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Strauss-Kahn Posted $1 Million Bail; Obama, Netanyahu to Meet at the White House; John Huntsman Heads to South Carolina; Obama Speech Angers Israel; Obama, Netanyahu to Meet at the White House; Is Your Cell Phone Safe?; Strauss-Kahn Posted $1 Million Bail
Aired May 20, 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 West. I'm Carol Costello in for Kyra Phillips. Good morning to you.
Right now, we're talking about President Obama's meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The two world leaders very much at odds over the future borders of Israel.
The aftershock of Arnold Schwarzenegger's bombshell now is affecting his movie comeback. His acting career now on hold while he deals with his personal mess.
And speaking of bombshells. A former teammate tells CBS that Lance Armstrong took performance enhancing drugs before races. Armstrong is already sending angry tweets. He says he's taken hundreds of drug tests and did not fail a single one.
The former head of the International Monetary Fund could leave jail at any minute now. Dominique Strauss-Kahn has been staying at Rikers Island in New York. He's been indicted on several sex charges including attempted rape. His accuser, as you know, a maid at a Manhattan hotel.
Susan Candiotti is following this story.
So, Susan, tell us what this man's life will be like once he leaves Rikers.
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, he'll probably -- well, he has to stick close to home as a matter of fact. When he eventually leaves Rikers Island, he will leave there under an armed escort. Why? Because that's part of what the judge said he has to do. That's part of the bail agreement in addition to posting all this money.
So they will escort him straight to this apartment that his wife, according to the defense, has just leased in Manhattan. And there will be an armed guard outside the place 24 hours a day. There will be cameras trained on the doors and the entrance to make sure that he doesn't try to slip out.
Now the defense has said that he will be actively working on clearing his name as they put it and to prepare a case in case they go to trial. So he will only be allowed to leave for court hearings.
He's also petitioned the court that he might be allowed to leave for certain religious observances.
COSTELLO: So the armed guard 24 hours a day, who pays for that?
CANDIOTTI: Yes. He has to foot the bill himself. And it's been estimated that the cost could run anywhere from -- well, at least $200,000 a month. Of course, this is a man of means. So is his wife. They are both quite wealthy.
So apparently -- I was going to say, I don't expect they will have much trouble paying the bill. But who knows how long the bill will last. That's the thing. It could be another six months at least before this winds up in a trial.
COSTELLO: Susan Candiotti, reporting live from New York. Thank you.
CANDIOTTI: You're welcome.
COSTELLO: Don't expect to see a new Arnold Schwarzenegger movie any time soon. He's putting his acting career on hold so he can focus on personal matters. And we all know what those personal matters are.
He admits he fathered a child with the family housekeeper while he was married to Maria Shriver. The boy is now 13 years old. "The New York Times" is identifying her as Mildred Patricia Baena.
Here is what her daughter told a CNN crew.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JACQUELINE ROZO, DAUGHTER OF MILDRED BAENA: My mom is a great woman. That's all I have to say. She's the most caring person you'll ever know.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: There were also plans for a children's comic book based on Schwarzenegger's life. It was going to be called "The Governator" but those plans are on hold, too.
President Obama is hosting the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, at the White House later this morning. And the meeting is bound to be awkward. They sit down less than 24 hours after the president's big Middle East speech where he called for Israel's return to its pre-1967 borders.
Netanyahu was not happy -- has never been thrilled with that idea. In fact according to the "New York Times" he called Secretary of State Clinton and asked her if she could persuade President Obama to take that idea out of his speech. The president did not. He went ahead and went there.
So let's bring in our senior White House correspondent Ed Henry. Ed, how tense is this meeting going to be today and was there some sort of strategy that President Obama has?
ED HENRY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, on the tense front, I can tell you that these two leaders have not always had a very friendly relationship. So this obviously can get things off on a bad foot. There's no doubt about it. But there was a strategy behind it.
And when you talk to White House aides, they say President Obama was trying to first of all stick with the U.S. policy that's really been on the books for some time. It's just that what drew so much attention is that this was the first time a U.S. president had specifically cited it in, like, a formal address, and especially the timing of it as well, coming right before this big meeting. It just dramatizes it even more.
They say the strategy was to try to get the Palestinians back to the negotiating table by coming up with this statement that they find more favorable. But frankly, the Israeli position is that with the Palestinian government recently having reconciliation with Hamas, the terror group, there is no reason for Israel to give in on the border issue before talks to get the Palestinians to the table when they are in now reconciliation with the terror group.
So the bottom line is that they're at a stalemate here. But I think rather than just focusing on that negative part, we should look at beyond the Oval Office meeting, the statements to the press. These two leaders are going to have what they're calling a working lunch in the White House residence.
