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NATO Talks on Libya in Berlin; Bonds Convicted of Obstruction; Air Traffic Chief Resigns; Taxes? There's An App For That
Aired April 14, 2011 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: It is 10:00 a.m. on the East Coast, 7:00 a.m. in the west. I'm Carol Costello, sitting in for Kyra Phillips.
There are new developments in the case of the Long Island serial killer. Detectives are going up in planes and helicopters hunting for clues. Eight sets of human remains have been found in the area since December.
Will Donald Trump run for president in 2012? Well, you may have to tune in to the season finale of "Celebrity Apprentice" on May 15th. A source close to Trump says that is when he will reveal the date for his big announcement.
Baseball slugger Barry Bonds will return to court at least one more time. He faces sentencing after a jury found him guilty on one count of obstruction of justice. The same jury deadlocked on charges that he lied to a grand jury about his steroid use. Our Alan Duke was in the courtroom. He'll join us in a few minutes.
It has happened again. Another air traffic controller caught snoozing on the job. This time in Reno, Nevada. The pilot of a medical flight had to call the FAA when he couldn't get through to the tower. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're here.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You weren't able to get through to the tower.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK. We're going to call them on the phone line.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right. We'll circle more.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have a pretty sick patient. We may just have to land whether we have clearance or not.
(END VIDEO CLIP) COSTELLO: And that they did, they landed safely. Jeanne Meserve has been following the story. And Jeanne, this happened yesterday, and then the FAA came out in the afternoon and made some changes. So tell us about it.
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Yes, first this happened early yesterday, the flight was coming in to Reno from Mammoth Lakes, California. And as you heard on the traffic control tape, it had a critically ill passenger on board. The pilot tried to reach the tower not once or twice but seven times. The controller apparently sleeping through all of it. The secretary of Transportation calls the episode absolutely inexcusable.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RAY LAHOOD, TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY: This is ridiculous, it's outrageous. It's the kind of behavior that we will not stand for at the Department of Transportation. The controller has been suspended. We're conducting an investigation. And I have said that immediately there will be two controllers in 27 control towers around the country that control planes between 12:00 midnight and the early morning hours.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MESERVE: But not everyone's embracing that. Republican Congressman John Micah was harshly critical saying "only in the federal government would you double up on workers averaging $161,000 a year in salary and benefits that are not doing their job." Carol?
COSTELLO: Jeanne, so the game of politics has begun around that issue. But more importantly, it's travel season right now, and a lot of air travelers are worried about this because we know of incidents in Reagan National. We know of incidents in Knoxville and in Reno, are there others?
MESERVE: Yes, the FAA disclosed yesterday that there were two additional controller screwups in recent weeks. A controller in Seattle fell asleep during his morning shift on April 11. He is currently suspended. And two controllers in Lubbock, Texas, are on suspension for failing to hand off control of a departing aircraft on March 29 and also for being late taking control of an inbound aircraft. The FAA looking into all of these incidents now to determine what further steps might be needed. Carol?
COSTELLO: And you'll keep following it. Jeanne Meserve live in Washington.
Turning now to a serious effort to raise the retirement age to 70. It's one of the tough choices on the table in Washington this morning as all parties race to reach a budget agreement. Three Republicans are proposing social security reform that would push back the retirement age by three years to 70. It's enough to make you feel tired, isn't it? I asked the top Republican on the Senate budget committee about it in the last hour, and Senator Jeff Sessions says it needs to happen. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JEFF SESSIONS (R), ALABAMA: I think we're going to have to raise the age limit, yes. I don't know how far, but I do believe that's a factor. These kind of changes don't have to be dramatic, they don't have to be done all at once. They don't have to impact people on social security today, but we have to make some changes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: But I'm sure a lot of you know, a lot of families don't just lean on that social security check, they depend on it. For about one in four families collecting social security, it's practically the only money they have coming in. You better believe that makes for a political minefield.
CNN's Kate Bolduan is at the White House. And Kate, the fiscal commission wants to raise the retirement age. So do three Republican senators. We just heard from Jeff Sessions. Is this really on the table?
KATE BOLDUAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's a very good question. And right now the short answer is it's not really clear. Let me put this way. A couple of things on that. The president has said that everything is on the table as they look for ways to tackle the country's deficit and debt.
Yesterday the president acknowledged that two-thirds of the federal budget goes to spending and entitlements, Medicare, Medicaid and social security, as well as national security. But if you look at the president's speech yesterday, I know you watched very closely the major elements of his plan to reduce deficits and tackle the debt, they don't - he didn't really include taking on social security.
