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Afghanistan's Fate; Interview With Former Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura; Computer Evidence From Anthony Homes Brought Up at Casey Anthony Trial; Busboy Beats NBA Champ; Las Vegas Mayor's Wife is New Mayor; Stewart Hurt in Weiner Sketch; Auburn Tigers Visit White House

Aired June 08, 2011 - 15:59   ET

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

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: And now top of the hour, just about. Take a look at this.

Fears grow around the dinner table as more and more Americans now believe the country is headed for another great depression and they believe it's happening soon. I'm Brooke Baldwin. The news is now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If Iraq was hard and it was hard, Afghanistan in many respects is harder.

BALDWIN: Two presidents, one war. As the U.S. and Afghan president discuss the future of the war zone, an explosive new report suggests Afghanistan may not survive without America.

Plus:

JESSE VENTURA, FORMER GOVERNOR OF MINNESOTA: I speak my mind, whether anyone likes it or not.

BALDWIN: Jesse Ventura joins me live -- the former governor on what he says the feds don't want you to see, who he believes should be president, and what this former Navy SEAL thinks about the killing of Osama bin Laden.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BALDWIN: Here we go. Welcome back to hour two of the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Brooke Baldwin.

Nineteen billion dollars, $19 billion, that's how much the U.S. has spent in aid to Afghanistan trying to get the country back on its feet. That is in the last decade. And it's gotten us almost nowhere. That's the conclusion of a report released today by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

This report hits the same day President Obama had this hour-long videoconference with his counterpart in Afghanistan, Hamid Karzai, where they talked about everything, from the troop drawdown to Osama bin Laden.

I want to go straight to the Pentagon and correspondent Barbara Starr.

And, Barbara, we are already getting reaction from the White House on this report, number one. So, I want you to lay that out there. And number two, what is the main criticism leveled against how all this U.S. money has been used in Afghanistan?

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, look, Brooke, the White House, as you might expect, says that -- let me -- we're having a technical issue. Let me take this out for a minute.

The White House, as you might expect, says that there has been progress in Afghanistan, that the money has been well spent, that it has really contributed to the security of the country.

This report, however, from the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, led by the Democrat John Kerry of course, very influential, a close ally of the president, has quite a different view -- $19 billion it says in aid, but that it has basically led to being 97 percent of the Afghan economy.

And the problem is, that leads not only to corruption, but it leads to distortion of the economy, jobs, wages, prices, and that, if the U.S. troops leave, and the money goes with them, that then you basically have a collapse of the Afghan economy and the potential for a collapse of the country.

So it's a very fine line here. And what they are talking about is, OK, put money into Afghanistan, but make it sustainable projects that the Afghans can really look after themselves. It doesn't do any good to put billions of dollars into this country, build facilities that the Afghans can't maintain, build structures the Afghans can't maintain. It is only going to lead to a collapse and a further disaster down the road -- Brooke.

BALDWIN: You know, I read a quote from the chairman of this committee, John Kerry. He said, look, this is not supposed to be a gotcha report. This is simply supposed to be fruitful in terms of analysis and et cetera.

So, given that fact, how might this report out today then weigh on the president's decisions to start the troop withdrawal?

STARR: Well, you know, I think that it's very important to realize, once again, that it does come from John Kerry, the Democrat chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

There is considerable political pressure building in Washington on the president, on the White House for some kind of very significant, whatever that is, troop withdrawal in Afghanistan when the president makes that announcement in July.

People -- the support for the war is declining amongst the American people. The support for the troops is always there. Support in Washington is declining. There's no -- there's no getting around it. Everybody from President Obama to General David Petraeus to folks here at the Pentagon know that that support is declining and that the pressure is mounting for a significant troop withdrawal.

This report may only be another nail in that situation trying to say, OK, the U.S. has done the best it can, time to go. But, for the Afghans, for the Pakistanis, this is a big problem, because, of course, if the U.S. is seen as going, that only leaves the Taliban and al Qaeda room to move in -- Brooke.

BALDWIN: It's a huge factor there. Barbara Starr, thank you.

And just as we can here at CNN, let's take you now live and get that reaction from Kabul, Afghanistan.

Nick Paton Walsh is there for me.

