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Schwarzenegger Admits Fathering a Child; Bomb Defused before Queen's Visit; GOP Dropping out of Race; NFL Lockout Remains in Place; Pakistan Will Return Tail of Chopper; River Threatens Louisiana Residents
Aired May 17, 2011 - 09:00 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 9:00 a.m. on the East Coast, 6:00 a.m. out the west. And good morning to you. I'm Carol Costello in for Kyra Phillips.
A quick look at some of the stories we're following now.
A large part southern Louisiana being flooded in order to save the cities of Baton Rouge and New Orleans. The state's governor says 25,000 homes could be lost as well as millions of dollars in farm products.
A historical first in Dublin, Ireland. Queen Elizabeth becomes the first British monarch to step on to Irish soil. The visit preceded by a security scare, though. A bomb is defused hours before her arrival.
Pakistan is returning the tail section from that stealth helicopter that went down in the raid on Osama bin Laden's lair. The equipment's return came -- coming as a Senate panel holds a hearing on U.S./Pakistani relations.
But first this morning, have you heard? I know you have. And we all know why Maria Shriver and Arnold Schwarzenegger called it quits.
According to the "L.A. Times" the former governor has a 10-year-old child and the mother is not Maria Shriver, but a household employee. It means when Schwarzenegger was running for office in California and denying allegations of sexual misconduct, that he would have had a secret child with another woman.
Let's go live to Los Angeles and CNN's Casey Wian.
Fill us in?
CASEY WIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Carol, it's hard to believe that Schwarzenegger could become even more controversial after his two terms as California governor than he was during, but he has. "Los Angeles Times," as you mentioned, is reporting that before he ran for office in 2003, Schwarzenegger fathered a child with a member of his household staff.
According to a statement he gave the paper, quote, "After leaving the governor's office, I told my wife about this event, which occurred over a decade ago. I understand and deserve the feelings of anger and disappointment among my friends and family. There are no excuses and I take full responsibility for the hurt I have caused. I have apologized to Maria, my children and my family. I am truly sorry," end quote.
The "Times" reports that the woman worked for the Schwarzeneggers for 20 years, retiring just in January. And only a week ago, Schwarzenegger and his wife, Maria Shriver, announced they had separated after 25 years of marriage. And at that time, they said they were working on their marriage -- Carol.
COSTELLO: I just can't help but remember, Casey, you know, back in 2003, when Schwarzenegger was running for governor, when 16 women accused him of improper sexual behavior and there was Maria Shriver, his wife, standing by her man.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARIA SHRIVER, SCHWARZENEGGER'S WIFE: You can listen to all the negativity or you can listen to people who have never met Arnold, or who met him for five seconds 30 years ago. Or you can listen to me. I advise you to listen to me.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: And the statement he released today after these latest -- this latest scandal came to light, it just rings hollow, even more hollow than it did before we remembered what happened back in 2003.
WIAN: Yes, clearly, a difficult time for Maria Shriver back then and clearly a difficult time now. It's just unimaginable. She lost both of her parents in the last year and a half or so. Since they have announced their separation last week, tabloid media has been following her around.
They got her in a nail salon just the other day. An aired footage of that. Also tried to question her children. She sent out a tweet a couple of days ago before this news about Schwarzenegger's child came out. "Thank you for all the kindness, support and compassion. I am humbled by the love. Thank you."
So, clearly, appreciative of those who are supporting her but a very difficult time.
Now for Schwarzenegger, he has been still active after he left the governor's mansion. He has been giving speeches and working on issues like energy, and he is trying to revive his movie career.
And interestingly enough, there is a Web site, Schwarzenegger.com. And I think we can bring that up. We've got a picture. It says, "Stay tune for my next move."
Something tells, Carol, he was not referring to this.
COSTELLO: Something tells me you're right.
Casey Wian, live in Los Angeles. Thank you. Now to the other powerful man making news right now. The head of the International Monetary Fund, a potential candidate for French president, waking up at Rikers Island, New York's giant jail complex.
Dominique Strauss-Kahn will spend the next few days there alone in a cell after a judge denied him bail. Strauss-Kahn is accused of sexually assaulting a maid on Saturday in his Manhattan hotel.
Here's a breakdown of that day. The information is coming from a law enforcement source. Evidently, according to police, the maid went into his suite around noon, check-out time, and less than half an hour later, at 12:28, he checked out. He was to meet his daughter for lunch at 12:45.
