not because we're giving give-outs like you're saying. In fact, it's the exact opposite.

Immigrants contribute much more than they ever take out in health care, in educational costs, in anything.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: And they went on that way for another six minutes.

Taxes taking more of your money. But it is not Uncle Sam reaching into your wallet, it is your state government.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: OK. The number one financial Web site on the web is cnnmoney.com. Hey, hey, slow down, slow down. Cnnmoney.com. Right here. All right. And here we go. It's a good day so far for stocks, "triple-digit gains on the Dow." I said it last hour, I'll say it again, if you want to know where the jobs are going to come from, what sectors, you've got to follow the money, right? So investors jump into financial, all right, technology, and we mentioned it just a moment ago, transportation shares growing, building today.

Better than three hours into the trading day. Again, we are close to session highs. We're up 145 points and the NASDAQ is up 27, 28 points. So a good day so far.

Got to tell you, even if your tax bill to Uncle Sam hasn't gone up, chances are pretty good your state is taking a bigger chunk out of your wallet. Patricia Wu is joining us from New York right now.

And, Patricia, here's the story, state coffers, as we know, are running thin, dry right now.

PATRICIA WU, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Right.

HARRIS: That means higher taxes for all of us, really.

WU: You said it, Tony, 36 of 50 states raised taxes or fees in the last two years. The combined total, a whopping $25 billion. That's according to the National Association of State Budget Officers. More than $3 billion in new state taxes are estimated for next year.

So whose feeling the most pain? Well, "U.S. News & World Report" looked at tax increases since 2009, plus proposed hikes for next year, and then divided it by each state's population to get a per person calculation. So here's the breakdown.

New Yorkers are taking the biggest hit, paying $419 more per person. California is next at $312 more per person. Delaware, Connecticut and Wisconsin round out the top five.

But taxes aren't rising everywhere. They're actually falling in this a few states. For example, in North Dakota, people are paying $301 less. So, Tony, not all of us are feeling that pain equally.

HARRIS: Well, and I'm also wondering if this calculation is even fair. We know, Patricia, that not everyone pays the same in taxes.

WU: That is true also. Some groups are getting hit harder than others. For example, several states have raised cigarette taxes, so only smokers are feeling that one. And many new taxes target high income earners.

So which states tax the wealthy the most? Oregon and Hawaii have the highest rate, 11 percent on income above $250,000 and $200,000 respectively. California and Rhode Island have the next highest rates.

But some good news for those big earners in Rhode Island. They'll soon be getting a break. In January, the top rate will drop to just below 6 percent. The state hopes that will attract more business and create more jobs. Which really illustrates the catch-22 that the states are facing, they need to raise taxes to fill those budget gaps, but raise them too much and you risk having people and jobs move out of the state, Tony.

HARRIS: That is a catch-22.

Patricia, good to see you. Appreciate it. Thank you.

WU: Good to see you.

HARRIS: States (ph) governor says the decision on gay marriage is just too important for lawmakers to decide. We are checking your top stories. That's next in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: A quick check of top stories right now.

States in the Northeast under a heat advisory until this evening. And early summer heat wave has broken century-old temperature records in several states. At least one death in Philadelphia is blamed on the stifling weather.

The white house has announced President Obama intends to use a recess appointment to install health care quality expert Doctor Donald Berwick to run the nation's Medicare and Medicaid insurance programs. In doing so, Berwick will bypass the confirmation process and any effort by Senate Republicans to stall it.

Hawaii's governor has vetoed a civil unions bill that would have given same-sex couples the same rights as heterosexual couples. She says the issue needs to be decided by Hawaii voters.

Venus Williams has seven grand slam tournament wins, including five Wimbledon titles. Throw in two Olympic gold medals and a new book that she talks about with our Christine Romans. We're back in a moment. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: The great Venus Williams. We use that word "great" a lot. It applies in this case. Winner of seven grand slam tournaments, fourth ranked tennis player in the world, out with a new book titled "Come To Win." Love the title. Christine Romans sat down with Venus. She joins us from New York.

You know I'm a big tennis fan, so I've watched this woman's entire career here.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Oh, good.