And, Nick, I actually want to begin with you by playing a clip from this confirmation hearing today to confirm that Ryan Crocker as the next ambassador to Afghanistan. Here's some of the questioning. We will listen together. We will talk on the other side.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JAMES RISCH (R), IDAHO: What we are trying to give to the Afghan people and have worked at for 10 years and given them in blood, sweat, and tears, you really, really wonder whether they want what we're trying to give them. And, if they don't want what we're trying to give them, it is not going to work.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: That was part of the questioning of Ryan Crocker and some of the fundamental questions of whether Afghans are on board going forward.

And as best as you can surmise, have they written the mission off?

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I think Ryan Crocker said it himself, really. It's what we have tried to give him. They haven't really delivered.

There's been a vision I think that NATO has put on the plate in front of the Afghan people here for 10 years of a much improved society. We have tried to turn it into a perfectly functional Western country. That's never happened because of the layers of the corruption, the violence of the insurgency getting in the way between the goals NATO have and what they have actually been able to achieve on the ground, which, to be honest, is pretty slim so far.

And that's what -- pointed out really in that report we talked about earlier on. It is talking about how really the sort of success of much of the aid projects here has been about how much money they have been able to spend and how quickly they have been able to spend it, not about the effects on the ground, Brooke.

BALDWIN: Ninety-seven percent, 97 percent of the country's GDP from foreign aid in Afghanistan, that just really strikes me. I do want to ask about this videoconference. We know the president, President Obama, spoke with his counterpart, Hamid Karzai, today. Has there been any kind of reaction there on the ground in Kabul to that video conversation?

WALSH: In a word, no. We have been ringing the presidential press office for some time, and there has been no response to that.

I would be surprised, frankly, if they wanted to comment on what clearly would have been a fairly complicated and private discussion. Either they are going to be talking about what Mr. Obama wants to do in terms of troop withdrawals here or he will be sounding out President Karzai's position.

But that relationship is not good, hasn't been good for some time, very much Washington and Kabul, I think, stuck with each other in terms of who they deal with on both sides of the Atlantic. So, no, an important teleconference today, but no readout what it really affects so far here.

But I think it's very clear in the minds of Afghans the clock is ticking. They are looking to the post-NATO world now and what kind of landscape that is, Brooke.

BALDWIN: Still the unknown. Still the unknown there in Afghanistan.

Nick Paton Walsh in Kabul -- Nick, thank you.

And if it's interesting, if it's happening right now, you're about to see it rapid fire. Let's go.

A warning from the man once considered Osama bin Laden's heir apparent. Ayman al-Zawahri releases his first video since Navy SEALs killed the al Qaeda leader in Pakistan. Al-Zawahri eulogizes bin Laden, but he wants the fight against America -- he warns -- pardon me -- the fight against America is not being waged by mere individuals or groups. In fact, he is calling it -- quote - "a jihadi awakening."

And al-Zawahri calls the political uprisings sweeping the Middle East and North Africa a catastrophe for the United States.

The aircraft carrier that buried bin Laden at sea is back in the United States. The USS Carl Vinson arrived in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, yesterday morning, capping a six-month deployment to Asia and the Middle East. The carrier will head to San Diego on Friday.

The state is taking on President Obama's health care law, bringing their fight to the next level today, a federal appeals court in Atlanta hearing arguments over whether it's unconstitutional to require Americans to buy health insurance, one judge today saying the Supreme Court will ultimately have the final say.

President Obama rubbing elbows with the national champs. We present to you the Auburn Tigers. The football team visited the White House today -- 60 other people were also on hand for the presidential congratulations.

But I want you to watch this cute moment. This is when Ethan Gibbs -- that's Robert Gibbs' son -- joined the president and team on stage. Watch this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(LAUGHTER)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Is it going to fit? Is it going to fit? No. It's not fitting on the little guy's head.

In case you didn't know, former Press Secretary Robert Gibbs Auburn native, huge Auburn fan. Obviously, he was in attendance.

An 18-year-old kid accused of hacking into the security systems of the FBI. Police raiding his home in Greece, we're told they found more than 120 credit cards, thousands of euros in cash. Police say the suspect got new credit cards in the names of the victims whose computers he allegedly hacked. In addition to the computers found in his apartment, police confiscated flares, shotgun cartridges and a homemade bomb.

And now amazing images of space shuttle Endeavour as it was docked with the International Space Station -- this is the first time we have seen this perspective. Kind of cool. Thank you, NASA. The photos were taken 220 miles above Earth by the crew on the Soyuz spacecraft after it undocked from the ISS. Space shuttle Atlantis will be marking the final shuttle mission for NASA. Launch is set -- I will be there -- July 8.

