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Mexican Drug Kingpin Nabbed; Shooting Manhunt in Oklahoma; President to Discuss Israel Policy; Cain to Announce Presidential Bid; Huntsman on 5-Day Tour of New Hampshire; Pawlenty to Declare Candidacy; Mississippi Flooding to Linger; Smart Talks About Her Kidnapper; Sentencing for Smart's Kidnapper; Schwarzenegger Has Secret Child; Venus Williams' Powerful Presence
Aired May 21, 2011 - 12:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HOLMES: Oprah Winfrey's last syndicated talk show is going to air Wednesday. Say it ain't so. She's already hosted a star studded event at Chicago's United Center that will make up two of her last three shows. And last hour, I talked to a Chicago Tribune reporter and columnist, Steve Johnson, he's been following her career there for years in Chicago. He started off by talking to me about that huge event she hosted just this week.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STEVE JOHNSON, REPORTER, CHICAGO TRIBUNE: Just insane celebrity bash send-off thing that will result in the Monday and Tuesday shows next week. More celebrities than have ever been gathered together in Chicago at one time, probably as many as we've seen in one place, you know, this side of one of the big awards shows. And then -- but then the big mystery is what she's going to do with her final show on Wednesday. She hasn't -- her staff hasn't said anything. She hasn't said anything. The only thing we found out at The Tribune is that Oprah herself is producing that show. So, I expect it will be more of a, you know, an intimate, quiet farewell but we'll have to wait and see.
HOLMES: You know, take us back a little bit. People might not remember, she's been around so long, people might not remember how she got started. You eluded to it. She just came to town there another morning host. But what was it about Oprah that got Oprah to being Oprah?
JOHNSON: Yes, you know, it's funny. You talk to the people who hired her and they say, oh, you know, we knew right away. We knew this was special, this was the most amazing talent --
HOLMES: Yes, they say that now, huh?
JOHNSON: All right, exactly. I was a genius, right? But they - you know, they did talk about in testings they did, her ability to kind of draw white and black audiences both alike to her. And, remember, this is a time of racial division in Chicago with Harold Washington just elected as mayor. And - but, what she's been able, I think, even above that is to kind of be the avatar for her audience. Step in, represent their interests. Ask really personal questions of her guests, while sharing really personal information about herself which has made her, I think, approachable and it's allowed her to do this astonishing thing, which is - which is to stay approachable despite, you know. becoming massively rich and massively famous.
HOLMES: Okay, what can she do now? She is -- I guess she never really leaves the spotlight. But she's leaving that day-to-day, I guess, attention she gets from the show. What exactly is she going to do now?
JOHNSON: Right. Well, she's got a, you know, she's got a struggling new cable network to run. It's a tough time to start up a cable network. So, I think you have to give her credit for having the guts to try that. Sounds like she wants to be a lot more on-hands there. I wouldn't rule out a comeback to television in some grand way further down the road. I think she'll miss the spotlight.
I think she has always recognized the show is her kind of power base and to a large degree it's a base of who she is as a person. So I think she'll miss that and I -- and I do wonder how long she'll -- she'll enjoy the --- the kind of executive life.
T.J. HOLMES, CNN NEWSROOM, ANCHOR: All right, it's about time for me to hand this thing over Fredricka.
FREDRICA WHITFIELD, CNN NEWSROOM, ANCHOR: It's like that.
HOLMES: It is all yours. You can have it. I don't care what you do with it.
WHITFIELD: Oh my goodness. Well, ok.
HOLMES: Take it please.
WHITFIELD: Well, we'll be responsible, how about that?
HOLMES: Yes. That works.
WHITFIELD: Thanks so much T.J. You have a great day.
HOLMES: All right.
WHITFIELD: All right, we're beginning this hour with a look at what Mexican police have done. They say they have arrested a powerful drug kingpin, Gilberto Barragan Balderas was reportedly arrested at his own birthday party. He was taken into custody in Reynosa, Mexico, just across the border from Texas. Police say he is one of the leaders of the Gulf cartel, one of two gangs battling for control of smuggling routes into the United States. The U.S. State Department had offered a $5 million reward for his capture.
Bob Strang is a former special agent with the Drug Enforcement Administration and the current CEO of Investigative Management Group, an international security firm. He also joins us now by phone from New York City. Thanks so much for joining us Mr. Strang. So, how significant is this arrest?
BOB STRANG, FORMER SPECIAL AGENT, DRUG ENFORCEMENT ADMINISTRATION: Well, good morning Fredricka. This is major and you've got to remember that this was -- this -- this gang was responsible for large shipments over a long period of time, over ten years, that were coming from Mexico to the United States. You're talking about cocaine, marijuana.
Also, because they were able to free up the borders and get control over the borders there was methamphetamine and heroin that crossed those borders as well. But, just the day before, there was another major arrest on the Pacific coast and also with another major violator. So, we're seeing more and more -- you know, it's starting to take hold in Mexico. The money that the DEA has put into Mexico, the support that we get from President Felipe Calderone, it has been tremendous.