So maybe, and I stress maybe, that's an opportunity for them now that the difference has been aired to actually get behind closed doors away from the TV cameras and try to start working this out -- Carol.
COSTELLO: But those meetings today, they're just the beginning because both Netanyahu and Obama have more tough audiences to face.
HENRY: Absolutely. I mean the president is going to move quickly after this meeting. Sunday morning he's added to his schedule just in the last couple of days a speech to APAC, the American-Israeli group. Clearly he's going to use that venue to try to smooth over some of the hard feelings from yesterday's comments.
Then Prime Minister Netanyahu on Monday is giving a speech up on Capitol Hill. And let's not forget, the reason why the president is cramming all this in before Sunday afternoon is that Sunday later, he's heading for Europe for several days of summitry and whatnot. He's going to be at a G8 Summit in France. The British prime minister, the French president, and others who have a stake in these Mideast peace talks, as well.
So there's going to be a flurry of activity in the days ahead. And they certainly need now to try to smooth some things over -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Ed Henry, live at the White House. Thank you.
After this morning's talks, President Obama and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will issue that joint statement. That's scheduled for 12:15 Eastern. We'll bring it to you live when it happens.
John Huntsman has not officially announced for president but he's sure looking like a candidate as he hits the nation's first primary states.
CNN political producer Shannon Travis is here to tell us why.
Hi, Shannon.
SHANNON TRAVIS, CNN POLITICAL PRODUCER: Hey there, Carol.
Yes, John Huntsman is making a huge splash in New Hampshire right now. He's got a five-day trip that he's on right now. He's going to be hitting up roughly 12 stops.
Today, he is in an area our Jim Acosta reports in Cain, New Hampshire but tomorrow, take a load at this, he's going to be at Southern New Hampshire University in Manchester. That's noteworthy because President Obama visited that same university, gave the commencement address, four years ago.
You and a lot of our viewers know that John Huntsman who is -- just recently left the post as ambassador to China, that he's been getting some flack from some critics who say that he, you know, worked for President Obama and that he might have a tough time in a Republican primary.
So it's of note that he is going to be giving the commencement address tomorrow at this university.
Moving on to another story that we're following. The first ad by a pro-Obama independent group. Now the group is called Priorities USA. It's run by Bill Burton who some of our viewers may remember is the former deputy White House press secretary.
We want to take a listen to this ad and take a listen to some of the people mentioned in the ad.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Newt Gingrich says the Republican plan that would essentially end Medicare is too radical. Governor Haley thinks the plan is courageous and Gingrich shouldn't be cutting conservatives off at the knees.
Mitt Romney says he's on the same page as Paul Ryan who wrote the plan to essentially end Medicare. But with Mitt Romney --
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
TRAVIS: Now, obviously, Carol, Democrats want to make a big deal about the Republican stance on the Paul Ryan plan, specifically the Medicare provision. But Mitt Romney's campaign is firing back. He will be in South Carolina for his first time tomorrow of this presidential cycle.
And let me read just a quick quote from Mitt Romney's campaign, quote, "President Obama's first campaign ad is an attack ad. President Obama and his team are desperate to change the subject to anything other than jobs and the millions of Americans out of work."
So this is definitely --
COSTELLO: It just strikes me, Shannon, that this ad comes out awfully early. We don't even have -- we haven't even been through the primary.
TRAVIS: That's right. Two reasons. One, Democrats, again, they want to make hay out of the Republican proposal. Ryan's -- budget proposal, specifically again the Medicare provision that would drastically change Medicare as we know it.
And secondly, mitt Romney Is going to South Carolina tomorrow so they're going to be airing this ad in heavy rotation, we're told, around the South Carolina area, because as you know, Carol, trying to find your enemy -- your political enemy as early as possible.
COSTELLO: I guess so.
(LAUGHTER)
COSTELLO: Shannon Travis, thank you so much. We appreciate it.
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.
Coming up, as President Obama prepares to sit down with an angry Israeli prime minister, we'll pick the brain of a congressman who's a big supporter of Israel and a Democrat.
And we'll take you inside a test facility that determines how much radiation some cell phones are emitting. Should you be worried? This is a new test. You'll be intrigued. We'll talk to Dr. Sanjay Gupta just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: The White House said his Middle East speech would make news and President Obama sure did on a key issue in the Israeli- Palestinian conflict.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The United States believes that negotiations should result in two states with permanent Palestinian borders with Israel, Jordan and Egypt, and permanent Israeli borders with Palestine.
