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New Report on Catholic Church Sex Scandal; 513 Immigrants in 2 Trucks; No Pumps for Mississippi Delta

Aired May 18, 2011 - 14:00   ET

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

RANDI KAYE, CNN ANCHOR: We begin this hour with a stunning new report on the sex abuse scandal in the Catholic Church and who or what is to blame.

A five-year study by researchers at John Jay College in New York finds the sexual and social turmoil of the 1960s and '70s is to blame for priests who abuse children, not homosexuality or the all-male celibate priesthood. The nation's Roman Catholic bishops commissioned the nearly $2 million study.

I'm joined now by Mary Ross Agosta. She is the communications director for the Archdiocese of Miami.

Mary, thanks for coming on the show today to talk about this.

Some critics may argue that the blame Woodstock explanation is an attempt to shift responsibility from church leaders. What's your take?

MARY ROSS AGOSTA, COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR, ARCHDIOCESE OF MIAMI: Well, I think we need to look at this in the big picture. You know, clearly, the bishops of the United States responded very strongly back in 2002 when this whole thing erupted. And I think what we're seeing today with this report is the continuation of the bishops' commitment to their promise back in Dallas in 2002, when they crafted and drafted the charter, which was we promise to keep our children safe and this will never happen in the Church again.

Now, we can take a look at the report and say this and that. Many of these points have been made over the years already. And I know, you know, the Catholic Church has taken its many, many hits about the homosexuality issue, as well as the celibacy issue. And I think, clearly, not only this document, but certainly the medical field, will tell you that because one is gay does not make them a pedophile, does not make them a child abuser.

And so we will continue to keep our promise of protecting God's children. This gives us some critical points to also continue to lead within discussion, and that's what this is. What did we learn? Like any other crisis, any corporation that's been through a crisis, what did we learn from this?

KAYE: Right. But let me ask you, because, you know, will this really change things? Because some are already saying that the report doesn't include recommendations for far-reaching reforms. AGOSTA: Well, I think then that's not accurate, because what I'm saying is we have 195 dioceses in this country, and from that charter in Dallas in 2002 came many elements of proactive work by every individual diocese or archdiocese to work forward to keep that promise, and that is keeping children safe. And the proactive part is certainly the national background checks, the training of parents, adults, and volunteers, and clergy. Clergy was also included as well.

And we're also training our children, you know, how to be kept safe, not just in school or in a church property, but in day-to-day lives. You can't pick up a newspaper today and see where some abuse has gone on. We feel now we are taking the role to keep our children safe, and anybody who's willing to move forward with us and be committed to that -- because as we all learned many, many years ago, it does take a village to keep our children safe, which is the reason why we train our adults, we train our volunteers.

KAYE: Right. Right.

AGOSTA: I think what this study does for us, and the most important part for me is, is that, does this help us move away from the crisis symbol that we have? And I think it does.

You know, it shows the commitment. We will never stop moving forward to protect our children, and it just shows the continued commit of the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops and every archdiocese here.

KAYE: OK. Mary Ross Agosta, appreciate your feeling on that. Thank you for coming on.

AGOSTA: Thank you, Randi.

KAYE: Now I want to show you an x-ray like none you've ever seen before.

Take a look at this with me. These are people actually crammed into a tractor-trailer in Mexico. They shouldn't have been in the tractor, nor in Mexico, nor, actually, in the United States, ,where this rig and another like it were allegedly headed.

They were stopped yesterday in the southern state of Chiapas. That's near Mexico border's with Guatemala, 513 migrants who authorities say paid $7,000 each to make a journey that's not just illegal, but dangerous, and in the words of Mexico's National Migration Institute, "inhumane."

And where were these people coming from? Well, this, too, is going to surprise you, I'm sure. They came from not just Central America, but from China, Nepal, India, and even Japan.

CNN's Rafael Romo is covering this story for us. He joins me now from Atlanta.

Rafael, I hear the word "Japan," these people coming from Japan. We're not used to hearing that. RAFAEL ROMO, SR. LATIN AMERICAN AFFAIRS EDITOR: From all over the world, Randi, and this is not the first time. We're seeing more and more immigrants coming from all over the world, to Mexico specifically, with the purpose of trying to cross illegally into the United States.

And what you're dealing with here are international criminal organizations that smuggle people from all over the world, as we heard before. Some people paid as much as $7,000. And the fact that they come from so far away, it tells you that this is a network that reaches across the world, to Asia and other continents.