We're starting to make headway and, you know, we see it in the private sector working with companies who are actually making investments in Mexico. We're working for corporations who are buying companies and investing money in Mexico. So, we're doing something right. The DEA working with the Mexican government is working.
WHITFIELD: Well, I wonder, you know, does an arrest -- an arrest like this really make a significant impact on the hierarchy of the cartel because, likely, there are plenty of lieutenants that are in line just in case a significant player is arrested.
STRANG: That's right -- that's right and you know something, you've got to keep at it. You've got to make sure that they understand that this is a risky business, they're not going to get away with it, that, ultimately, they're going to get caught and when we talk about even the last week the significant arrests that have been made with the heads of cartels, second in command, that has an impact. There's no question. And, it's getting better and better. I mean, ultimately, Fredricka, the great part would be if we just stopped using drugs and buying drugs in the United States because everything that these people are doing is coming directly and consumed by Americans.
WHITFIELD: Bob Strang, thanks so much, former special agent with the Drug Enforcement Administration. I appreciate your time. Meantime, across seas, there has been a deadly bombing in Afghanistan. A suicide bomber attacked a military hospital in Kabul. A Taliban spokesperson claims 51 people died, including foreigners but the Afghan puts the death toll at 6 with 26 others injured.
And more violence in Syria today. Security forces fired on a crowd of protestors killing three and wounding dozens more. That's according to an activist, a human right groups said another 44 protestors were killed yesterday. For two months now, Syria has been seeing violent demonstrations against the government.
A historic day in the Ivory Coast. The West African nation formally inaugurated it's new President, Alassane Ouattara. The ceremony was delayed for more than six months after Ouattara's predecessor refused to leave office. The unrest that followed left thousands there dead.
And now politics in this country and the growing list of Republican presidential hopefuls. Tea Party hopeful Herman Cain will throw his hat into the ring during a rally today in Atlanta. He is the fourth Republican to announce a bid. CNN Political Producer Shannon Travis joins me now. So, Shannon, what does Cain actually bring to the table? His announcement has yet to be made but somewhere within this hour, right? Here in Atlanta.
SHANNON TRAVIS, CNN POLITICAL PRODUCER: Somewhere within this hour. I just came from -- it's -- it's literally across the street, our viewers should know, we didn't plan it that way, but I just came from out there. There's some crowd gathering, seems to be high enthusiasm, smaller crowds than a lot ...
WHITFIELD: (INAUDIBLE)
TRAVIS: ...than the campaign was saying, they were expecting a few thousand. I didn't see that many. But, they're trickling in.
WHITFIELD: It's hot outside.
TRAVIS: Exactly. In terms of what he bring to the table, he brings a wealth of business experience (INAUDIBLE). This guy has been the former CEO of Godfather's Pizza. He has an extensive and impressive, actually, background in business and in finance. He also brings a lot of -- as you said, a lot of Tea Party enthusiasm and these Conservative grass roots activists are fired up for this guy.
WHITFIELD: Why do they like him so much?
TRAVIS: They like him because he -- he helps promote their message, limited government, adherence to the Constitution, and small taxes. He's a business guy so he says, you know, hey, smaller taxes helps employers employ more people so he pushes that line. There are some cons for him though also. A: He's never run -- he's never held elective office before. He's run before but never won anything so do Americans want to elect their next Commander In Chief who's never actually held a political job before? The other thing that might kind of hurt him is, Herman Cain kind of readily admits that he's not readily versed on, say, a lot of foreign policy issues.
He says that, hey, I'm a CEO type. I'll hire some of the best minds and best thinkers to advise me but he's not well-versed in a lot of areas.
WHITFIELD: So, then, how does he try to upstage the likes -- the more well-known names of a Newt Gingrich, a Mitt Romney and possibly even a Tim Pawlenty.
TRAVIS: You might say that right now we're seeing a race to kind of out -- (INAUDIBLE) each other. You see Newt Gingrich out there saying some really harsh things.
WHITFIELD: And he's a wordsmith.
TRAVIS: He is a really big wordsmith, Herman Cain, as well as Newt Gingrich so they all are trying to kind of out-flank each other in terms of the word play against Obama, against Democrats. But, the other thing that he will stress again is this notion that he's a CEO and you need a business leader, an executive in these harsh economic times to right the ship, to right the economic ship so he will try and play that off.
WHITFIELD: So, somewhere within this hour he is certainly going to be announcing that he is in.
TRAVIS: That's right.
WHITFIELD: He's not making an announcement, has all these people who have collected at the Centennial Park to say I'm not going to do it.
TRAVIS: Yes, that would be a really big, you know, joke's on you. So, we are totally expecting him to throw his hat into the ring.
WHITFIELD: Just checking because it hasn't happened yet but it's about to.
TRAVIS: Not officially. You always got to clear it up, always got to clear it up.
WHITFIELD: All right, Shannon Travis, thanks so much. Always good to see you in person.
TRAVIS: That's right.