The president saying that social security is not a major factor in driving up the numbers at this moment, in the short term or the near term. What the president did say about social security, we could say, lacked specifics. Listen here.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: While social security is not the cause of our deficit, it faces real long-term challenges in a country that's growing older. As I said in the "State of the Union," both parties should work together now to strengthen social security for future generations.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BOLDUAN: Now, Carol, senior administration officials yesterday did say that the president does not support raising the Medicare retirement age. We'll have to see how far the president and the White House will go in terms of - in terms of social security as they take on negotiations. You had a very good discussion with the budget director, Jack Lu, just a short time ago. I chased after him after your interview to ask him the same question. And he gave a very similar answer into what we're kind of hearing. It's a bit vague. He said that everyone should not stand firm on positions, they should come to the table to discuss. So right now at least the White House is not saying whether or not they support that specific idea.
COSTELLO: Yes, they'll only say, "Oh, we know something has to be done, but no specifics," you're right. Kate Bolduan, many thanks.
It is usually Joe Biden's habit of shooting from the lip that gets Joe Biden in trouble. So how in the world is the vice president left red faced from being quiet? Well, take a look. The vice - I'm sure you've seen this. The vice president may have been caught nodding off while his boss, yes, President Obama, was outlining his plan for dealing with the deficit.
And to make matters worse, the president announced he had a new job for Biden. He'll begin meeting with lawmakers from both parties next month to try and work out a bipartisan plan to pare down the deficit. And I'm sure that will keep him awake.
Also on Capitol Hill today, a vote on the budget cuts that prevented the government from shutting down. Lawmakers in the House are expected to pass the $38 billion that was whittled from this year's current budget within 24 hours, it then whips through the Senate, lands on the president's desk for his signature.
Turning now to Libya. At least 20 people were killed and more than 20 others wounded in an attack in the besieged city of Misrata. A witness tells CNN a ship carrying aid was expected, but Moammar Gadhafi's forces began firing rockets and tanks -- and tank shells I should say at the port. The death toll is expected to rise.
U.S. warplanes have continued to bomb targets in Libya even after control of the operation was handed over to NATO. The Pentagon has disclosed since the handover the U.S. has flown 97 sorties with U.S. jets firing on Libyan targets on three occasions. The U.S. military official insists those strikes were defensive and part of the military's support role.
Well, the world is watching Libya's civil war and NATO's military action there. CNN's Monita Rajpal is in London following all of that. Hi, Monita.
MONITA RAJPAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey there, Carol. I want to give you an idea what some of the newspapers around the world are saying about the conflict in Libya now. Let's start with "The Daily Telegraph" here in London. The headline is "Gadhafi is not getting the message to go." Now the paper goes on to say "the coalition's cliche about protecting civilians is too vague to make an impression on someone like Gadhafi if he agrees to protect civilians. Will that be enough? Then we go on to the United Arab Emirates and "The National" paper, the headline is, "the good son is no longer Libya's best hope for reform."
It goes on to say the only player and whose name everything is done is the Libyan people. Yet no one has been trying to gauge what Libyans want. They are not all against Colonel Gadhafi, nor are they all supporting him." Carol.
COSTELLO: Understand. I also understand Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is in Berlin for NATO talks. Are all these countries on the same page when it concerns Libya?
RAJPAL: Yes, you know, when it comes to any sort of international consensus, it's very difficult to get because it got a lot of different countries who have different ideas of what should be happening. For example, Germany, as you remember, abstained from even voting for the resolution 1973. So they are really taking a very different approach.
However, it also depends on what issues you're talking about, whether it is to ramp up the offensive there, with the air strikes in Libya, or if it's to arm the rebels. For example, the Italians are saying that the allies should be giving - the civilians "all the materials," and I use that in quotations, that Libyans need to protect themselves. But others are saying that's a really broad interpretation of what resolution 1973 is really all about.
COSTELLO: Monita Rajpal, many thanks, live in London this morning.
A month after Japan's dual natural disasters, new video surfaces of the deadly tsunami. It was shot at the moment the waves hit a quaint little fishing town. The videographer lost his home and his pet as he rolled on this disaster. Take a look at this. The death toll from the disaster now stands at 13,500. And another 15,000 remain missing.