At some point, he got into a car and headed to JFK airport for a flight to Paris. Around 3:30, he called the hotel to ask about a cell phone he could not find and then he boarded the Air France jet at 4:00 p.m.
About 40 minutes later, just before his departure, authorities took him off that plane. He was placed under arrest.
Now the fact that he would have been in the air minutes later made the judge think Strauss-Kahn was too much of a flight risk and needed to be in jail.
Sunny Hostin is a legal contributor for truTV's "In Session" and a former prosecutor.
Welcome, Sunny.
SUNNY HOSTIN, LEGAL CONTRIBUTOR, "IN SESSION": Thanks, Carol.
COSTELLO: Strauss-Kahn is supposed to be back in court on Friday. What are the chances he'll get out of Rikers then?
HOSTIN: Well, you know, there is a chance. Certainly I know that his attorneys will be asking the new judge that will be -- he'll be in front of to revisit the bail conditions. I will say, I was surprised that he was remanded without any bail.
I knew that they would take his passport because he certainly was a flight risk because he was yanked off of an Air France flight on its way out of the country. But I thought perhaps they would allow him to post bail, maybe $1 million, which is what his attorneys had requested.
This judge felt, no, too much of a flight risk. This new judge may think the same thing. So it is possible that he will be held, you know, without bail pending the trial of this matter.
I think that would be unusual. But certainly, it is possible, especially, Carol, when you look at the charges -- that are being lodged against him. They are very, very significant. The top charge could land him in prison for 25 years. COSTELLO: And there's this talk going around that he had an alibi. That he was going to have lunch with his daughter. But the timeline doesn't exactly match that, does it?
HOSTIN: That's right. No, it doesn't match that. There were some reports that after this alleged incident he met with his daughter and didn't necessarily rush out on to a plane. He met with his daughter for lunch, called the hotel and said, I left my phone.
However, his attorneys are indicating that the defense will be consensual sexual acts. That typically I will tell you, Carol, is usually defense in a case where there's sort of a he said, she said going on.
A lot of legal minds like myself don't think that really makes a lot of sense. We're talking about a maid in her 30s, reportedly an African immigrant who did not know this man to sort of believe -- have a jury believe that they had some sort of consensual sexual encounter seems to be pushing it a little bit.
COSTELLO: Sunny Hostin, many thanks.
A bomb has been found on a bus headed to Dublin, Ireland, just hours before Queen Elizabeth was due to become the first British monarch to ever visit that country. The bomb has been defused. And security as you might expect is extremely tight.
Zain Verjee joins us live from London.
So Zain, what are police saying about this bomb?
ZAIN VERJEE, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: They are looking into it there. The device basically was handed over to investigators and investigators are basically -- forensically assessing it to see if they can come up with any more information.
But this is a really worrying development. And it's likely to continue over the next four days because that's how long the queen is going to be there. You've got something like 10,000 police and army security that have fanned out all over the city, air, land, and sea patrols as well, Carol.
So it's a massive operation, the biggest security operation ever in the country -- Carol.
COSTELLO: And just the visit itself by a British monarch, I mean, this hasn't happened since 1911. This is a big deal, right?
VERJEE: It is absolutely huge. I mean the last time that the British monarch was in Ireland was 1911. The queen's grandfather, George the V was there.
You know that was a time where Ireland was under British colonial rule. And there was a lot of bad blood, a lot of hostility, a lot of suspicion. The Irish were fighting for independence. And then the British put in their troops into Northern Ireland. And it was really a bloody affair.
Now this is a historic moment. Let's take a look at what some of the newspapers are saying. The "Irish Times" has this headline. "The day has come." "Queen Elizabeth is welcomed as a remarkable woman in her own right," it says, "as a figure to whom a significant minority on this island give allegiance and above all as a symbol of the mutual affection and common interests."
Let's take a look at "The Age," Carol. In Australia, "Peace brings the Queen to Ireland." "The queen's visit to Ireland is seen by some as a provocation and requires a massive security operation. Yet what critics of the visit overlook is the extent of the Queen's acknowledgement of Irish suffering at British hands."
And then, lastly, at the United Arab Emirates, "The National," its headline, "Queen's balancing act for Ireland visit." "As Ireland's biggest trading partner, Britain has no interest in seeing its cousin driven to bankruptcy. The 85-year-old Queen is welcome and may be all the warmer for that."
