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Newly-Released Weiner Pictures; Giffords to Leave Rehab Facility; GOP Debate Preview; Casey Anthony Murder Trial; Economy Trumping Social Issues; Interview with Rick Santorum
Aired June 12, 2011 - 19:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: It is the top of the hour everyone, welcome. I'm Don Lemon we are live in New Hampshire where we are preparing for tomorrow night's big GOP debate.
In the meantime, this is a big story. It keeps getting worse for New York Congressman Anthony Weiner. While he's off seeking professional help, more embarrassing and explicit photos of him have cropped up.
TMZ published these and they aren't even the most graphic ones in the bunch. These are the tamest of them. This is happening as the pressure for him to resign mounts within his own party.
Let's bring in CNN's Jason Carroll who's been covering the story. Jason, these photos have already entered the debate about the Congressman's future and it's not good.
JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It really isn't. I mean out here Don, there was a protest out here a little earlier. Copies of those pictures and you know, I've seen them all. Copies of those very explicit pictures were reproduced and handed out on the street here during a protest.
Some of the Congressman's detractors who say it's time for him to step down are using these pictures as more ammunition, basically saying Don, that even though some of those people who supported him in the past are basically now saying there is just is no way he can be an effective leader given all of these photos that just seem to keep coming out day after day after day -- Don.
LEMON: We talked about this one, and this one could have been incredibly harmful, even criminal had it turned out to be true. But there are some good news, I guess relatively speaking for him.
Tell us about the outcome of this investigation to contact with a teenage girl in Delaware -- Jason?
CARROLL: Right. If you remember this was the teenage girl that was -- that was tweeting back and forth with a congressman. Congressman Weiner came out to her high school, spoke at her school. She admired him. She began following him on Twitter.
Well, given all that's happened with these other women an investigation was sort of launched into what exactly -- what type of communication the two of them were having between each other. That investigation was closed. It was determined that there was no inappropriate on-line contact between the two of them.
Also, the girl's family released a statement basically saying that the tweets were not salacious or in any manner inappropriate. And they also asked to be left alone by the press. I guess they have just been hammered over and over in requests for interviews.
But at this point at least that investigation has been closed. But Don, going back to what I was saying earlier, even a seemingly innocent sort of online relationship between the Congressman and this young -- this young girl is called into question given what's happened with these other women. And that's again why people are out here are saying -- some of his detractors are saying he just simply can't be an effective leader at this point because no matter what he does from this point forward it's going to be called into question.
LEMON: Yes. Yes, yes. And who knows what's going to come out tomorrow. Today -- yesterday we didn't expect these pictures. And so tomorrow, one never knows. Thank you, Jason.
And we're following another big story today. And it's a great news, great news for the congresswoman who nearly lost her life just a few months ago. Gabrielle Giffords will leave a Houston rehab hospital by the end of the month to begin out-patient therapy. That's according to the Arizona Congresswoman's spokesperson.
New photos of Giffords were posted today on her Facebook page. Giffords was sitting outside during the photo shoot and in this one she is next to her mother looking happy and relaxed.
CNN's Lisa Sylvester has more from Washington -- Lisa.
LISA SYLVESTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Don, on Gabby Giffords Facebook page more than 800 people have posted comments sending her well wishes, just a sample of some them, "Great to see you smiling. You are a wonderful inspiration.
Another one reads, "Same smile, same attitude, can't wait to see you back in Congress".
And she continues to improve, she's walking more. Her verbal and cognitive skills are coming along. And now we have these pictures and you can see some of the differences, in the latest pictures her hair is darker, cropped short, she is wearing glasses. The most obvious difference though, is the indentation on left side of her head.
In the second photo, that's her mom by the way with her in that picture, she still has that same gorgeous smile.
These pictures were taken May 17th and that is the day before she had surgery to replace the skull bone. That surgery was to put in a synthetic bone and shunt. And her doctors say it went very well. So physically speaking her condition has approved above and beyond what these photos show.
And I spoke to her communications director C.J. Karamargin by phone. And he just saw her last week. He said she was talking about politics, about the Mitt Romney announcement and overall in really good spirits. And I asked him how long before he expects her to be back and running the office.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
C.J. KARAMARGIN, GIFFORDS' COMMUNICATION DIRECTOR (via telephone): I don't know, hopefully it will be soon. If you look at the amount of distance that she's traveled so far and how far she has come, I think we're confident that's going to be soon. But -- if there is one thing we've learned in this, the whole process, Lisa and that is we need to be patient.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SYLVESTER: C.J. says the plan is to have her moved from the Houston rehabilitation center by the end of the month. So she'll stay in Houston but continue with outpatient treatment -- Don.