And one of the things that I was taking a look at, Randi, that caught my attention, is that 273 people were in one of these trucks, 240 in the other. They were traveling in conditions that are worse than the way normally cattle is shipped around the country. So it was just an incredible sight for the first officers who responded to the scene in the Mexican state of Chiapas.

KAYE: Yes. I'm wondering, Rafael -- and maybe you know -- how many trucks like these get through for every one that gets caught?

ROMO: That's a very good question, Randi, and very difficult to determine.

What has been happening in that part of the country is that Mexican officials have increased the presence of military and police, and have made stops before. Earlier this month, on May 10th, they stopped 183 migrants in very similar conditions. They all came from places like Guatemala, El Salvador, Ecuador, but also immigrants from Nepal, from India, form Sri Lanka, countries that are very, very far away from Mexico -- Randi.

KAYE: Rafael Romo.

Such interesting information. And what an incredible x-ray. Thank you so much for bringing us that.

Greenville, Mississippi, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, I wish I could say the worst of your flooding is over, but at least the water shouldn't be getting any higher. The hugely swollen Mississippi River is cresting as we speak in both those cities far above flood stage, and it will crest through the weekend at cities in between.

But not getting higher isn't the same as going down. And getting back anywhere normal levels will take many, many weeks. That's many weeks of continued stress and strain on levees and floodwalls. But those aren't the only source of protection.

Pumps can mean the different between disaster and mere dampness. So why doesn't south Mississippi have any?

CNN's Rob Marciano tried to find out.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) PETER NIMROD, CHIEF ENGINEER, MISSISSIPPI LEVEE BOARD: We have about 300,000 acres under water today in the Yazoo backwater area. If we had a pump in place, we would still have about 200,000 under water, but that would include mostly trees.

ROB MARCIANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The plan was to build the world's largest hydraulic pump to help drain Mississippi's share of the Mississippi River Delta.

Levee board president Peter Nimrod says it's been approved since 1941, but still no pump.

NIMROD: Everyone needs flood protection, everybody's got it except for the Mississippi South Delta. So, absolutely, I think we deserve our pumping plant.

MARCIANO (on camera): The pumps move water from one area to the next, potentially drying out what could be wetlands. Here in Louisiana, there's lots of pump stations. A lot of them have been around for a long time, too. The modern-day EPA was not happy to have another one built.

BEN GRUMBLES, FMR. EPA ADMINISTRATOR FOR WATER: The wetlands and floodplains are the first line of defense, and so this massive project that would have harmed or destroyed 67,000 acres of wetlands was vetoed by the U.S. EPA.

MARCIANO (voice-over): The levee board claims almost 600,000 acres would be reforested.

NIMROD: We decided, let's make this project good for the environment, as well as for the economics. And what you came out with at the end was a project that was good for both the environment and the economics. So it was a win-win for everybody and everything.

MARCIANO: Critics say the only winners would be a few heavily- subsidized farmers whose land would be drained. The EPA says the environment would be the loser.

GRUMBLES: This is such a rich area, a rich area for the fish and wildlife, and for the water fowl who are migrating. It's a flyaway for the north -- for the continent. There's just too much at stake to build the world's largest pump system.

MARCIANO: The water continues to rise at the confluence of the Mississippi and Yazoo rivers, and a levee there near the proposed pump site is close to overtopping. If it fails, much more than farmland would flood.

NIMROD: That would flood 1.2 million acres, it would flood 4,000 homes. The towns would be completely under water.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAYE: The cost of a Mississippi Delta pumping system, if one were approved, is estimated at $220 million. New explosive details about the scandal surrounding Arnold Schwarzenegger, his housekeeper and their son. "The New York Times" reports the child Schwarzenegger fathered with his housekeeper is a boy.

We spoke with TMZ's Harvey Levin in the last hour, who got a hold of the boy's birth certificate. And we know now from that that he's actually 13 years old.

His mother was working in the house, pregnant, at the same time Maria Shriver was pregnant with the couple's youngest child. In fact, Levin says Shriver and the housekeeper gave birth just a week apart, and Schwarzenegger's illegitimate son reportedly looks strikingly like the former governor.

We'll have more on this stunning detail in our revealing interview with Harvey Levin of TMZ in just one minute.