Then there's Japan's nuclear crisis which is now considered on par with the 1986 nuclear disaster in Chernobyl, Russia. On Sunday a Japanese journalist entered the exclusionary zone surrounding the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant in the hopes of seeing the facility up close. The "Voice of America" reporter Steve Herman came even closer and spoke to CNN's "American Morning" about it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STEVE HERMAN, "VOICE OF AMERICA," REPORTER: We thought this is perhaps the last chance to actually put our eyes on the Fukushima number one nuclear power plant. We did make it all the way to the front gate, where we were greeted and - maybe greeted is the wrong word, by a couple of security guards that were in full hazmat outfits with yellow helmets and dual intake respirators who did not want to engage us in conversation. They made it very clear we were not welcome to proceed any further and sort of gave us the international signal for make a u-turn.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Japan has since expanded that exclusionary zone around Fukushima. And Japanese officials are downplaying the likening of Fukushima to Chernobyl, saying "their facility spewed only 10 percent of the radioactivity that was emitted from Chernobyl. Baseball's Barry Bonds wins in federal court even when he loses. The home run king is convicted on one charge, but a judge declares a mistrial on three others. We're heading live to Los Angeles for details. That's next.
And Michelle Rhee will be here. No one in education today has done more to try to shake up our schools. Her methods have made her a celebrity, but they've also made her the target of criticism. She'll answer those critics here this hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: We won't know for some time whether Barry Bonds will go to prison. Actually, it's likely he won't. The San Francisco jury convicted Bonds on one count of obstruction of justice. But the judge declared a mistrial on three counts of lying to a grand jury about taking steroids. Bonds will go back to court next month when a sentencing date will be set.
CNN's Alan Duke was in the courtroom through it all, including when the verdict came down yesterday. What was Barry Bonds' reaction?
ALAN DUKE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: He didn't say anything really in court. Not much reaction at all. He kept pretty much a stone face and he didn't talk as he left. His lawyers spoke a little. It was the jurors who sure could hardly stop talking after court yesterday.
COSTELLO: I was surprised by that actually, because usually jurors are loathe to talk, but they were talking a lot about this. And one of them actually said that they thought prosecutors were trying to pin too much on Barry Bonds. I found that intriguing.
DUKE: Yes, these jurors, essential what they told us is that they convicted Barry Bonds of being evasive, not telling a lie. They said as far as whether he used - knowingly used steroids, that there was a piece of the puzzle missing. That there was something more they needed from prosecutors that they didn't hear to prove it beyond a reasonable doubt that Barry Bonds knew that wasn't flaxseed oil his trainer, Greg Anderson, was putting on him.
But that piece of the puzzle very well could have been Anderson who went to prison for a couple of weeks rather than testify in this trial.
COSTELLO: The other thing that I've heard about this, everyone's saying that, you know, this might be a big victory for Barry Bonds because he'll probably serve probation to this particular charge. Wasn't his attorneys - weren't his attorneys sure that he would be cleared of all charges?
DUKE: I don't know about sure, they looked pretty nervous as they were pacing during the four days of deliberations. They - in front of the jury, of course - they acted assured that their client was innocent or should be acquitted. You know, the interesting thing about Barry Bonds not only is he the home run king, but he was the walk king, walked more than any other major league player ever. Yesterday he essentially walked three times. It wasn't a hit, but there was one strikeout. But it was three walks, if you want to use a baseball analogy.
COSTELLO: Boy, that was a good one, too. Alan Duke, thanks for your insight. We appreciate it.
We have a bit of breaking news to tell you about. It all has to do with these air traffic controllers falling asleep on the job. Let's head to Washington right now. Check in with Jeanne Meserve.
MESERVE: Carol, we just got a statement from the FAA administrator, Randy Babbitt. He sites these recent examples of what he calls unprofessional conduct, says this must stop. He says that this morning he met with the head of the FAA's air traffic organization, that's the component of the FAA that runs the air traffic control system, the man who heads this up, Hank Crackowski, has submitted his resignation, and Babbitt has accepted it.
For the time being, THE FAA'S general counsel will assume that role. Babbitt goes on to say in his statement, "we are conducting a top-to-bottom review of the way we operate our air traffic control system. We are all responsible and accountable for safety from senior FAA leadership to the controller in the tower. We will concentrate on keeping the traveling public safe."
So Carol, it is not just the air traffic controllers that are paying a price for all of this.
COSTELLO: You got that right. Jeanne Meserve, thanks so much.
MESERVE: You bet.
COSTELLO: Checking stories across the country now.
L.A. Lakers star Kobe Bryant in trouble for using an anti-gay slur against a referee. The NBA fined him $100,000 for what it called offensive and inexcusable comments in a game on Tuesday night. Bryant has since apologized many, many times.