We believe the borders of Israel and Palestine should be based on the 1967 lines with mutually agreed swaps.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu immediately fired back calling those borders indefensible. And not long after he got on a plane and headed to Washington and the White House for some previously scheduled talks with President Obama.
Joining us now, Congressman Eliot Engel of New York.
Welcome, Congressman.
REP. ELIOT ENGEL (D), NEW YORK: Good morning.
COSTELLO: Good morning. And thank you for being with us. You're a Democrat. You've been a strong supporter of this president and of Israel.
Did President Obama make a mistake when he called for Israel's return to pre-1967 borders?
ENGEL: Well, let me first say that I think the president said some positive things. He talked about Israel as Jewish state, a Jewish homeland. He said the bond between the United States and Israel is unbreakable. I think those were very important things.
But yes, I do think he made a mistake on the emphasis. Everyone knows that the 1967 lines are simply indefensible for Israel. And for the president to emphasize that, I think, was a -- was a very big mistake. And --
COSTELLO: But Congressman, President Obama, I know he's the first president to formally take this stance, and it is tough, but nothing else has worked. So why not try a different tact? Why not be tough?
ENGEL: You know what works? It works when two parties sit down face to face and negotiate. When Israel and the Palestinians can sit down face to face.
The Palestinians have been refusing to negotiate with Israel for months and months now, giving every kind of precondition before they'll even sit down and talk. Whereas Israel says, let's sit down and talk. I think the president should have emphasized that.
COSTELLO: But, Congressman, they -- I mean, the two sides have sat down. They have talked over the -- these have been going for forever. The two sides have talked. And still, no peace.
ENGEL: Well, let's look at why there is no peace.
Back in President Clinton's days, there was a deal done which would have given the Palestinians a state of their own. It would have given them 97 percent of the land on the West Bank, billions of dollars of foreign aid, and Arafat turned it down. The Israelis said yes. Ehud Olmert, who is the prime minister of Israel before Netanyahu, made generous offers in terms of trying to get a final peace deal. And the Palestinians turned it down.
And just a few weeks ago, the Palestinians made a deal which brought Hamas, which is a terrorist organization, into their government. I don't know how Israel negotiates with a group like Hamas which have caused Israel's -- since they opposed Israel's right to even exist. I mean, the United States, we didn't negotiate with Osama bin Laden, we just killed him.
And the fact of the matter is that I don't know how Israel can sit down with a new government where you have Hamas which we're saying, the United States, is a terrorist organization.
COSTELLO: But, Congressman, you could argue -- you could argue that Israel has also aggravated the Palestinians by continuing to build settlements, you know, on disputed land. And that has frayed the relationship as well.
But I want to move on to this meeting between President Obama and Benjamin Netanyahu. It's bound to be tense. So, what do you think the president should say to sort of mend fences?
ENGEL: Well, I -- the president is also going to speak before AIPAC on Sunday and I hope he emphasizes some of the good things, first of all, this administration has done with Israel, in terms of Israel's security needs. I think he needs to emphasize the things that everybody knows, that those 1967 lines are not defensible, that's having a state that's only nine miles wide is not something that's sustainable. And I think he should show a willingness to sort of the Palestinian leadership, to kind of prod them a bit.
You know, President Abbas has sounded anything but a moderate over the past several, several months and years. They are going to go to the U.N. and try to unilaterally get a state declared. They don't have Israel listed as a country in any of their school books or anything like that. They call for holy wars and refuse to do it.
I mean, if there's ever going to be peace, there's got to be moderation on both sides.
And for the president to emphasize differences with Israel, I think, is a tactical mistake. I think the president has good in his heart. I'm a supporter of the president. But I do think that we ought to remember that Israel is our only ally in the Middle East.
And the Palestinians have to decide. If they want a state, they are not going to get it on the backs of terrorism. They're going to get it by sitting side by side with Israel and negotiating.
And let me just say this -- the quartet in the United Nations which the U.S. is a part of, along with the European Union and Russia and the United Nations say that Hamas must the recognize Israel's right to exist, renounce terrorism and abide by every previous agreement between Palestinians and Israelis.
If the Hamas terrorists refuse to do that, how does Israel sit with a country that doesn't renounce terrorism whose very existence is to wipe you out?
COSTELLO: Well, I'm sure -- I'm sure all of that will be brought up in this White House meeting today.
And, Congressman, thank you so much for being with us this morning. I know how passionate you feel about this issue, thank you.
ENGEL: Well, thank you very much.
COSTELLO: Coming up next, Dr. Sanjay Gupta takes us to a test facility where they determine radiation levels emitted from cell phones.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: We've heard a lot in the past few years of the potential health hazards from cell phones. And today, we are going to show you how they test the safety of those cell phones by using a liquid brain.
