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Secretary Clinton's Visit to Pakistan Short But Not Sweet; Hermain Cain Fast Becoming a Republican Favorite; "Political Buzz"; All Eyes on Sarah Palin -- Will She or Won't She?
Aired May 27, 2011 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: I know, we got to go, 10:00 a.m. on the East Coast, 7:00 a.m. out west. I'm Carol Costello sitting in for Kyra Phillips. Good morning to you.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO (voice-over): CIA forensic experts will return to Osama Bin Laden's compound to search for hidden intelligence. Pakistani officials gave approval, a sign that tensions might be easing after that secret raid. In fact, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made an unannounced visit to Pakistan earlier this morning. More on both stories in a minute.
The controversial patriot act lives on, President Obama signing the extension just minutes before its midnight deadline. Critics say the post-9/11 law is too invasive.
The so-called "butcher of Bosnia" may face a Hague tribunal. Lawyers for the one time Bosnian Serb said he was suffering from psychological problems and he should not be extradited. This morning a Serbian judge seems to have rejected that.
We begin this hour though with a return to Bin Laden's compound. It's been less than four weeks since Navy SEALs raced out of there with his body and a so-called treasure trove of intelligence. But the CIA believes more documents may be hidden and if so their forensic experts have the gadgets to find them.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: Chris Lawrence is at the Pentagon. You would think Pakistani officials have been through that compound a million times and cleared everything out. So will there be anything left of value to see?
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's the big question, Carol. You know, and that's what the CIA wants to find out. You've got to think of this almost like a CSI investigation but on a grander, more important international scale.
Again, the SEAL team that was on the ground there, they were only in that compound for about 40 minutes in the dark and only about maybe half that time was spent actually searching the compound. Still, they were able to get out what officials tell us is probably the biggest stash of intelligence that has ever been recovered by the United States then the Pakistanis went in. But the key here is that the Pakistanis have agreed to share some of the information that they found as well, and now they're allowing the CIA to go in.
So what could they find? Well, they may be looking for things that maybe were embedded in the wall, maybe something that was buried outside. The CIA may have the kind of equipment that Pakistan may not be able to bring to bear.
Things like some infrared cameras that can look inside walls without damaging anything inside of it. We know for a fact that U.S. officials said that Osama Bin Laden and the people who lived in this compound burned their trash instead of taking it out to the street like the other residents.
The CIA may be able to go in there and use some equipment to even pull information of fragments that have been burned. So even though maybe to the naked eye it doesn't look like there's anything in there, investigators want to get in there and see what they can find.
COSTELLO: Well, fascinating stuff. Chris Lawrence at the Pentagon, many thanks.
If you pay taxes to Uncle Sam you've also helped send billions of dollars to Pakistan. But ever since the Navy's secret raid killed Osama Bin Laden, the relations between the two countries have been fiercely strained.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO (voice-over): Well, today Hillary Clinton arrived in Pakistan's capital. The secretary of state delivered a stern message. She said Pakistan needs to step up its efforts to fight terrorism.
HILLARY CLINTON, SECRETARY OF STATE: America cannot and should not solve Pakistan's problems. That's up to Pakistan. But in solving its problems, Pakistan should understand that anti-Americanism and conspiracy theories will not make problems disappear.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Secretary Clinton also repeated an earlier claim about a government conspiracy in Pakistan. She says there is no evidence that any high-ranking officials knew Bin Laden was hiding out in the country.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO (voice-over): Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney heads to Iowa today. It is his first visit there this year. The likely GOP presidential candidate will speak at the State Historical Building. Romney's campaign has said it will officially announce he is running for president on June 2nd. Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann says she is not waiting for Sarah Palin to make her decision about a GOP presidential run. The Tea Party favorite has all, but announced her 2012 bid. Bachman says her decision will be made independent of what Palin does.
And Sarah Palin might not be hitting the campaign trail, but she is hitting the road. She launches a bus tour this Sunday and will visit historical sites up the east coast.
First stop, a rolling thunder motorcycle rally in Washington, D.C. some are calling it the kickoff to a presidential campaign. Palin's staff calls it a learning tour.
Despite the presidential speculation, Palin will stay on the air as a paid contributor for the Fox News channel.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Stay with us, because coming up I'll talk with Tea Party conservative Dana Loesh about what Sarah Palin's possible run, will she run? We'll talk about that.
Also ahead, severe weather outbreaks across the United States. More tornado confirmations. We'll tell you why we're seeing so much severe weather and when it will end. That's coming up way next.
