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Supreme Court Approves Arizona Immigration Law; Search Continues for Tornado Victims

Aired May 26, 2011 - 15:00   ET

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

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

Hello to all of you.

I want to begin with this. Today is just one of those days that the news we are reporting here on CNN, it is both heartbreaking and it bears absolutely no logical explanation. Bad things happen to good people and sometimes those victims are children.

They're small, they're innocent, totally unaware of what's going on around them. And in two of our top stories today, horrific tragedies have befallen babies.

First, in the Midwest, parents who have been missing their children for days now, now know the worst. I want you to listen to something. This is a father who had already lost one son in the tornado that hit their Oklahoma town. His pregnant wife and young daughter, they are still in the hospital. And he was out of town on Sunday for work when the tornado hit. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HANK HAMIL, SONS KILLED IN TORNADO: Hello. I'm Hank Hamil. And we found my other son this morning, Ryan. He was floating in water on the west side of the lake.

And I just want to thank everybody for helping and being there. And it's a bad deal. I lost both my boys. I was hoping we would find Ryan today alive.

Ryan was my little buddy. Cole was, too. And I loved them both. I just want to thank everybody again for helping, all they have done. Thanks.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: In another part of the country, the story of a 2-year- old who went missing and then was found dead has captured our attention for the past three years, little Caylee Anthony here.

Her mother, Casey, is on trial for her little girl's murder. And, today, the court heard Casey's boyfriend describe the relationship between mother and child.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) ANTHONY LAZZARO, FORMER BOYFRIEND OF CASEY ANTHONY: She'd have a book. She would have her teddy bear. We would go down to the pool, teaching her how to swim, talk about Caylee. Caylee liked to -- "Dora the Explorer" and could count to 40 in Spanish, which was pretty incredible for her age. And she was a great little girl.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And who taught her how to count to 40?

LAZZARO: The "Dora Explorer." From my knowledge was, it was her favorite show.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK. And how often -- how often during that time did you see Casey and Caylee hugging and showing affection with one another?

LAZZARO: Pretty much the whole time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: So we just wanted to play you some sound from both those stories. We will have much more on both those stories as we go through here the next two hours.

But now I want to begin with a very, very important decision you may not have heard about yet today. It was handed down by the U.S. Supreme Court and it will affect the way many Americans do business.

The vote was 5-3, with a majority of the justices backing an Arizona law that punishes businesses who hire illegal immigrants. Keep in mind this is the first of many state laws cracking down on illegal immigration that the high court is set to consider.

And today's ruling is a victory for anyone who is supporting the immigration reform at the state level. We're going to reaction to this decision today in Arizona when I talk to a reporter there on the ground.

But, first, I want to bring in our senior legal analyst, Jeffrey Toobin. There he is live in New York for me.

And, Jeffrey, clearly, big picture here, this could be a bellwether case for another high court challenge. I want to get to that in just a moment. But in terms of the specifics of today's ruling, the Supreme Court -- let me make sure I'm reading this correctly -- the Supreme Court said, yes, state of Arizona you have authority to punish businesses who hire workers who are here illegally.

JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: That's exactly right.

And, you know, as all of us are aware, lots of states either have passed laws like this or are considering passing laws like this. And one of the arguments against those laws is, you know, you, state of Arizona, you, state of Missouri, any state, you can't pass a law like this, because it's the federal government, not state governments that are supposed to regulate immigration. Well, the Supreme Court, at least in this circumstance, rejected that argument and said, states do have the right to create a system of punishments, of fines for employers who hire illegal immigrants.

This is something that is politically very significant. Republicans all over this -- the country, by and large, have been trying to pass these laws. Democrats have been fighting them. Well, this is a victory for those Republican legislators who have been pushing for those laws.

BALDWIN: And, you know, we can't talk about this particular state law without talking about E-Verify. It's the big federal database, right, where some of these businesses, you can check the current or potential employees' documentation.

I want to read just a snippet here. This is part of the opinion. This is written by Chief Justice Roberts here.

He writes: "Arizona's use of E-Verify does not conflict with the federal scheme." The Arizona law requires -- quote -- "that every employer after hiring an employee shall verify the employment eligibility of the employee through E-Verify. That requirement is entirely consistent with the federal law."