That sounds so disgusting, Sanjay.
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: And kind of low-tech as well, right? You think there's going to be a lot of safety involved.
COSTELLO: What is a liquid brain?
GUPTA: Well, it's interesting. You know, because you got to create these models of figuring, you know, how much radiation is being absorbed by these cell phones, they gave us access to this testing facility to see this.
And you take a look there, Carol. You know, that's the skull that they use. They are literally using salt, sugar and water to create what they think is like a brain. And they put the cell phone up next to it. On this, they tested my cell phone in this case, and figure out, are there radiation hotspots within the brain there.
See? That's my cell phone sort of taped to it. And they put this monitor. That, what you are looking at, like I said, it looks low tech, but this is how they test how much radiation is actually being emitted from one of these cell phones.
COSTELLO: So, the headlines are confusing about this. So, what did you uncover by observing these experiments?
GUPTA: If you read the headlines, especially this big study inner phone, 13 countries participated, not the United States incidentally, but 13 countries participated. And they said, the headline is there's no association between cell phones and cancer.
What was interesting is, you dig one layer deeper into the appendix of the study, and what they find in the small print is that people who use their cell phones 10 years or longer, their rate of developing a glioma, which is a type of brain tumor, actually nearly doubled.
So, what this is sort of making the case, and I think this is important, is that, so far, the time that it takes to develop a tumor can be 20 to 30 years. In this country, I mean, cell phones have only become popular for the last 15 years.
So, there was 30 million cell phones in 1996. Now, there's close to 300 million.
The question is and I think what the study raised is, are we going to start to see more brain tumors because of that, you know, that period of time for these to develop?
COSTELLO: You know, the FCC has been pretty clear in saying that, yes, we don't have anything to worry about.
GUPTA: Yes. And they say, not only that, but you don't need to use any protective devices, like earpiece. I mean, they are staunchly against any saying there is any kind of association as all.
And I think what we are starting to hear from prominent voices, neurosurgeons who take out brain tumors. The city of San Francisco who said we are going to put labels on cell phone. The University of Pittsburgh sent out a memo to all its employees saying limit your cellphone use, we are concerned about this. In Europe, they say, look, we need more studies, but this could be as big a health risk as asbestos, as smoking, as leaded gasoline.
So, in many places, the jury is still out. And the thing that's so striking I think to me -- you probably see me with my wired earpiece.
COSTELLO: Yes, that's just -- I have to figure that was become part of your body.
GUPTA: Yes, I know. And it's funny. The point for me is that it's just so easy to use. We don't have the complete data yet. I do worry about that 10-year number, you know, that brain tumor incidents going up.
And this is easy to use in terms of mitigating your risk. You use this and it greatly diminishes your risk.
COSTELLO: So, in other words, why not take any chances?
GUPTA: Yes. And we are not asking people to change their world upside down. By the say, use a BlackBerry. If you -- did you read the big pamphlet that came with it?
COSTELLO: Are you kidding me? No.
GUPTA: If you read that, it would tell you that whenever you use your phone, it should be nearly an inch away from your --
COSTELLO: Really?
GUPTA: Yes, from your body. You should not have this phone right up against your body. It says it in the labels itself for the phone.
So, even the manufacturers, you know, at least by virtue of that particular language, are saying, you know, the safest thing to do is not to put it right up against your body.
COSTELLO: I think I am going to use my iPod ear buds with my BlackBerry. That would be a good idea, right?
GUPTA: You could text, too.
COSTELLO: I could text. I'm not good at that, though.
Thank you, Sanjay. Interesting stuff.
GUPTA: Thank you.
COSTELLO: You can see Sanjay's full investigation on cell phones, radiation and what it means for your family tomorrow afternoon at 2:30 Eastern on "SANJAY GUPTA, M.D." That's right here on CNN.
And in the next hour, Sanjay will come back with a preview of his primetime special this weekend on Rhode Island lawmaker, Patrick Kennedy, coming free from the grip of addiction. And (INAUDIBLE) curing brain disease.
Wow, you are busy, Sanjay.
GUPTA: A lot of brain stuff today.
COSTELLO: So, we'll see you the next hour in the NEWSROOM.
A thaw in U.S./Pakistan relations could lead to a warming of ties with China. We'll tell you about a report that China is providing Pakistan with dozens of fighter jets.
Plus, should they buy groceries this weekend or filling up your car? Not if you all the -- not if you believe the world really will end tomorrow. Coming up: a man who says it's all a lie and tht the people behind the doomsday thing -- well, they should pay.