(FINANCIAL UPDATE)

BALDWIN: Coming up next: He is revealing what he calls the 63 documents the government does not want you to see. Former Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura, there he is, shades on, standing by. I will ask him about his thoughts on the race for president and, being a former Navy SEAL, what he thinks of the raid that killed Osama bin Laden.

We're going one-on-one. It's live. Anything can happen. Stay right here.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Jesse Ventura says there are 16 million documents classified by the government as top-secret each and every year. Did you know that, 16 million?

But, specifically, there are 63 documents the government does not want to you read. That's the title of his new book.

He joins me now.

Governor Ventura, good to see you. Thanks for coming on.

I read your book. Here we are. I have lots of Post-its in it. And right off the top --

VENTURA: All right.

BALDWIN: -- right off the top, you basically say, look, mainstream media, traditional journalists, you're not doing your job. Specifically when it comes to WikiLeaks, you say Julian Assange is a hero. Why?

VENTURA: Well, because I stand with Congressman Ron Paul on that. We have every right to know what our government does and what they do because we pay their salaries. They use my tax dollars to pay for everything and I have every right to know what my taxes are spent on. In this book it bothers me that my taxes are spent on some of the things I've discovered doing this book.

But, getting back to WikiLeaks, the most important thing I think Congressman Paul said on the floor of the Congress and I've dedicated the book to him because of this. He said in supposedly a free country when telling the truth means people are going to charge you with treason, we're hurting. When the truth equals treason, that's ridiculous.

BALDWIN: I'm going to get to your dedication here in a minute because that's one of the things that jumped out at me first and foremost. But, you talk sort of right off the prologue citing this Washington Post article saying 854,000 American citizens have top- secret clearances and that's also where you get the 16 million documents classified as top-secret. Why do you think, Governor Ventura, that the government keeps so many documents classified so that you and I can't see them.

VENTURA: I have -- I have no idea. I have no idea Brooke. In fact, I've asked this question when I was a member of the Navy SEALs I had a top-secret security clearance. I've seen been a mayor, I've been a governor, now I'm simply a tax-paying citizen again. At what point, Brooke, did I lose my top-secret security clearance and why?

BALDWIN: Why? Do you know? You don't know. You don't know the answer.

VENTURA: No. I'm asking why. I used to have a top-secret security clearance. How come I can't know this stuff that the government says I shouldn't know about.

BALDWIN: Why do you want to know all this stuff? There has to be some kind of reason, and there is I'm sure, why some of the stuff needs to be classified? Some of this stuff, we do not need to be knowing about, covert operations, Navy SEAL, you know that.

VENTURA: (INAUDIBLE). Because -- because, well certainly. Yes, of course, in a timely fashion. I understand when you're doing something that's a tedious situation you're not going to broadcast it but in a timely fashion, when the operation's over and it's three years later, we have every right to know what they're spending our money on. And, you know, quite frankly, don't question me on this. Let's question the documents. Why is our government behaving in this fashion and the Democrats and Republicans take full responsibility for these documents and our behavior because they've been in charge and I hold them responsible for how they're wrecking my country with some of these documents --

BALDWIN: Well, you know, one of the documents --

VENTURA: -- and things they've been involved in.

BALDWIN: -- one of the documents, Mr. Ventura, that you talk about, you talk about the FDA and I ask this because it's timely because we've been talking a lot this week about this E. coli outbreak in Europe, I'm sure you've heard about it, in your book in one of the chapters you talk about the FDA's blind side. Why do you think that the food chain in the United States is susceptible here and what it is it -- taking it a step further, what is that you want the government to do?

VENTURA: Well, one of the problems is we've given in to what is called corporate farming and we've given into that completely and any time corporations are running anything then it becomes strictly a bottom line business and you see violations that will happen all the time. We're not manning our food situation and doing the inspections we should be doing. I refer to us now as the United States of Hypocrisy because what we talk about and what we say -- the documents indicate that we do just the opposite of what we talk about.

BALDWIN: Jesse Ventura, I want to ask you about the dedication in your book, you mentioned it here, right? You say you wrote this for a politician --

VENTURA: Yes.

