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Democrats Call for Weiner Investigation; Yemen President Burned on 40 Percent of Body; Libya TV: Gadhafi Compound Hit; White House Hosts Germany's Merkel; Economy Hits Another Bump; Reese Slams Starlet Sex Tapes; FBI Investigating Humvee Theft; Sean Kingston Takes First Steps; Police Shooting Caught on Tape; E. Coli Kills 23 and Sickens 2,300
Aired June 07, 2011 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: It's 10:00 a.m. on the East Coast, 7:00 a.m. out West. I'm Kyra Phillips. Here's a look at what you're clicking on.
Embattled Congressman Anthony Weiner could face an ethics investigation for his admitted role in a sexing scandal. Members of his own party are calling for the probe.
In Europe, scientists have not been able to link bean sprouts to mysterious E. coli strain that's killed 22 people. More tests though underway to find that cause.
And Japanese officials now confirmed that three reactors suffered full meltdowns at the troubled Fukushima nuclear plant. It was ravaged by an earthquake and tsunami.
So here's why Congressman Anthony Weiner could be facing an investigation. He admits he sent inappropriate messages and/or pictures of himself to half a dozen women over three years. He's quick to add that there was nothing physical, though.
He also says that his wife knew what was going on before they were married, but didn't realize that he kept those online antics going after they were married.
And he claims that he didn't break any laws or rules, didn't use a government Blackberry and won't resign. Weiner also had to at mitt all his denials over the last couple of weeks were lies.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. ANTHONY WEINER (D), NEW YORK: Last Friday night, I tweeted a photograph of myself that I intended to send as a direct message as part of a joke to a woman in Seattle.
Once I realized I posted to Twitter, I panicked and I took it down and said I had been hacked. I then continued with that story, to stick to that story, which is a usually regrettably mistake.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: And he made one of those hugely regrettably mistakes less than a week ago to CNN's Wolf Blitzer.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST, "THE SITUATION ROOM": You didn't send that photo to that woman in Washington State?
WEINER: I did not send it to that woman in Washington State.
BLITZER: But you're not 100 percent sure whether the photo is actually you?
WEINER: What I am going to say we're doing everything we can to try to answer that question. We're doing an investigation. I want to caution you, photographs can be doctored. Photographs can be manipulated, taken from one place and put in another.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: So now that the truth is finally out, it's time for the next step. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi called for ethics investigation. CNN's Kate Bolduan is covering that for us. So what are the congressional rules when it comes to internet use, Kate?
KATE BOLDUAN, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It's quite unclear, that's what I'm hearing from experts as a short answer to you, Kyra. The Democratic leader, Nancy Pelosi, as you very well mentioned has called for this ethics investigation.
In her statements, she wants the committee to look into whether official resources were used by Anthony Weiner in these past few years and what he was doing, and also if any other violation of House rules occurred.
Many people are pointing to one provision in the Code of Conduct. It says -- generally says that a member should conduct themselves in a manner that reflects credibly of the House. But many people are saying that that doesn't stand alone as a way to sanction a member very typically.
And often as used in conjunction with another violation, a more clear violation, if you will. One ethics expert said pretty clearly to me, Kyra, the rules surrounding how a member should or shouldn't behave online, on the internet are very unclear in this new age of social media. So it will be up to the ethics committee to kind of wade through these kinds of murky Code of Conduct rules if they decide to take this up.
We should say that the ethics committee should not mention a word or statements that they would be taking this up, but that's not surprising because the committee is notoriously tight-lipped on matter before the committee.
PHILLIPS: We'll follow up on that. Also, Weiner, he is in the seventh term. He's very well known on the Hill. What are his colleagues saying about him? BOLDUAN: I think first off is, probably, if anything is helping Anthony Weiner at this point, what is helpful is that the House is in recess right now so the members are not on the Hill. They're back in their districts. So it's easy for them to stay silent.
That's one thing we've been noticing is that the near deafening silence of many of his Democratic colleagues and also to note that right after, almost immediately after that press conference that Anthony Weiner held, Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi came out calling for an investigation.
We're told by Democratic sources that showed just how furious Democratic leaders are about this whole mess. So it's ranging from deafening silence to trying to distance themselves clearly from Anthony Weiner in this mess. Kyra --
PHILLIPS: All right, Kate, we'll be talking more. Thanks so much.
Meanwhile this morning, we're getting a better idea now just how badly wounded Yemen's president is after last week's militant attack. U.S. government officials are telling us that Ali Abdullah Saleh suffered a collapsed lung and burns over 40 percent of his body. He's undergoing medical treatment in Saudi Arabia now, but vows to return to power.