We'll be back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: President Obama holds talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House today. And it is likely to be very tense meeting. It comes a day after the president's big Middle East speech where he talked about the way forward in the Israeli/Palestinian conflict.
The president renewed his push for a two-state solution and he's catching a lot of flak for saying the future of a Palestinian state should be based on borders that existed before 1967.
Here's what the president told the BBC about that starting point.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Our argument is, let's get started on a conversation about territory and about security. That doesn't resolve all the issues. You still end up having the problem of Jerusalem and you still end up having the problem of refugees. But if we make progress on what two states would look like, a reality sets in among the parties, this is how it is going to end up, then it becomes easier for both sides to make difficult concessions to resolve those two other issues.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Benjamin Netanyahu pushed back, saying for Israel to return to pre-1967 borders would leave it indefensible and would leave major population centers beyond those lines.
After this morning's talks, President Obama and the primer minister, Netanyahu, will issue a joint statement that's scheduled for 12:15 Eastern. We'll bring it to you.
New signs Pakistan is looking for alliances outside of Washington. "The New York Times" is reporting China has agreed to provide dozens of fighter jets to Pakistan.
Let's check in with CNN Pentagon correspondent Chris Lawrence. So, Chris, this announcement comes days after the U.S. raid -- actually weeks after the raid on Bin Laden's compound. So, is this a sort of message that is being sent between Pakistan and China?
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, in some ways, Carol. But if you look at it, Pakistan and China have been strengthening their ties for some time. In fact, just a couple months ago during a visit, they talked openly about this renewed partnership and renewing the strength of the friendship between the two nations.
Remember, they share a lot of things in common. A, they share a border. They are very close. And also, you have the factor of India. China views India as a potential economic rival. Obviously, everyone knows about the tension between Pakistan and India.
And also, there is some feeling that by cozying up to China, what Pakistan may be doing is sort of getting a little bit of leverage with the U.S. to show, look, we have this other ally. And there's a term sometimes they use, they call China sort of an all-weather ally, which is sort of in contrast to how they view the U.S., which they view as sometimes sort of fickle. They view China as sort of a, you know, a stalwart ally of theirs.
COSTELLO: So, will it affect U.S.-Pakistani relations at all?
LAWRENCE: You know, I spoke with a defense official who said more than likely not. The issues that the U.S. and Pakistan are dealing with are very deep-seeded. That relationship also goes back some years.
Remember, it was that Pakistan has been using American fighter jets to bomb some of those positions in south Waziristan where some of the militants are. So, it is not like it is stopping, you know, the relationship with the United States. But it may be used as sort of leverage to say, look, we also have this other ally out there.
COSTELLO: Chris Lawrence, live from the Pentagon, many thanks.
Checking some other headlines making news today. Former IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn is expected to be released from jail today. Judge granted a $1 million bail. Struass-Kahn faces several charges in connection with the alleged assault of a New York hotel maid.
Arnold Schwarzenegger is putting his movie comeback on hold. His lawyer says the former California governor will focus on personal matters after it was revealed he fathered a child with his former housekeeper.
And two shuttle Endeavor astronauts floated outside of the International Space Station for a six-hour excursion. That's cool, isn't it? They are getting the space station ready for operations after the shuttles are returned - retired, rather -- this summer.
A celebration on Wall Street. LinkedIn, a social network for professionals, went public yesterday. And boy, is it causing a stir. One of the biggest tech IPOs single Google - let me say that again! It's one of the biggest tech IPOs since Google went public in 2004.
Alison Kosik is at the New York stock exchange. Alison, we are still trying to figure this out.
ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, and you know what? This is kind of fun to watch. We are watching the shares rocket a little higher today. As far as yesterday goes, LinkedIn shares, Carol, doubled yesterday. Its IPO was at $45 a share. And we watched those shares peak at $122 during the session before closing at $94. With the IPO, LinkedIn now is valued at $9 billion. Not bad for a company that had $250 million in sales last year.
But you know, the big question is, does the company have staying power, especially in the market? You know, some recent tech IPOs fizzled out quite a bit. So far today, looks like the enthusiasm is still here. Shares of LinkedIn are up more than seven percent. Carol?
COSTELLO: It starts to make you wonder. Because you know, we all wonder about the value of Facebook and if it is really that valuable. Could this be the start of a new tech bubble?
KOSIK: You know what? You make a good point because this could open the door for Facebook, Twitter, Groupon, to go public. All of these social networking sites. In fact, Facebook is set to be next on deck. And you know, there is some concern that the tech market may be bubbling up at this point. But you've got to remember, there are some big differences now compared to the tech bubble that we had in the late '90s. Back then, we saw huge IPO jumps of 500 percent, 600 percent on the first trading day. So, the 100 percent jump yesterday, it doesn't even come close.