SWAT team officers stormed the home of a former Marine. It was a botched drug raid that left the Iraq war veteran dead. Coming up next, more startling details of a sheriff's department investigation.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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COSTELLO (voice-over): Parts of the Deep South and Midwest are still reeling from severe weather. In the Atlanta area, I can tell you it was nasty. Three people were killed by falling trees, one of them a teenager, and he was killed while cleaning debris from his driveway.
A family outside of Huntsville, Alabama, is alive and wondering how they survived after strong winds knocked down a number of trees. Those trees fell smack on top of the house. Actually that's old hat for Timothy Hood. Last month a tornado destroyed his previous home.
And the National Weather Service is confirming four tornados touched down Wednesday as severe weather smacked the buckeye state, Ohio, the twisters ripping up a few barns, homes and businesses. No serious injuries here, but it does bring up the question.
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COSTELLO: Rob Marciano, I mean is there a definite season for tornados? If there is, when is it over?
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Well, we're in primetime right now, so we've got a month, month and a half before it really starts to be over. But honestly, tornados can happen just about any time of year.
The past couple of years they have actually been touching down in odd places and odd times of year, so that's certainly a note of interest. These are the number of severe weather reports we had yesterday alone over 600 of them. Yes, we had a handful of tornados in Ohio, but the bulk of the damage was anywhere from Georgia and up through upstate New York, Pennsylvania and Vermont.
Where winds were gusting over 60, 70 miles an hour, downing trees and fatalities because of that so it's not just tornados that do the damage. By the way, we're setting the stage again for the potential of seeing some severe weather across the plains. This is the area, that's Tornado Alley.
So that's the area this time of year. May is primetime through the beginning of June where tornados really are a threat, two, three, sometimes four days a week. So it's not unusual to see that sort of activity. What happens as we turn towards the seasons and look ahead and try to see when this may come to an end or at least slow down.
The jetstream, which does this deal, moves a little farther to the north, that's what it does in the summertime and begins to weaken, then we start to move the tornados from the end of winter towards the beginning of spring across the southeast, then they get into Tornado Alley.
Where we are right now, May, June especially, and then up across the upper Midwest as we get towards the end of summer. Of course by the time that happens, our numbers begin to drop off. An average may is 322 tornados. We had over 1,000 in April. This year we had over a thousand.
The average is 185 so it's amazing how we blew that out of the water. Of course, we've had 500 fatalities. We'll look for this to drop off, obviously. By the time that happens, we get into hurricane season.
Just one notice to why so many fatalities, you know, cities and towns, Carol, are just a little point on the map. If you get EF-4, EF-5 tornados to hit one of these or two of these head on like that, that's just plain old bad luck and this year has been horrible in that regard.
COSTELLO: It certainly has. Rob Marciano, thank you.
Awful bad luck. The pain staking process of identifying 126 dead. They're still grappling with that in Joplin, Missouri. Jacqui Jeras is there. Authorities are going to release a new list very soon, but what can you tell us about that?
JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Well, they're hoping that that number will be smaller, less than the 232, as they continue to make progress in terms of identifying some of these victims as well as finding some of the missing.
They are allowing some family members today to go to the morgue to help in that identification process. It's been very slow and very difficult. Part of the reason is because some of the bodies are in such poor condition that you're going to have to use things like fingerprints, tattoos, medical records and DNA testing in order to be able to identify some of them.
The federal government has taken over that task and they have also brought in $2 million worth of equipment to help expedite the process. Still, it's little relief for those who are still left wondering.
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TABITHA FREEMAN, LOOKING FOR GRANDMOTHER: Before I was told that there was no body found in the rubble and that they had seen an elderly woman digging through the rubble. But they don't know where she went, you know. I can't locate her anywhere.
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JERAS: That's Tabitha freeman and she's been searching for her grandmother, Ellen, for four days. She lives in Oklahoma and decided to drive in her truck and come here herself to try to find some answers.
We ran into her and spoke with her about it and I had also met somebody else up the street who said he knew everyone in this neighborhood. He was able to tell us that her grandmother was OK and sent to the hospital, so Tabitha and I called the hospital together yesterday.
We found her in Rogers, Arkansas, and she was OK, but sleeping at the time. Tabitha hadn't seen her grandmother in years and she was very relieved to get that information. So, Carol, that kind of gives you an idea of what people are going through.
You know, they can't communicate with each other because cell phones are out and problems on the internet. And in the chaos after the tornado, there were three different reports of three different hospitals of where the woman was taken.