WHITFIELD: All right, later on this hour we'll tell you about another Republican who, like Cain, isn't a household name but could soon become one. Former Utah Governor and Ambassador to China, John Huntsman. Then, at 2 o'clock Eastern Time we'll have a live report from South Carolina where a well-known name, Mitt Romney, is focusing on jobs and the economy.
All right, mid-June, experts say it could take that long for water levels to return to normal in places like Vicksburg, Mississippi, and look at those images there. Parts of that city are underwater after the river crested at a record 57 feet earlier in the week and it's still cresting downstream. The flooding started April 30th. The waters got so high the Army Corp of Engineers began opening flood gates just a week ago. Remember that? Hoping to spare the big cities of New Orleans and Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
So, so far, that seems to have worked but at the expense of other low- lying areas. Our Jeanne Meserve is in Natchez where the river is cresting yet again and we understand more rain is on the way. Jeanne?
JEANNE MESERVE, CORRESPONDENT, CNN: Yes, we had some this morning and you could just watch the water flowing into this river. You couldn't help but think, gosh, is this situation going to get worse? People here are hoping not. They're hoping this is about as high as the river is going to get. It's about 61.8 feet. It's busted all records. It's never been this high before and by and large this is a city that's been spared because a lot of it is very high elevation on a bluff where I am now. A few historic buildings here and some riverboat gambling. You can see down there, one of the casinos. That's been shut down because the access road to that boat has been completely flooded out. The only person who's been able to frequent it is a 6 foot alligator who's been sunning on its decks occasionally.
Natchez is a city that's famous for its sightseeing. It has a lot of Antebellum mansions but now there is a new tourist attraction and that is this river. The people here, obviously, have never seen anything like it since this is busting all records. You can see one gentleman over there taking a look, some people here are taking pictures. Some others have come down to take the scene.
Probably the best vantage point, this lady lives up on the second floor above the saloon. She's been up there taking pictures of something that she will never see again. She's been -- generally, this city has done pretty well but, obviously, it's a tragic situation in other parts along the rest of the Mississippi River where there has been significant flooding, a lot of people and businesses displaced. They are keeping a very wary eye on that weather passing, hoping it doesn't make the situation a lot worse. Fredricka, back to you.
WHITFIELD: And Jeanne, commerce affected in other ways? What about this barge traffic, at least two barges that kind of got away from it all and crashed into a bridge. What else is happening?
MESERVE: Well, we have seen a little bit of barge traffic this morning. Some tow boats pushing barges on up the river. They look like they're having a bit of a tough time. We talked to someone who operates a tug boat company over in Vidalia, Louisiana, across the river. She said she has never seen the river quite this strong as it is right now and that they're having a difficult time navigating up. But, the commerce does appear to be resuming on the waterway, which is the superhighway in this part of the country.
WHITFIELD: All right, Jeanne Meserve, thanks so much in Natchez, Mississippi. Appreciate that. Will check back with you throughout the day.
All right, mark your calendar. NASA had set July 8th for its final space shuttle mission. Atlantis made its way to the launch pad earlier this week. It will deliver supplies and spare parts to the International Space Station. The mission will be number 135 for the Space Shuttle Program.
Tennis superstar Venus Williams is sidelined right now but she's anxious to get back on the courts.
(VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: You like to win?
VENUS WILLIAMS, TENNIS SUPERSTAR: I love to win, not just like -- it's addictive.
WHITFIELD: You're right.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: What she needs to do to get back to her winning ways coming up later in my exclusive face-to-face interview with Venus Williams. And, straight ahead, two leaders and two very opposing views on how to bring peace to the Middle East.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: President Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will take their war of words over Israel's borders on the road. The White House wants Israel to jump-start peace talks with it's pre-1967 borders. Netanyahu says it's not going to happen. Tomorrow, Mr. Obama with speak to a major Israeli lobbying group, the American-Israel Public Affairs Committee or PAC -- APAC. Netanyahu will speak to the same group on Monday and then he will address Congress on Tuesday.
Israel says giving back the land it took in the 1967 war would, as you can see by this map, leave the country vulnerable to attack, especially from Syria, now protected by the Golan Heights. It got Prime Minister Netanyahu's State visit off to rather rough start. Here now is Brianna Keilar.
BRIANNA KEILAR, WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT, CNN: Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu was about to leave for the U.S. when President Obama made the announcement that infuriated him.
(VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We believe the borders of Israel and Palestine should be based on the 1967 alliance with mutually agreed swaps.
KEILAR: At the White House Friday, Netanyahu panned the proposal.
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: These lines are indefensible because they don't take into account certain changes that have taken place on the ground, demographic changes, that have taken place over the last 44 years.
KEILER: After the initial war of words, the White House hoped the meeting would be a time to kiss and make up.
OBAMA: Obviously, there are some differences between in the precise formulations and languages and that's what happens between friends.
NETANYAHU: We have an enduring bond of friendship between our two countries.