The boyfriend of the woman who falsely accused three Duke lacrosse players of raping her is dead of stab wounds. Crystal Mangum has been charged with stabbing Reginald Day. She remains in jail.
Another restaurant serves an alcoholic beverage to a toddler. It happened last month at an olive garden in Lakeland, Florida. The two -year-old was served sangria instead of orange juice. And recently in Michigan a 15-month-old was hospitalized after he was served a margarita instead of apple juice at an Applebee's restaurant.
Actress Catherine Zeta-Jones checks herself in to a mental health facility to be treated for bipolar disorder. We'll have that story and more in your entertainment report that's coming your way next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: After helping her husband battle late stage throat cancer, actress Catherine Zeta-Jones has a health concern of her own and she is struggling. "Showbiz Tonight" host A.J. Hammer, live in New York. This is really shocking.
A.J. HAMMER, HOST, "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT": Yes, really surprising, Carol, this announcement from Catherine Zeta-Jones yesterday. Her publicist telling "Showbiz Tonight," "After dealing with the stress of the past year, Catherine made the decision to check in to a mental health facility for a brief stay to treat her bipolar II disorder. She's feeling great and looking forward to starting work this week on two upcoming films."
It really comes as a surprise because nobody ever associated her with any sort of mental illness in the past. But after the year her family has had, it's not hard to understand why she might feel very overwhelm. She and her husband Michael Douglas have had a really rough time over the last year. Look at what happened in past 12 months, Douglas saw his son sentenced to six years in prison on drug charges. He was sued by his ex-wife and of course, fought that difficult battle with stage-four throat cancer. So Carol, good to know she's getting whatever help she needs. And obviously, we all hope she's feeling better.
COSTELLO: Yes, we hope so. Let's talk about happier news, there's a big auction that's going on and some really cool things are being auctioned from the rock and roll world.
HAMMER: Yes, I wish I could go to this, this is my area. If you're a music lover, a lot to catch your eye during this thing. The theater Royal Drury Lane in London is auctioning 73 items today from stars as diverse the Sex Pistols and Chuck Berry but the highlight in my mind is this piano used by Paul McCartney to write the song "Yesterday." It's an art deco mini piano. It may not be much to look at but for an estimated 125,000 British pounds. It could be yours.
Carol, we're taking about 200,000 grand U.S. here. Want to (INAUDIBLE) with me on it.
COSTELLO: OK. We'll split it. All right.
HAMMER: I'll take it.
COSTELLO: And the next story (INAUDIBLE) is about the movie "The Crow," which has some like dark shadows surrounding it. And Bradley Cooper, one of my favorite actors, is going to star in it.
HAMMER: Possibly, yes. Really dark story here. There are multiple reports out there that have Bradley Cooper in talks to star in a remake of 1994's "The Crow." Now, of course, Cooper, we know him from comedies like "The Hangover." This is a new challenge if the takes this on. The film is adapted from an Indy comic book, and as we said had a really dark story about a musician who was killed by thugs, who comes back from the dead for revenge.
Now you may remember during that original filming, star Brandon Lee, the son of Bruce Lee, was killed on set by a freak accident and a lot of people have said all along that that production was cursed. So it's certainly interesting that they are trying to bring this story back and people will be watching closely to see if the curse lives on.
COSTELLO: Yes. Gives me goose bumps. A.J., thanks as always.
Want information on everything breaking in the entertainment world? A.J.'s got it tonight on "Showbiz Tonight" at 5:00 p.m. eastern and 11:00 p.m. on HLN.
Internet downloads at lightning speed, it's something customers say they want. Now Comcast says you've got it. Really.
And we'll talk with Michelle Rhee. Her efforts to reform America's schools have landed her in the headlines, on magazine covers, even on the big screen. But she has made some enemies, too. We'll talk with her next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: If education reform has a face, it has to be Michelle Rhee. She's the former chancellor of D.C. schools, and her efforts have made her a bit of a celebrity. She's been on the covers of "Time" magazine and "Newsweek" and she was featured in the 2010 documentary about America's public school system "Waiting for Superman." She's now head of an advocacy group called "Students First." Michelle is here in studio 7. And welcome.
MICHELLE RHEE, FOUNDER & CEO, STUDENTSFIRST: Thank you.
COSTELLO: I'm excited to meet you.
RHEE: Thanks for having me.
COSTELLO: So you're in Georgia celebrating a big win because the lifo program passed in the Georgia state legislature. So tell us what that is.