So, Jeffrey Toobin, as you mentioned other states here, how might this opinion be interpreted by other states perhaps flirting with the idea of making E-Verify mandatory?

TOOBIN: It's a green light to those states. It basically says to those states, go ahead. Establish new restrictions on -- create new fines for businesses that don't hire illegal immigrants. It is really an invitation to the states to say, go ahead. Go establish local rules, state rules that regulate immigration.

And that's a big political hot potato in a lot of states. And so, I think, just in terms of the real world, this means a lot more states are going to go ahead with those laws.

BALDWIN: I want to talk big picture with you in just a moment, but -- and talk about reaction here out of Arizona. Jeff Toobin, stand by for me, because I want to bring in Rachel Stockman. She is a reporter with CNN Phoenix affiliate KPNX, Phoenix of course being Ground Zero here in terms of the immigration debate.

And my question to you, what is reaction to the court's high ruling?

RACHEL STOCKMAN, KPNX-TV CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think Jeffrey Toobin was talking a bit about this, how this will really be seen as a victory for Republicans.

And I can tell you the moment this opinion came out, we got flooded with a lot of e-mails from Republicans that have been pro- immigration enforcement. So that side sees this as a major victory and boding really well for a very controversial SB-1070. Of course, these are very different circumstances, but the folks, the Republicans that are in support of immigration enforcement say, this decision is proof that states have a role in immigration enforcement.

BALDWIN: But, Rachel, I'm sure having -- I'm sure you have covered this and you have talked to businesses, right, in Phoenix and elsewhere. And I'm just curious, in talking to businesses and when we talk about E-Verify, if certain businesses were not already implementing this, how do they plan on implementing it looking forward and how long might it take for them?

STOCKMAN: Well, of course, the Chamber of Commerce was party to this and they were against this law, because they said it was very cumbersome for businesses. Many businesses already do use E-Verify, but this is a system that would be free.

But some businesses are saying, this is going to be cumbersome, this is going to be a lot of work. And the Chamber of Commerce says it could have a chilling effect on business statewide.

BALDWIN: OK. Rachel, thank you.

Jeff Toobin, how might this ruling -- and I'm going to use the word foreshadowing -- how might it be foreshadowing to the next -- she mentioned SB-1070, a more controversial Arizona immigration reform law, which you know, among other issues, would give police officers the authority to identify and arrest folks they suspect are illegal. How might that affect that ruling?

TOOBIN: I think it is a very clear foreshadowing that the Supreme Court likely, not guaranteed, but likely will uphold that law.

I mean, look, this Supreme Court is just as polarized as the Congress on a lot of these issues. There are five conservatives on the Supreme Court. There are four relative liberals. That's how most of these decisions break down.

Today's decision was the five conservatives voting to uphold the law, three liberals voting to overturn it. One of the liberals, Elena Kagan, was not participating, because she had been solicitor general. She had participated in working on the case.

I think this decision strongly suggests that they will uphold the law and states are going to have more and more rights to make people show them their papers. I mean, that's where the law is going if states want to pass those kind of laws.

BALDWIN: Wow. So, likely is the word Jeffrey Toobin uses here.

Jeff Toobin, thank you so much.

Rachel Stockman out of Phoenix --

TOOBIN: Thanks.

BALDWIN: Thanks to both you guys. Appreciate it.

And now listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIKE HARE, FATHER OF MISSING TEEN: I called it all last night. I called it today.

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: You have still been calling his number?

HARE: Well, I can't stop. I don't know why.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: This is a father who refuses to give up. His 16-year- old son is missing ever since the tornado hit Joplin Sunday night. We will have more from him.

Also, it was the worst massacre in Europe since the Holocaust. Today, the law caught up with the alleged butcher of the Balkans. Remember what you were doing back in December of 1995? We are going to take you way, way back, in the way only CNN can do that. This day will definitely be one for the history books.

Stay right here.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Got some news just in to us here at CNN. You remember the name Eddie Long? I'm going to take you back. It was August of last year.

Well, here's the new development we're just learning in the case involving Eddie Long, Atlanta megachurch pastor. The attorney for those young men who had sued Bishop Long now telling CNN simply -- quote -- "The matter has been resolved" -- end quote.