COSTELLO: Well, and you can certainly tell by that story why that list, you know, the list that officials are putting out changes and the number changes so drastically over time.
JERAS: Yes, it absolutely does and they do know that some people on that list are deceased. So as they continue to identify more bodies, it will continue to go down hopefully. Carol.
COSTELLO: All right, Jacqui Jeras reporting live from Joplin. Just a reminder, Missouri's Department of Public Safety will have that update on the missing at 11:00 a.m. Eastern. We'll follow the news conference for you and we'll bring you the latest numbers.
The death of a former Marine and Iraq war veteran at the hands of SWAT team officers. We'll have the startling results of a sheriff's department investigation into a botched drug raid. That's just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO (voice-over): Checking stories cross country now, a Wisconsin judge has struck down the state's controversial anti-union law. The Republican-sponsored measure strips most public workers of their collective bargaining rights. The judge ruled the legislation violates the state's open meetings law.
In Atlanta, hundreds of patients and staff at Emory University Hospital may have been exposed to tuberculosis. CNN affiliate WSB-TV reports the Georgia Department of Community Health notified 680 patients of the possible exposure by an Emory worker. Testing now under way.
And Seaworld has banned its killer whale trainers from touching the animals. Trainers can no longer jump into the water with orcas to interact and perform stunts. The no-touch shows begin just weeks after a six-ton orca that dragged a trainer to her death last year returned to Orlando Seaworld.
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COSTELLO: After an Iraq war veteran -- an Iraqi war veteran was killed, rather, after SWAT team officers stormed his Tucson, Arizona, home in a drug raid that turned up no drugs.
Now a sheriff's department report reveals that the former U.S. Marine never fired on the officers who shot him. Here's more from Kara Finstrom.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is it right here on our left.
KARA FINSTROM, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It began the morning of May 5th with a raid of four houses near Tucson, Arizona, where investigators suspected a violent drug smuggling operation was being run.
Within minutes, it ended with a SWAT team killing, now sparking community outrage, 26-year-old Iraqi war veteran, Jose Guerena, who investigators now say grabbed, but never fired his semiautomatic rifle.
He was shot 22 times with paramedics kept away while police say they secured the home. Also inside, his young son and wife who called 911.
VANESSA GUERENA, WIFE (via telephone): I don't know what happened. He's bleeding.
FINSTROM: Questions have since mounted about whether deadly force was justified and whether the Guerenas understood it was police, not invaders storming their home.
GUERENA (on camera): I saw this guy pointing me at the window so I got scared and I got like, please don't shoot. I have a baby. FINSTROM: Now the Sheriff's Department has released this video of the crucial minutes when they say warnings were sounded. The general counsel for the police union describes what SWAT team members say happened next.
MICHAEL STORIE, SWAT ATTORNEY: Guerena makes eye contact with these officers, who are in gear that says police, the shield says police, and their helmets say police. They have patches that say police. He makes eye contact with them, raises his weapon and points it right at these officers.
FINSTROM: Also just released, hundreds of pages of investigation documents, which detail what officers' say they ultimately found inside the home, body armor and a large number of weapons, but no huge cache of drugs or money.
Guerena family attorney, Chris Scileppi released this statement in response, saying we just learned that the Sheriff's Department has released voluminous amounts of information in regard to this incident. We will review the documents and CDs and will make ourselves available for comment in the near future.
Guerena's wife says he was not involved with drug dealing. Scileppi says the Sheriff's Department has tried to defame Guerena and paints a different picture of a man with no criminal record, who had worked for a mining company since leaving the Marine Corps five years ago and was a husband and father of two.
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FINSTROM: Sheriff officials say their internal investigation of those chaotic minutes that led to Guerena's death continues. Supporters of his family who have been critical of the department have announced plans for a march to the scene of the shooting on Memorial Day. Kara Finstrom for CNN, Los Angeles.
COSTELLO: Coming up, Sarah Palin fires up her one nation bus tour this weekend. Some believe that's a hint she may be close to announcing a run for president, but what would her campaign look like?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Checking our top stories now, the Pakistani government has given a CIA team's permission to visit the compound where Osama Bin Laden was killed. The forensic specialists Americans will search for hidden or buried documents.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was in Pakistan today pushing for a greater counterterrorism effort. The U.S. is looking for the Pakistanis to show they're willing to go after senior al Qaeda targets and shut down factories producing IEDs that target U.S. troops.