And Carol, she looked pretty good in green, I thought, today. You?
COSTELLO: A good color to wear to Ireland.
(LAUGHTER)
COSTELLO: Zain Verjee, live in London. Thank you.
Back here in the United States, Republican candidates for president are dropping like flies. Donald Trump is out because -- well, we'll leave that to you.
Mike Huckabee is out and happy. He told Politico, he has found an inexplicable inner peace, a peace that exceeds human understanding.
Other candidates have no need for peace but for political power.
Our senior political editor Mark Preston is here.
So who benefits from these dropouts?
MARK PRESTON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL EDITOR: Well, you know, there's a couple of people.
First of all, let's look at Donald Trump exit from the race. If you look at this CNN Opinion Research Corporation poll, Carol, just taken a few weeks ago, it shows that Mitt Romney would probably benefit the most. Mitt Romney is considered the frontrunner in the race, always has been considered the frontrunner. But Trump had been eating away at his numbers a little bit.
But you talk about Mike Huckabee being out of the race. And it doesn't necessarily show in this poll. But with Mike Huckabee, who appealed to social conservatives, especially in states such as Iowa and South Carolina, with him leaving the race, expect a lot of these social conservatives to start looking at Michele Bachmann. She's a congresswoman from Minnesota.
Rick Santorum, he's a former senator from Pennsylvania, and Herman Cain, he's a little-known businessman from California, was very successful. He's the former CEO of Godfather's Pizza but he talks the talk in social conservative circles -- Caro.
COSTELLO: He sure does. So on another note, just a few hours after Trump said he wouldn't run, Mitt Romney dropped his eye-popping number on us, 10.25 million.
What does that do to the race?
STEINHAUSER: Well, it certainly is going to cause some folks to reconsider how they're going to run their campaigns. You know Mitt Romney yesterday announced that he raised $10.25 billion in one day. He held a call-a-thon out in Las Vegas. About 800 people participated in it.
You know perhaps the strategy behind it is to try to scare off the likes of Mitch Daniels, he's the Indiana governor who's seriously considering running for president right now, Carol. But perhaps if he sees a number like that, maybe Mitch Daniels might give it some second thought.
But you know what? The last shoe to drop in all this, Carol, is Sarah Palin. If she gets out of the race, everything will change again -- Carol.
(LAUGHTER)
COSTELLO: Thanks so much. We appreciate it.
Mark Preston, live in Washington.
We'll have your next political update in one hour. And a reminder, for all the latest political news, go to our Web site, CNNPolitics,.com.
A panel of federal judges throwing the yellow flag and has decided the NFL lockup will remain in place, at least for now.
In five minutes, I'll ask a sports attorney who is winning and who is losing in the scramble for an NFL season.
And it's the new Internet craze, and it is incredibly dangerous. And now it has claimed its first life. Later on, we'll tell you about the strange and dangerous world of planking.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Plenty of professional photographers captured Endeavour's historic last launch, but the images and amateur caught photo has people talking.
Stefanie Gordon from Hoboken, New Jersey, took this video from the window of a Delta flight headed from West Palm Beach. You can see Endeavour right after it broke through the cloud cover. She posted it on Twitter. And don't you know it -- it's gone viral.
We start cross-country at Kennedy Space Center in Florida this morning. NASA began rolling out the space shuttle Atlantis. It is scheduled to launch this summer. It will be the final mission of the 30-year-old shuttle program.
In Shelton, Connecticut, students at Shelton High School celebrated the Endeavour launch. The advanced placement biology class designed one of the 16 science experiments onboard the shuttle. It will measure the rate of growth for specific bacteria in space.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ty Hobson-Powell.
(CHEERS)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: At the age of 15, Ty Hobson-Powell is one of the youngest graduates of the University of Baltimore. But success is nothing new. He learned Chinese at the age of 3. He graduated from high school at age of 13.
And get this -- now, he is preparing for law school and, oh, yes, he is going to get his driver's license. But he's 15 now. He's got to wait. Oh, I feel inferior.
The NFL lockout remains in place. That's the new ruling from the federal appeals court. The judge has granted the owners a stay, at least until June 3rd. That's when the same court will hear a full appeal on the legality of the lockout.
The St. Louis court's decision came as owners were offering a new proposal to the players at their mediated talks in Minneapolis. Neither side is talking publicly about that offer, but negotiations are scheduled to resume this morning.