Those young men had accused Long of sexual misconduct when they were members of his church, of the New Birth Baptist Church and Bishop's LongFellows Academy for young men. The matter's been resolved, they say.

And now this:

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. HARRY REID (D-NV), MAJORITY LEADER: The national security of the United States is at stake. And the junior senator from Kentucky's complaining that he's not been able to offer amendments. Let me take a moment to set the record straight.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: The clock is ticking, eight hours until parts of the Patriot Act expire, and the debate over what to do pitted has Harry Reid against Rand, and Rand Paul against the Republican Party, the Republican leadership.

We're going to take you live to Capitol Hill for today's drama. Don't miss this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Want to take just a couple of minutes here to get you caught up on the efforts to locate the missing, those unaccounted for in Joplin, Missouri.

Today, Missouri officials reduced the number of those unaccounted for all the way down from 1,500 -- Remember, we were talking about that yesterday? -- now down to 232.

Some people have been found alive, but others now have been confirmed among the dead.

That said, I do have an update for you on little 16-month-old Skyular Logsdon, whose grandmother I talked to just yesterday who said they just kept looking for him and kept looking for him.

Here's the news. Missouri officials say the missing toddler's body was identified at a morgue by his great-aunt. His mother was holding him in her arms when the tornado blew through, ripping this little one out of her embrace. The search drew national attention and thousands to a Facebook page that was set up to help locate Skyular.

Now to Capitol Hill. Senator Rand Paul's got a head full of steam. Today, he's saying if key provisions of the Patriot Act are allowed to lapse at midnight, and if that impedes the hunt for terrorists, it is the fault of his own party, his Republican Party.

Listen to this. This is Rand Paul, exclusive interview with our own Dana Bash.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. RAND PAUL (R), KENTUCKY: If you believe your gun records should be private and that they shouldn't be opened and sifted through by unknown bureaucrats without a judge's warrant, that you should call your Republican leadership in Washington and tell them you're unhappy. If you thought you elected Republicans because they were going to defend the Second Amendment and the Fourth Amendment, tell them you're disappointed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: And there she is, Dana Bash.

Dana, great get on the interview today, first and foremost.

Let me ask you this. What -- what's gotten into Rand Paul? Why's he going off on his own, his own -- his fellow senators, his fellow Republicans?

DANA BASH, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, first, let me just start by saying that this is a fast-moving story, Brooke.

And I was told by a Republican that the Republicans may have just in the last few minutes agreed to give in to Rand Paul.

BALDWIN: Wow.

BASH: But what happened was, he actually sought me out to come on CNN to go off on his Republican leadership.

He's been filibustering the Patriot Act all week long, at least extending it for four years, because he wants amendments. And this morning, he said he actually came to an agreement with the Democrats on two amendments that he was looking for. And one of them is what we're talking about. That's sort of the most controversial here, and that it would require the government to get a court order before reviewing people's gun records.

And he said, at least earlier, that the fellow Republicans told him no. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL: The Republican leadership is not only opposing my amendments. They're sending out information to try to convince other Republicans to vote against my amendments.

BASH: As you know, this is unusual around here for a Republican freshman senator to come on and really lash out at his own leadership. Why are you doing that?

PAUL: I'm disappointed. I'm disappointed that they don't want to allow debate. I mean, I have gotten the -- over two long days of filibustering this, I have gotten the Democrats to agree to allow me to have votes. Are we not here to have debate, to have debate over important constitutional questions?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: Now, Paul said the issue was that he felt that his fellow Republicans were conflicted. On the one hand, they didn't want to do anything to anger gun rights advocates and people out there who -- many of whom have supported Republicans' and tend to in general.

On the other hand, they didn't want to look like they were doing anything to make it harder to go after potential terrorists. And that's why he was so frustrated with his Republican leadership.

Now, again, I should underscore we're actually watching the Senate floor right now, Brooke, to see if Republicans come out and say, at least from their point of view, they're OK with these amendments on the Republican side. Republicans earlier said that there are some issue with -- issues with Democrats.

But, big picture, what this has been doing is making it very dramatic --

BALDWIN: Yes.

BASH: -- as we get up to the midnight hour, as to whether or not this Patriot Act will expire -- at least key provisions will expire or not.