But while the scandal continues to unfold, Maria Shriver is proving that she is no shrinking violet. She made a special appearance in Chicago as part of Oprah's last show taping. Shriver smiled, she looked pretty happy, but did not talk to any of the media that was hanging out back stage.

But what about the Schwarzenegger kids? Well, their 17-year-old son Patrick changed his last name on his Twitter account to "Shriver." He posted this: "Some days you feel like (EXPLETIVE DELETED), some days you want to quit and just be normal for a bit, yet I love my family till death do us part."

And his 21-year-old sister Katherine was also tweeting. She writes, "This is definitely not easy, but I appreciate your love and support as I begin to heal and move forward in life. I will always love my family."

But there is more -- and I mean much more -- shocking new details about the Schwarzenegger's housekeeper, her affair with the actor and their son. You don't want to miss what TMZ executive producer Harvey Levin revealed to us.

We will have all of that for you next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: Arnold Schwarzenegger's stunning secret is unraveling even more. The housekeeper reported to be pregnant at the same time as Maria Shriver. A teen boy said to strongly resemble Schwarzenegger and his other children. All the clues were there under the same roof right under their noses.

And we're learning even more. We spoke with TMZ's executive producer, Harvey Levin, who revealed new details that just may shock you.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) KAYE: Harvey, new details since we spoke yesterday. There are pictures of this housekeeper and the son fathered by Schwarzenegger with her. You've seen them.

I'm curious what your impressions are. What does he look like?

HARVEY LEVIN, EXECUTIVE PRODUCER, TMZ: Well, we have it up on the Web site, Randi, and it is stunning.

We didn't put the full face of the boy up, but I'm telling you, he is just a spitting image of Arnold Schwarzenegger. I mean, the lips and the teeth are just really a ringer.

And, you know, it's funny. Now he's got kind of that Conan-type look.

He's actually 13 now. And we got the birth certificate. And this boy was born one week apart from Maria and Arnold's son Christopher. So they were indeed pregnant at the same time, birth separated by one week.

Arnold is not listed on the birth certificate of this boy. Her husband at the time is listed. But we know that she has protected Arnold in this from the beginning.

KAYE: Do we know when Arnold actually found out that she was pregnant or had his son?

LEVIN: We're told he had no idea during her pregnancy, that she told him when he was a toddler -- the boy, like I said, is 13 now, but when he was a toddler, we're told Arnold found out. He has taken care of her ever since, and the boy, the way it was put to us, generously.

I know there's something out there that she threatened him. We're told that's not the case, that this woman, as a matter of fact, when TMZ and the "L.A. Times" got on to this story about a week and a half ago, that the woman told The Times, absolutely not, not Arnold's child. So she's been trying to protect him ever since he started supporting her.

KAYE: Harvey, I'm really curious about who actually started the. Do you have any indication as to who was pursuing who with this affair? I mean, was she after him, was he after her? And when exactly did they get together? Because she didn't even sleep at the house overnight, as I understand it.

LEVIN: All good questions, Randi.

The information we have, and what she has told, you know, people in her world is that she pursued him, and aggressively pursued him. And that what happened was, in the morning, when Maria would leave to take the kids to school or whatnot, that's when they would get together and had unprotected sex. This is what she was telling her friends as well.

But it happened in the house. At least this is what she told her friends, in the house. And, you know, as a matter of fact, they had a baby shower. And so much of this -- we have pictures of the baby shower.

KAYE: Wait. They had a baby shower for her?

LEVIN: She had a baby shower, and some of Arnold's staff showed up at the baby shower. And Arnold and Maria gave her lots of presents while she was pregnant. So it's all kind of intertwined.

KAYE: Yikes. That just sounds ugly.

How much interaction, do you know -- did Maria Shriver and her children have with the housekeeper and this child?

LEVIN: You've got to understand, I mean, this is a house. And it doesn't matter that it's a big house. It's a house.

She was the -- you know, the person who cooked. She cleaned. You know, I mean, he had a cook, but she did laundry. I mean, she was all over the house, and she was there for a couple of decades.

So she interacted with everybody. With everybody.

There is more that we haven't put on the Web site yet, kind of interesting -- a couple of interesting stories that we will put up, but she was all over this. And, you know, everybody knew everybody in the house, so this was not somebody who was hoisted away.

KAYE: Yes. And she's retired now, right?