KEILER: But, for all of the niceties, Netanyahu drew a line in the sand and not only on a return to pre-1967 borders. He said Israel will not negotiate with a Palestinian government supported by Hamas or house Palestinian refugees.
NETANYAHU: That's not going to happen. Everybody knows its not going to happen and I think it's time to tell the Palestinians forthright that it's not going to happen.
KEILER: Despite tough words, the U.S. and Israel will remain allies, even past this rough spot but the tension between the two leaders was palpable. Robert Danin is with the is with the Council on Foreign Relations.
ROBERT DANIN, COUNCIL ON FOREIGN RELATIONS: I think that there is not a great deal of mutual affection there. They've met a number of times but, nonetheless, they have not succeeded in establishing a close bond, a close working relationship they have but there is not a great deal of -- of -- deep trust it seems.
KEILER: After the President's meeting with Netanyahu, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney was peppered with questions about the disagreement on the borders issue. He said the President made clear the pre-1967 border proposal is a starting point, that the mutual swaps that would create the eventual borders would be negotiated. The thing is, what the White House considers a starting point, Israel still considers a non-starter, even after the meeting. Brianna Keiler, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Dominique Strauss-Kahn paid big bucks to get out of jail. Straight ahead our legal guys weigh in on the fall from grace of this once powerful international businessman.
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WHITFIELD: All right, ready for a cruise? Well now may be a perfect time to find a great deal. Allison Kosik takes a look in this week's On The Go.
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ALLISON KOSIK, BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT, CNN: 2011 started out hot for the cruise industry.
CAROLYN SPENCER, CRUISECRITIC.COM: People were going to cruise, the cruise lines were ramping up the prices and January proved that to be true.
KOSIK: But then, all of the bookings stalled.
SPENCER: All of the turmoil in the Mediterranean really scared off Americans and they stopped booking and what that means is there are some deals out there.
KOSIK: But, don't go by price alone.
SPENCER: Make sure you're on a ship that fits your personality. If you pick the wrong cruise for you and you save fifty bucks, you know, you've not only wasted your vacation but you've wasted your money too.
KOSIK: And budget for the extras.
SPENCER: There are lots of things you can spend money on, spas, casinos, shore adventures, all sorts of things that are not considered part of the cruise price. Even Diet Coke.
KOSIK: These incidentals could add another 50% to your base fare. SPENCER: Plan and budget beforehand and then the last part of it is just have fun.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: It cost him a million in cash. Now Dominique Strauss-Kahn accused of trying to rape a hotel maid is out of jail. Let's bring in our legal guys, Avery Friedman, a Civil Rights attorney and law professor in Cleveland. Hello. And Richard Herman, a New York criminal defense attorney and law professor joining us from Las Vegas. Good to see you.
All right gentleman, so, Dominique Strauss-Kahn out of jail at a very high price, however, his house arrest didn't come without a few wrinkles, Richard?
RICHARD HERMAN, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY/PROFESSOR: Well, he's -- he's got home confinement basically. He's got an ankle monitor. He's got probably a boundary set up -- an electronic boundary in his apartment so if he would step outside that range all the bells and whistles are going to go off. But, this is not uncommon, Fred, you know. He's innocent until proven guilty. I know a lot of people don't want to hear that. He got bail. He persuaded the judge he should have bail. That will prevent his flight risk. He's in his apartment. That's where he has to stay except for going to court and nothing out of the ordinary so far.
WHITFIELD: So, I wonder, Avery, if now a week after the fact he does get released even though there are these restrictions, does that says something about the status of the case against him? They've removed the suspicion he's a flight risk which is why he immediately got released with bail. Has anything changed?
AVERY FRIEDMAN, CIVIL RIGHTS ATTORNEY/PROFESSOR: Well, I -- I mean, it -- it actually is astonishing to me, once he relinquished his passport, I mean, this guy isn't Roman Polanski, I mean, he should have been treated like any other defendant. But, what it is is what it is. He spent a week in Rikers and the fact is that he has the ankle bracelet on, he has to stay in his apartment except for medical emergencies and court proceedings. So, in a sense, it's really a typical kind of case. Very serious charges, seven of them including...
WHITFIELD: Yes.
FRIEDMAN: ...you know, all the variety of essentially inappropriate touching but he's in a big bowl of trouble right now and the fact is there are going to be proceedings coming up soon and he will be treated just like every other defendant in a similar case.
WHITFIELD: So, I wonder, you know, Richard, when it comes down to, you know, his defense, is he going to be relying heavily on an alibi defense that someone said there's no way this could have been happening at this time or is it going to be an issue of the defense saying, no, this was a consensual act that what allegedly happened was not one that involved resistance or it didn't involve any kind of aggression?
HERMAN: Well, let me tell you Fred, he has a very, very fine criminal defense attorney here and what I've listened from the reports this week is they are saying from a defense side there is no physical evidence to corroborate any force. If that's the case, Fred, and they can't show any sign of evidence to corroborate force it's going to be her word against his word and if she is not air-tight one million percent she is going to get carved up on the stand, I'm telling you, Fred.