Right now troubling questions hang over Yemen's government and many people fear that the instability will only fuel the strength of the militants. We have a closer look at those concerns reflected in some international headlines. Shall we, Max Foster with us in London. Max.
MAX FOSTER, CNN INTERNTIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Kyra. There's a power vacuum clearly as the president is out of the country. Tribal fighters are taking advantage of that right now. You've got today, a gunman, tribal gunman taking control of one major city, Taiz.
More battles in Sanaa where the president was injured, of course. But separately in an area like Abian, you've got Islamic militants, al Qaeda in that country trying to assert themselves. So one side you got what many would see as a legitimate revolution taking place, but also al Qaeda trying to capitalize on that situation.
The Australian writing, nightmare scenario in Yemen, the challenges in Yemen could hardly be greater. Amid the deepening chaos, however, the original demands of the protest movement for democracy and freedom remain as valid now as they have been since the start of the Arab spring.
The "Independent" here in the U.K. is saying that Yemen is braced for a power battle as the president vows to return. Yemenis have jubilantly celebrated the autocratic president's abrupt departure.
But his exit has left a deep power vacuum that some analysts fear could ignite a broader conflict that would mire the country in civil war. So many people wanting the president to go, but others saying be careful what you wish for, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Max Foster, thanks so much.
We're just getting breaking news out of Tripoli right now, NATO warplanes dropping bombs on the city and according to Libyan state TV. Moammar Gadhafi's compound has been hit.
CNN's Dan Rivers joining us once again from Tripoli. Dan, what are you hearing about the targets, the damage, and the casualties?
DAN RIVERS, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, we're hearing that president -- sorry, Colonel Gadhafi's compound has been hit, according to officials here, as well as a couple of military compounds. On local television, they were saying that it was a continuous NATO crusade, colonial bombardment, paid for by catch-offs.
So they were mincing their words on local TV. We're also told that local television itself has been hit yesterday by NATO according to government officials here, killing two and injuring 16. As far as what we've heard ourselves here, an incredibly intense bombardment. The most intense since its campaign began.
We've counted 29 explosions echoing out across the city with a great ball of smoke coming up behind these trees here. It sounds as if they are using bombs, much louder than we've heard before. NATO itself is remaining pretty tight-lipped, saying it's an ongoing operation. And one source I spoke to, maybe saying they are turning the screw on Colonel Gadhafi and racheting up the pressure.
PHILLIPS: All right, Dan Rivers, continue following that breaking news after getting word now about that attack on Moammar Gadhafi's compound.
Meanwhile, straight ahead, a police shooting in Miami Beach causing controversy. First, the shots rang out and then the witnesses who shot that video say that the intimidation began. We have the full story in about 10 minutes.
And the economy in a rut, but so is Congress. An analyst doesn't expect much to help from Washington to help us out of it and second economic stimulus, well, is it in the cards or not? We'll have more on that story straight ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: This morning at the White House, President Obama rolls out the red carpet for German Chancellor Angela Merkel. This afternoon, they're going to sit down to discuss several issues including their differences.
Tonight at the state dinner, the president will award Merkel the presidential Medal of Freedom. That's the nation's highest civilian honor.
Also at the White House, President Obama's top economic advisers stepping down. Austan Goolsbee says that he will return to teaching at the University of Chicago. The successor not yet named.
U.S. economy seems to have a bit of a bump in the road. Economic indicators are pointing to slower growth and more Americans are looking for work. The housing market is also in the tank, but don't count on Congress to ride to the rescue.
Although the economy is mired in a rut, Washington seems to be mired in a rut as well. So don't count on a second stimulus package. Alison Kosik live at the New York Stock Exchange. So, Alison, why is Congress sitting on the side lines?
ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's what you get - what Congress just doesn't have the money. You know, Congress has already done a lot for the economy since 2008. It bailed out banks and the auto industry. It extended unemployment benefits.
It passed the stimulus with tax breaks, put out money for infrastructure projects and extended those Bush tax cuts and you know what? All of that cost money. Trillions of dollars and now the government has reached its debt limit, $14 trillion.
That means it can't borrow any more money. Analysts say at this point it looks like we boxed ourselves in so you know what? Don't expect another stimulus from Congress especially since, Kyra, you can understand this, it's a political hot potato. Kyra --
PHILLIPS: Yes, and if the economy continues to slow down, something has to be done. So what about the Federal Reserve, can it do anything?
KOSIK: And they can. You know, there's been a lot of talk, Kyra on Wall Street lately about what the fed can or cannot do at this point. Right now, the fed is buying hundreds of billions of dollars in bonds. What this is, is a type of stimulus.
It pumps extra cash into the economy, but the thing is this program is expiring at the end of this month. So the big question is, will the fed step in again? We're going to be looking for clues of this when Fed Chief Ben Bernanke speaks in Atlanta later this afternoon.