HARRIS: Yes, yes, yes. I'm going to get the book for my son and my daughter. Tell us about it, Christine.

ROMANS: Well, it's interesting, you know, she interviews Jack Welch, for example, Vera Wang, Jeff Zucker. These are people who are at the top of their game in whatever their particular industry is, and she sees a lot of parallels, Tony, between that competition and those competitive juices on the court or on the field and what you see in the board room or in business or in your job. And that's basically what this book does, ties it all together.

But I had to ask her, first and foremost, about Lebron James, "King James." I mean Venus is coming back into the country with all of this hoopla about Lebron James and I had to asked her, you know, what did she think about sort of the accolades, and it would be $100 million for this guy. And this is what she said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VENUS WILLIAMS, PRO TENNIS PLAYER: As an athlete, I respect how good he is. And if people want him that badly, then he's -- he's an amazing talent.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Oh, yes. ROMANS: An amazing talent. And as an athlete she says, you know, it's great to see someone, you know, held up to -- held up that highly for what they do on and off the court.

HARRIS: That's right.

ROMANS: I also asked her about how diversified she is right now, Tony. She has a fashion line, a book. She has a commercial interior design firm. She's got a lot of - she's a minority partner with her sister in the Miami Dolphins. She's got a lot of different things that she does, because she doesn't want to, as she says, Tony, retire someday and then start to be a business woman.

HARRIS: That's right. That's right.

ROMANS: She wants to be a business woman first and build the credibility now. And this is why she said she's so diversified in what she's doing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WILLIAMS: Well, there's going to be a long life, hopefully, after tennis. And I have loved tennis for so long, and I still do, and I'll love it for a long time after, but I also want to do something that I love after tennis. And in the book you'll read that it says how my parents, they brought us up to be entrepreneurs. So it's really my upbringing of really wanting to have my own business and to have something that has an impact.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: And so there you go. She says -- for example, in the book, she has Magic Johnson, who said that sometimes he would take a meeting with people after he was done with basketball and he would realize that they just wanted to get an autograph.

HARRIS: Yes.

ROMANS: You know, that they didn't take him -- in the very beginning, take him seriously. Of course now he's a very well-known businessman and so she has been building this business, sort of empire, along the way. So has her sister. They have, you know, they have advisers who know sort of what are the strategic decisions to be making for them.

She's only 30 years old, Tony.

HARRIS: Wow.

ROMANS: She's been on the court more than half her life.

HARRIS: That's right.

ROMANS: And she knows that because of what her parents instilled in her, she's going to be competing in some way, shape or form for many, many years to come. And so she's building that now. HARRIS: I love two points there. The idea that Magic Johnson was trying to take business meetings and people saw him in his previous life, or the life he was living as an athlete and not the life he was trying to create for himself as a businessman. I love that bit. Because it is a bit of a transition, even though you've made the decision in your mind to take people, sometimes, a while to catch on to where you are.

And the other point, and you know this so well, Christine, it's amazing to me how often really smart people at the very top of their game are willing to tell you how it is they've gotten to their place of success in life. And here's another example of it in this book.

ROMANS: Oh, yes. And the book is full of other examples, too, about how, you know, you can't -- if you're a leader, you have to field the best team, right.

HARRIS: Yes.

ROMANS: And so sometimes you're a leader at work in your job or whatever, but you have to be cultivating -- you have to be -- you know, you have to be cultivating the strengths of all of the people who work for you and building them up, too. So there's a lot of very interesting things I think about life in the workplace and success in your career and sports.

HARRIS: Love it.

ROMANS: And sports, of course, there's a lot of sports.

HARRIS: And "Come To Win." Yes, love it.

All right, Christine. That's a great interview.

Good to see you, Christine. Thank you.

ROMANS: OK.

HARRIS: All eyes are on NBA prize free agent Lebron James. And a lot of them will be watching tomorrow. Why tomorrow night? We'll explain in our "What's Hot" segment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: A Texas woman is so desperate for a job, she says she is will to pay to work. How about $1,000? Reporter Jason Whitely with CNN affiliate WFAA caught up with her.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JASON WHITELY, WFAA-TV CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): If you ever moan and grown about your job, you should meet Sonja Funakura.