And President Obama took time from the G8 summit to sign an extension of the Patriot Act. The provisions that would have expired included roving wire taps, the tracking of alleged lone wolf terrorists. Two months after an earthquake and tsunami devastated Japan, the effects are still rippling around the world. Here at home dealers say a car shortage is coming. Alison Kosik has more.
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ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Two car dealerships, one problem.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I've never seen anything like this.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I've never experienced this before.
KOSIK: The devastating earthquake struck Japan more than two months ago, but some of 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 summer.
RICK DESILVA, OWNER, LIBERTY SUBARU: We're probably going to get about in round numbers 70 cars a month. It will be about 30 percent down off of the normal numbers that say we normally get this time of year. So it's not great.
LAURA BOTSACOS, CO-OWNER, JAMES TOYOTA SCION: In a typical month you could be earning between 140 to 200 vehicles per month, right? 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 is 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 really not a real good forecast, where normally you could forecast what you're going to get.
KOSIK (on camera): Why is it a problem businesswise to not be able to forecast?
DESILVA: Because you have to be able to know whether or not 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. You know, we're also responsible for making sure that people's needs are met. So, yes, if you're asking -- 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 can't change what's available, so they're literally watching business walk out the door.
BOTSACOS: A woman walked in, she wanted a specific model. You know, unfortunately -- and that's -- it's fine when people want what they want. We didn't have it. I just -- 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. Edmunds.com says overall car prices are up $350 since the earthquake. So if you want options and lower prices --
DESILVA: You really, really need to come out and 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 just can't predict what may or may not happen.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: Alison Kosik joins us now from New York now. So, Alison, you spoke to Toyota and Subaru. What about other automakers?
KOSIK: Exactly. Those other automakers, Carol, we're seeing Honda, Acura, Infiniti with higher prices for cars that are on the lots. In the case of Honda, cars are as much $1,000 more.
As far as supply, we're seeing that Chrysler is making 100,000 fewer vehicles this year. Honda says you'll have fewer Civics to choose from as well. Carol.
COSTELLO: Let's just talk a little bit about gas prices because the Memorial Day weekend is coming up. Analysts said that prices were going to be $5 a gallon. They couldn't be more wrong.
KOSIK: Well, you know what, let's say, yey, they were wrong, right? You want to know why? Because oil prices fell. You know, when oil was at $114 a barrel, we were all talking about that $5 gas. Today oil prices sit at around $100 a barrel and that's because we're seeing this sluggish recovery in the global economy.
We've got weak economic reports here in the U.S. We've got these lingering debt fears in Europe. So we have oil prices down, gas prices are down. In fact gas prices down for 15 straight days. But for a comparison, they're still $1 a gallon more than a year ago.
Now keep in mind, gas prices typically follow oil with a lag of one to two weeks, so it is going to be a bit before we really see it at the pump. But keep in mind, Carol, oil and gas prices, they fluctuate all the time, so my advice is take this forecast with a grain of salt because it could turn on a dime. Carol.
COSTELLO: As we've seen. Alison Kosik, many thanks.
The Miami Heat make an incredible comeback to win their game with the Bulls and advance to the NBA finals. Sports coming your way next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: If you pay taxes to Uncle Sam, you've also helped send billions of dollars to Pakistan. But ever since the Navy's secret raid killed Osama bin Laden there, relations between the two countries have been strained. Today, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrived in Pakistan's capital to deliver a stern message.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HILLARY CLINTON, SECRETARY OF STATE: America cannot and should not solve Pakistan's problems. That's up to Pakistan. But in solving its problems, Pakistan should understand that anti-Americanism and conspiracy theories will not make problems disappear.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: CNN's Stan Grant is live in Islamabad. So, Stan, Secretary Clinton's visit was short. Should we read anything into that?
STAN GRANT, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Short is all that she needed really, Carol. This was a fairly simple message. And that is that they expect Pakistan to do a lot more. The United States, as you mentioned, pumps billions of dollars into Pakistan. I think it's about $20 billion over the past 10 years and wants to see more of a return on that investment, particularly a commitment to going harder after the insurgents, to breaking up any al Qaeda cells in the country and really clamping down on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.
As you know, the United States is looking at trying to draw down the number of troops in Afghanistan. It wants to stabilize that country. And Pakistan is absolutely essential to that.
Pakistan, though, still very concerned about the secret raid that killed Osama bin Laden, saying it violated Pakistan's sovereignty. They're dealing with this wave of anti-American feeling. You heard Secretary Clinton mention it there. This is a very, very strong feeling right across the country.
Many people here simply blame the United States for all of their problems. They say the U.S. is bringing more terror attacks as the militants retaliate back onto civilian Pakistanis.