We're already hearing other fed officials talking about this. One saying yesterday, he doesn't expect more bond buying. Another saying it's too soon to consider, but didn't rule it out.
So the bottom line with this, it looks like policymakers really seem split on what the answer is on what to do. But I'll tell you what, don't expect anything unless the economy takes another turn for the worse and then you may see the fed step in. Kyra --
PHILLIPS: All right. Alison, thanks.
Hollywood golden girl slams some of her peers' behavior. We're going to have more on Reese' rant on our entertainment headlines.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: An Oscar winner takes on Hollywood bad girls, Barry Manilow gets inspiration from an unusual source and Katie Couric's big announcement.
"SHOWBIZ TONIGHT's" host, A.J. Hammer here to talk about all three. What do you think, A.J.? Should we start with Katie?
A.J. HAMMER, HOST, "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT": Yes, let's start with Katie. Are you ready for Katie in syndication? That's what she's doing, a talk show through ABC.
She's also going to be contributing to ABC News. So, now, she'll have done the news at all three big broadcast networks. And of course, with her stature in the industry and her move over to ABC where Oprah was, a lot of people are now anointing her as a successor to Oprah Winfrey.
Well, "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT" spoke with Katie Couric last night and here's what she had to say about that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KATIE COURIC, TV JOURNALIST: Nobody can replace Oprah, and, you know, it makes me uncomfortable that people are even suggesting that. I mean, I think there will be a vacuum for intelligent conversation. I think in the afternoon, and I think no one will be the cultural icon that Oprah has been and will continue to be.
But just an opportunity to talk about important issues and to have conversations that will hopefully enlighten people and help them live better lives. It's just a very exciting proposition for me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Yes, I think she'll be great at it, too. The yet to be named show is going to premiere in September of 2012 in the 3:00 p.m. time slot that, of course, is where "General Hospital" currently airs.
Despite a statement of support by ABC for GH, fans are naturally speculating this announcement could mean the end of the 48- year-old soap. You know, Kyra, soap fans, they don't take that news lightly. They are not going to go down without a fight.
PHILLIPS: Did you watch soaps, A.J.?
HAMMER: You know what, in high school. My friend, Steve and I used to walk home from school and we used to watch "General Hospital." I'm not ashamed to admit it because it's so goofy to me now.
PHILLIPS: We'll talk about Rick Springfield. OK, something else that we probably both did as kids, Barry Manilow, but inspired by Britney Spears, really?
HAMMER: Well, of course, you know, Barry writes the songs that make the whole world sing. He needs to look somewhere for inspiration. Manilow told the "L.A. Times" that he was working on his new album, which is called "15 Minutes."
At the time that Britney was being famously hounded by the Paparazzi. Barry said, he looked at everything that happened at Spears in that horrible time and he said that all of that attention was what is responsible for Spear's memorable outbursts.
Like you remember when she cut off all of her hair. So here's what Manilow said about that, quote, "it seems like a thing to be writing an album about." Kyra, every artist has their muse and I guess, for Barry it's Britney.
PHILLIPS: I can't wait to hear the CD.
All right, talking about the Hollywood bad girls, Reese Witherspoon trashing the idea that you need a sex tape or reality show to get famous.
HAMMER: Yes, and I think as a mother of two and an Oscar winner, she certainly has the gravitas, if you will, to do something like this.
Reese was on stage at the MTV Movie Awards the other night and she tried to inject a little common sense into some of the up and coming starlets. She told the audience that while it may be, quote, "cool to be a bad girl, you don't need a reality show to make it in Hollywood. Not to mention a sex tape." Watch what Reese said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REESE WITHERSPOON, ACTRESS: When I came up in this business, you made a sex tape, you were embarrassed and you hid it under your bed. If you took naked pictures of yourself on the cell phone, you like hide your face, hide your face.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: And she wrapped it up by saying this, for all of the girls out there, it's totally possible to be a good girl. I'm going to try to make it cool.
Kyra, I'm here to say, you make the news cool. We're happy to have you back and again, congratulations. We're all very excited for you. It's just good to see your face on TV again.
PHILLIPS: Thanks, A.J. You got to meet the twins. I know they'd love you. They want to go out on your boat.
HAMMER: No problem.
PHILLIPS: OK, sorry, I'll keep that on down low. Thanks, A.J. If you want any information on any breaking news on entertainment, A.J. is your guy. "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT" 11 p.m. on HLN.
News across country now, one of the worst wildfires in Arizona history threatening New Mexico. Smoke from the massive fire caused four flights to Albuquerque to be diverted yesterday. The fire already burned more than 230,000 acres.