So, joining me is sports attorney, David Cornwell.
This is so complicated. So -- I don't know -- who's the victor here in this series of rulings?
DAVID CORNWELL, SPORTS ATTORNEY: Well, certainly, the pendulum of leverage has swung in the owner's favor. Back in early March or March 11th, the players decertified this lawsuit seeking to -- an injunction to stop the lockout. Judge Nelson in the district court granted the injunction in early April. And the appeals court has now stayed the injunction.
But what's important is the court said in its decision, "We have serious doubts that the district court has jurisdiction to enjoin the league's lockout, and accordingly conclude the league has made a strong showing that it's going to win the appeal." So, not only have they issued a stay, but they've signaled that they think the league is OK in imposing a lockout. COSTELLO: So, what does that mean? I mean, negotiations are supposedly ongoing today. And another judge ordered mediation to take place. So, how does that ruling affect what's going on amongst the players?
CORNWELL: It certainly is complicated. But, you know, for lawyers, this is fascinating, to watch the pendulum swinging back and forth.
COSTELLO: Yes, for fans, it's ridiculous.
CORNWELL: For fans -- Detroit Lions fans, it's frustrating, frankly. And this is a clearest indication that this -- the legal issues are far from clear. And the only way the owners and the players are going to get back on the field is when they get into the negotiating room, negotiate a new collective bargaining agreement that both sides either say is a win/win or a lose/lose. But you can't have one winner and one loser in collective bargaining negotiations.
COSTELLO: So, supposedly, the owners have a new deal that they are going to present to the players. Do you know anything about that new deal?
CORNWELL: I don't. But in March 11th, the players walked away because they believe that the proposal that the owners made in the 11th hour was insufficient. So, unless that deal, the proposal today, is dramatically better, I don't see this getting resolved because DeMaurice Smith, who is the executive director of the players association, said on March 11th that this is the worst deal in the history of professional sports. So, we still have a long way to go.
COSTELLO: OK. I'll keep my fingers and my toes cross for an NFL season.
David, thank you so much for coming in.
CORNWELL: My pleasure.
COSTELLO: It's a growing Internet trend. And now, authorities are warning of its dangers. It's called "planking." And people are taking greater and greater risks to get the ultimate photo. It's even cost one man his life. We'll have a live report when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: OK. You probably have never heard of this. But in a very short time, "planking," as it's called, has become the world's latest craze. In planking, people lie face down, flat as a board, in unusual or scary places. A photo of the pose is then posted on the Internet.
Zain Verjee is live in London and tell us why authorities around the world are warning of its dangers.
ZAIN VERJEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is pretty nuts actually. It's taken off on fire. I've never done it.
You know, we're all -- just all talking about it a moment ago here in the newsroom because one person has died of it. He was a 20-year-old guy.
What he did was he went out on a high-rise building. He was on a balcony. And he went on the edge and kind of planked on it and lost his balance and fell and died. So, the police in Australia are cautioning people -- hey, it's fun. You can do it. But you have to be really careful where you choose to do it.
COSTELLO: So, where and when did this craze start?
VERJEE: Well, in 2009 on Facebook in Australia, you know, they started off by calling it the lying-down game and then it eventually became called "planking." And that Web site got tens and thousands of likes and now, they've started one in Norway and Ireland and other places around the world, too.
So, you pose somewhere, take a picture of yourself and then just see how cool or weird a place you can do it, Carol.
COSTELLO: OK.
VERJEE: You haven't done it before, have you?
COSTELLO: No. It just looks strange to me. Who are these people doing the planking and why are they so fascinated by it?
VERJEE: They are a lot younger than us. Not a lot. Just a little bit younger than us, Carol. The teens or mainly people in their 20s.
But it is catching on with people a lot older. And they just think it's cool and they think it's funny. You know, there was one person that did it on top of a police car. They got in trouble. There were other people planking in hospital emergency rooms. You know, they got fired.
So, the idea is to pick the coolest and weirdest place to do it in. But it's becoming an issue right now, you know? That's what people are worried about.
COSTELLO: Very strange craze. I guess be careful out there.
Zain Verjee --
VERJEE: Carol, no planking outside on the CNN sign or on the anchor desk or -- you know?
COSTELLO: Or certainly not on top of a moving pickup truck.
Thank you, Zain. We appreciate it.
VERJEE: Yes. All right.