Secretary Clinton also acknowledged that and said, yes, there is a real sacrifice amongst Pakistanis, acknowledged those debts but said this relationship is strategically important, and what they really need to do in the interests of both countries is to get it back on track. But she wants to see action rather than words, Carol.
COSTELLO: Stan Grant, live in Islamabad, Pakistan. Many thanks.
Herman Cain is fast becoming a Republican party favorite. The radio show host and former CEO of Godfather's Pizza is running for president. In this Gallup poll, he's practically tied for third among the list of GOP candidates or potential candidates, and he doesn't have anywhere near their name recognition. Plus, Gallup said respondents liked Cain the most. Earlier, I asked him if he's qualified to be president.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) COSTELLO: Some people might say that you lack -- you have never held elective office. You don't have experience in the workings of government and certainly not in foreign policy. And that was a big criticism against President Obama even though he served in the Senate.
So, how do you respond to those who say you have absolutely no background to become president of the United States?
HERMAN CAIN, REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Well, my question is: President Obama didn't either. So, why is it? It's a double standard. He didn't have --
COSTELLO: But you say he's not a good president.
CAIN: Yes, I have said that he has not been a good president because here's what I have that he did not have, Carol, and that is problem- solving experience. I have led large organizations, taken over companies that were looking bankruptcy right between the eyes and was able to turn them around. I have taken organizations that were troubled financially and made them very successful.
So, those comparisons are apples and oranges. It appears as if some people want to give President Obama a pass for lack of experience but yet they don't want to acknowledge my problem-solving experience. There's a huge difference in what I have done with my business career.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Herman Cain.
It is now time for "Political Buzz," a lightning-fast conversation hitting the hot political topics of the day. Each of our brilliant political observers get 20 seconds to answer three probing questions.
Robert Zimmerman is a member of the Democratic National Committee. Comedian Pete Dominick is back with his own unique perspective, and Dana Loesch is a Tea Party supporter and conservative. Welcome to all of you.
Let's get right to our first question, shall we? If Sarah Palin runs, will she be the new Donald Trump as in we're enamored for three months and then, poof, she's gone? Dana?
DANA LOESCH, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: No. I think that society and media has been enamored with her for a long time, ever since she was announced as John McCain's running mate in 2008. There's a huge difference between her and Trump. She's actually come out with some solid policy ideas in terms of economics. She's discussed quantitative easing (ph), she's discussed foreign policy. She's really put herself out there. I don't think it's a schtick. I don't think it's a gimmick, I think it's the real thing.
COSTELLO: Robert.
ROBERT ZIMMERMAN, MEMBER, DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL COMMITTEE: Look, she launched her tour like she's the Lady Gaga of the radical right wing in America, only without the talent. When it's over, she'll be lucky if Trump books her as an Atlantic City lounge act for the right wing. She's not running for president, she's running to save her brand.
COSTELLO: Ouch! Pete?
PETE DOMINICK, COMEDIAN: Well, Sarah Palin can't be the new Donald Trump because Donald Trump was the new Sarah Palin. This new version of Sarah Palin, she'll be a lot more informed, but she's sure to get -- be ready for questions like what do you read.
But I'm interested in seeing the difference between her and Michele Bachmann, who's going to announce. I want to see them argue about how different they are. That should be good.
COSTELLO: OK. Question number two: Dick Cheney says he worships the ground Congressman Paul Ryan walks on. Join the club. Should Paul Ryan and his Medicare plan run? Robert?
ZIMMERMAN: Look, there are a lot of Democrats who are worshipping the ground Paul Ryan walks on because his plan to end Medicare as we know it really defines the difference between the two parties. And of course Dick Cheney, who as vice president destroyed our surplus and doubled our debt, speaks to the hypocrisy of the right wing in America today.
COSTELLO: Dana?
LOESCH: Medicare is already in the hole trillions of dollars. This -- Paul Ryan's plan was just something to reform that. No, I think it's too soon for him to run. First of all, he's in the House of Representatives. No one goes from House of Representatives and jumps into the White House. It's statistically a huge hurdle.
I like him where he is. Maybe 2016.
COSTELLO: Pete.
DOMINICK: Well, it's good to know that Dick Cheney worships somebody because a lot of people still think he's the dark overlord, Carol. But the irony is someone with Dick Cheney's medical history and age, of course, under the Ryan plan, they might go bankrupt or get very, very sick really quickly. So -- but Dick Cheney has a lot of money so he would be all right.