The FBI has been called in to investigate a bizarre incident at an Army Reserve Center in Presno, California. Someone broke into the base, stole the military Humvee and crashed through the main security gate. Investigators say whoever stole it knew exactly what they were doing.
Hip-hop star, Sean Kingston has taking his first steps after being critically injured in a Jet Ski accident. Kingston is being treated at a Miami hospital for multiple injuries. He shot to fame in 2007 when his debut song "Beautiful Girls" hit number one.
Now a pretty disturbing story out of Miami Beach. A police confrontation, barrage of gun fire and it was all caught on tape. But one witness said when the shooting stopped, the police intimidation began. Here's CNN's Brian Todd.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): You're about to witness what appears to be a chaotic shooting scene in South Miami Beach. At just before 4:00 a.m. on Memorial Day, a car driven by a suspect comes to an abrupt spot on Collins Avenue.
This video posted on Youtube apparently shows police surrounding the car and then firing. Police killed the suspect, Raymond Harice (ph). Miami Beach Police tell CNN Harice had used his vehicle as a weapon that morning.
That he struck and injured an officer with his car when the officer tried to stop him, but an eye witness says police used intimidation to cover up their actions. Here you see video from that eye witness from street level.
Then watch how police approach that eye witness. One appears to have a gun drawn.
(on camera): We have that eye witness and his girlfriend who was with him at the time. They're at our Miami bureau. CNN has purchased the video from Narces Benoit and his girlfriend, Ericka Davis.
Narces, can you tell us what the Miami Beach police said and did to you when they first approached you?
NARCES BENOIT, SHOOTING WITNESS: It was like, get the "f" away from you. Get back to your car. That's what I did. I walked back with my hands up. I turned around. Officer had a gun to her head.
TODD (voice-over): Benoit says the police got him out of the car at gun point, handcuffed him, made him lie face down on the ground, grabbed his cell phone, threw it on the ground and stump on it then placed it in his back pocket.
He says they later uncuffed him, took him in for questioning and took his phone again, demanding the video. He told them the phone was broken.
(on camera): How are you able to hide the video and preserve it?
BENOIT: The video was saved to my sim card and I put in my mouth.
TODD: How did the memory card not get ruined though being in your mouth?
BENOIT: I do not know. I do not know.
TODD: Ericka, what do you think the motive of the police officers was in behaving the way you said they did?
ERICKA DAVIS, SHOOTING WITNESS: They just wanted the videos. That's ha they were concerned about.
TODD (voice-over): Contacted by CNN about the alleged incident with Benoit and Davis, a Miami Beach police official said the department will not comment on anything that could be the possible subject of civil investigation or an internal police investigation.
But the police official also said at the time this video was shot, this was an active crime scene and police were looking for additional suspects. Miami Beach Police Chief Carlos Noriega said this about the shooting incident involving Raymond Harice.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHIEF CARLOS NORIEGA, MIAMI BEACH POLICE: They responded to situations involving deadly force. Ericka Davis says this as she looks back on the incident.
DAVIS: My mother is even an officer. You know, I'm used to dealing with police. I never had a view lake that of an officer in my life. I mean, I'm shaking thinking of it.
TODD: Narces Benoit and Ericka Davis say the police took other people's cell phones and smashed them as well. A police official told us that's speculation and he's not aware of any complaints about that. Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: We're keeping a close eye on a presser right now, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg speaking on unrelated topic. We're, of course, waiting to see if he says anything about a sexting scandal surrounding Anthony Weiner. We'll keep an eye on it for you.
The Boston Bruins watch a teammate get hurt on a blindside hit then they come back to put an eight-goal beating on Vancouver. Sports in 20 minutes.
And the outbreak of E. coli in Europe. Experts don't know where it's coming from so how do we know where it's going? Our Dr. Sanjay Gupta weighs in.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Now the deadly and mysterious outbreak of E. Coli in Europe, the fears have spread across the continent and all the way to the U.S. This particular strain is resistant to drugs unlike any ever seen before.
Our chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta says there's no cause for panic. He explains why in today's "Daily Dose."
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, as we've been talking about. Here in the United States, I think the risk for further infections, further cases is pretty small. There may be a few more, but certainly not many.
We know that the people who have developed this infection so far were people who traveled to Germany. So this isn't occuring by secondary infection so to speak, you know, it's more by primary contact, people actually in Germany.
Also, you know, there's just a lot more attention on this now, vigilance about food being pulled from shelves, people paying more attention. So I think we'll see many more infections here in the United States, but we do know this rare strain of E. coli has been a particularly nasty bug.
It had 2,200 infections around the world, 12 countries have been affected and 600 of those 2,200 people have developed, you know, serious complication of this, something known as hemolytic uremic syndrome, which can be fatal.