LEVIN: Retired now, living in Bakersfield in a -- I want to say -- my recollection is four-bedroom house with a swimming pool. So it's a nice house that she's living in with three other kids.

But I'll tell you, the one we're talking about, this boy, who's very athletic, does charity work, everybody thinks he's a great kid. He really looks like Arnold Schwarzenegger.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAYE: Oh, yes. That was a whole lot of information there to digest.

Well, we want to hear from you on this. We want to hear what you think. So be sure to join the conversation on our blog, CNN.com/Ali. You can also post on either Ali's or my Facebook and Twitter pages and let us know what you think about this whole affair and all those new tidbits of information.

So, what would you do if, without warning, your child was questioned by the Secret Service? It happened to a 13-year-old, and his mom is outraged. But there's much more to this story, and we have the details for you next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) KAYE: Let's get to the Pentagon, where Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Joint Chiefs Chairman Mike Mullen have been talking about the raid that killed Osama bin Laden and whether Pakistan might have known more than it actually led on.

CNN's Barbara Starr has been listening.

And Barbara, both men saying there's no evidence Pakistani leaders knew of the bin Laden compound. Correct?

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: No evidence, Randi, but at this press conference that was just concluded, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said it was his supposition that somebody in Pakistan had to have known bin Laden was there. That led to reporters asking a round of questions about whether Pakistan should pay some sort of price for having sheltered bin Laden, regardless of who knew.

I want you to listen to Secretary Gates' rather extraordinary answer.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERT GATES, DEFENSE SECRETARY: If I were in a Pakistani shoes, I would say I've already paid a price. I've been humiliated, I've been shown that the Americans can come in here and do this with impunity. And I think we have to be -- I think we have to recognize that they see a cost in that and a price that has been paid.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STARR: Now, look, there's no question there has been this undercurrent of embarrassment in Pakistan and with the government and the military there since the raid. But for a U.S. secretary of defense to speak of humiliation for such a close ally in the Islamic world, I can't remember another case where someone that runs the Pentagon has used that choice of word -- Randi.

KAYE: Yes, I can't either. And you've certainly been there a lot longer than I've been following it.

But, Barbara, what about the gusher of information in the aftermath of what had been the most secret of missions?

STARR: Yes, exactly, the most covert of missions in years, and everybody's been talking about it since the night it happened.

You know, we asked about that because we already know that Defense Secretary Gates is mad about the amount of information that has come out. But Admiral Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs, had plenty to say about this, and he wasn't happy either.

Have a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ADMIRAL MIKE MULLEN, CHAIRMAN, JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF: We have, from my perspective, gotten to a point where we are close to jeopardizing this precious capability that we have, and we can't afford to do that. This fight isn't over, first of all.

Secondly, when you now extend that to concern with individuals in the military and their families, from my perspective, it is time to stop talking. And we have talked far too much about this. We need to move on. It's a story that if we don't stop talking, it will never end, and it needs to.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STARR: Now, Admiral Mullen's view and the view of many in the military is just too much has been said, operational security has been put at risk, that they would have problems doing a mission like this again because everybody knows how they are done and that military troops are concerned about this for themselves and their families, their security, when the bad guys out there know who they are, what units they are, that they may try and find them. So, there's a lot of undercurrent here now about too much having been said. That doesn't mean reporters aren't going to keep asking questions, of course.

KAYE: Including you, Barbara.

STARR: Exactly.

KAYE: All right. Thank you very much.

Barbara Starr for us at the Pentagon.

Our next story is about a phone call no parent ever wants to get, like one that tells you, hey, guess what? Your child is being questioned by the U.S. Secret Service.

It turns out 13-year-old Vito LaPinta was removed from his classroom and questioned by the Secret Service, apparently without his mother's consent or knowledge. The incident was triggered by a posting on his Facebook about President Obama. Here's Vito's account.

He says, "I was saying how Osama bin Laden is dead and for President Obama to be careful because there might be suicide bombers."

Well, it turns out there's more to it than that. A spokesman with the U.S. Attorney's Office in Seattle, Washington, told CNN that Vito's Facebook posting included expletives, especially the last five words, which were "Suicide bomb. Obama, suck it." That's the exact quote.

She says that's what prompted the Secret Service to determine if there was a credible threat. She also says that throughout the interview, school officials were present.

So there you have it. That is the latest on that story.