COSTELLO: Oh, geeze! OK. Question number three. President Obama will visit Joplin, Missouri, on Sunday. Is he a week too late? Dana?
LOESCH: I don't think so. What is he going to do, run down there and stop the tornadoes? This is the same stuff that was thrown at Chris Christie when he went to Florida and there was a blizzard that hit New Jersey, and the left freaked out over that. I think that they shouldn't have freaked out over that. I don't think anyone should freak out over this.
But at the same time, I think the president needs to give it a little more attention. It happened in my state. A lot of people suffering here.
COSTELLO: Robert?
ZIMMERMAN: There are some issues that should be above partisan politics. Our prayers should be with the victims of that terrible tragedy. And we should also give great gratitude to our federal workers, who are doing such a great job there.
COSTELLO: Pete?
DOMINICK: Let me channel Kanye West, Carol, and say the reason he's not there is because President Obama hates white people. He should have been there. He could have stopped these tornadoes with his giant Ping Pong paddle.
This is ridiculous. I think we all agree President Obama is going to go there Sunday and so are CNN cameras and everybody else and give more attention to the people who need it the most. So, this is ridiculous, and it's a good thing he's going to be there on Sunday.
COSTELLO: All right. Thanks to Robert, Dana and Pete. As always, "Political Buzz" will be back on Monday.
A rookie catcher makes a big impression in his Major League debut. Sports is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Checking stories "Cross-Country" now. Readying for Memorial Day at Arlington National Cemetery. Members of the Third U.S. Infantry unit, or the Old Guard, placed flags on the gravestones of fallen service members, more than a quarter-million flags.
A soldier from East Texas comes home 60 years after going to war. The remains of Floyd Coker are set to arrive in Paris, Texas, later this morning. Coker died in a Korean pri - in a Korean - I'm sorry. Coker died in a Korean prisoner of war camp. His funeral is set for Sunday.
And a 38-year-old mother of five had one big order to fill before enlisting in the U.S. Army, lose 70 pounds. And that's exactly what June Madrid did. Following the lead of her son, who serves in Afghanistan and a daughter who was in the Army Reserves.
In Georgia, a hospital employee has exposed hundreds of people to tuberculosis. Officials at Atlanta's Emory University Hospital say nearly 700 former patients will begin testing next week, along with 100 employees.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. ANIL MANGLA, GEORGIA DEPT. OF COMMUNITY HEALTH: If people are concerned, get to your doctor, get to the local health department, get a test done and see if it's positive or negative.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The reason for going to Emory was because none of the county health departments could accommodate me until next week due to the holiday, and my employer basically didn't want me at work with this. And I can't say that I blame them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Tuberculosis can be spread to others through the air, like when you sneeze or you cough, and it can be fatal if it's not properly treated.
Memorial Day marks the unofficial start to summer, but some swimming pools may be shut down by the recall of nearly one million drain covers. The outdated design can allow up to 500 pounds of suction power, enough to trap a swimmer. Deaths and injuries have been reported in recent years, and critics say the recall is long overdue.
The bitter fight over unions and their collective bargaining rights. Even if you're not a dues paying, card-carrying union member, you have a big stake in this fight. CNN's Eliot Spitzer will tell us why.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Checking our top stories now. American CIA forensic experts will return to Osama bin Laden's compound to search for hidden intelligence. Pakistani officials gave approval in a sign that tensions may be easing after that secret raid. In fact, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made an unannounced visit to Pakistan earlier today. More on both stories in a minute.
The controversial Patriot Act lives on. President Obama signed the extension just minutes before its midnight deadline. Critics say the post-9/11 law is too invasive.
And the so-called "Butcher of Bosnia" may face a Hague tribunal. Lawyers for the one-time Bosnian Serb said he was suffering psychological problems and should not be extradited. This morning, a Serbian judge seems to have rejected that.
Imagine falling three-and-a-half minutes before crashing into the ocean, falling at 10,000 feet every minute. That is what happened to the people on Air France Flight 447. All 228 passengers and crew members were killed.
Earlier, I spoke with Zain Verjee in London about a preliminary report released.
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ZAIN VERJEE, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: The headline from this report is that it was likely the pilot's decision in the matter in which he responded to the problems with speed on the aircraft that ultimately caused the crash. You see? What happens is, when you are in the plane, for it to move forward, you have air that goes over the wing and then that's what gives it the lift.
Whenever there's a stall situation, typically, the pilots are told to go down first, because that creates air again over the wing and it gives the plane speed. What happened, Carol, in this Air France flight is that the pilot went nose up. Now, what that meant was that there was no air to go over the wing and help push it up. What happened was that it stalled and then it just fell, basically.