It causes your blood not to clot as well. It causes your kidneys to shutdown. We also know that 70 percent of the people who developed that complication have been women. We don't exactly know why that is. It could be because of the food choices that women are making, and those food choices being that potential source of contamination.
I think what is most fascinating about this, and something we've talked about for some time is that, it can be really difficult to figure out from where this came. All of the steps between the farm and the fork, where was this bacteria introduced. Was there a contamination on the field itself?
We investigated this in the spinach E. coli outbreak for example and it can be challenging and sometimes you never get an absolute answer. So you see an abundance of caution. Food being pulled from shelves, a lot of farms investigated and that's what's happening certainly in Germany right now.
For the consumer, basic stuff applies, wash your hands as frequently as possible, wash your vegetables, although it can be difficult to get this bacteria out, wash your vegetables as well as you can and don't cross contaminate food. That's what consumers can do. A lot of steps before that again. Making sure that there's no further contamination, and the food that is now making it to store shelves is clean and free of that contamination.
So, as we get more information, Kyra, we'll bring it to you. Back to you for now.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: All right. It's half past the hour now. Time to see what you're clicking on.
Libya's embattled government said NATO air strikes today have damaged buildings and injured civilians. Our crews in the capital report more than 25 explosions today.
Trial has resumed for Casey Anthony, the Florida mother accused of killing her two-year-old daughter. A scientist testified that a decomposing human body is the only explanation for the stench in her car's trunk.
Embattled congressman Anthony Weiner could face an ethics investigation for the sexting scandal that he now admits to. Members of his own party are calling for the probe.
And of course, the Weiner story is comedy gold. And the late night guys owe him for all of the easy and free material lately. We were really interested in what Jon Stewart had to say. Why? Well, he and Weiner are really good friends, and Stewart kind of defended him before the truth came out.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JON STEWART, HOST, "THE DAILY SHOW": The most upsetting thing about having a friend caught up in the scandal of this nature is finding out, a, he's packing jumbo heat --
(LAUGHTER)
STEWART: -- and, b, that he's ripped! I can't believe this guy and I are the same (EXPLETIVE DELETED) age, that's my problem!
(LAUGHTER)
STEWART: Here's a picture of me from this morning. How -- how good - how good is the congressional health care plan?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: And, of course, Congressman Weiner is part of our "Political Buzz." The Buzz is a rapid-fire look at hottest political topics of the day. And each of our brilliant political observers gets 20 seconds to answer three probing questions.
Robert Zimmerman, member of the Democratic National Committee Will Cain, CNN contributor who leans to the right. And Sam Seder, media commentator and author of "Fubar: America's Right-Wing Nightmare."
All right, guys. Obvious first question, Congressman Weiner, breaking the law or just breaking the rules? Does he deserve to lose his job. Robert?
ROBERT ZIMMERMAN, DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL COMMITTEE: Leave it to my party to have a sex scandal when no one's having sex! It's pathetic!
(LAUGHTER)
ZIMMERMAN: But Anthony Weiner is beyond pathetic. It's disgraceful and ultimately it's a deceitful act. Both to the Congress he served in and to his constituents. The Ethics Committee will have to make the decision as to whether he broke rules and laws, and then --
(BUZZER SOUNDS)
ZIMMERMAN: -- we'll see whether there's a district for him to run in.
PHILLIPS: A little too much to know about the other members of the Democratic National Committee, but OK. That will give Seder a little fodder there.
All right. Will, go ahead.
WILL CAIN, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: I do. I do think he should lose his job. And it's not because he took check me out photos and sent them out over Twitter. I think he should lose his job because he's a bald- faced liar. And I'm not talking about some of those sweet little white lies. This guy sat down in front of Wolf Blitzer and Lou Crussart (ph) and spun an elaborate story that this was a hoax, all designed to save his butt. Well, I don't think it should work.
PHILLIPS: Sam.
SAM SEDER, MEDIA COMMENTATOR AND AUTHOR: Well, I'll tell you, Congressman Weiner's mistake was he didn't pay for a prostitute to put diapers on him and he didn't try to elicit sex in a bathroom in an airport. If he had done that, no one would be calling for his resignation, and he would be fine like his fellow members of Congress.
PHILLIPS: All right. Second question, a Washington Post/ABC poll puts Obama and Mitt Romney in dead heat here. "Newsweek" now calling this "the Mormon moment." OK, this hurt Romney last time. So, is America ready this time around? Will?
CAIN: You know, 40 years ago, they used to wonder if America was ready for a Catholic president. Four years ago, we used to wonder if America was ready for a black president. I don't worry too much about what America's ready for.