WHITFIELD: Avery, is it going to be difficult to say that, you know, because there was no weapon involved, that she was forced to do anything? Because, the only allegation is that there was -- that -- that she -- of the seven charges that there was oral sex involved here but there weren't other types of contact...
FRIEDMAN: (INAUDIBLE)
WHITFIELD: .. that some might say -- yes -- that some might say would be a little more difficult or ask for more DNA evidence to prove.
FRIEDMAN: Right. Right. Well, you -- you said that very carefully and that's exactly right. I mean, there are a multitude ...
WHITFIELD: Trying to be careful here.
FRIEDMAN: ...of factors that will go into this. Yes, well, I know you do and it is sensitive but the fact is credibility issues, motive issues. Obviously, in addition, you have the hotel camera. You have, you know, the forensics that go into this. But, it is a complex matter but -- but all of these, the very point that you raised is going to go right to the heart of where I think the defense is going to be here.
WHITFIELD: All right, interesting stuff. We could go on very long about this one because it is fascinating...
FRIEDMAN: That's for sure.
WHITFIELD: ...and there are so many intricate things about it but we've got to move on to another one. Ok, now this one I know that you guys are pretty fired up about. This is involving two New York police officers, one who is accused of rape as well and, now, we're talking about, there was a wire that this alleged victim wore. When, she saw this -- one of the officers and approached him, hey, was a condom used, is there anything that I need to be worried about, he apparently said that there was a condom used, you don't have to worry about getting pregnant or any kind of STD which really screams, Avery, an admission here that this officer did, indeed, have sex with this woman who was escorted home because she was drunk and the next thing you know she is an alleged rape victim.
FRIEDMAN: Well, not only is the audio very powerful evidence and I -- I agree, I think there is no plausible way we're looking at an acquittal. No plausible way. The fact is there's a wire. The fact is Franklin Mata, who is Moreno's partner, testified that he did this, four visits to the apartment during the early hours, including the fact that Moreno admits that he lied and said he was a Canadian tourist to get back in there. Evidence is overwhelming, look for a conviction.
WHITFIELD: Ok, you agree, quickly Richard, on that?
HERMAN: Well, the prosecution is yelling crime of opportunity, Fred. When you catch a defendant in a criminal case in a lie, at that point, juries do not believe anything coming out of the defense side. Here, these officers lied over and over again. You know, if they don't have a quick verdict on Monday, you know, they could have a lone juror holding out and who knows what's going to happen.
WHITFIELD: Ok, and real quick, 30 seconds on each on a reply on this one. We're talking about the Jared Loughner case, this taking place in Tucson, Arizona, Gabby Giffords injured after he allegedly, you know, pulled the trigger. So, now a competency trial to take place. 30 seconds or less, Richard, will he be found competent to stand trial?
HERMAN: Not at this point, Fred, it's almost on consent he's going to be put away.
FRIEDMAN: That's right.
HERMAN: They're going to come back and routinely check to see if he can understand the nature and the consequences of his act and meaningfully assist in his defense. That's going to take years, I believe.
WHITFIELD: All right, and Avery?
FRIEDMAN: Preliminary competence based on paper only this coming Wednesday in front of U.S. District Judge Larry Burns only the beginning, long way to go.
WHITFIELD: Ok. We'll see you again later on in the hour gentleman and we're going to be talking about Elizabeth Smart case, why that one is back in the court room too.
HERMAN: Hopefully we'll still be here Fred.
WHITFIELD: Oh that's right. No, we've got until 6 p.m. We've got time.
HERMAN: Ok. Have a good day.
WHITFIELD: All right, in the meantime, a former government and Ambassador is testing the political waters in New Hampshire. We'll bring you up to speed on John Huntsman next. Then, in our next half hour, my face-to-face interview with tennis superstar, Venus Williams. She's aiming for a comeback after tearing three inches of a muscle. Ouch, that hurts.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: A look at our top stories at the half hour now.
Mexican police say they have arrested a powerful drug kingpin. Gilberto Barragan Balderas was taken into custody in Renosa, Mexico just across the border from Texas. Police say he's one of the leaders of the Gulf cartel, one of two gangs battling for smuggling routes into the United States.
And a manhunt is under way in Oklahoma city for two men wanted for shooting an off-duty deputy. The local sheriffs say Deputy John Waldenville was shot without warning while working security at a restaurant overnight.
SHERIFF JOHN WHETSEL, OKLAHOMA COUNTRY SHERIFF'S OFFICE (via telephone): Oklahoma City police have teams out. The indication is that he was walking northbound from the restaurant to the bank, apparently heard the two individuals coming up from behind him, turned and apparently right after he turned was just shot in the head. So he never had the opportunity to even unbuckle his gun.
WHITFIELD: Waldenville is in critical condition. He's a 25-year veteran.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD (voice-over): President Barack Obama could face a skeptical reception tomorrow when he speaks at the annual meeting of the American-Israel Public Affairs Committee.