It fell at a 35-degree angle. It was like 123 miles an hour and it crashed, as you say, at 10,000 feet a minute. It dropped and everybody died.
When they did the analyses of the bodies, pelvises were crushed, there was a total fractured bones if people's bodies -- that gives you a sense of the impact. These are early findings, but they do give us a sense of what happened on board.
COSTELLO: It's just so awful.
Did the pilot say anything? I know they found the black boxes.
VERJEE: Yes, they did. That was what was eerie to read some of the stuff in the report, that the pilots were saying to each other. You know, these black boxes have been under water for two years.
What they said -- just to give you a flavor -- one pilot said, "I don't have any more valid indications." There was another quote that repeated that. "We have no valid indications." That was just moments before. And then a little bit earlier, one said, "It will move about a bit more than at the moment, you should watch out. I'll call you back as soon as we're out of it." And that was in reference to the cabin crew, was what the co-pilot had been saying.
So, that's what we got from the black boxes. We are going to get more information. It seems as though it was pilot error here.
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COSTELLO: Zain Verjee.
Here are a few stories we're keeping an eye on for later today. In an hour or so, President Obama arrives in Warsaw, Poland.
Here at home, potential 2012 presidential candidate Mitt Romney is set to touch down in Des Moines, Iowa, around 1:00 p.m. Eastern.
And at 2:30 Eastern, Harrah's Casino in Tunica, Mississippi, honors members of the U.S. military and first responders today with a big balloon release.
Remember the sound and fury over union rights?
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COSTELLO: How could you forget? A Wisconsin judge, though, has now struck down the law that stripped teachers and most other public workers of their collective bargaining rights. Similar battles are raging around the country. Eliot Spitzer is host of CNN's "IN THE ARENA." He joins us with this and a primetime preview of what he's working on tonight. But let's start with the Wisconsin case, Eliot. OK, so, the judge struck down the law, but what does that really mean?
ELIOT SPITZER, CNN HOST, "IN THE ARENA": What it means is for now, the law will not go into effect, but the judge struck it down based on a procedural failure. Remember, if you really followed this carefully when the law was passed, the Republican majority in the Wisconsin Senate rushed it through the committee, rushed it onto the floor and passed it. Violating, a judge has now found, the open meetings law that required that there be notice given to everybody for 24 hours or so. They didn't give the notice and, therefore, the process was wrong.
Now, the question is why have the Republicans who still have the votes to pass this law again not gone back and done it the right way, because the judge didn't say the law was unconstitutional. The judge merely said the way they passed it didn't satisfy the process that they were supposed to follow.
Now, why the Republicans haven't gone back to pass it again, maybe because the politics of the moment right now is very different than what it felt like a couple months ago.
COSTELLO: You really think that's it? Because Scott Walker, I mean, he was adamant about this law being important to the economy of his state.
SPITZER: Well, here's the interesting thing, Carol. There are now recall movements for three of the Republican state senators. They are reading the tea leaves. The Upstate vote in New York State, the congressional race, which is saying to the Republican Party back off a little bit, you misunderstood perhaps the results of last November's election. The anti-union vote that this triggered in the state Senate has -- the response has been overwhelmingly negative within the state of Wisconsin.
And people are saying, frankly, as I asked of the Republican senators on our show over and over again, I said, look, they have given you all the money back that you want. Why are you taking away their right to negotiate?
So, the issue of their negotiating rights is a very different issue than the issue of whether or not they should be paid a lot or a little or how big their pension should be. And so the political dynamic in Wisconsin is different. Rick Scott is nowhere near as popular as he was when he had just been elected. So, it may be that the Republican Party in Wisconsin is having a few second thoughts about the wisdom of pushing this quite as hard as they had.
COSTELLO: It's fascinating stuff and could have repercussions nationwide, as you said. What are you following tonight, Eliot?
SPITZER: We are going to have two fascinating stories. One, Gretchen Morgenson, Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter for "The New York Times" has just come out with a new book with the financial crisis and why people have not been held accountable. Great conversation with Gretchen and with Josh Rosner, her co-author.
Also, Jeff Toobin, CNN's own Jeff Toobin, who wrote a blockbuster article in "The New Yorker" this week about Fred Wilpon, who owns the Mets. Was he a sucker or was it part of the Ponzi scheme? You know, the better story for him is he was a sucker. He was fooled, he lost a ton of money. What does this mean for the Mets? What does that mean for the Bernie Madoff Ponzi scheme? Fascinating conversation with the always interesting Jeff Toobin, our own colleague here at CNN.