There is another important difference, Carol, I want to mention. LinkedIn waited until it was profitable to go public. Now in the '90s, those companies were new and they weren't making any money. Many people were just making those speculative bets.
Still, one thing is for sure. Yesterday's big IPO shows investigators they are real hungry for something big to sink their teeth into or at least sink their money into, Carol.
COSTELLO: Absolutely. Alison Kosik, many thanks.
Jason Giambi wasn't even supposed to start for Colorado in last night's game with Philadelphia, but he wound up doing something he had never done in his long career. HLN's Jeff Fischel is here to tell us about it.
JEFF FISCHEL, HLN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Carol. He's been a great player for many years. Former MVP. Now at age 40, he's mostly a guy that rides the bench. Pinch hitter.
But Todd Helton had a sore back. So, Giambi took the call and he answered right away. In the first inning, two on. Giambi takes Kyle Kendrick deep to right. A three-run home run. Now, Giambi comes back up in the third inning. And again goes deep to right. This time, a two-run shot.
But Giambi is not done. In the fifth, a third home run, again, deep to right. He becomes the second-oldest player in MLB history to hit three home runs in a game. He drove in all seven runs for the Rockies in the game, right? H
So, again, he wasn't even planning to play. Talking about guys that come off the bench and do great, some Oklahoma City Thunder reserves were great last night in the NBA play-offs. We will have that coming up in 20 minutes.
COSTELLO: Can't wait. Thank you, Jeff!
So, it comes down to this. Either you believe tomorrow brings us to the end of the world or you don't. Up next, a man who not only thinks there will be no doomsday, he also says some religious leaders are just liars and mean you harm.
And the former head of the IMF will be wearing one of these after he leaves jails. CNN puts ankle monitors to the test to see how effective they are. That's coming up later.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) COSTELLO: If you believe Christian fundamentalist Harold Camping, don't worry about that diet anymore or taking out the trash this weekend. That's because according to Camping, tomorrow, Saturday, May 21st will be the beginning of the end of the world.
Take a look at Camping's family radio Web site. You see it says there is one day left. The 89-year-old Camping predicts worldwide earthquakes followed by the rapture, featuring 200 million true Christians joining Jesus in the sky.
Camping says for the next five months, there will be, quote, "a world of horror and chaos beyond description." And God will destroy the earth on October 21st. That's when he will finish.
The preacher also predicted the end of times in 1994, and yet here we are, still here. Earlier this morning, I got some reaction from the president of the American Atheists, David Silverman.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: So, I read your CNN opinion piece and found it pretty interesting. You call Harold Camping more than a liar. You say he's using religion for his own gain. I mean, does he have that many followers anyway?
DAVID SILVERMAN, PRESIDENT, AMERICAN ATHEISTS: Well, we know he has enough followers to put billboards up all over the country, and these followers have spent their money, sometimes their life savings and sometimes they have quit their jobs to follow this man. So, he is allowing them to ruin their lives for him, and he is going to make a lot of money doing it. How much money he is going to make, we don't know, because, of course, churches don't get audited.
COSTELLO: Not many Christians would ace agree that Harold Camping isn't doing the right thing. In fact, many would say he is harming religion in general. You say that, but you go to an extreme level. So, explain that to us.
SILVERMAN: Well, remember, all religions are the same. No religions are any different. So, when they say, oh, he is an extremist. He is wrong. His interpretation of the Bible is wrong. Mine is right. Well, they have no more or less justification for their interpretations than Harold Camping or Fred Phelps or anybody else.
So, religion is all the same. And we have to watch out. We have to use our intellect when we think about religion. We have to not follow preachers. We have to actually think about the ramifications of what they've said --
COSTELLO: Yes, but - but in fairness, do you really think that most Christians follow preachers blindly?
SILVERMAN: No, but many do. And certainly, Harold Camping's followers follow preachers blindly. And we are just saying it is a very dangerous thing to do. And a lot of people are going to get hurt this weekend because they did it. An we think that everybody should think very skeptically about their religious teachings. And if they still like them, then stay. But don't stay without thinking about the ramifications thereof.
COSTELLO: We were talking about this doomsday thing a lot in the NEWSROOM, and we were kind of, like -- thinking to ourselves, maybe in the back of all our of minds, we have a feeling that doomsday is coming. Why not tomorrow? Why do you think we are so fascinated with the idea of doomsday anyway?