Earlier this week, the president called for a Middle East peace settlement based on Israel's pre-1967 borders. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected that proposal yesterday saying those borders are indefensible.
And take a look right now. Live pictures of a rally in Atlanta where Republican Herman Cain is about to officially announce his presidential hopes. The talk radio show host and former CEO of Godfather's Pizza is a Tea Party favourite, but he has been trailing his GOP rivals in early polls.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Republican Jon Huntsman may not be ready to officially announce his candidacy.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD (voice-over): But the former Utah governor is testing the waters in the politically crucial state of New Hampshire. He is spending five days there. And today he delivered the commencement speech at Southern New Hampshire University. CNN's Jim Acosta reports on Huntsman's unique campaign challenges.
JON HUNTSMAN (R), FORMER UTAH GOVERNOR: Delighted to be here. JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Taking his first steps in New Hampshire, Jon Huntsman initially had more members of his family, his staff and the media swirling around him than supporters.
So it was no surprise that at his first event as a potential presidential candidate, Huntsman tried to turn down the temperature.
HUNTSMAN: We are the quintessential margin of error potential candidate.
ACOSTA: Still this former Republican Governor of Utah and Mormon showed off his conservative side saying he would work to repeal the new national health care law and look at entitlement reform to bring down the debt.
HUNTSMAN: It's $14 trillion with an exclamation mark.
ACOSTA: He told one crowd he would not have invaded Libya mainly for budget reasons, despite the potential for humanitarian losses.
HUNTSMAN: We could be responding to corners of the world constantly if that were the motivating criterion.
ACOSTA: As for conservative complaints, he's too moderate on issues like the environment, Huntsman told CNN he's ready to defend his record.
HUNTSMAN: Listen, everyone who's been elected to political office has a history. Some will like it, some won't.
ACOSTA: One thing conservatives don't like is Huntsman's time as U.S. ambassador to China, something his ex-boss won't soon forget.
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: I'm sure that him having worked so well with me will be a great asset in any Republican primary.
ACOSTA: Huntsman, who is fluent in Mandarin, says he'd do it again, stressing he was answering a call to serve, an answer some Republicans may be willing to accept.
DESMOND FORD, NEW HAMPSHIRE REPUPLICAN VOTER: It doesn't bother me at well. He was working for the United States.
ACOSTA: At every stop, the former ambassador sounded more diplomatic than dogmatic. He doesn't take swipes at the president. A creature of the Tea Party, he is not. But Huntsman says he's not into labels.
HUNTSMAN: We have to get beyond this sort of tag mentality where everybody is described as being (inaudible). I think that's artificial. I think it's superficial and I think it's misleading in politics.
ACOSTA: With some in the GOP shopping around for a fresh face, voters in this first in the nation primary state are taking a hard look at Huntsman, even if they're not ready to buy in just yet. (on camera): Do you think he can beat President Obama?
JAN HILLNER, NEW HAMPSHIRE REPUBLICAN VOTER: Well, how can you say that when you don't really know the man.
ACOSTA: He's kind of an unknown at this point?
HILLNER: Yes, as a lot of them are.
ACOSTA: Huntsman top political adviser and old campaign veteran John Weaver says the way to beat President Obama is to go bigger than Obama, not smaller.
It's a sign that if Huntsman gets into this race, his campaign will be about the issues, not personalities. Huntsman says he'll have a decision in June. Jim Acosta, CNN, Concord, New Hampshire.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Not waiting until June decide, Republican Tim Pawlenty, a source close to the former Minnesota governor says Pawlenty will formally declare his presidential candidacy actually this coming Monday in Iowa.
His announcement will kick off a multistate campaign swing, which will include stops in the politically key states of Florida and New Hampshire.
The flooding nightmare isn't ending for people living in the lower Mississippi River Valley and today the forecast is rain. More of it.
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WHITFIELD: The middle of next month, that's how long it could take for some of the floodwaters along the Mississippi to return to normal. More than 5,000 people already have been forced from their homes in five states.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD (voice-over): And we're seeing some signs of recovery in some little pockets of areas, however. Tugboats are pushing barges up the river by Natchez, Mississippi. The river is cresting there.
For a second time in two days, actually, and today they're watching not only the water levels, but also the rain gauges. A stormy weekend is in the forecast.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: We're going to bring in our Karen Maginnis. So it's never ending.
KAREN MAGINNIS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: It is. It seems as if it is that way. Upstream from there, we're looking at some pretty heavy rainfall over the next five days. The computer models are suggesting we could see, 3, 5, 6 inches of rainfall. This in the Ohio River Valley also extending into the Central Mississippi River Valley and as a result, this is going to travel downstream.
And how much of a difference will it make for those folks who have been battling this out for quite some time now? Well, we think that there may be some secondary crests. They'll be bumped up just a little bit and then they'll continue to fall, a steady decline.
But it's not going to be anything dramatic for weeks. The ground is saturated. It may recede just a little bit but still, a number of these areas that are under water or have 15-feet over flood stage, they're not looking at any relief coming anytime soon.