COSTELLO: Can't wait. Eliot Spitzer. His show airs at 8:00 p.m. Eastern right here on CNN.
Thanks for joining us, Eliot! We appreciate it as always.
SPITZER: Thanks a lot, Carol. Great to be here.
COSTELLO: Sure.
Violent prisoners are accidentally released, all due to a computer glitch. In the next hour, we'll talk to the California state senator who started the investigation to find out why more than 400 inmates with a high risk for violence were inadvertently let out of prison.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We say a saying in Arabic, (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE). "The rain starts with a drop." So, this thing is really a symbolic thing for us, women driving.
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COSTELLO: OK. She's talking about being detained for driving. Yes, driving. Saudi Arabian women fight for their right to drive as they are threatened with beatings and arrest. That's all starting at 11:00 a.m. Eastern with Suzanne Malveaux.
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COSTELLO: Lebron James is the man in the middle of the action all season long. Critics say Lebron is not clutch, Miami is not clutch. But oh, Lebron was clutch, and Miami is going to the finals. Game five of the Eastern Conference finals, the Heat down 12 with three minutes left. But Lebron James hits three big shots. He led Miami in points, rebounds, assists, steals. This one gives Miami the lead. There you see it.
Chicago's Derrick Rose beat out Lebron for league MVP. Rose needs a three at the buzzer to tie it.
ANNOUNCER: It is blocked.
COSTELLO: Oh! He does not get it. The Heat win the series. Lebron will take a shot at the title over another MVP trophy, Dallas and Miami game one Tuesday night. We showed you the Orioles game-winning hit last hour, but the play of the game was all about the leather. Oh! Isn't that amazing? Catcher Craig Tatum makes the diving stop in foul territory. Tatum was just called up from the minors, and it was his very first game of the year.
Several candidates are making moves, or appear to be making moves in the campaign for the GOP nomination, including Sarah Palin. We'll talk about Palin in a minute with our Mark Preston. But first, Mark, bring us up to date on the others.
MARK PRESTON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL EDITOR: Sure. Look, if the Republican field, Carol, is finally coming together, Mitt Romney the frontrunner right now, according to early polls, will make it official. He'll do that in New Hampshire on June 2. He will announce that he is running for president.
Rick Santorum will head to southwestern Pennsylvania on June 6. He will make it official that he is running for president.
And get this, Michele Bachmann let it slip last night when she was talking to reporters, including our own Peter Hamby out in Iowa -- Bachmann wasn't in Iowa, she was doing a teleconference with reporters -- and she said that she will make an announcement in Waterloo, Iowa, sometime in June. And of course that announcement will be that she is running for president.
So, people are finally starting to fall into line, Carol, as we prepare for the 2012 presidential election.
COSTELLO: Including maybe Sarah Palin? Because that's what the buzz is all about today.
PRESTON: It really is, Carol. You're absolutely right. Look, Sarah Palin made big news yesterday by saying that she will go on this national tour. She'll go up the Eastern Seaboard. She'll go all the way up to New Hampshire.
She'll be looking at some historical sites. But the fact of the matter is, we're looking at this as some kind of coming out tour, maybe some kind of listening tour as she considers running for president.
But there's a couple of other things she's done. Reportedly, she has purchased a house in Arizona which would make a lot of sense if she's running for president because it's hard to campaign and go home to Wasilla way up in Alaska.
She also has a favorable movie coming out that's going to talk about extolling her virtues. And guess what? The polling shows right now that she's doing really well. So, Carol, Sarah Palin might be running for president.
COSTELLO: She also has that big bus tour starting on Sunday. Can't hide that. Mark Preston, many thanks.
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.
Let's toss it over to Suzanne Malveaux right now.
I'll join you in just a few minutes to talk about Sarah Palin and her dislike of the "lamestream media." And is it possible that she could --
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN ANCHOR: What did she call us, lamestream?
COSTELLO: Lamestream media.
MALVEAUX: Ouch!
COSTELLO: She's done that forever. But we'll explore whether she could actually never speak to the media and still win the Republican primary. Wouldn't that be something?
MALVEAUX: Yes, that would be. And she has enough outlets to do it now, you know.
COSTELLO: Yes, especially one.
MALVEAUX: Well, we'll see.
COSTELLO: We'll see.
MALVEAUX: All right. Thanks, Carol. We'll see you in a little bit.