You know, Kyra, I would just note this. "Newsweek" just took the Republican frontrunner for president and pasted his picture on the top of a dancing character of a Broadway musical. It strikes me as odd. I wonder if they'd take Joe Lieberman and put his picture on top of --
(BUZZER SOUNDS)
CAIN: -- Tebbia from "Fiddler on the Roof."
PHILLIPS: Oh! Robert.
ZIMMERMAN: Well, actually, I agree with Will about the cover characterization. But the point here is Mitt Romney, as a ground breaker, handled the issue very capably when he first ran in 2004 -- in 2008. I think it's won't be as big of an issue. It's up to evangelical politicians. That's whether they'll hold it against him.
PHILLIPS: OK. Sam, your thoughts?
SEDER: Yes, Romney's problem, as far as being a Mormon is only with the Republican base. The base is dominated by fundamentalists, and they have a problem with it more than I think the general population.
General population will have a problem that Mitt Romney changes his position on things more than a weather vane in a tornado. I mean, it's multiple-choice Mitt. But I don't know if he gets the general.
PHILLIPS: All right, last question. Unfortunately only ten seconds here. My guess is, we got a little extra, maybe.
All right, I've got to ask this. Andrew Breitbart -- even Weiner himself, guys, well, both admit to X-rated photos that exist. All right. So, do you want to see them or is this, shall we say, already overexposed? Robert?
ZIMMERMAN: No, the only rationale to show those photos is an example of birth control because it's such a turnoff.
(LAUGHTER)
PHILLIPS: Will?
CAIN: Let me tell you something, if those pictures are published, I, just like everyone and Robert and Sam, would click on those photos. I think Andrew Breitbart is doing the right thing keeping them under wrap --
ZIMMERMAN: Speak for yourself, will.
CAIN: -- for curious people.
(BUZZER SOUNDS)
PHILLIPS: Sam?
SEDER: Well, I think Andrew Breitbart likes his time in the sun as the guy who holds those naked pictures, so I'm perfectly willing to allow him that time in the sun, and I hope he enjoys them.
PHILLIPS: Robert, Will and Sam. What a pleasure! This is my first "Political Buzz" experience. How fun is this? I look forward to the next one. Thanks, guys.
CAIN: Thanks, Kyra.
ZIMMERMAN: Thank you.
PHILLIPS: You bet.
An NFL player actually spends his lockout time by giving back. David Bruton is substitute teaching at his old high school in Dayton, Ohio. We'll talk with him in less than ten minutes.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Let's take a look at stories making news across the country.
Despite a frantic effort to hold back the rising water, about 600 people in Hamburg, Iowa have been told to evacuate their homes because of a levee breach on the Missouri River. The river isn't expected to crest until mid- to late June.
And a group of Latino leaders has organized a new political movement. It's called the Tequila Party. About 50 people turned out for the group's first rally over the weekend in Tuscon. Organizers say the group's aim is to get more Latinos involved in the political process.
And Zsa Zsa Gabor's Bel Air mansion is for sale. The asking price? Fifteen mil. Gabor's husband says that the couple would like to move closer to the hospital where she's been receiving treatment.
All right. A volcano erupting in Chile. Flights grounded, ash is spewing. Rob Marciano is talking about the amazing pictures. Wow.
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEROLOGIST: Last time this thing erupted was 1960. And that was the same year where they had a 9.5 earthquake happen in Chile. Remember, earlier this year, we had an 8.8, I believe in Chile. And so, this may be connected in some way. Nonetheless, we're getting amazing pictures coming in. In some cases, getting pictures of lightning happening within these ash clouds. And if we have that loaded, just go ahead and throw it up because it's amazing.
Nonetheless, we're getting vivid colors because you get this much junk basically in the atmosphere and the sun passing through it, it creates amazing colors. We also get a vivid amount of lightning. You get this turbulent upwelling of air flow and junk in the atmosphere. Dust, volcanic particles and even some water vapor in there, and that creates static electricity with all that vertical motion. Up to six miles into the atmosphere. That's how you get some of this lightning happening. So, that's been really the remarkable stuff with this. It is 600 miles or so south of Santiago. The problem is, it's erupting and the westernly winds are taking it pretty quickly off towards the east. So, we've seen a tremendous amount of ash fall out of the sky and make its way across the border into Argentina. This area of Argentina is just spectacular. It's beautiful through here. They've got ski resorts, and this is the beginning of their winter. So, instead of seeing beautiful white snow in the ski resort, they are seeing a lot of ash coming their way with the westerly winds.
So, this doesn't show a whole lot of letting up. They've evacuated about 3,500 people with this eruption, and the ash is creating a problem as well. They are taking out snow removal equipment to remove the ash in some of these cases.
PHILLIPS: All right. Rob, thanks.
MARCIANO: All right. See you.