BALDWIN: Well, obviously, come back and let us know if the Republicans decide to go his way.

But let's also talk bigger picture here, namely national security, Dana.

BASH: Yes.

BALDWIN: I want -- let's listen to some sound. This is Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid warning about some of these parts you're mentioning, parts of the Patriot Act lapsing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REID: Our law enforcement will no longer be able to use some of the most critical tools they need to counter terrorists and combat terrorism. If they cannot use these tools, tools that identify and track terrorist suspects, it could have dire consequences for our national security.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: It expires at midnight tonight. You said you're watching the Senate floor right now. Who's negotiating with whom, though, to prevent this expiration from happening?

BASH: Everybody is negotiating at this point. And, really, it's just down to -- I mean, welcome to the United States Senate. It is just down to whether or not various people can get various amendments.

They seem to be getting closer. Just before I came on here, as I said, it looks like at least Republicans have backed down in their opposition to their own Tea Party-backed candidate who promised to be a flamethrower. And he certainly has kept that promise, Rand Paul. But they're all talking.

And they do say -- at least you heard Harry Reid. We're hearing from others who are supporters of extending this that they are concerned that, if this expires, even just for a few hours, it could really disrupt the government's ability to go after terrorists, potential terrorists, I should say.

BALDWIN: Potentially, potentially.

Let us know if anything changes. Dana Bash, we will bring you back on. Thank you so much from Capitol Hill.

BASH: thanks, Brooke.

BALDWIN: And a small village with close relatives nearby, this is where a war criminal was found. How in the world did this guy evade capture for so long? I will speak with one of the men who prosecuted some of these war crimes at The Hague. That is next.

Plus, you will not believe what one couple in Detroit decided to take to their local precinct -- be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: All right, let's check some of our top stories.

According to "The Washington Post," Pakistan has now agreed to let the CIA take a closer look at Osama bin Laden's compound in Abbottabad. Federal agents will use sophisticated equipment to test the walls, test the floors for any kind of secret hiding places. They think bin Laden may have stashed other materials not actually found several weeks ago when those U.S. Navy SEALs raided the place. Pakistan does not possess such elaborate detection equipment.

An attorney for rape suspect and former International Monetary Fund chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn is accusing New York police of leaking details of his case. He says Strauss-Kahn's ability to get a fair trial was compromised by the release of what is being described as prejudicial material. But it's still unclear exactly what the materials are.

All of this comes as Strauss-Kahn has moved into this place, his new luxury townhouse in New York's Tribeca neighborhood. It is just about 7,000 square feet and the asking rent at one point was $60,000 a month.

Some scary moments today in Detroit at a police station there. The station had to be evacuated when a person dropped off -- get this -- a bag full of grenades. You can see the bomb squad called in to examine the devices, a nearby dental clinic, pharmacy also evacuated in the neighborhood for more than an hour. Police say a local resident found the grenades and didn't know what to do with them. It is unclear where the devices were found.

And now a huge story today. Want to take you back, way back, summer of 1995. Now, for us here in America, we had a national obsession. And I only need to utter these two initials: O.J.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: -- tried to show Simpson had no scars the day after the murders, so couldn't have been in a fight with Ron Goldman. And they're expected to call Simpson's doctor to say he had arthritis too severe to kill two people so fast.

And if jurors are still searching for reasonable doubt, Simpson lawyers say they need look no further than the glove.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: As the O.J. Simpson trial mesmerized America, a horrible, mass crime was playing out in Southern Europe in the former Yugoslavia.

Tens of thousand of Muslim civilians, mostly women and children, were being driven from this town, Srebrenica, as that town itself became a killing field of able-bodied men. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRENT SADLER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: After days of uncertainty and terror, the first of Srebrenica's pitiful refugees arrived in safe territory. They had escaped with their lives and little else. There were no men among them, only women and children, many of them elderly, some of them sick.

The first batch of around 3,000 Muslim civilians was herded out of the Srebrenica enclave in Serbian vehicles. They were dropped close to the confrontation line, and had to walk through the battlefront. Finally, they saw the comforting site of Bosnian government troops. Most of them sat in stunned silence.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Well, today, nearly 16 full years later, this former Serbian general has finally been arrested to answer for the crimes that occurred in Srebrenica, Ratko Mladic.