All right, where is the threat for severe weather for today? From Des Moines down towards Dallas, I think it will just be to the east of the Dallas area, more towards the Ark Latex area.
We could see strong to severe thunderstorms, lightning, hail, gusty winds and the possibility of an isolated tornado. So that's something to be weary of as we go into the afternoon and evening hours.
Here's the weather scenario, area of low pressure just kind of cut off in the atmosphere. There's nothing moving in so it's very sluggish. Nothing is really moving along the eastern seaboard. Nothing is really transitioning across the west. But in the central U.S., that's where all the moisture stays, at least for the time being.
WHITFIELD: All right, thanks so much, Karen. We'll check back with you. Appreciate that.
All right, how costly might a divorce be between Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver? She has already retained a rather famous divorce attorney. Our legal guys weigh in on that next.
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WHITFIELD: Remember Elizabeth Smart, the Utah teen who was kidnapped from her home when she was just 14, held prisoner for nine months and repeatedly raped along the way?
Brian David Mitchell will be sentenced next week. He was convicted of carrying all those heinous crimes. Hear what Smart actually says about Mitchell.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Have you forgiven him?
ELIZABETH SMART, KIDNAPPED JUNE 2002 RESCUED MARCH 2003: I certainly have moved on with my life and I don't dwell on it. I have forgiven him -- I have forgiven him.
I don't think that means that I would invite him over to my house to stay. But that is a part of my life that I lived, have been there and I have a lot in front of me that I haven't lived yet. So I'm looking forward to it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: So attorneys for Mitchell say he should get a lighter sentence because of the way she's handling herself. They say she doesn't appear psychologically damaged.
Our legal guys are back, Avery Friedman in Cleveland and Richard Herman in Las Vegas. Boy, OK, Richard, you first on this one. Because she appears to be intact, that's enough for the man convicted of raping her, abducting her to get a more lenient sentence?
RICHARD HERMAN, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Isn't it ironic, Fred? Here she is trying to rehabilitate herself, move on with her life and not allow this tragic event to ruin her. And she vocalizes that well.
Well, the government wants a life sentence, but in order to get a life sentence, they have to rely on the sentencing guidelines, which bump that enhancement for his sentencing to life.
And in order to get that, you have to prove extreme psychological damage. So the defense is arguing she doesn't have it. She's rehabilitated herself. She doesn't have that level of psychological damage necessary. That's the argument, Fred.
WHITFIELD: So Avery, would that be a successful argument?
AVERY FRIEDMAN, LAW PROFESSOR: It's a terrible argument. The only argument they have, this beautiful, miraculous recovery of this extraordinary young woman is being perverted and distorted by the defense team in suggesting that somehow she hasn't suffered.
She has suffered unspeakably. The good news is that Dale Kimble who oversaw -- the federal judge for five weeks knows what to do. Sentencing is Wednesday. Goodbye, Mr. Mitchell.
WHITFIELD: Yes, and that word recovery, I mean, you really don't know whether she's recovered because she's articulating herself in a certain way.
FRIEDMAN: That's right.
WHITFIELD: It seems -- boy, seems pretty hard for her and the family. Her dad says this is outrageous to use that kind of vernacular from the defense.
All right, let's move on to the Arnold Schwarzenegger/Maria Shriver case because little dribbling come out every day. Now we're talking about the case of Maria Shriver hiring a fairly well-known celebrity divorce attorney, Avery.
So clearly the couple probably had pre-nup agreements before they got married, but the wealth changed over the years. They've been married for 25 years. And isn't California kind of that 50/50 state?
After 10 years, usually the wealth or the assets get split in half? Would that apply here even if there were pre-nups?
FRIEDMAN: Well, ordinarily the pre-nup will expire after a certain period of time, 10, 15 years. They've been married 25 years, Fredricka.
But the fact is that it is -- California is one of 10 community property states, that's exactly right. Look for a quiet, discreet resolution --
WHITFIELD: How is that possible?
FRIEDMAN: In fact, I'm remembering -- I think it can be done and I'm remembering that you did a face-to-face with one of the children who talked about her struggle.
WHITFIELD: With Katherine Schwarzenegger, yes.
FRIEDMAN: And the fact is -- that's exactly right. And the bottom line is that's the motive, to do this discreetly, carefully, thoughtfully and minimize the visibility, which of course it's highly visible now.
WHITFIELD: Interesting, so Richard, I don't know if there would end up being a bit of a custody battle at least over the two younger kids. I don't even know if that will be an issue that Arnold would try to pursue.
HERMAN: I agree with Avery. It's going to be resolved behind doors. But, Fred, at this point, Maria Shriver has not said she wants a divorce so, you know --
FRIEDMAN: That's right.
HERMAN: She's got to that stage first and wants it. But potentially community property -- if he gave any money to this mistress of his that house, half of that's going to be Maria's.
WHITFIELD: My gosh, real quick because he has some other productions that were to be under way, but he's now he's kind of backed out of that.