Meanwhile, 26 minutes past the hour. Time to update our other top stories. More details emerging since former California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger admitted to fathering a child with a household staffer. TMZ's Harvey Levin told us earlier today that the child is a boy, 13 years old. They've seen the birth certificate.

Levin also says the mother was working in the home while she was pregnant at the same time Schwarzenegger's wife, Maria Shriver, was pregnant with the couple's youngest child. The children were born a week apart.

The Mississippi River is heading for a historic crest at Vicksburg in less than 24 hours. It's expected to peak at least a foot above the 1927 record. And in Louisiana, the governor expects the record flood levels to last more than one month. A snake advisory -- snake advisory -- has also been issued in that state.

New developments related to the arrest of the head of the International Monetary Fund. The 32-year-old Guinea-born maid who has accused Dominique Strauss-Kahn of sexual assault is set to testify today before a grand jury in a Manhattan criminal court, according to her attorney and a source with knowledge of the case.

More on this developing story, of course, throughout the afternoon.

So what if you got rid of red lights and traffic flow actually improved? See how one city made it work, next. More details.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: We all dread sitting at red lights, right? It's a waste of time and gas. But one city found a way around the traffic light problems. CNN's Tom Foremen spoke with the mayor of Carmel, Indiana to see how his idea came full circle.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MAYOR JAMES BRAINARD, CARMEL, INDIANA: That's what saves the gas. You start from zero.

TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): North of Indianapolis in the suburb of Carmel, Mayor James Brainard has been going around in circles for years over traffic jams.

BRAINARD: Roundabouts work everywhere.

FOREMAN: He has done away with traffic lights at 80 percent of his town's major intersections, replacing them with roundabouts, whirlpools of traffic that keep people moving.

BRAINARD: It's made a huge difference in the way our city looks and feels and the way people get around.

FOREMAN: Roundabouts -- not to be confused with bigger more intimidating rotaries on the East Coast -- are designed to smoothly sweep drivers in from any direction, slowly guide them around, and just as easily let them out and on their way.

Since cars don't stop, commuters save time and officials say use 30 percent less gas at intersections.

BRAINARD: A roundabout can handle about four to five times the amount of traffic in the same amount of time that a stop light intersection can have.

FOREMAN: The mayor says intersection accidents are also way down, improving insurance rates and the city saves money, too.

BRAINARD: We don't have to buy a $150,000 signal. We don't have to buy electricity every year. We don't have to replace it after 15 years when all that mechanical equipment wears out.

FOREMAN: Some drivers and pedestrians don't like roundabouts, but local officials insist this simple idea is building up the quality of life here, and that's building up the business climate all around.

Tom Foreman, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAYE: He is hoping to become the next president, but this is one man who won't be casting a vote for Newt Gingrich. His glitzy protest against the Republican candidate is straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: It is half past the hour. Time to check the headlines and other news that you may have missed.

Mexican authorities are detaining more than 500 illegal immigrants who were apparently headed to the U.S. They say the immigrants from Central America and Asia were packed signed two tractor-trailers. X-ray equipment spotted them inside the semi trucks at check points in the southern state of Chiapas near the Guatemala border yesterday. There's the X-ray. A local attorney general said they each paid $7,000 in hopes of reaching the U.S. Mexico's National Migration Institute says they had been traveling in inhumane conditions.

The Obama administration slapped new sanction on Syrian president Bashar al-Assad and six other senior Syrian officials for their deadly crackdown on anti-government protests. It's the first time the U.S. has targeted the Syrian leader for the actions of his security forces. The move will freeze any assets Assad and the other officials have in the U.S. It will also make it illegal for Americans to do business with them. Since March, Syrian anti-government protesters have taken to the streets demanding government reforms. The United Nations said the government crackdown has killed as many as 850 people.

We're learning new details about former California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's secret son. TMZ's Harvey Levin reports the 13-year-old boy looks a whole lot like his father. The teen's mother worked for Schwarzenegger and his wife, Maria Shriver. In fact, Levin says Shriver and the other woman were pregnant at the same time and gave birth just one week apart. A source close to Schwarzenegger says he apologized to his family earlier this week.

Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich probably never saw this one coming.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NICK ESPINOSA, ACTIVIST: Kill the rainbow, Newt (ph)! Stop the hate! Stop anti-gay politics, dividing our country and it's not fixing our economy!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: Activist Nick Espinosa dumped a box of glitter on Gingrich at a book signing in Minneapolis yesterday to protest his stance on gay marriage. We do not know who shot this video. However, it was posted on what appears to be a liberal blog, but amongst other issues is pro-gay rights.