And we have just taken in these pictures. This is new to us. We are turning it around for you here at CNN, in these pictures, Ratko Mladic in custody, in Serbia. Mladic is charged with the murders of nearly 8,000 Muslim men and boys and the forced relocation of tens of thousands of others, ethnic cleansing.

Mladic was finally hunted down in this village in Northern Serbia, thus ending this global manhunt, second in frustration perhaps to the one that ended May 2 with the killing of Osama bin Laden.

Joining me now from Washington, D.C., Georgetown law professor Mark Vlasic. He helped prosecute Mladic cohort Slobodan Milosevic at the war crimes trial in The Hague.

Sir, good to have you on. Let's just start here, simply, what are -- we briefly ran through some of them -- what are Mladic's crimes?

MARK VLASIC, FORMER MILOSEVIC PROSECUTOR: Mladic will be charged for genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes, for the atrocities that were committed in -- outside of Srebrenica after the fall in July of 1995. It's a huge, huge day that he's been captured today.

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: Huge day, as I said, historic. But like you said, 1995 -- he has been on the lam for more than 15 years, just about 16, longer than even bin Laden. How -- how could that have even happened?

VLASIC: I think there's a wide support network for Mladic.

He's seen as a hero by many people. And I think there are many people who are willing to protect him. I think the fact that the Serbian governments and members of the Serbian Ministry of Interior and others who are working with this have decided to go after him and capture him today is a huge step forward for the government of Serbia and the entire population of the former Yugoslavia.

BALDWIN: But, Mark, the search obviously for Mladic is over. But then the next step, the search for the people who presumably helped this man hide must continue. How do they search for those individuals?

VLASIC: Yes, this will probably be something taken up by the Serbian security services to try to figure out who was helping him, who was try to funnel him assistance, cash, food, what have you. And it's something that will probably take a longer period of time to investigate.

BALDWIN: You know, we thought Europe in the '90s, Mark, had evolved beyond mass killings, beyond ethnic cleansing. The last time we had some sort of mass genocide was World War II. We were wrong, obviously.

Do these prosecutions serve to prevent any of this from happening ever again?

VLASIC: I think that's an excellent question.

I mean, the thing that struck so many people during the war in Yugoslavia was the fact that this occurred in Europe in the 21st century, the fact that this happened, you know, when many of us were watching TV and could watch the war unfold right before our eyes.

And so the fact 8,000 men and boys could be slaughtered, rounded up, blindfolded, shot, it came as a shock to many people. The question in term of what it has done to prevent future crimes, I think the testimony --

BALDWIN: What has it done?

VLASIC: I think what -- from my experience, when I was work on Milosevic prosecution one of the first witnesses I worked with was the head of civil affairs in Bosnia, and the first thing e. Hid e said thank you for being here.

I said, why? He explained to myself and my colleague the fact when he was doing prisoner exchanges in Bosnia he would go to the leader of the Bosnian-Serb army and take a list of all of the people involved in the prisoner transfer, and he would tell the commander if any single Muslim that was harmed during this prisoner transfer he would take the list of people who had been involved in the transfer and bring it to the Hague and he would not rest until those people were prosecuted for injuring the Bosnian Muslims. And he was convinced that saved lives.

BALDWIN: But, Mark, globally, globally, might this hopefully, now that these bad guys are found, globally, does this set a precedent, that this is unacceptable?

VLASIC: I think it does. I think the press den was first established with the capture and arrest and the trial of Slobadon Milosevic. After that you had Charles Taylor, after that Saddam Hussein, and the fact that this is one more major domino to fall. And those people who, before, lived happily ever after slaughtering thousands of people, the fact these individuals are being brought to justice in the Hague is a huge step forward for justice.

BALDWIN: Good. Mark Vlasic, thank you, sir, for coming on.

VLASIC: Thank you.