PHILLIPS: The Denver Broncos. David Bruton has a job during the NFL lockout. It's a pretty big pay cut, too. 90 bucks a day. But the benefits, priceless. He's joining me live, next.
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PHILLIPS: All right. Let's check out sport, shall we? Stanley Cup finals, game three. More taunting, related to a Vancouver Canuck apparently finger biting a Boston Bruins player in game one. A couple of the Bruins getting their fingers in the Canuck's faces. Go ahead, bite me. Bite me, he says.
All right. Vancouver's Eric Rohm (ph) delivers a late blind-side hit. Boston's Nathan's Horton Rome tossed out of the game. Horton carried from the ice on his stretcher. It's hockey, folks, what can I tell you? And the hit was motivation for the Bruins. They broke a scoreless tie, scoring four goals in the second period, four more in the third. Boston wins 8-1. Vancouver leads the seriestwo games to one.
All right. NFL players could probably write a book: what am I doing during the lockout? A lot of them are probably saying, well, I'm hanging out in the gym, waiting by the phone. Trying to make a date with my girl. I mean, who knows, right?
Then you got guys trying out different sports, like Chad Ochocinco. Well, he couldn't make a soccer player, he's been trying a little something different there. Then you got some Tom Zbikowski, he's throwing jabs in the boxing ring. Hopefully he'll be able to keep his day job with the Baltimore Ravens. Bottom line, they're having a tough time.
But then there's David Bruton, OK. He decided to pick kickball over kickboxing. He's actually substitute teaching at his old high school joining us live from Dayton, Ohio.
And from what you tell me, they're pretty good. Giving you a run for your money? DAVID BRUTON, NFL PLAYER: Yes, yes, I definitely can't pitch a no-hitter against them.
(LAUGHTER)
PHILLIPS: Exactly. This has been an education for you.
So, I'm curious, I mean it's your football coach that actually geared you toward teaching during this time. How did he talk you into it, and why teach right now and go back to your high school during this lockout date? What does it mean to you?
BRUTON: It means a lot. I originally planned to come back to spend time with my son. Especially since during the season, I don't get to see him much. But once Coach Lewis threw the idea out there and a couple friends also lobbied for that idea. I, of course, wasn't hesitant to pursue the opportunity to teach.
PHILLIPS: And you're definitely not doing it for the money. I mean, you're making 90 bucks a day. So, I'm curious. It's like -- we see how much football players make. And now you're seeing how hard teachers work and what they make. Has this made an impact on you with regard to how we should all treat and respect and look at our teachers?
BRUTON: Definitely. The teachers -- definitely are not compensated how they should be. They do a lot of work, put in a lot of hours, and manage 20 to 25 kids in a classroom for multiple periods throughout the day. It's a difficult task.
PHILLIPS: I can just imagine. Now, I know how close you are with Coach Tim Lewis. I mean, this is who you played for when you were in high school. You've come back. He's still there. Does he have you talking to kids about staying in school? I mean, your hopes are to go on to law school. Are you able to be more than just a teacher, but also a mentor and a buddy to these kids?
BRUTON: Yes, I foresee myself as a buddy, a mentor to these kids. Especially when he has me talk to certain kids that are not necessarily focused in school or they're having a tough time in classes. Wants me to talk to them about how sports is not the only answer. There's different answers out there. I talked at career days and everything else, in regards to Moneiesburg (ph) and other schools around this area.
PHILLIPS: Well, you have definitely lead by example. Graduated from Notre Dame. Great player, thinking about law school, and now giving back by substitute teaching during this lockout.
David Bruton, thanks so much for talking with us. Those kids are really lucky to have you.
BRUTON: Thank you, thank you for having me.
PHILLIPS: You bet. President Obama deciding about the troop withdraw in Afghanistan, how many troops and when. We're going to talk to our E.D. Hill about it, coming up next.
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PHILLIPS: All right. Let's take a quick look at some headlines that will be making news later today.
Republican presidential candidate Tim Pawlenty discusses his plan for the nation's economy and speech in Chicago.
President Obama and German Chancellor Angela Merkel hold a press conference at 11:35 Eastern.
And the Miami Heat faces off against the Dallas Mavericks in Game Four of the NBA Playoffs. Miami leads the series two games to one.
All right, with the decision on U.S. troops looming, President Obama will chat with Afghan Leader Hamid Karzai. The U.S. withdrawal is due to start next month. The future of the war in Afghanistan is a central topic tonight on "IN THE ARENA."
E.D. Hill her with our primetime preview.
Hi, E.D.
E.D. HILL, ANCHOR, "IN THE ARENA": Hey, there. Good morning.