BALDWIN: -- which is going to me into you and I talking about the 2012 Presidential Election. We're going to read this, we're going to get your thoughts. Stay right here.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Did you know this? Before Jesse Ventura was governor or even a wrestling star or even a body guard for all kinds of rock bands as he explained to me in the commercial break, he was a Navy SEAL. He was in the Navy for six years and, sir, I know it's a time in your life you don't really talk about it publicly but -- but, Governor, you had been saying for a while that there were special ops, right, going on inside of Pakistan. Were you surprised when all of these details pretty quickly started eeking out about that operation in Abbottabad that took out bin Laden?

VENTURA: Well, you know, naturally I'm proud that it was my former guys, you know, we're members of the teams and you're once a frogman, once a SEAL, always one. I'm proud of them. They're the best guys to do the job. They're the most highly trained. They will get the job done. Having said that, for the guys on the ground, which I have the utmost respect for and give them a Hooyah, we can go to the political side. Deep down in my gut I got a bad feeling because my government lies to me so often I don't know what I can believe any more when they tell me they've killed bin Laden and, you know, don't show you a body or whatever.

BALDWIN: So, hang on a second, Mr. Ventura, do you believe -- do you believe --

VENTURA: Wait, wait, wait.

BALDWIN: -- do you believe that Osama bin Laden is dead?

VENTURA: I don't know. They lied to me on the murder of Pat Tillman. They lied to me on the rescue of Jessica Lynch. They lied about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq and they lied about ties to Al Qaeda in Iraq to take us to war.

BALDWIN: What would -- what would it take for the government to prove to you as, you know, your TV show is called Conspiracy Theories, what would it take for you to believe that he's dead?

VENTURA: I don't know. You know, I -- like I said, I want to believe he's dead but what, you know, when you have someone in your lifetime in a -- in a period of ten years that tells you a half a dozen major lies, it becomes difficult then when they do tell you the truth, how do you know you're getting the truth --

BALDWIN: So, back what everyone was talking about whether or not his photos --

VENTURA: -- and this is -- this is blaming on our government.

BALDWIN: -- back when everyone was talking about whether or not his photos should have been released, you would have said what? Yes?

VENTURA: Well, let's look at the situation. They said he was on a dialysis machine 10 years ago. Experts have said that the disease he suffered from is generally fatal within two years. How did he manage to survive 10? You know, those are questions that I think are legitimate.

BALDWIN: Well, we don't even know, they don't know for sure if he had one kidney or not. You know, so let's move on. Let's talk politics because I want to talk about --

VENTURA: Well, let's ask this. How do we kill a guy that we never indict?

BALDWIN: Jesse Ventura, I'm asking the questions today. Let's talk politics --

VENTURA: OK.

BALDWIN: Specifically, your fellow -- fellow Minnesotan, Michele Bachmann, she has yet to officially come forward though she is going to her birthplace of Waterloo in Iowa soon. She hasn't announced she's running for President yet. She's expected to. Why do Minnesotans love her?

VENTURA: I don't know. I certainly don't vote for her. I live in her district but she'll -- she will never get my vote. I can't answer that. You'd have to talk to the Minnesotans that vote for her.

BALDWIN: Well, you used to be Governor, you're in the know, you talk to folks back there. What do they say about her?

VENTURA: No I don't. I live in Mexico --

BALDWIN: Half the year.

VENTURA: -- half the year. And I don't -- I try to stay away from politics at home. I -- I only focus on national issues now and, so, I -- I guess they like her for whatever reason she's a Republican in a fairly strong Republican district.

BALDWIN: OK, well then I won't even bother asking you about Mr. Pawlenty as you don't want to talk state politics, even though he's running for President. But, let's talk about Ron Paul. Go ahead, you want to weigh in?

VENTURA: Well, let me tell you this. Any -- anyone can run for President. This is the United States. If they're of legal age and they're a U.S. citizen, they have a right to run for President.

BALDWIN: Here's your dedication: "To Congressman Ron Paul, the only federal elected official who will stand up for America on the Congressional floor." What is it, Sir, that he gets that the rest of the American politicians don't, in your opinion?

VENTURA: A lot of things. He gets the Federal Reserve. He asked for an audit of that. He -- he's just a guy that asks the real questions and isn't afraid to speak up and state what it is. And, I respect anybody that will speak their mind like Congressman Paul does and will be honest. We can differ in opinion. He and I differ on the abortion issue. He's pro-life, I'm pro-choice but I still respect the man and that's just one issue. I look at the big picture and Ron Paul's the best guy we've got out there.