SONJA FUNAKURA, JOB SEEKER: Oh, I said, if I could get paid by the weed, I'd be a millionaire.

WHITELY: The financial analyst got laid off more than a year ago. Picking weeds relieves stress.

FUNAKURA: Zero to two years of work experience in accounting.

WHITELY: Searching for a job causes it.

FUNAKURA: I have really thought, maybe it would be a relief to be on the streets with just my dog, because the worrying of it, you know, how much more can you cut back? I don't live in a fancy place.

WHITELY: After 15 months, hundreds of resumes, and only one job interview, Funakura got an idea.

FUNAKURA: I was just sitting there thinking, you know, money talks. Money really talks.

WHITELY: Single at 51, she is so desperate for a job, she is advertising $1,000 reward for anyone who can find her work. Even took out an ad in the Ft. Worth weekly saying so.

FUNAKURA: It's based on if I get a job offer and I figured if the worst-case scenario, I'll give them my first paycheck, literally. I mean that's better than going another year like this.

WHITELY (on camera): The older you get, the harder it is to find a job. For the unemployed at 50 years old and up, they're out of work, on average, for 44 months. Other studies have shown, though, those in that age group without jobs last summer still haven't been able to find them this summer.

WHITELY (voice-over): Her unemployment runs out in two weeks. And Sonja's $50,000 in savings is long gone.

FUNAKURA: I don't have anything left. I sold my mineral rights in land.

WHITELY: On FaceBook she's offered to do yard work or haul off trash for free, just to feel productive, until someone claims her $1,000 reward, helping her rejoin the work force.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: Are we starting with Lebron? Oh, that's good. All right, let's get to "What's Hot" now. Ines Ferre is with us.

So we've got Ringo Starr and we've got Lebron James making his announcement.

INES FERRE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Lebron James. Yes.

HARRIS: You're going to start with Lebron?

FERRE: On his website, he announced -- this is his website. He announced that he's going to --

HARRIS: Look at this. Look at this. Look at this.

FERRE: Yes, that he's going to announce the decision at -- on the decision tomorrow night at 9:00 p.m. on ESPN.

HARRIS: OK, at 9:00 p.m. on ESPN. So you know they've got these t-shirts that they sell like crazy in Cleveland. Witness, right? So we can witness the decision tomorrow night. Oh my goodness, on ESPN.

FERRE: Yes. And the proceeds from the special are going to go to the Boys and Girls Club of America.

HARRIS: OK.

FERRE: And also he's on Twitter at King James.

HARRIS: I'm sorry. Young guy. He's just joining the Twitter revolution, really?

FERRE: Just joining. Yes, that's right.

HARRIS: Hello, Lebron! I'm even on Twitter. Any who.

FERRE: Any who.

And Ringo Starr, he turns 70 today. And he's having a concert tonight at Radio City in New York.

HARRIS: That's hard to believe.

FERRE: Yes, 70.

HARRIS: Wow.

FERRE: How do you feel about that? Seventy years old for this Beatles musician. And he actually has a message on his website. This is his website. And let's take a listen to the message that he has.

HARRIS: Oh, terrific. OK.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RINGO STARR, FORMER BEATLE: OK. Peace and love. Peace and love. This is Ringo here. Just to let you know that, once again, on the 7th day of the 7th month 2010, the 7th of July, my birthday, we're going to do the Peace and love at noon wherever you are.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: I love it. I love it.

FERRE: Peace and love.

HARRIS: Peace and love.

FERRE: Love. Peace and love. Happy birthday, Ringo Starr.

HARRIS: That's Ringo. Yes, happy birthday.

All right, Ines, appreciate it. Thank you. FERRE: You got it.

HARRIS: See you.

FERRE: Yes.

HARRIS: You got a score on the World Cup? Oh, it's later today.

FERRE: Yes.

HARRIS: Argentina? No, not there.