By the way, that same guy dumped 2,000 pennies on a Republican gubernatorial candidate last year as a tip to protest his stance on server pay and immigration. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: Osama bin Laden is dead, but his terrorist group, al Qaeda, is no longer with a leader. Saif Al-Adel has been named al Qaeda's interim chief. Michael Holmes joins us now with more on just who he is, and Michael what have you been able to find out about him?

MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, well, this guy was born in Egypt, Randi. He was actually a former Egyptian special forces officer. He was in the military in Egypt. And he's had a pretty prominent role in al Qaeda for some time. He actually fought against the Soviets during the Soviet/Afghan war. So, he has been around. He's part of the organization.

KAYE: So, why appoint him only as a caretaker, as they're calling it?

HOLMES: Yes, this was interesting. There was a feeling among the leadership, we're told, that they needed to move quickly. The Jihadist community was growing a little restive, if you like, about the lack of a formal announcement of a successor.

Now, also there's a school of thought that because he's Egyptian -- that's another reason to have it as a temporary thing. The leadership wants to see how he's accepted because many people in al Qaeda want the leader to come from the Arabian Peninsula. It's seen as a more holy region than Egypt.

KAYE: You know, this raises the question, doesn't it, of what impact this move might have, if any, on bin Laden's long-time deputy and really presumed successor, Ayman al-Zawahiri. HOLMES: A-ha! Who also comes from Egypt. So, that's how that plays in, that whole Egypt thing, too. Maybe they're seeing how that will go.

In the meantime there's very little evidence that al-Zawahiri has the charisma of bin Laden nor is respected in the same way as bin Laden, who was in many ways, loved by those who followed him.

KAYE: Yes. And any impact this might have on the Afghan Taliban, do you think?

HOLMES: Yes, well, it's an opportunity in a way, if you like, for the Taliban in Afghanistan to disassociate itself from al Qaeda. You know, bin Laden before 9/11 swore allegiance to the Taliban leader Mullah Omar. Now, Mullah Omar, under pressure from NATO as well, might now take the view that there's no need for any new leader do this. So, it could be a window of opportunity, if you like, for the Taliban to break away from al Qaeda.

KAYE: Yes.

If we can, let's turn to Pakistan now. More than 60 militants attacked a security checkpoint today, killing two security personnel. This comes a day after NATO says two of its choppers were fired on from Pakistan. It seems, Michael, that this adds even more strain to the U.S. -Pakistan relationship.

HOLMES: Yes, as if they needed it, Randi! This one happened outside the northwestern city of Peshawar, which is pretty close to the Afghan border, actually. There's been no claim of responsibility, but, you know, militants linked to the Taliban and al Qaeda have, of course, been increasing attacks in the aftermath of Osama bin Laden's death.

KAYE: And the chopper incident?

HOLMES: Yes, this was interesting. This is a case of - well, there's two sides to every story. This happened as the NATO choppers were flying along the Afghan/Pakistan border. Now, the NATO side, the U.S. side is that they received fire and then they returned fire. Pakistan says two of its soldiers were wounded in this, by the way. But Pakistan, they've lodged a strong protest. They're already outraged over the mission that killed bin Laden. They're saying that the U.S. planes flew over the border and were then fired on by Pakistan troops.

KAYE: And what's this about CIA flying stealth drones over Bin Laden's compound months before the raid?

HOLMES: Yes, talk about high tech. This is out of "The Washington Post." It's an interesting read, too. Dozens of secret drone missions apparently conducted by drones that were designed to evade radar. You know, stealth drones, if you like. In fact, had similar wing configurations of the stealth fighters you think (ph).

This is all just another indication of the mistrust the U.S. had for Pakistan, that even in the buildup to this, they were watching from afar and secretly.

KAYE: Yes, apparently.

To Ireland now and Queen Elizabeth's historic visit. This is her second day there. What do you know?

HOLMES: I swear you're the United States' most ardent loyalist, Randi.

Yes, this is actually a very important trip. And it was a very important stop that she made today. She went to a place called Croak Park. It's a stadium.