BALDWIN: OK. Jesse Ventura, I just have to ask before I let you go. What's with the shades?

VENTURA: Sure. Hunter Thompson's gone and I've been reading a lot of Hunter Thompson -- Hunter S. Thompson's work --

BALDWIN: Yes.

VENTURA: -- and now that he's not here to warn us any more about what's going to happen I would like to assume the role of Hunter S. Thompson now since Hunter's left us.

BALDWIN: And that's the sunglasses? And that's the sunglasses.

VENTURA: Yes. BALDWIN: OK, there we go. A lot of people asking on Twitter. Just an answer for the people. Governor Ventura, thanks so much for coming on, I appreciate it.

VENTURA: Thank you. Always my pleasure, it's an enjoyment.

BALDWIN: He has been linked in the disappearance of Natalee Holloway but now Joran Van Der Sloot is appearing in court accused of murdering a young woman in Peru. We are getting our very first look at some of the evidence that is stacking up against him and I'll tell you why. If he is convicted, he may only spend just a short time behind bars. We are live outside of Van Der Sloot's prison, next, in Peru.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Time to take you "Globe Trekking." Joran Van der Sloot is due in court in Lima, Peru. He's accused of killing a young Peruvian woman. He's been linked to the Alabama teenager, Natalee Holloway, who vanished.

But back to the Peruvian victim. Stephany Flores was found last year in a hotel room. CNN Patricia Janios is in Lima. And Patricia, what are you learning? What is today's evidence hearing about?

PATRICIA JANIOT, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, right now, Ricardo Flores, the father of the woman that Van der Sloot is charged with murdering is inside in a private hearing. (INAUDIBLE) long pauses (ph) before a trial date is set.

And in this hearing, there is no cameras, no press people allowed. The purpose is to identify Stephany Flores' alleged personal belongs that Van der Sloot had with him when he was arrested in Chile before he was transferred to the Peruvian authorities.

We're also told that a video, a surveillance video is going to be shown provided by one of the local municipalities where you see Van der Sloot and Stephany Flores on the streets. Brooke.

BALDWIN: Patricia, we know the court in Peru has been considering a crime of passion plea, which could result in a shortened sentencing. And when I say short, maybe three to five years. What more can you tell me about that?

JANIOT: Well, van der Sloot's lawyer has been trying to get the crime of passion plea providing that maximum sentence is 25 years for murder. But there's no way right now that he has a case because forensic tests has shown that Van der Sloot searched the Internet for information about Natalee Holloway one day before Stephany Flores' death. I don't know if you remember, but Van der Sloot has claimed that he was with Stephany Flores who was searching the Internet to get information about Natalee Holloway before he said, and he said that he was very upset and that was the reason why he killed her.

So, with that in mind, his lawyer wouldn't have the case to reduce his sentence. BALDWIN: OK. Patricia, thank you so much, from Lima, Peru.

Back home, one lawmaker says he's horrified. A pretty shocking report reveals that hundreds of sexual assaults, including rape, are not being reported. But wait until you find out where these incidents are apparently happening. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: The record heat across the country already claiming lives. And a stunning story on alleged sex assaults that are not being reported.

Time to play "Reporter Roulette," and I want to begin with you, Barbara Starr at the Pentagon. And these are alleged assaults. They are happening in the Veteran Affairs system. What's this story?

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Brooke, a report from the congressional watchdog, some 284 cases in a three-and- a-half year period. What are we talking about? Inappropriate touching, forcible medical exams, other cases of sexual assault.

By all accounts, the report says, and The Department of Veterans' Affairs doesn't have an appropriate system in place to catch these cases with when they happen, to report them, to keep track of them over time. And the bottom line is, they really don't know the extent of the problem. Brooke?

BALDWIN: So, for people who have loved ones at the V.A. and they are sitting there thinking, well, why isn't there an appropriate system -- how can they fix that? What happens now?

STARR: Well, exactly. What on earth is going on?

BALDWIN: Yes.

STARR: Well, there's a hearing on Capitol Hill with officials to talk about all of this. This report should go a long way towards shedding some light on the problem. The Veterans Affairs Department says it takes all of this very seriously. It's investigating it. It's looking to see what improvements can be made. But a scathing and disturbing report from Congress about a little-noticed problem. Brooke?