RHEE: Sure. So right now because so many states across the country are facing budget cuts, what it means is that lots of teacher jobs are at risk. We're going to be looking at layoffs across the nation of teachers, and part of the problem with that scenario is that the way that layoffs are conducted normally is by what's called Life or Laugh In, First Out. What it means is that the way that layoffs are conducted normally is by what's called by LiFo or Laugh In, First Out. What it means is that the last teacher hired has to be the first teacher fired regardless of their performance and so what you end up with is a situation like teachers that I met last week in Nevada where somebody has just been voted Teacher of the Year" in the school and then they got handed a pink slip. So really it doesn't make sense for kids whatsoever and we're really trying -
COSTELLO: You want to lay off teachers who are not performing well, not necessarily the youngest teacher who's just coming in and maybe doing a terrific job?
RHEE: That's right. We just believe that when you're in the unfortunate situation where you have to lay teachers off, that you have to take into consideration quality and who's -- who's adding the most value to kids.
COSTELLO: So, in Georgia, you've been successful. How many other states?
RHEE: So, when we started this effort, only three states had laws that specifically said that layoffs had to be conducted by quality. We've added four more states to that, including Georgia this week. Florida a few weeks ago. And we've got legislation pending or about to be introduced in about eight more states. We're really excited.
COSTELLO: Oh, you are excited. I have to ask you -- the controversy that seems to follow you wherever you go. I mean, as you travel the country, I'm sure you've heard these names that attach to you. You've been called a reform huckster, a terminating machine, public enemy number one. Why do you think you're so polarizing?
RHEE: You know, I think that for so long in public education, we weren't talking about the tough issues, so -- so for example LIFO, Last In, First Out policies, we've been utilizing those for decades, and nobody has been paying attention to them. And now we're bringing them to light through movies like "Waiting For Superman," there's more of a microscope on the policies and how school districts are working and how often they're not working to benefit kids. And I think once you start to shake thing up a little bit, you're obviously you have people unhappy with you, which is understandable.
COSTELLO: There seems to be in this country, though, sort of a war on teachers. And many teachers feel that way, especially a war on teachers' unions. And I think that many in the education field think that you started that war, and it's -- it spiraled out of control.
RHEE: So, I think nothing could be further from the truth. I am the biggest advocate of effective teachers that you could possibly find anywhere. I mean, you know, the effect that -- the effect a teacher has on their kids and on their classroom is immeasurable.
But because teachers play such an important role, that's why I think it's important to make sure that you have the best people in the classroom. And that when you have people who are struggling, who are ineffective that you can quickly develop them or move them out of the system.
COSTELLO: I want to ask you about the "USA Today" investigation because that's been out there. It centered around your time as chancellor of D.C. Schools. You were widely praised for raising test scores at low-performing schools. And you did that by putting enormous pressure on principals and teachers and by rewarding them with these huge bonuses when the test scores rose.
In the "USA Today" investigation -- I'm reading this because I want to read this to get this right. In the "USA Today" investigation, it showed high erasure rates on standardized tests given at these D.C. schools, which may mean the teachers altered the test, maybe to save their jobs or to get the big bonuses. If that's true, what does that say about your methods? RHEE: Well, I think that it's -- it's nuts to think that because, you know, a small number of percentage or a small number of people may do something wrong like cheating on the test that that means that we shouldn't have, you know, we shouldn't have tests or we shouldn't have an accountability system --
COSTELLO: But this involved 103 schools.
RHEE: Well, actually, if you look at the analysis that "USA Today" did, it's not actually correct that all of the schools that they named actually had high rates of erasure. It was actually a flawed analysis. And then you also have to look at the fact that high erasures don't necessarily mean cheating has occurred because you also have to look at whether the erasures were linked to higher achievement rates.
And so, when the list got whittled down to just a handful of schools, we actually brought in an external investigator to look into these claims and look into the irregularities, and the vast majority of cases found that nothing -- you know, there was no evidence of cheating.
I think, though, the question about whether or not we should have accountability and we should have rewards, et cetera, tied to student achievement levels and oh, my gosh, some people should cheat -- I mean, I think that it totally underestimates teachers as a profession. The vast majority of teachers would never falsify student achievement rates just because they're under pressure or because they're -- there are rewards.
COSTELLO: That's true. But we've seen more than one - and not only in D.C., were they questioning that but also in Georgia. It's happening in many parts of the country, not just in one place.
RHEE: So again, in every school district that you go to --
COSTELLO: And I only ask you that because many parents even feel there's too much, like, focus put on these standardized tests, and that that's not really teaching our kids anything.