COSTELLO: The Navy SEALs got their man two weeks ago, but left their wrecked chopper behind. And Pakistan has been in no hurry to give it back. Well, they are finally making a move. The latest live from Islamabad, next. And we cannot stop talking about the bombshell out of California. The "L.A. Times" reporting that Arnold Schwarzenegger admits to fathering a child with another woman. We'll talk about a celebrity divorce lawyer about this revelation.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Top secret stealth technology in the hands of the Pakistani government. Ever since Navy SEALs blew up their damaged chopper during the bin Laden raid, the Pentagon has been anxious to get the rest of the wreckage back. But it seemed Pakistan was in no hurry to give it back. They've since changed their tune with a handover planned for today.
Our senior international correspondent, Stan Grant, live in Islamabad.
So, what went on behind the scenes to get this chopper back, Stan?
STAN GRANT, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Carol, this appears to be all part of a goodwill gesture to try to mend this relationship between the United States and Pakistan. Of course, since the killing of Osama bin Laden, we've seen real cracks appear in this relationship.
Senator John Kerry was here yesterday for discussions with top officials here -- the president, the prime minister, the heads of the military and intelligence. And he was looking, he says, for actions, not words, to get this relationship reset.
Now, it appears that one of the concessions is they are going to hand back this helicopter, at least the tail of the helicopter that actually went down in the Osama bin Laden raid.
You may recall there was some speculation that Pakistan may, in fact, hand it over to China -- China being a long-time ally of Pakistan. But, now, it appears they have won this concession, the United States, and it is going to go back.
We haven't been able to confirm what's happened today, but it should -- it was expected to take place either today or in the coming days.
As I say, all part of trying to mend a relationship. Senator John Kerry was very blunt with the Pakistani (AUDIO BREAK) you need to decide what sort of a country you want to have. You have to decide if you want this country to be a haven for terrorists or a functioning democracy -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Stan Grant -- live in Pakistan -- thank you.
Checking our top stories now.
GRANT: -- terrorists or a functioning democracy -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Stan Grant, live in Pakistan. Thank you.
Checking our top stories now. A bombshell out of California. The "Los Angeles Times" reporting that former governor Arnold Schwarzenegger admits to fathering a child with a household staffer. That affair took place 10 years ago. Last week, he and his wife Maria Shriver announced they had separated after 25 years of marriage.
The head of the International Monetary Fund is waking up in New York's Rikers Island jail complex today. Dominique Strauss-Kahn spent the next few days there alone in a jail cell after a judge denied him bail. Strauss-Kahn is accused of sexually assaulting a maid on Saturday in his Manhattan hotel room. He goes back to court on Friday.
And some people in Louisiana are packing their stuff and leaving their homes ahead of certain flooding. Authorities are diverting water from the swollen Mississippi River to ease the damage to Baton Rouge and New Orleans.
The Cleveland Indians have the best record in baseball and reason, their hitting. Last night, the Indians really had the bats working against Kansas City. In the fourth inning you see Travis Hafner there. He had a bases clearing double. Same inning and Matt LaPorta, he doubled in two more runs for the Indians.
There he goes. Now, at this point in the game, it is 10-0. And then, Michael Brantley came up to the plate, and get this, he had a three- run homer. So at that point, right after this, it's 13-0, Indians. Now 10 of those runs scored just in the fourth inning. The Kansas City relief pitcher Vin Mazaro gave up all 10 runs plus four more in the next inning. They left the poor guy in. He was sent back down to the minors after the game. Final score, Indians, 19, Royals, 1.
Medieval times during a baseball rain delay. Players joust on the field. You'll see that and much more in sports in 20 minutes.
Now, CNN in depth. Admit it, we're all a little curious wondering what other people earn. It turns out, it's important information whether you're looking for your first job, a new career or a pay raise. And it's part of this week's in depth look at the job market.
Alison Kosik is at the New York stock exchange.
So Alison, how are our salaries determined?
ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Well, of course, these hiring managers just pull it out of the sky, Carol. Kidding. Kidding, here.
There are actually three main factors that go into what you are paid. We talked with an analysts at payscale.com and he tells us that typically the most factors are your education and your experience and your skills. And there's also location that's a huge factor. So if you live in California or New York, you've got the highest salaries. That's understandable because of the high cost of living. So that is important to know that when you go in for salary negotiation, keep in mind about those three factors so you can have some realistic expectations.