Now, this is an very important and delicate place for Irish people. It's where British troops opened fire on a crowd watching a Gaelic football match. That happened in 1920. Thirteen spectators and actually one player who was out there on the field were killed. That followed IRA assassinations of British figures earlier in the weeks. So, it was a reprisal thing, but it was just very brutal. So, obviously a very sensitive place.

KAYE: And what else has she been doing today? Is she getting out and about?

HOLMES: Indeed she is. She met with the Irish prime minister, Enda Kenny, and later, she laid a wreath at the National War Memorial Gardens, a tribute to the almost 50,000 Irish soldiers who died in Wilborn. She's going to be speaking at a state dinner tonight, too, which is interesting because it's the only time she'll be speaking on this trip publicly.

KAYE: Fascinating trip for the queen. Thank you, Michael. Good to see you.

HOLMES: You, too, Randi.

KAYE: So, what would you say if I told you that I could giving you some of your money back, money that you're actually throwing away? For example, most of us waste money even on our basic bills. Think you're saving on bundled cable, Internet, and phone packages? Nope. Total waste! Some of us pay $100 but only spend, well, maybe half.

Up next, we have more big money wasters in our "Big Breakdown." And yes, we're all guilty. Just keep it here.

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KAYE: We have more money wasters in today's "Big Breakdown." Starting with ATMs. Consumer Credit Counseling estimates many people waste up to $40 a month, almost $500 a year on ATM fees. If only you could hit that jackpot, right? Financial analysts say people on average spend up to $20 a week on lottery tickets, hoping to get rich quick, but the reality is you have a better chance of getting struck by lightning, which means many of us waste more than $1,000 a year on that lottery pipe dream. OK, fine. But you need your coffee and caffeine jolt, right? I hope my producers on the show are listening, because boy, they spend some money on that! A few bucks here at the coffee shop seems like no big deal. But do the math. Most of us spend nearly $386 a year. For you daily drinkers, yes, multiple that by three.

Another habit, smoking could be costing you big money. On average, $280 a month. That's nearly $3,400 a year.

Then there's the infomercial, only $19.95 now, right? What a deal! Certainly sounds that way. Well, Consumer Credit Counselors says some impulse buyers waste $200 a month making infomercials a $400 billion industry.

Here's one that we're probably all guilty of, too: buying popular brand names instead of generic. Well, consumer experts say you're just shelling out more money for the prettier packaging, not exactly quality. We're talking about wasting at least $50 to $75 a month.

Now, this one is big, so pay attention. Eating out. Get your calculators and your wallets out, because according to mint.com, most of us on average fork out $2,341 a year at restaurants. More than 2,000 bucks! And that doesn't even include alcohol.

And that New Year's resolution to get fit? Well most of us gym no-shows, as we like to call ourselves, wasted anywhere from $30 to $75 a month. Gyms are smart, you know. Most of those were automatic withdrawals.

We even waste money on daily Internet deals. We're talking deep discounts, but you only have limited time to save big. Tempting, right? Of course! But analysts say 20 percent of those deep-discount vouchers are actually never redeemed. That's a whopping $532 million wasted.

So, with the U.S. hitting its debt ceiling, is it time to start selling off assets to pay down the debt? Should the U.S. sell off land or highways or even the gold in Fort Knox? Today's Stream Team takes on this topic next.

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KAYE: The United States hit its debt ceiling on Monday while Congress continues to battle about the nation's budget. Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner told Congress he would have to suspend investments in federal retirement funds until August 2nd. So essentially, if lawmakers don't work something out by then, the United States will no longer be able to pay its bills in full.

Some have questioned whether this is the time for the government to start selling its holdings of gold at Fort Knox as well as other assets. Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul thinks it's a good move as well as The Heritage Foundation. An analyst at The Heritage Foundation says that "given the high price it is now and the tremendous debt problem we now have, by all means, sell at the peak." So, the question for today's Stream Team is should the U.S. liquidate assets to pay off the debt? Donna Cooper is a senior fellow with the economic policy team at the Center for American Progress. Patty Briguglio is the president of MMI Public Relations. Mark Skoda is the founder and chairman of the Memphis Tea Party.

Mark, I want to start with you. Is selling of the gold reserves a good idea, do you think?

MARK SKODA, FOUNDER & CHAIRMAN, MEMPHIS TEA PARTY (via Skype): Well, you know, I saw the Heritage analysis, and they suggested that even at current levels that would generate about $390 billion over 15 years. In the 1990s, a number of northern European countries did that, and they actually found their currency decreased by 26 percent post-sale of gold.