RHEE: I can say as a parent myself, and I have two young kids who are in the public schools, I always want to know exactly where my kids are. I don't want to wait until the end of the year for somebody to say, oh, your child's not on grade level. I want to know, you know, every -- every couple of weeks, are my kids performing or not? And standardized tests and assessments like that are one way to do that.
COSTELLO: Michelle Rhee, thank you for coming in. We appreciate it.
RHEE: Absolutely.
COSTELLO: The stock market opening bell just rang about an hour ago. Let's check the numbers quickly. As you can see, not so great. Down 40. Satisfying the need for speed, today Comcast is expected to announce a new, faster Internet service for residential customers. CNN's Stephanie Elam has the lowdown on that. Stephanie?
STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Carol. Yes, this is something that I'm sure a lot of people at home are going to be happy to hear so they can actually get their movies, their music, in a lot faster pace to get them onto their devices.
But here's what's going on. According to the "USA Today," they're looking at this new product called Extreme 105. That's what Comcast is going to be launching here. It's going to offer it to more than 40 million homes across the country, different cities like San Francisco, Chicago, Philly, Miami, D.C., Denver is one of the cities, as well. And it's 60 times faster than Comcast's current service. And with the service that you could get here with the Extreme 105, you can download an HD movie in eight minutes. So, you know, if most people, they have a T-1 line, this is what they're talking about when they say 60 times faster than that.
COSTELLO: You believe -- do you believe the times?
ELAM: It could be. But a lot of it depends where you are. I don't know if that's true. While this is faster, it's important to keep in mind that Verizon's FIOS is actually still faster than this, but it's just not as widely available. So, that's just something to keep in mind. But I guess if anything's faster than what you're dealing with, people are going to be happy, right?
COSTELLO: Yes, that's very good. There's an app something else - there's an app for everything.
ELAM: Everything. True. There's an app for taxes.
COSTELLO: Tell us about it.
ELAM: There's a serious -- there is a serious app for taxes. Actually, there's a lot of them. Let's show you a few because I figure, Carol, there's probably one or -- one or two people who probably haven't done their taxes yet and plan on doing it this weekend. So, if that's the case, IRS To Go it one you might want to look at because after you file it, you can go ahead and track your refund on there. If you file electronically, you're just going to have to wait a few days and see how long it will take to get it back. If you file by paper, it will take you three to four weeks before you check. It's a free app and good for iPhones and Androids.
Take a look at Turbo Tax Snaptax. You can actually file your taxes by phone if you used that. That one costs $14.99 to actually file. Also good for iPhones and Androids and it's better for simple tax reports that you have to file, too.
Now, Tax Organizer, you store your receipts throughout the year, and then as you get to the point of things you need to get to your -- the person who's doing your taxes for you, you just e-mail them all to him. It will be in chronological order. So, that's also good. That one's about $15 a month.
And then there's a whole bunch more. Taxcaster Mobile. Estimates exactly how much you're going to get for your refund. It will calculate it for you. Idonatedit will keep track of all the things you donated throughout the year, and you can have research and pictures. And Dictionary of Terms and iTaxMama, so if you can get all of your - so , if you really, really want to get into it, Carol, you can go app crazy for tax season.
COSTELLO: I know. You know what my app is?
ELAM: -- do it.
COSTELLO: My app is my husband. He does the taxes. And I love that.
ELAM: My app is my accountant because I am not doing that myself. Messing something up -- no, no, no.
COSTELLO: Thank you, Stephanie.
ELAM: Sure.
COSTELLO: John Thompson. He's free after being sentenced to death for a crime he did not commit.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN THOMPSON, FORMER DEATH ROW INMATE: I'm able to walk these streets again. I'm able to breathe, I'm able to see my grandchildren. I'm able to enjoy life.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: But he will not get paid anything for his suffering. His story in his own words, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Imagine this. You're on death row for 14 years for a crime you did not commit. And after you're exonerated, you find out that prosecutors were involved in a cover-up that sent you to prison.
This is exactly what happened to John Thompson. He was exonerated in 2003, weeks before he was set to die. The prosecutors who were part of the cover-up were never punished. Thompson tried. He sued prosecutors for covering up that evidence and was awarded $14 million by a jury.
But just last month, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned that lower court decision and ruled Thompson cannot receive any money at all. He joins us live from New Orleans now. Welcome, John.
THOMPSON: Good morning.
COSTELLO: Good morning. Also with us from New York is Sunny Hostin, former prosecutor and legal contributor for "In Session" on our sister network, TruTV. So, welcome to you, Sunny.