With that being said, we went ahead and picked a few industries to look at more closely starting with the legal sector. Now most people hear that and they think about lawyers making six figures, right? that's because of the additional education that you need. But it really runs the gamut here. There's the entry level law clerk who makes $30,000 and the paralegal who makes around $55,000. And no, you don't have to go to law school because most clerks and paralegals have a bachelor's degree only. So, that is something to consider since we -- some of us don't want to stay in school forever, Carol.
COSTELLO: We still know some attorneys make colossal amounts of money, much, much higher than $81,000 a year.
KOSIK: True.
COSTELLO: So I guess that comes with experience and what cases you get and what percentages you get from those cases. I don't know.
What about the jobs that don't require much education? How do those jobs fare in terms of pay?
KOSIK: Yes. You know, you think about it, Carol, within any industry, salaries are in a range and there's usually room to move up. You know, looking at the retail industry, for instance, you'll see a six-figure salary there, too. But again, that's a retail pharmacist, like the person who's maybe at your local drugstore and that requires more schooling. But, you know what, you can make a livable salary without an advanced degree. There are retail buyers, for instance, who pick what stores actually sell and they make somewhere in the range of $50,000.
Another area where you don't need as much in education to break into it at least is the hotel and restaurant sort of area. So a waiter or line clerk (sic) with a high school diploma makes only around $20,000. But if you work your way up to executive chef or hotel manager, the average jumps up to about $50,000 and you can get anywhere upwards of $65,000 for your salary. And with this industry, a lot of people wind up going to a trade school or get a two-year associate's degree.
Just keep in mind with all of this is really the theme, education and time. If you have the education, you start out at a higher salary and that can affect your career earnings. But if not, you can still get in at a low level and then you can slowly work your way up. But keep in mind, Carol, you can always wind up hitting that ceiling. But in some industries, you can make a very livable salary -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Alison Kosik reporting live from the New York Stock Exchange. Thank you.
Coming up in our next hour, more CNN news in depth. We're going to tell you how to ask for that raise you so rightly deserve.
You can find everything you need to know about America's job market right here on CNN. Find out where the jobs are, how to get them, how to keep them. All this week we're partnered with CNN Money and "TIME" magazine to dig deep on America's job hunt. For more information, check out the all-new CNNmoney.com.
It became a conservative energy mantra. And now President Obama is accused of taking a page from Sarah Palin's playbook with his latest energy plan. We'll hear from one very focal critic, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Gas prices are still high. No real relief in sight. But, wait. President Obama has a new mantra and some say it sounds an awful lot like this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SARAH PALIN, FORMER ALASKA GOVERNOR: We will drill here and drill now and now is when you can drill, drill, baby, drill. Yes. Drill, baby, drill.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Drill, baby drill. One of our favorite political opinion writers LZ Granderson is not happy with the president's latest energy plan. Leasing more land in Alaska to oil companies and drilling more out in the Gulf of Mexico.
LZ, welcome.
LZ GRANDERSON, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Hey. Thanks, Carol, for having me.
COSTELLO: Any time. Your latest piece on CNN.com knocks President Obama, but it also slams the rest of the country.
So, what did we do?
GRANDERSON: Well, we need to start embracing the idea that the earth has limited resources, not limitless resources and that there are ramifications for our drill, baby, drill. What makes for a great, great sound bite but isn't the safest, most responsible way to handle the earth's resources.
COSTELLO: Yes, but what's wrong with drilling more domestically? I mean, we can do that that while at the same time as protecting the environment if we're careful, right?
GRANDERSON: Well, that's the latter part, right? If we're careful. And what have we seen? We've seen that any time that profit is dictating the motivation of companies, is dictating the motivation of people, that they don't always want to do or seem to do the right things. That they take short-cuts and sometimes those short-cuts get ignored in the better interest of having bigger profits. And so what the piece is about is, again, looking at and reflecting our own attitudes towards energy and our own attitudes towards the resources of the earth.
COSTELLO: Something in your opinion piece caught my eye. You talk about Jimmy Carter and the famous Malaise speech when he asked Americans to be more responsible during a very bad energy crisis. And you say you want President Obama to deliver a similar speech.
But, come on. Isn't that asking for political trouble?
GRANDERSON: Well, absolutely. But, you know what, I thought he was about political trouble. I thought he was coming to the White House to not be politics as usual. And unfortunately, Saturday, I felt as if he was forced to play or felt as if he was forced to play back into the political game.