It is going to be interesting to see what the president finally decides to do. Now he already met with many of his advisers yesterday, and for about two hours they talked about many things.
They won't tell us how much time they spent on determining what the size of the Afghanistan drawdown should be, but keep in mind, the president had to had in many, many troops just last year because of the resurgence of the Taliban. So he doesn't want to make it so large and do that in, say, another year.
He's also waiting on recommendations from the Defense secretary and from the Afghanistan General Petraeus. They have not told him what they think the proper size should be.
But for us here in America, especially people like me who live in towns where a lot of kids go into the military right out of high school, this is something that is very close to us. It really is something that impacts our town, families we know. So I think a lot of Americans are going to be waiting to find out, you know, have we been able to accomplish enough with the increase in troops that we can finally start bringing these folks back home.
And so we'll talk to someone who has some intimate knowledge of Afghanistan and how the troops have ebbed and flowed over the past couple of years.
And then you know what everybody else was talking about, and that was that announcement by New York Representative Anthony Weiner yesterday. I'm sure you're going to be talking about that some more. But I found it kind of interesting that here is this blogger, Andrew Breitbart, and he gets the scoop, he gets the information, that the major media did not.
Now, I don't know how he digs it up. I don't know why people maybe came to him. But he put it out there, and he took all sorts of heat from it. Many people were accusing him of flat-out making this stuff up and saying, well, you know about his checkered past. Sure, he's got one, but this time he got the big news.
And then, what will Anthony Weiner say today? I was still kind of curious when he phrased it ascending some of this information and pictures as part of a joke, because clearly I'm just not that clever, because I can't figure out what the joke was. So a lot of people are wondering what new information may come out today. We'll be talking to Andrew Breitbart to find out.
PHILLIPS: Well, we'll be watching this to be sure.
E.D. Hill, thanks so much.
And coming up noon in the CNN NEWSROOM with Suzanne Malveaux, prosecutors in the Casey Anthony murder trial call ace scientist to the stand. He says there's only one explanation about the smell coming from her car after her toddler disappeared.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did you immediately recognize the odor that was emanating from the piece of carpet in the can?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I recognized it as human decomposition.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: We'll hear more from the man who prosecutors say lay the ground work from the case.
And Jeff Bridges will explain how he is getting involved in the fight against child hunger. That and more next in the CNN NEWSROOM with Suzanne Malveaux.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Well, a new poll shows that President Obama has lost his bin Laden bounce and a Republican rival has pulled even with him.
CNN's Jim Acosta in Washington with more on that -- Jim.
JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Kyra.
Yes, it is safe to call Mitt Romney the former Massachusetts governor the frontrunner in this race for a GOP nomination this morning. There are fresh poll numbers in a new "Washington Post"/ABC poll which I think is going to get attention of the White House this morning, Kyra.
Take a look at these numbers. Right now, in a head-to-head matchup with President Obama, Mitt Romney polling basically even with the president among all Americans, 47 percent to 47 percent. Among registered voters, Romney actually holds a slight lead, 49 percent to 46 percent.
Why? Because of the economy. Romney has been hitting on the economic issue for weeks now, President Obama, according to this new poll does not get high marks when it comes to the economy. Nearly six out of ten of the people who were surveyed in this poll do not approve of the way he's hamming the economy.
So it's no surprise that his top economic adviser, Austan Goolsbee, is leaving the White House, he is leaving as chairman of Council of Economic Advisers and going back to the University of Chicago where he was a professor.
And you know, this is interesting, because Goolsbee has been on the job for less than a year. He had replaced Christina Romer who also stepped down to go to her gig as a professor out in California. So this is a bit of a shakeup for the White House economic team.
And speaking of the economy, speaking of the University of Chicago, that's where Tim Pawlenty will be today. Former Minnesota governor will giving his speech on the economy, calling for big tax cuts, and we'll watching to see all of the details out of that speech later today -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right, Jim. Sounds great. See you tomorrow.
That does it for us. Thanks for joining us for the first two hours this morning. Now, as I step off my little --
(CROSSTALK)
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN ANCHOR: It's your perch.
PHILLIPS: They make us stand up on these boxes so we're eye to eye, Suzanne.
MALVEAUX: Or either I can lift off my seat --
(CROSSTALK)
PHILLIPS: Good to see you again.
MALVEAUX: It is so wonderful to see you, I'm so glad you're back.
PHILLIPS: And thank you. And thanks for letting the twins come to your pool, that was fabulous.
MALVEAUX: I loved it.
PHILLIPS: They were baptized in your pool. MALVEAUX: In my pool.
PHILLIPS: In your swimming pool. What a blessing.
MALVEAUX: You've got to come by another time. Thanks, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Have a good show, Suzanne.
MALVEAUX: All right, Kyra.