A strange quiet for rescuers who have been cleaning up oil from birds. Our John Zarrella visits wildlife rescue operations along the coast. We're back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Arizona has been served. The Justice Department has filed a lawsuit challenging the state's new immigration law, arguing that only the federal government has the power to regulate immigration. The conversation I had with the author of the law and an opponent was so good -- it was. It was heated. It was informed. I wanted to bring more of it to you. Once again, here's state Senator Russell Pearce and Isabelle Garcia, deputy public defender in Pima County, Arizona.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RUSSELL PEARCE, ARIZONA STATE SENATOR: We continue to point the finger at the feds, and should. They have been absolutely absent on this issue while America is being destroyed.

And your other guest on here talks about immigrants, you know, and mixes the two issues. How insulting. You know, legal immigration is something we've raise. This is about illegal aliens and this is about the damage. A 26-year high in unemployment and yet we think it is OK to break in.

She has a no enforcement policy. She has fought any effort to enforce these laws, while Americans are being killed, while citizens are being injured, while Rob Krantz was murdered. Enough is enough.

But, yes, I blame many folks, including the Bush administration and this administration, for ignoring the damage. But states are just as responsible. We have inherent authority to enforce these laws.

HARRIS: Democratic leadership on this issue isn't moving it forward as well. Do you have any anger right now for Speaker Pelosi, Senate Leader Reid? This was supposed to be the year for comprehensive immigration reform.

ISABEL GARCIA, HUMAN RIGHTS COALITION: Well, really, the responsibility lays not only in all the people you have mentioned, but in previous administrations, from Clinton to the Bush administration to the present Obama administration, is their inability to articulate the truth to the American public that we have caused the situation. Mr. Pearce talks about people not following the laws. Let me tell you, Mexicans, specifically, and other immigrants, have followed the rules. You know what the rules have been for 100 years? Come into the country in an unauthorized fashion so you can build our country. Do you really think we've got 11 million people that are benefitting so profusely from give-outs? Absolutely not.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Day 79 of the oil disaster and hundreds of birds and turtles have been saved from sure death, while many more have died. Now wildlife rescuers say they've gotten a much needed break from the cleaning, at least for now. CNN's John Zarrella brings us their story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This northern gannet struggles with its caretakers. If it only new how lucky it was to be in their hands. Cleaning is just part of the treatment.

HEIDI STOUT, TRI-STATE BIRD RESCUE AND RESEARCH: It would be provided fluids, both orally and IV, much like would happen in a hospital setting or an ICU.

ZARRELLA: This is a rehabilitation facility for oiled birds here in Pensacola. It's one of four such centers across the Gulf. Today, there are 52 birds here. Those closest to being released back into the wild, mostly loons and gannets, hang out in swimming pools. The others, not quite so far along in their rehab, sit in pens, where they can be watched more closely.

ZARRELLA (on camera): They've treated about 100 birds since this facility opened in early may. Now the past couple of days, they haven't gotten any birds. And that is a good sign.

STOUT: It's wonderful for the wildlife.

ZARRELLA: But it's not necessarily -- it doesn't necessarily mean the worst is over, does it? Or does it?

STOUT: Well, you know, the geographic magnitude of this spill makes it difficult to really predict what's going to happen a week from now.

ZARRELLA (voice-over): The lull right now gives the rescuers and caretakers a chance to catch a breath, to just catch up. The numbers they've been dealing with in the four state area are overwhelming. One hundred and fifty-seven sea turtles rescued, 444 found dead. Fifty- three of 58 mammals, including dolphins and whales, found dead. About 1,000 birds have been rescued, 410 released. Nearly 1,400 found dead.

No one knows how many have died. Their remains never found. At least this gannet will live to fly another day. Washing the oil from its feathers is a meticulous process. For him to be waterproof again, each and every one of his feathers must be cleaned. STOUT: It's kind of like shingles on a roof. If one of them is damaged, then there's going to be water that penetrates through to the skin of that bird.

ZARRELLA: When our northern gannet's bath is over, the soap is rinsed from his wings and body. With a little tender care, in just a couple of weeks, it should be free to fly.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: The director of the wildlife operation along the Gulf says the bird most hurt by the oil disaster has been the northern gannet, in you at the beginning of John's piece.

CNN NEWSROOM continues right now with Drew Griffin, in for Ali Velshi.