I think it's a bad idea. It's miniscule compared to the $1.6 trillion deficit we're currently experiencing. And I think we really have a structural problem of entitlements has to be fixed before we sell gold.

KAYE; And Patty, if not gold, are there other assets the government should sell, do you think?

PATTY BRIGUGLIO, PRESIDENT, MMI PUBLIC RELATIONS: No. I mean, this is absolutely idiotic. We have a problem with spending, and what we need to do is to -- Congress needs to learn what every small business owner knows and that we live with everyday. Stop spending. Live within your revenue. Selling off our assets will not produce income. It's a idiotic, stupid idea.

KAYE: And Donna, we know that Gordon Brown in the U.K. sold off gold to pay off debt. What did you think of that?

DONNA COOPER, SENIOR FELLOW, ECONOMIC POLIYC AT THE CENTER FOR AMERICAN PROGRESS: Well, unfortunately the minute a nation decides they're going to sell off gold, they drive the price of gold down. That's what happened to Gordon Brown. The British looking back on that think they took an $8 billion hit.

So, it's not a good strategy. If we had a temporary problem we were trying to solve, it might make sense to think about under- utilized assets. But we have a long-term problem that requires us to think about how our tax code is structured, what we spend our money on and make long-term changes to the structure of the budget.

KAYE: So, Donna, what if the government sold valuable property like the New York Federal Reserve Building in Manhattan?

COOPER: Well, it's certainly valuable. So, it's tempting to think about doing that. And maybe it makes sense. But we have to think about where would those employees be moved? What would be the cost of moving them, the rent? I would imagine you would have to go far outside Manhattan to find affordable real estate. So, what does that mean in terms of transacting business, meeting with your partners, attracting talent? So, there's a pro and a con to selling valuable assets that really needs to be factored in to make sure you have a net gain for the taxpayers over time.

KAYE: Mark, what about leasing our highways? Is that a good idea?

SKODA: Well, you know, Europe has done quite a bit of good with that with respect to privatization of those highways. But the problem again, these are small miniscule dollars. As both guests have talked about, look, we have a $14.5 trillion debt and a $1.6 trillion structural deficit. These numbers are insufficient to really make a difference.

And my problem is when you begin selling these assets, quite frankly, you're not investing. You're paying off the debt. Whereas the government - for instance, on federal land, holds enormous mining assets that could be privatized, given out in leases, which results in a recurring revenue steamed to the government and creates jobs, therefore improving the tax base.

I think, you know, these ideas are really ridiculous, quite frankly. And I'm frankly surprised that Ron Paul would even suggest it. It's almost flippant and it is not a very well thought out approach.

KAYE: All right. Very strong opinions. We are out of time on our Stream Team today. Mark, Patty, Donna, appreciate your thoughts. Thank you all for coming in and talking about it.

A Little League coach accused of stealing thousands of dollars from the team? Wait till you find out what the kids did when they found out. You're going to like what you hear in my "XYZ," next.

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KAYE: Time now for my "XYZ," and today we take you to Milford, Ohio, where one Little League team is crying foul. Here's why. Their former head coach is accused of stealing more than $10,000 from the team. This may not be stealing candy from a baby but it is stealing from a team of 11-year-olds.

If it's true, why would the former coach steal from his team, the Cincinnati Yankees? Well, one parent says the coach spent about $10,700 on personal expenses. The money was allegedly used by the coach to fill up his personal car, get new tires on his personal car, and for meals at various restaurants. This wasn't his money but money paid by players' parents and deposited into the team account so their kids could play ball. Oh, and about that three grand the coach was supposed to spend on a fundraising event and the other $9,500 that was supposed to go to uniforms and equipment? Well, it never did.

By the way, the coach and his son, who played for the team, were both asked to leave the organization. CNN contacted the coach's attorney who had no comment. But here's where the team scores. Parents say the team went on a winning streak after this news broke and the kids learned how to dig deep after something bad happens. They've also learned about how teamwork can help them overcome obstacles in life. So, while they may have struck out with their alleged thief of a coach, the boys seemed to have their eye on the ball.

CNN NEWSROOM continues right now with Brooke Baldwin. Hi, Brooke.

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: Hey, Randi Kaye. Thank you so much.