BALDWIN: That's horrendous. Barbara Starr, thank you.

Next on "Reporter Roulette," high temperatures taking a toll. Already a handful of suspected heat-related deaths in a number of states, and many cities reporting record or near-record temperatures. I just have made you sort of skedaddle over that way to find me -

CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Sorry.

BALDWIN: -- some really hot cities. So, Philadelphia, 95 degrees. Which is how much above average this time of year?

MYERS: At 15 degrees.

BALDWIN: Wow.

MYERS: And Atlantic City, I just checked because I can scatter as fast as I can, 97 right now. And Baltimore, 99. And that's not the heat index. It's muggy. The heat index is way above that, even in D.C. the heat index is 103. You shouldn't even be on the nation's lawn if you're in the sunshine. You need to be in the shade, lots of water.

The hard part is, think about people laying a road today. If you're laying --

BALDWIN: I know. I saw a guy putting down some concrete this weekend. I brought him a lemonade.

MYERS: I know! It's -- you're laying the hot asphalt and then all of a sudden your heat index, 103 in Washington, D.C. It was hot in the Midwest, too, but it was 103 in Minneapolis yesterday. That's without the heat index. And Minneapolis is so far north - oh, nice cool. It has not been cool across the upper parts of the Midwest.

Now, it gets better, Brooke. Notice this little blue line that's out in the Midwest today. It gets through Chicago tomorrow. A high of only 68. Does it make it to New York? Yes. Does it make it to D.C., not really? So, Friday, maybe that's the day to get out to the Hamptons or maybe stay home, for that matter. Stay out of traffic. 81 for a high there.

Go a little north and you're in good shape.

BALDWIN: OK. Chad Myers, thank you so much. Afraid to see how much higher it's going to go. Thank you. Now this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: In this case, with the chloroform key word search hit, we were able to recover a complete Internet history.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: We've been hearing a lot about chloroform. One investigator revealing what it was she found on Casey Anthony's computer, including what Anthony apparently searched on Google right around the time her daughter disappeared.

Plus, find out whether it's possible to hide your tracks on the Internet. Sunny Hostin is "On the Case." She's got some answers for us, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Remember it was the clam bake versus the chili cook- off? Did Sarah Palin steal Mitt Romney's thunder when she appeared in his same state he was in on the same day he announced his 2012 run. Well, Romney responds to Piers Morgan and reveals why he thinks Sarah Palin is the greatest thing to happen to him.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MITT ROMNEY, REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think Sarah Palin is generating enthusiasm and interest in a campaign this year. That's a good thing. She has a lot of energy and passion and bringing it to our race is positive for us. And frankly --

PIERS MORGAN, CNN HOST: But you're always nice about that. And then she does things like that, where she basically says, well, he can be as nice to me as he likes. I'm going to ruin his day.

ROMNEY: She didn't really ruin my day --

MORGAN: She tried to.

ROMNEY: No, in a lot of respects, it's the best thing that can happen me. Right now, your greatest enemy is overexposure. People get tired of seeing the same person day in and day out.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Hmm. Mitt Romney. Coming up tonight, Piers is speaking with the former GE CEO, Jack Welch. He will give his keys to success and how to keep America right. That is tonight, 9:00 Eastern. Piers Morgan, right here on CNN.

As Congressman Anthony Weiner is learning this week, what goes on the Internet stays on the Internet. But did you know that what you put on your computer stays there as well? It's all part of what's called your digital footprint. And it's playing a huge role today, an integral role in the murder trial of Casey Anthony.

Sunny Hostin is "On the Case." And Sunny, we know the testimony today is largely focused on Casey Anthony's -- her laptop, cell phones, digital cameras. What is it that prosecutors are trying to show?

SUNNY HOSTIN, CNN LEGAL CONTRIBUTOR: Well, prosecutors are trying to show intent. They are trying to show that she planned to murder her little girl.

And I will say this, Brooke, bombshell-type testimony came in through these forensic computer scientists. On Friday March 21, 2008, they are saying between the hours of 2:16 and 2:28 when only Casey Anthony was at the Anthony home on the home computer, Google searches were conducted for chloroform, how to make chloroform, self-defense, household weapons, neck breaking and shovels.

That is now tying in with the prosecution's theory that there was chloroform found in the trunk of the car, that Casey Anthony asked a neighbor for a shovel. It's all making this circumstantial case very, very strong.