SILVERMAN: Ah, because doomsday makes it easy if you are a believer. See, the thing is, that religion fulfills a purpose. It allows people to not believe in death. Religious people don't actually think that there is a human death. They think the body dies but the soul lives on. And it gives us this safety net - not a real safety net but a safety net nonetheless.
So, people want this rapture because they can't commit suicide to get to heaven in advance but the rapture will give them a short-cut. And the rapture will give them this opportunity to laugh at all the people who aren't saved as well --
COSTELLO: So - so, I just want to remind our viewers you are an atheist, right? So, why should we buy into anything you are saying, when you're just not a believer?
SILVERMAN: You shouldn't buy into anything I am saying. You should look it up yourself. You should read books. You should think about it. I gave my daughter a Bible and told her to read it. I am telling everybody out there. Read your Bible. Not with a study group and not with a help guide. Read it like a book, stem to stern. And then you tell me where you want to go.
COSTELLO: David, thank you so much for joining us this morning. We appreciate it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Al right. If you want to read more of David's editorial, go to CNN.com/belief. There, you will find his complete take on the doomsdayers.
Dominique Strauss-Kahn probably isn't used to this kind of jewelry. We are talking about an monitoring device to track his every move. CNN's John Zarella tested one of these recently to see how they work. That story is coming up.
COSTELLO: The former head of the International Monetary Fund could leave jail at any minute now. A judge has granted bail to Dominique Strauss-Kahn. He blew a kiss and waved to his wife at one point during his court appearance in New York. He's been indicted on several sex charges, including attempted rape.
The accuser, as you know, a maid at a Manhattan hotel. His freedom has a steep price and lots of restrictions, including $1 million in cash; a $5 million bond and surrender of his passport. Strauss-Kahn has been staying at Riker's Island this week.
He'll also have to wear a monitor too as part of his home detention, an ankle bracelet. So how well do those devices work? CNN's John Zarrella tried one on recently and even cut it off to see what happens.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So what I'm going to do is size this up.
JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For a couple of hours, I played the role of a convicted felon just out of prison. One condition of my probation is to wear this ankle bracelet monitoring system.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There is no intention to make this thing non- removable.
ZARRELLA (on camera): Wow.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If -- if you wanted to cut and run.
ZARRELLA: Right.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You could do that but we're going to know about it in a hurry.
ZARRELLA (voice-over): To find out how they work, we went to one of the companies that makes them, Pro-Tech, which has a contract with Florida's Department of Corrections.
(on camera): And these pins you are putting in.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: These are retaining pins, and the idea with these retaining pins is so that you can't accidentally have this thing pop open on you.
ZARRELLA (voice-over): In Florida alone 1,600 people are being monitored by the company's system. Many are convicted sex offenders and predators. For the demonstration, I head out for a ride with company boss, Steve Chapin. I've got my ankle bracelet on, which is connected wirelessly to this tracking device.
(on camera): So now as long as I'm carrying this with me, then, I'm fine, right?
STEVE CHAPIN, PRO-TECH: You're fine.
ZARRELLA: As long as I don't go into any hotspots.
(voice-over): The courts have determined I shouldn't go near schools or parks. Those are the hotspots or hot zones that have been programmed into the system. They show up as boxes on the computer screen as a company's call center.
Only when I do something wrong will a human be notified. That's about to happen. The elementary school down the road is off limits but I drive by anyway. Almost immediately the tracking device sounds. The system automatically notifies my probation officer for the day.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I just received a page indicating that John committed a violation. The violation in this case was that he violated a rule called Trinity Elementary.
ZARRELLA: He immediately sends a message back to me through the tracking device. "Leave area now".
(on camera): So now my best bet is to just get out of here as quickly as I can.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You want to go up and you leave.
ZARRELLA: And then I've got some explaining to do.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's right.
ZARRELLA (voice-over): Through the tracking device and using global positioning satellites, my location is recorded every minute.
Now, I'm about to make a big mistake. I would never be without the bracelet and tracker unless I plan to violate the terms of my probation.
CHAPIN: You can't make anything tamper proof, completely tamper proof. That's impossible. So what we do is we -- we incorporate tamper detection. So if you do anything to that bracelet to try and take it off, it will send out immediately an alarm.
ZARRELLA: Which is exactly what happens next.
(on camera): Now, I'm going to cut the bracelet off. This changes everything. It is an irreversible violation. Bottom line, I'm signing my arrest warrant.
(voice-over): As soon as it's cut, the system sounds. My probation officer is notified and police would immediately be sent to my last location recorded by the system.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: Oh fascinating stuff. And what if you can, I don't know, it's interesting. It brings up a lot of questions, though.