He has been hit hard about gas prices and the American public are blaming him for higher gas prices and we aren't looking at the real factors, such as what the refineries are charging and how much production they're actually doing. The price of oil being driven up by speculation and not reality.
But President Obama is becoming the face of higher gas prices and so he's been forced to play these politics and it's a little sad because I really hoped that he would be the guy that he said he would be, which would stand up for what's right and not what's politically savvy.
COSTELLO: LZ Granderson, interesting at always.
LZ's latest piece is "America, Get Real About the High Cost of Cheap Gas." You can find it at CNN.com/opinion. And if you'd like to join the conversation, leave a comment for him.
We cannot stop talking about the bombshell out of California. That Arnold Schwarzenegger admits to fathering a child with another woman. We'll talk about a celebrity divorce lawyer about this revelation.
And Bernie Madoff's wine and spirits collection is being auctioned off today. We'll tell you who is going to get the money from the sales after a break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Regular relationships busting up can be costly. But when you are talking about two mega-rich people, it's a whole new ball game. According to the Web site, Celebrity -- CelebrityNetworth.com, Arnold Schwarzenegger is worth $300 million; Maria Shriver, $100 million.
So far, the couple has only said they're separating but if they do make it official, things could get complicated.
Randy Kessler has handled a bunch of celebrity divorces and some of them pretty ugly.
RANDY KESSLER, CELEBRITY DIVORCE ATTORNEY: Yes you know, having money doesn't insulate you from being human and making silly mistake and this is another one.
COSTELLO: This goes -- kind of goes beyond a silly mistake, though. I mean, this is -- I think what makes this really heinous, according to "L.A. Times", the woman that Arnold Schwarzenegger impregnated continued to live in the house, worked with Maria Shriver. She had no idea that this -- this household employee was pregnant with her husband's child.
KESSLER: Well, you know that's the real violation. You know, we see people get beyond a one-night stand, a trip to Vegas, something's right there which may not be forgivable, maybe forgivable. But the person is right there that might have been sitting next to a dinner and sitting in her husband's bed at night. That makes it more volatile and that's probably what caused the end of the whole relationship.
COSTELLO: So Maria Shriver comes out and says, you know, we're going to separate. He comes out and says, "We're working on our relationship." Do you believe them?
KESSLER: I believe both of them. You know people have different perspectives. As a divorce lawyer, a lot of times, what we see is if the light bulb goes off for one person at a different time then it goes off to the other person. You know, rarely do both people at the same exact moment and time say, right now we both decided we want a divorce.
COSTELLO: So if Maria Shriver would come to you and say, hey, I've got to get a divorce, I can't take this anymore. What would be the first move? Do they -- do you think they have a pre-nup? I mean what would your advice to her be?
KESSLER: I would say, let's keep it out of the limelight, let me contact his lawyer and let's go to lunch. Let's just talk about what do we want to do so we're all on the same page and I'll try to do it privately if at all possible.
COSTELLO: Oh they both make, they are both worth a colossal amount of money. So in those cases where both people are enormously wealthy, is there a big fight over money?
KESSLER: It depends; look, Elin and Tiger, she was going to be fine if she had 10 percent of his wealth. Who knows what she ultimately got. But you know, sometimes money can't solve everything but it makes you feel a little better about what the other side did.
COSTELLO: So it becomes a vengeance kind of thing.
KESSLER: Often it does.
COSTELLO: Oh so it could get really ugly. Or -- or they could get together. I mean have you known cases similar to this where the parties have said we can forgive and then they get back together and live happily ever after.
KESSLER: Absolutely. It's when someone doesn't care anymore, and they're apathetic then it's over. But when there's passion and there's anger, there's often reconciliation. So who knows?
COSTELLO: Yes, who knows?
I don't know, I have my doubts on this case but you could be right. Randy Kessler, many thanks for joining us this morning.
KESSLER: Thanks for having me.
COSTELLO: Checking stories cross the country now, a member of the rap group called Swag District died Sunday night in a drive-by shooting at Englewood, California. Police say someone in another car shot M-Bone twice. His real name was Monte Talbert, his group Cali Swag District is known for the hit song, "Teach Me How to Dougie".
We're getting word comedian Jerry Lewis will retire after this year's muscular dystrophy telethon. Lewis who is 85 hosted that telethon for the past 45 years. In a statement Lewis says he will continue to serve as president of the Muscular Dystrophy Association. And he adds, "I'll never desert my kids".