Remember, on this jury there is an IT person. There is a computer technician on this jury. You can imagine what this testimony and this evidence means to him. Bombshell testimony today, Casey Anthony trial.

BALDWIN: You know, talking about Googling chloroform or how to make it - I mean, is it even possible this day and age, Sunny, to really cover your tracks, whether it's something that you're Googling, something you're uploading on your computer? Can you cover your tracks in the digital age?

HOSTIN: I think the jury today learned that it was close to impossible to do that. Even though you press delete, Brooke. Even though you think it's gone there is a digital imprint and that is what the investigators found in this case.

I used to work for a company where the forensic investigators got images off of a computer that had been thrown into a lake and burned. And so clearly if you can get images off of that kind of computer, you can get images off of almost everything. BALDWIN: Are you serious, Sunny?

HOSTIN: Nothing disappears in the digital age. I am serious. Nothing disappears. It's usually there.

BALDWIN: Kind of amazing, kind of scary. Sunny, thank you.

Have you ever thrown a basketball, you know, into a pop shot, hoop, you know, the games at arcades? Someone just pulled this off this major, major feed TV. We saved the clip. Just for my fellow basketball fan, Mr. Wolf Blitzer, can't wait to get his stance on this.

But coming up next, let's do a little list. If the thought of daunting a baiting suit this time of year giving you the summer blues, "U.S. News & World Report" has just released, hear the song, thank you, Troy.

Here is a list of best diets for weight loss, rounding out number five, the Atkins diet, you know, the whole protein, no carbs diet.

Duking it out for number four spot, a tie between the Slim Fast diet and the vegan diet.

Coming in number three on the list, it's called volumetrics, dense foods and whole grains that fill you up faster.

So what are the top two diets? Hold on to your beach towels. We've got them right after the break.

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BALDWIN: Hear the music, just in time for the start of swim suit season. "U.S. News & World Report" has released its list of the best weight loss diets. So you thought about this, which could it be?

The top two. Here we have actually a tie for second place is Jenny Craig and the self-explanatory of the raw food diet. I don't know if I could do that one.

Number one diet is, count your points, Weight Watchers, very nice.

Top five diets. Good luck with those baiting suits. Never fun, is it.

Let's take in some of the India's greatest players one on one (inaudible). This time he does it blindfolded. You have to see this. I'm not talking about Kobe Bryant. I'm not talking about LeBron although he's beaten both of them. This is Ricardo, the Busboy.

Every year during the NBA finals, Jimmy Kimmel has Ricardo, the Busboy take on the NBA's best in a pop a shot contest. There he is blindfolded. Look at him go. Just one after the other after the other.

Look at the points tallying up. Boston Celtics Lynn Davis, big baby, was only able to make 27 shots. Ricardo blindfolded hitting a cool 48. See the confetti and the golden basketball. Is there anyone that this guy can't beat? That's amazing, blindfolded.

So let's bring in Wolf Blitzer. Wolf Blitzer, I know we have to talk politics and what you have coming up on your show, but I know you're always at those Wizard games. I don't know if you've ever Ricardo, the Busboy with the shots, but it's pretty sweet, yes?

WOLF BLITZER, HOST, "THE SITUATION ROOM": Amazing. I love that. It's really hard to believe someone is that good. You know what, I love basketball and I'm happy that it's two to two in the NBA finals. Right now, I'm just hoping seven game finals would be great because I love basketball.

And I'm going to miss is during the off season and I hope there is a season, that there's no walkout or shut down next year. I hope they work it out. I love NBA basketball and I love college basketball.

BALDWIN: Who's your pick, Wolf?

BLITZER: I don't care. As long as they go the seven games, I'm happy.

BALDWIN: Seven games, you want full seven?

BLITZER: Yes.

BALDWIN: Yes, it's pretty exciting so far.

BLITZER: I had a little typo today. I was typing I meant to say Mavs and I said Cavs, but that's all right, a little typo.

BALDWIN: Wolf Blitzer, forgiven, a typo. So let's talk Newt Gingrich came under fire, took a little vacation, a nice little cruise around the Mediterranean with his wife. He's back. Now what? BLITZER: I'm really surprised because he's a very smart guy. He's got a lot of ideas. He just announced that he's running for the Republican presidential nomination and then he goes on vacation in the Mediterranean, exclusive cruise line, the Greek Isles, Turkey, and what was he thinking?