BALDWIN: Now this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE ANTHONY, CASEY ANTHONY'S FATHER: My life and my wife's life when this started for us, we are running on fumes, going day by day, just trying to find my granddaughter.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Emotions clearly reaching epic levels as Casey Anthony awaits her fate on trial for murder, more shocking revelations. Now the prosecution is punching back. We'll get insight from criminal defense attorney and former prosecutor Holly Hughes live in the studio. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: There was a heartbreaking moment during the Casey Anthony murder trial, which is still going on, by the way. These are live pictures inside the courtroom. She, you know, is the young Florida mother who could be sentenced to death if the jury finds her guilty of killing her two-year-old daughter, Caylee.

I want you to watch this. This is an emotional moment it happened after court started this morning. Today's day three of the trial. Watch with me as Casey Anthony's former boyfriend describes Caylee and the relationship between mother and daughter. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TONY LAZZARO, CASEY ANTHONY'S FORMER BOYFRIEND: She'd have a book, she'd have her teddy bear. We would go down to the pool, teach her how to swim, talk about Caylee, Caylee liked Dora the Explorer and could count to 40 in Spanish, which was pretty incredible for her age. She was a great little girl.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Who taught her how to count to 40?

LAZZARO: Dora the Explorer. From my knowledge, it was her favorite show.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And how often during that time did you see Casey and Caylee hugging and showing affection with one another?

LAZZARO: Pretty much the whole time.

(END VIDEO CLIP) BALDWIN: Holly Hughes is a criminal defense attorney and a former prosecutor. What a story. You have a loving mother, tragic accident, we all heard, though, Monday the defense in the opening that they're saying this was an accident, a drowning in the pool. It surprised us. Were you surprised by that?

HOLLY HUGHES, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: You know, I think it's the only place they could go, Brooke, bear in mind --

BALDWIN: An accident.

HUGHES: Exactly. By the time they found remains they were skeletal. So you can't negate that. The prosecution doesn't know what the cause of death was, and there's no organs left. There's no lungs to test, to see if there's water in them.

So from the standpoint of she's not guilty at all, because he's saying it's not a lesser included, it's not manslaughter, it's just a flat-out accident, and the prosecution cannot negate that. There's no evidence to test.

BALDWIN: Also this, today, there was all of this back and forth between Casey Anthony's attorney and her father. It's this whole exchange over these gas cans, right? These gas cans found in Casey's trunk. He got particularly testy. Let's watch this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANTHONY: You're trying to confuse me here. Yes, you are, sir.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, I'm not.

ANTHONY: We're talking about the gas can and you're talking about my granddaughter. Be specific with one or the other and I'll be more than glad to get through this with you. You have to be specific. Give me a date and I'll answer.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm giving you a date.

ANTHONY: No, sir, you are badgering me. You're trying to get me upset, sir.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: "You're badgering me." What did you think? Was the attorney -- was Casey Anthony's attorney badgering him on the stand?

HUGHES: I think he was. He was pushing it too far. You have to be very careful, because bear in mind not only is he the defendant's father, he's the grandfather of the victim here. And this is an attorney who stood up in open court and called him a child rapist. This is the man who stood up and used very vulgar terms, very descriptive anatomically correct language when he described what George allegedly did to Casey.

So I think George has shown incredible restraint. If someone accused you of hurting your child in that way, you'd want to come over the bench and strangle them. What George is saying is I'm try so hard to be professional but Jose was pushing it too far. He had what he need. He needed to stop.

BALDWIN: When he was saying you're being testy, that was innocuous and he held back.

HUGHES: He did.

BALDWIN: In opening statements it seemed like the defense attorney, they were throwing a lot of people under the bus -- George Anthony, blaming Cindy, Casey's mother. Do you think -- speak to just the fact, what's the point of throwing all of these people the bus?

HUGHES: What Jose Baez is trying to do here --

BALDWIN: Jose Baez is Casey Anthony's attorney.

HUGHES: Absolutely. He's the defense attorney. By throwing all of this stuff out, it's what we call the kitchen sink approach. When you shoot a shotgun it scatters and everything hits the wall you need one thing to stick. You need one juror to believe something you say. But I think he overpromised. I think he overshot here, because it's one thing to say it's an accident.

BALDWIN: But further.

HUGHES: OK, so then we progress and we say, not only was it an accident, but George is the one who discovered the body and came up with the idea of covering it up. If that wasn't enough, then we say and everything Casey did is George's fault because he molested her. But wait, wait, wait, not just him, Lee also molested her.