SUNNY HOSTIN, LEGAL CONTRIBUTOR, TRUTV: Thank you.
COSTELLO: John, let's start with you. Take us back to the moment when you first learned about the cover-up by prosecutors. What happened?
THOMPSON: Oh, well, I was on my last -- I had just been denied my writ. I had received the execution date for May 19, 1999. I was understanding that it was time for me to die. It was -- even though I was innocent. My lawyers came to me to tell me what he was going do. He actually really did say that, you know, there was no more available course for them to appeal to, and this execution date would go through.
But he was going to hire one more investigator to do a last- minute investigation of everything because I had two different convictions. it was really confusing to one investigator to try and work both cases, so they hired another investigator for the sole purpose of --
COSTELLO: And what did that investigator find?
THOMPSON: She just -- the first thing she discovered was some physical evidence - some physical blood evidence was taken from the scene of the crime. And the results had returned, but was nothing telling us what the results were. The answers to the blood evidence, and she discovered it, and she revealed it to my attorneys.
COSTELLO: So, this blood evidence would have cleared you outright, and prosecutors knew they had this blood evidence and they didn't turn it over to your attorneys. That's how you ended up on death row. I know you told your story in a big New York Times op-ed, and what's interesting, you're not so much upset about losing the monetary award, like $14 million. What do you want to happen now?
THOMPSON: Well, you know, that was -- that was a real serious decision that the court made. And really -- to us here in Louisiana, especially, how the system was operating. To now, it's really to give the prosecutors the right to really murder -- to get away with murder. And without no consequences at all.
You know, it's sad because, you know, in our country, the president could even be impeached. This is the only position that really has full control over our lives, that our Supreme Court just said they can do anything. So if I was executed, you know, it would have been murder. And so, they're actually saying we don't care. Whatever they do, they can get away. I believe we should be afraid as a people in this country to the power that our --
COSTELLO: You think that somehow-- somehow these prosecutors should be punished in some way, and the U.S. Supreme Court ruled they cannot be. And that's why I want to bring in Sunny, who is a former prosecutor.
So, Sunny, the U.S. Supreme Court made this ruling, but shouldn't somebody pay for what happened to John?
HOSTIN: You would think so. And I mean, it just -- it embarrasses me, quite frankly, what happened here. As a former prosecutor. Prosecutors are supposed to seek justice, Carol. Whether or not the system -- justice, whether or not the system ends in someone's being acquitted or someone's being found guilty. The prosecutor's job is to seek justice.
What happened here is a real tragedy, a miscarriage of justice. But in 1976, the Supreme Court adopted the doctrine of prosecutorial immunity. And so prosecutors, as John said, are almost untouchable when they are prosecuting people. And that's why it is such a heavy burden that prosecutors have. And they really did the wrong thing here by this man and, unfortunately, by many others in Louisiana.
COSTELLO: So since the Supreme Court ruled in this particular manner, is there any legal recourse for John at all?
HOSTIN: No. There is not. I think the Supreme Court shut the door on any legal recourse, but what is interesting to note, Carol, here, is this was a conflicted Supreme Court. This was a 5-4 decision. And Justice Ginsburg read her dissent from the bench. That is very unusual. And she mentioned that this is a tragedy.
This is just a miscarriage of justice. There needs to be reform. Everyone knows that I'm against the death penalty primarily because these things happen. Because prosecutors have such wide discretion. And when you hear about cases like this, doesn't that mean we need reform? Doesn't that mean we shouldn't have the death penalty? I mean, this should be a case that's calling out there for reform. Not only for prosecutorial misconduct but also for the death penalty.
COSTELLO: OK, Sunny, so you lead the charge. John Thompson, thanks so much for sharing your story. We appreciate it. Sunny, thanks to you, as well.
HOSTIN: Thanks.
COSTELLO: Do you like soccer goals? we bet you've never seen one like this. A score from more than 90 yards away. The video coming up in sports.
Also ahead, Michelle Bachmann references LensCrafters while taking a swipe at Planned Parenthood. Now both have a bone to pick with the congresswoman.
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COSTELLO: Donald Trump has been hinting at a White House run. Maybe you didn't know that. Well, now we know when he will announce his big decision. Our senior political editor, Mark Preston, here with the story. And kind of has to do with his TV show, right?