Is this the right time to go on vacation after you announced that you're running for president of the United States so I got a little commentary coming up in the next hour.

And James Carville is going to react to it. Rich Gallen in our strategy session. We've also got Rand Paul, the senator who is going to be joining us, a very different perspective from Bernie Sanders and other senators, one conservative Republican, one liberal Democrat.

We got a lot of stuff coming up in "THE SITUATION ROOM." I think our viewers will like it.

BALDWIN: Wonderful, Wolf. We'll see you there in eight minutes there. Thank you so much.

Next, this. Listen to this, the mayor of one of America's biggest cities, well, his wife has just been elected to take his job. Find out why this is one pretty interesting couple.

Plus, a major accident on the set of Jon Stewart show. Did you catch this? The host was injured talking about Congressman Anthony Weiner, a good buddy of his from back in the day. Joe Johns has the "Political Pop" as we end our show. That is next.

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BALDWIN: So where is just about the most unlikely place in the country for a happily married power couple to, A, keep their marriage intact, B, gain the love and affection of the voters and C, start a political dynasty all at once?

In Sin City, of course, where you would at least expect it. Joe Johns is here with "Political Pop." Joe, really? Vegas?

JOE JOHNS, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I know. Who knew? The city that brought you one nightmare just in six weeks divorces. Right, it's also the home of the political power couple that actually works.

We're talking about Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman and his wife, now the Las Vegas Mayor-elect, Carolyn Goodman. That's right. Just last night, Carolyn Goodman was elected to take over the job now held by her husband.

They have actually been married 49 years. Call themselves the happiest couple in the universe. So, you know, it's quite a love story and a pretty good political story, too, Brooke.

BALDWIN: Forty-nine years. So he's out, she's in.

JOHNS: Right.

BALDWIN: Why did Oscar Goodman want to leave the job?

JOHNS: Term limits. He's actually been term limited. It's actually been called kind of a figure head job because the city manager does a lot of the heavy lifting. But you know, they are keeping it in the family.

Carolyn won with something like 61 percent of the vote. Now, is he really a pretty much of a character. He would have to be to serve as mayor of Las Vegas for two terms.

He was in the movie "Casino," used to hand out poker chips as business cards, a kind of guy you wonder if you'll ever run for Congress one day. It would be interesting to see him up here in Washington.

BALDWIN: Imagine their pillow talk at night. Very mayoral, I suppose.

JOHNS: I guess.

BALDWIN: Let's ask about Jon Stewart. We watch "The Daily Show." He goes back quite a ways with Congressman Anthony Weiner and he had a little bit of a problem in this skit when he was trying to spoof his old friend and the show went on, but tell us what happened.

JOHNS: OK. There are some people who said when the story first broke, he kind of gave Weiner a break because they are friends and when he decided to go ahead and go for it and really sort of give the story the Stewart treatment, he cuts his hand. It was a spoof on the huge water bottle Weiner took to the podium for that bizarre news conference.

Let's take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JON STEWARD, HOST, COMEDY CENTRAL'S "THE DAILY SHOW": That's not good. I'm probably going to need to go to the hospital.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JOHNS: And they keep the joke going. Normally you don't laugh when somebody hurts themselves, but they kept the joke going and I actually called out to his agent and I called to his publicist to see if his hand was OK. They really haven't gotten back to me yet. I assume it is, though.

BALDWIN: We'll have to check and see if "The Daily Show" is tweeting anything about it. But, yes, looks like is that strawberry daiquiri or is that blood, what is that, John? But he kept a funny face. Joe Johns, thank you.

You probably saw this. I want to end the show with this. This is a fun moment at the White House today. President Obama, he is there. He's welcoming the national champs, Auburn Tigers football.

But there's this whole moment when little Ethan Gibbs, the son of former Press Secretary Robert Gibbs, he comes up, he joins the president, the team on stage, but take a look at what happens next.

I don't know if that's Cam Newton's helmet. Bottom line, that thing is not going on that child's head. Again, Robert Gibbs was obviously there. He is an Auburn native and huge Auburn fan.

So again, you have the Auburn Tigers visiting the White House and President Obama.

So that is it for me here in Atlanta. I'm Brooke Baldwin. Thanks so much for watching.

Now "THE SITUATION ROOM" with Wolf Blitzer starts right now.