But if you don't buy any of that, the problem becomes that Roy Kronk, the meter reader, was so criminally brilliant that he thought ahead to somehow discover the body that the detective, George, should have hidden well enough not to be discovered. Then he was smart enough to hold on to it for four months and secrete it away until the reward got big enough. It's too much.

BALDWIN: They should have left it accidental drowning and didn't need all the additional layers.

HUGHES: Absolutely not.

BALDWIN: You have the prosecution. They're very clear it seems to me they're not making this about Casey Anthony. They're making this about a two-year-old little girl.

HUGHES: Correct. That's exactly what it is, Brooke. This was brilliant. If you watched prosecutor Linda Burdenic when she stood up, first words was, OK, everybody, this is not a case about Casey Anthony. This is time to tell the story of two-year-old Caylee Marie Anthony. And that's what you want. You want jurors literally sitting forward, hanging on the edge of their seat listening to your story. And she told a heck of a story. That was a brilliant prosecution opening on her part.

BALDWIN: Will we see Casey Anthony testify?

HUGHES: We have to, Brooke, because if you noticed what Jose Baez did, as the defense attorney he did a theatrical opening he was captivating absolutely. But I don't think he can back it up. Did you hear him mention one witness' name? Who is going to testify to all of these things that allegedly happen? Did you hear him say a school counselor or school nurse will testify that this happened and everybody knew way before the baby went missing?

BALDWIN: No.

HUGHES: He can't produce the evidence. He has to put her on the stand. If he doesn't, if he chooses not to, because we all know the defense has no burden, it's the prosecution's burden all the way, but if you stand up and promise a panel of 12 strangers I'm going to prove this to you, I'm going to show this to you, and you don't mention any witnesses, he's got to put her on or his credibility is zero.

BALDWIN: What a day that will be when she does finally take to the stand.

HUGHES: Oh, yes.

BALDWIN: Holly Hughes, come back.

HUGHES: Absolutely. Any time. I would love to.

BALDWIN: Now take a listen to this --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LAURA BOTSACOS, CO-OWNER, JAMES TOYOTO SCION: If you're thinking about buying a vehicle, this calendar year now is the time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Two months after Japan's earthquake and tsunami, America's car dealerships feeling the impact. Alison Kosik tells us what it spells for car buyers next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Maybe you've noticed this, U.S. auto dealers are scrambling. People coming into the dealerships, ready to buy, but in a lot of cases there are fewer vehicle on the lot. Alison Kosik reports there is a shortage of new autos because of Japan's earthquake and tsunami, and the shortage is leading to higher prices.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALISON KOSIK, CNNMONEY.COM: Two car dealerships, one problem --

RICK DESILVA, OWNER, LIBERTY SUBARU: I've never seen anything like this. LAURA BOTSACOS, CO-OWNER, JAMES TOYOTO SCION: I never experienced this before the.

KOSIK: The devastating earthquake struck Japan more than two months ago but the effects are just now hitting American soil. Automakers aren't operating at full speed, and that means we could see a car shortage this sum.

DESILVA: We're probably going to get about, in round numbers, 70 cars a month. We'll be 30 percent down for the normal numbered that we normally get for this time of year. So it's not great.

BOTSACOS: In typical month, you can be earning anywhere between 140 to 200 vehicles a month. So now we're in a situation where we are seeing that we are earning anywhere between 40 vehicles a month. That's a drastic reduction.

KOSIK: The auto industry has been through tough times before, but what makes this situation so unique is that dealers don't know when things will get back to normal.

DESILVA: There's still a little bit of uncertainty as far as exactly when we're going to get cars, what we're going to get, what the numbers may be. There's not a good forecast where normally you forecast what you're going to get.

KOSIK (on camera): Why is it a problem business wise not to be able to forecast?

DESILVA: Well, because you have to know whether or not you can -- whether you can pay your bills.

KOSIK (voice-over): And ultimately, paying the bills is the issue.

BOTSACOS: We have a huge responsibility. We're responsible for people and you know we're also responsible for making sure that people's needs are met. It's -- so, yes, let's put it this way. I don't sleep very well.

KOSIK: Unfortunately, there's not much these business owners can do. They don't make the cars and they can't change what's available, so they're literally watching business walk out the door.