Just in case the monitor isn't enough, Strauss-Kahn must pay for security guards and a camera that will watch 24/7 at his newly-leased Manhattan apartment.
Checking stories cross country now, police in Summerville, South Carolina say a 38-year-old suspect is accused of assaulting a cop before stealing his squad car. They say he admits to being high on crack during the chase and the capture. The whole incident caught on tape. Police say the suspect has a long criminal history. In Pittsburgh, a kindergarten student is accused of bringing small packets of heroin to school. The 7-year-old claims he found them at home and he didn't know what they were. School officials are uncertain how many of the packets the kid may have given away to friends.
And in Utah a family who recently bought a home found some $40,000 in cash stashed away by the previous owner. But Josh Ferrin (ph) didn't think twice, he returned the money to the previous owner's family.
The Los Angeles Angels' Torii Hunter catches one ball to prevent an extra base hit and then drops another ball to lose the game. You'll see them both in sports.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Let's look ahead and see what's making news later today.
A day after giving a major speech on the Middle East, President Obama meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House. That happens around 11:15 Eastern this morning.
And then the President heads to the CIA headquarters to thank intelligence officials for their work in tracking down Osama bin Laden. He expects to make remarks around 3:10 Eastern.
And tonight at 7:00 Eastern, First Lady Michelle Obama will make her first visit to West Point. She'll be the banquet speaker for the military academy's more than 3,000 graduates.
We're following a lot of developments in the next hour of the CNN NEWSROOM. Let's check in first with White House senior -- senior White House correspondent Ed Henry. Hi, Ed.
ED HENRY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: It's good to see you, Carol. You know, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will be here at the White House in just about an hour for what might be some tense meetings. We'll have inside details at the top of the hour.
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: And I'm Susan Candiotti. Dominique Strauss-Kahn is still putting together a multi- million dollar bail package. When will he be getting out of jail to prepare for his upcoming sex assault trial? I'll have the latest coming up.
COSTELLO: Thanks to both of you.
And college grads who can't find work are signing up for Uncle Sam. We'll take an in-depth look at the trend. That's in the next hour of NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) COSTELLO: We're seeing this fantastic duel between two superstars on the basketball court. Jeff Fischel from HLN Sports is here. And not who you might think at first.
JEFF FISCHEL, HLN SPORTS ANCHOR: You know everyone is talking these days about Derrick Rose versus Lebron James in the Eastern Conference Finals but in the West it's a great battle, the Maverick's Dirk Nowitzki versus the Thunder's Kevin Durant.
Dirk, 48 points to lead Dallas to the winning game one. Durant had the play of the game in game two last night. Look at him take it to the rack, the monster dunk. That's not just any dunk. That is right over a seven-footer, Brandon Haywood throws it down. Durant is fantastic. He got a lot of help from supersub James Harden, 23 points of the bench. Oklahoma City wins another tough game, this series is tied a game apiece.
Let's do baseball. Some sweet fielding place. Chicago's Omar Vizquel, and there's a thing or two about the gloves and goes up the middle that's off the pitch of Joe Smith, as Miguel Cabrera bare hands behind the back flip the double play. Look at that, dives, going the wrong way, flips and the first of two. The White Sox did win the game though, 8-2.
Giants closer Brian Wilson trying to get the last out but the Dodgers have the bases loaded. Jamey Carroll to right, the diving catch ends the game. If he doesn't make that play the Dodgers at least tie it or perhaps win it on that play but sure hopes comes up with the catch.
A tough day all around for the L.A. Teams in the final out of the game. Check out the Angels. Torii Hunter in center field, he steals one from Carlos Peguero; that's in the seventh inning. Great play, by Torii, he of course a gold glover. But then in the ninth, two outs. This is the last out except Torii Hunter loses it.
COSTELLO: Oh my gosh.
FISCHEL: The game-winning run comes home for the Mariners.
COSTELLO: That is so not like Torii Hunter.
FISCHEL: No, he's great. Just lost in the sun, it happens.
Earlier this week, we showed you college baseball players jousting during a rain delay. Players from Clemson and Davidson are upping the ante. They had a bowling match. There he goes.
He even put the spin on it. One player is the ball, his teammates, the pins. They went back and forth, it was a two-hour rain delay. The fans were not bored so they stuck around. There was a deer-hunting pantomime. There was a -- the players did a tanning bed. There was a horse race, a tennis match, curling, there was even in fact at one point the teams faced off in a revolutionary war battle.
COSTELLO: Do you get the impression they're not really practicing, they're just coming up with this stuff?
FISCHEL: Clearly had far more fun doing that --