And Bernie Madoff's wine and spirits collections will be auctioned off today in New York. The U.S. Marshall's office confiscated it. Proceeds will go towards Madoff's victims.
Sometimes in baseball, you have to go against an unwritten rule like pinch-hitting for the pitcher in an extra-inning game. We'll show you what happened when the Marlins let their pitcher bat.
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COSTELLO: Taking a look at stories making news: later today in Washington, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar is testifying before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee at 10:00 Eastern. He'll talk about initiative to improve oil and gas production on federal lands and offshore.
Also in the nation's capital, five senators are holding an 11:30 Eastern news conference encouraging their colleagues to pass legislation setting aside additional airways for first responders.
And at the White House, President Obama and King Abdullah of Jordan will meet this morning. They'll make a joint statement at 12:05 Eastern.
We're following a lot of developments in the next hour of the CNN Newsroom. Let's check in first with Stan Grant in Islamabad, Pakistan.
STAN GRANT, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Senator John Kerry left Pakistan with a fairly blunt message and that is that he wants to see action and not words in trying to fix the relationship with the U.S and go after the militants. While at the same time the U.S. reportedly talking to the Taliban.
More at the top of the hour. CASEY WIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A week after announcing he was going to separate from his wife, Maria Shriver, former California governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger has admitted he fathered a child out of wedlock. I'll have details coming up in the next hour.
DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And I'm Deb Feyerick, out of New York. The man at the center of trying to fix Europe's debt crisis sits alone isolated in a prison on Riker's Island. We'll have that coming up -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Thanks to all of you.
Sports figures coming out of the closet.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Using gay to mean dumb or stupid, not cool.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Not cool.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Not in my house, not anywhere.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's not creative.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's offensive to gay people and you're better than that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: And they're getting support from their colleagues. It's a topic of discussion I'll have with L.Z. Granderson in our next hour.
Some people in Louisiana are sticking it out despite orders to leave their homes because of imminent flooding -- because of imminent flooding. Up to 25,000 homes could be flooded because of the decision to open a spillway to spare New Orleans and Baton Rouge.
CNN's John King flew over the flood area with the Louisiana Governor, Bobby Jindal.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BOBBY JINDAL, GOVERNOR, LOUISIANA: These are tough people, they're resilient people. They've been through a lot. They've been through four hurricanes; they've been through flood spill. They'll get through this.
I've talked to a lot of families. Nobody's happy about it, but they're moving their property, they know exactly where they will evacuate. The good news is if you give them the amount of time they had, the forecast, they're doing what they can to help secure property.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: And you can see more of that tonight on "JOHN KING USA"; that's at 7:00 Eastern on CNN.
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COSTELLO: Time to talk sports now.
The Florida Marlins and the New York Mets were playing extra innings and Florida manager, Edwin Rodriguez, had a tough decision. Bring in a pinch hitter or let the pitcher Burke Badenhop back. The pitcher, who only had one hit in his career, he has a single and it actually scored the winning run, decidedly RBI. Badenhop was the game's winning pitcher and guess what, he's upped his batting average to 0.083.
The Boston Red Sox were down 6-0 half-way through their game with Baltimore. In the bottom of the 9th, Adrian Gonzalez, he completes their come back. (INAUDIBLE) rolled a ball, doubling off the Green Monster, two runners score; Sox have a walk off win, 8-7.
Tiger Woods says he'll be back for the U.S. Open next month. Woods withdrew from the Players' Championship last week after just nine holes. On his Website, Woods said he irritated his previously injured knee and Achilles but did not make them any worse. Woods will continue treatment for the injuries.
You'd think a soccer goalie would know how to hold on to things, but the goalie on the Dutch National Team, he actually -- there it goes. He actually dropped the championship trophy off the back of that bus. The trophy had apparently got tangled up in electrical wires.
If you think you've seen soccer trophies being dropped before, you'd be right. After Real Madrid won the Spanish Cup last month, a player dropped the trophy from the bus. You remember that one. It's nice to look at it again, though, isn't it?
And who says baseball rain delays are boring. Check out this clip from a college game. Players from Radford and High Point face off in a jousting -- that's where they had bats and they were jousting. Not in their trusty steeds. Took them into battle and there you see it, boom, the crowd loved it and by the looks of it, the guys did, too.