BOTSACOS: A woman walked in wanted a specific model, we -- unfortunate -- it's fine, people when they want what they want. We didn't have it. I didn't have it. I tried my best.

KOSIK: This is a supply and demand business. So with fewer cars available, prices are rising. Edmonds.com says overall prices are up $350 since the earthquake. If you want options and lower prices --

DESILVA: You need to start looking now if you want to get something.

BOTSACOS: If you're thinking about buying a vehicle this calendar year, now is the time because as we've all experienced we don't -- we just can't predict what may or may not happen.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KOSIK: And talking dollars and cents since the earthquake cars, buying at Honda, an average of $1,000 extra. Lexus, Acura, Infinity seeing the same price increases. It's not just Toyota and Subaru. Chrysler expects to turn out 100,000 fewer cars. Honda says there will be fewer Civics available. Plus the launch of the 2012 CRV will be delayed bay month. GM and Ford say they were not affected.

BALDWIN: Higher priced cars this hour, higher priced coffee next hour. Alison Kosik, we'll talk to you next hour. Folks, we'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: It's time for your CNN = Politics update. For that we go to Wolf Blitzer live in Washington with the latest on the Political Ticker. And Wolf, let's talk about former vice president who had some pretty interesting remarks to make about Paul Ryan. What did he say?

WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST, "THE SITUATION ROOM": He loves Paul Ryan. I think that's the bottom line, no doubt about that. Some Republicans may be running a little bit away from Paul Ryan and his controversial plan to reform Medicare. Newt Gingrich, the Republican presidential candidate had some words that he later backed away from not so nice about the Medicare reform plan that Paul Ryan, the Wisconsin Republican and chairman of the house budget committee put forward.

But former vice president Dick Cheney, he is quoted by "The Houston Chronicle" as saying this. He said, "I worship the ground that Paul Ryan walks on." He then went on the say, and I'm quoting, "I hope he doesn't run for president, because that would ruin a good man who has a lot of work to do."

So I guess it's pretty clear. Dick Cheney is not a subtle guy. He is very blunt. He is making it clear he loves Paul Ryan, loves everything he stands for. And that's why he said those nice words about Paul Ryan.

We're going to have more on this story, but we're also going to have more on what is going on. They finally captured the -- Ratko Mladic. As you know, he is one of the war criminals that -- accused war criminals I guess we should say that they've been after for so, so long. In Bosnia, and the president of Serbia made that announcement today.

Here is the exciting news. Christiane Amanpour is going to come back to CNN today and talk to me about that. As you remember, when she used to work at CNN, she was so involved in our coverage in Bosnia and Kosovo, the Balkans, all of our viewers will remember the heroic work she did covering the story for us.

So I have invited her to come into "THE SITUATION ROOM" and talk to us today. I want her to reflect a little bit about what it means that they captured this war criminal so many years later. I think that will be good, and I'm looking forward to that.

BALDWIN: Fantastic. I would love to hear from her back on our own air.

And let me just ask you about this, Wolf. We know the Patriot Act is set to expire by midnight tonight. I was talking to Dana Bash earlier who said there could be changes among the Republicans here. What do you make of freshman Senator Rand Paul is really lashing out against Republican leadership? What do you make of that?

BLITZER: He is a libertarian, and he is a very strong, strongly opinionated guy. He doesn't really care that much about what his fellow Republicans on some of the issues that are core issues for him. And he's got his principles just like his dad, Ron Paul, the Republican congressman from Texas who is now a Republican presidential candidate. These are both individuals, father and son, that don't deviate from their principles. And this is a matter of principle for them.

Sometimes Ron Paul over the years, I've covered him for many years, there will be a house in the House of Representatives, Brooke, that will be 432-2, or 431-3, something along those lines. Ron Paul invariably he is there. Even a vote as innocuous as something declaring that George Washington was a great president -- I'm just making this up -- something like, that he'll vote against it because in principle he doesn't believe we should be remembering that. These are very principled gentlemen, and they feel strongly. And Ron Paul and Rand Paul, they're not shy about making their views known.

BALDWIN: Wolf Blitzer, talk about serendipity. We just saw him on the floor there, Senator Paul. Wolf, we appreciate it.