MARK PRESTON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL EDITOR: It sure does, Carol. Look, when is Donald Trump going to tell us when he's running for president? Well, we got a little bit of news this morning that, in fact, it's going to be on May 15, which is the season finale of the "Celebrity Apprentice." But as you would expect in Donald Trump fashion, he's really not going to tell us if he's running for president. He's going to tell us when he's going to tell us he's running for president. He's going to use the season finale, Carol, to give us the date when he'll actually tell us if he's running for president. So, you got to give him credit. He really knows how to draw something out here, no doubt.
COSTELLO: Yes he does. He knows how to use the media quite well.
PRESTON: He does.
You know, great news for House Democrats though here in Washington, Carol. They just released their fundraising numbers for the first 90 days of 2011. They have raised $19.6 million. Why is this significant? It's significant because they have helped to pay off $11.5 million of their debt after the 2010 midterm elections. They were in debt right around $20 million. But now they've paid off $11.5 million of it, which is huge amount of money, especially as they're looking toward 2012 to try to take back the House majority. Carol?
COSTELLO: And finally, you must tell us about LensCrafters and Michele Bachmann.
PRESTON: I'll tell you, this is a little bit complicated. So, please try to follow me here if you can.
Look, Michele Bachmann is invoking LensCrafters in her speeches when she's talking about abortion, and the reason being is because the head of the Illinois Planned Parenthood actually invoked LensCrafters a couple of years ago when he was being interviewed by the "Wall Street Journal."
Let me tell you what the head of the Illinois Planned Parenthood said at the time. He said that they want to become the Lens -- excuse me, this is what he said. "I like to think of Planned Parenthood as LensCrafters of family planning when it comes to making family planning services available."
Well, Michele Bachmann has taken that, has changed the words a little. And in iowa on Monday, she said that the executive director of Planned Parenthood in Illinois said they want to become the LensCrafters of big abortion in Illinois, which is much different than what the head of that had said before.
Well, I'll tell you what, LensCrafters wants no wart of it. They've asked Michele Bachmann's office to stop using their name. Carol.
COSTELLO: Thanks for filling us in, Mark Preston. We'll have the next political update in an hour. And a reminder, for all the latest political news, go to our Web site, CNNpolitics.com.
Here's a question about your health. Do you take vitamins or supplements? Most of us do, and we'll tell you why that could be a big mistake.
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COSTELLO: Time for today's "Daily Dose." If you take vitamins or supplements, you're among the majority of Americans. According to new statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 53 percent of us now take vitamins or supplements. That's compared to just four in ten in the late '80s.
But those supplements are not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration in the same way as drugs. In fact, the makers don't have to prove safety or effectiveness. And that has many asking about the health benefits.
Well, those findings are mixed. While some are helpful, others are a waste of money. You should always let your doctor know which supplements or vitamins you are taking.
Time to check sports. The puck dropped on the opening round of the Stanley Cup playoffs last night. Let's head to Anaheim, where the Ducks were -- taking on the national predators. Mike Fisher got traded to Nashville recently. Convenient because his wife is singer Carrie Underwood. Oh! Fisher making sweet music for fans. Scoring two goals, and Nashville beats the Ducks.
And check out this unbelievable soccer highlight from Colombia. The goalie has a free kick and scores from more than 90 yards away. We don't know if that's a record, but you're not likely to see a goal like that any time soon. So, let's take another look, shall we? Takes a long time in slow motion, doesn't it? Amazing.
Coming up on CNN NEWSROOM with Suzanne Malveaux, victims of the tsunami in Japan fled their homes, grabbing just the basic essentials. But in many cases, family pets were left behind. We're with crews as they recover trapped animals and reunite them with their owners. That's coming up next on the CNN NEWSROOM.
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COSTELLO: Let's take a look at stories making news later today. Court-mandated mediation between NFL team owners and players kicks off today in Minneapolis. The current labor stoppage threatens, as you know, the upcoming 2011 season.
Later this afternoon, at 5:00 Eastern, in Columbus, Ohio, the first lady and Dr. Jill Biden headline a community event honoring military families.
And the Dodgers baseball team holds a 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time news conference to announce the new security initiatives following the March 31st beating of a paramedic outside of Dodgers Stadium.
Now it's time for the NEWSROOM, the 11:00 edition. Suzanne Malveaux is here.
But I'll join you in just a few minutes to talk about raising the retirement age and Social Security.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN ANCHOR: That means we have to keep working, Carol.
COSTELLO: For a long time.
MALVEAUX: A little bit longer.
COSTELLO: Yes.
MALVEAUX: We're not close to retirement yet, but we've got to keep working.
COSTELLO: I feel like I'm getting closer every day though.
(LAUGHTER)
MALVEAUX: All right, Carol. I'll see you soon.