You wonder if any of those movie houses will be able to pursue something against him if there were terms or agreements that he would be involved in the "Terminator" or other things and that's been put on hold.
HERMAN: That's all agreed.
WHITFIELD: Go ahead, Richard. Sorry.
HERMAN: Yes, they want him, Fred. They need him for "Terminator." But isn't it funny, one of the movies was called "Cry Macho." That was the title of one of the movies that's on hold right now. Pretty stupid guy, Schwarzenegger. Pretty stupid.
FRIEDMAN: You can't suspend an existing contract. There's going to have to be some negotiations. You can suspend the proposed one. Not the existing ones.
WHITFIELD: All right, guys. Thanks so much, Richard and Avery. Always good to see you. Appreciate it.
FRIEDMAN: Good to see you, Fredricka.
HERMAN: Be well, Fred. Be safe today, Fred.
WHITFIELD: That's right.
HERMAN: We still made it. We made it. No end of days.
WHITFIELD: So far, so good. All right, be sure to tune in tonight for a CNN NEWSROOM special, "Sex, Lies and Arrogance." That's tonight 10:00 Eastern Time.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right, former CEO of Godfather's Pizza and a Tea Party favorite, Herman Cain, right now in Atlanta, officially declaring that he's throwing his hat into the presidential race. He's explaining right now why he's running.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HERMAN CAIN (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: And if we don't increase our growth rate, they're going to be as big as we are in five years if you take out the differences in exchange rates.
And like I said earlier, if we allow China to become as economically powerful as us, you know that they are going to try to develop their military might as big as ours.
And I don't know about you, but I am not going to allow America to be number two in the economy or number two militarily, not on our watch.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: We're going to continue to watch and listen. Republican and Tea Party favorite, Herman Cain, officially making it cemented that he is running for the White House right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: She has changed the women's tennis circuit in a big way. Power serving and power playing, Venus Williams. Right now, she's on the injured list missing out on the French Open, now under way.
When I talked to her last month, she was undecided about the French, but said she is determined to get back on center court in general.
Face to face, she tells me, sometimes being knocked down makes you stronger on the way back up.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: All right. Venus Williams, good to see you.
VENUS WILLIAMS, TENNIS CHAMPION: Good to see you, too.
WHITFIELD: All right, thanks so much for saying "yes" to our face-to- face sitdown and inviting us to beautiful Palm Beach Gardens. Fantastic. We're going to talk about your game, goals and of course, your greatness.
WILLIAMS: Thank you.
WHITFIELD: Does it ever get comfortable? Your greatness?
WILLIAMS: I think as an athlete and just for me, it's never enough. One tournament win is never enough. So whether it's great one day doesn't guarantee it's going to be great the next. I'm on a day-by- day basis.
WHITFIELD: You like to win?
WILLIAMS: I love to win. Not just like. It's addictive.
WHITFIELD: You write in your book, you know, "Come to Win" that you like to win, but at the same time, you reached out to a number of business leaders, athletes, some who made it to the professional level, all who have sport at the root and they talk about that winning. And you try to impart some of those lessons about sometimes you have to lose in order to be a better winner.
WILLIAMS: Absolutely. I hate to break it to everyone, but the sad truth is you do learn a lot from losing. I'm not saying you need to lose every time. But there are those key moments where you take a tough loss or a tough failure or a tough break.
And those are the moments where you decide to rise up. You learn so much from it and it just stokes a fire in you that makes you go toward the direction you were destined for.
WHITFIELD: So you were how old when your parents introduced you to the racket?
WILLIAMS: Gosh, 4. I think my whole family plays tennis, so I was around tennis my whole life, from birth.
WHITFIELD: What age do you suppose you were when it hit you and you said, I'm in this full boor. I love this game?
WILLIAMS: That's interesting because there was no age because that was my life. I woke up, went to school, played tennis, did my homework, and that was my life. I didn't think about it. That's how I was brought up. And my parents said, you're going to go pro, you're going to play Wimbledon so that was my life.
WHITFIELD: If you had advice to a parent out there who has dreams of their kids becoming like a Venus Williams, do you advise that parent to introduce their child very early? Does the parent become kind of a coach to their child? Do they let them go? What's the perfect formula?
WILLIAMS: Well, I think it's a combination. I think you have to recognize a parent who you are. You have to realize whether or not you could work with your child. We would hit or hours and hours. We would go to different parks.
One was a duck park so we take 15-minute break. We'd go by the lake and look at the little ducks and we had great time. My dad would say, are you sure you guys don't want to get in the slides?
They're going to say, that dad is so mean, he don't ever let his kids go to the park. Sometimes they were tough on us, but I look back and remember what a great time I had.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: A formula of success for the Williams family. Venus Williams has more to say about her love of the game face to face with me. And she reveals what's really going on when she competes against her sister Serena in singles championships.
More face to face, 2:00 eastern time. Join us for that. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. "YOUR MONEY" starts right now.