LEMON: All right, Lisa, thank you very much.
Up next, the man who will be on the stage tomorrow night, asking the questions is here with us. And I've been writing your questions down for you. So you should be ok.
JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Thanks. Write them all down. Can I read your handwriting?
LEMON: Yes.
KING: That's very good. It's nice.
LEMON: I'm going to talk to him just about what he is planning to ask in just a little bit. But watch this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SAINT ANSELM HAWKS: We are the Saint Anselm Hawks and we follow Don Lemon on CNN.
LEMON: You better.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Many of you have been sending and asking for information on social media. You can reach out to us like all of the kids here -- we shouldn't call them kids -- students here at Saint Anselm. Go to Twitter, Facebook or CNN.com/don.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Well that music just brings me back to 2008. You know, we're back, coming to you live from New Hampshire on the Saint Anselm campus where CNN and the candidates are getting ready for Monday night's GOP presidential debate.
Our very own John King, CNN's chief national correspondent will be moderating tomorrow night's debate. And joined -- John joins me now for a preview.
You and I were talking. It seems like you know we're saying, oh, my gosh, we just finished with the 2008. You feel it -- people are ready for it now, right?
KING: A switch has been thrown over the last several of weeks. I think it's a combination of things. You did have a big national debate in Washington about the Republican budget, the Paul Ryan plan, the Medicare changes that would be in that. It was a big debate nationally. It's a relevant issue to people.
A lot of times what we talk about in Washington and in politics doesn't seem relevant to people's lives.
And then the recent economic data: bad housing reports, the unemployment rate checking back up. I think people have just go to -- people are asking questions at a time when you have the candidates now, especially in Iowa and New Hampshire, out more.
And what you get I think, Don, is an election that at least reminds me very much of being here in 1992. Where you had an incumbent president, a Republican and George H.W. Bush trying to convince the American people, I know it's tough but it's getting better, it's starting to get better. And it was. You could see in throughout 1992 the numbers are getting a little bit better.
But president Obama has that same challenge now: convincing people who are worried about unemployment, who are looking around this sluggish housing market. We have other reasons to be in a bit of a funk that it's getting better.
Now, he's got more time obviously, the Republican campaign is just getting started.
LEMON: Yes.
KING: But it raises this question to me. Who is the Bill Clinton of the Republican field? Who is the challenger who can make a connection with people, a personal connection with people on this issue that matters most, which has to do with economic anxiety.
LEMON: And it's very -- it's very interesting too. Because just being out here and talking to folks, talking to the students and talking to some of the candidates. They're still talking about social issues and what have you; and the student and the folks out in the diners and you know having pancakes are like, "I don't care about that. I want to know if I'm going to have a job." And the polling is showing that.
So to me, this maybe even more interesting than 2008 because there's -- the economy is on the line and you can't really do anything unless you have a job.
KING: You can't. And so the candidates have to address that.
Look, well, abortion, same-sex marriage, the role of government in sometimes in those social issues. Will it matter? Of course it does, it always matters in a Republican primary. It always does and more so in Iowa and in New Hampshire.
LEMON: It's secondary.
KING: It is secondary because the number one concern is, can I have a job.
LEMON: Right.
KING: If it's in Iowa, maybe, will my family farm survive. If it's here in New Hampshire, will my small business survive? What will you do differently from President Obama so that voters can make a choice? There is no doubt about it; the economy is one, two and three. Now there are somebody watching at home and says, no not to me this matters most.
LEMON: Yes.
KING: And of course, these candidates have to deal with that. And you have to respect everybody's opinion.
LEMON: We are talking overall.
KING: Yes overall, you just -- you feel it.
LEMON: Yes.
KING: You feel it and it doesn't have to be a political conversation, people just bring it up. And this state has relatively low unemployment and yet it still comes up here because they have the doubts and the worries.
LEMON: Yes.
So you've been doing this, John, quite a long -- probably you've been doing this longer than you've been alive.
KING: Presidential campaign number seven for me, believe it or not.
LEMON: So I'm wondering, who can we -- there's always fireworks between at least two people on that stage. One person goes, who is it going to be tomorrow night you think?
KING: Well, there's a simple rule of politics, the front-runner gets the kick me sign.
LEMON: Yes.
KING: And the front-runner here in New Hampshire, probably nationally for the Republicans, is the former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney. In our polling and in any other polling, he's well ahead here in New Hampshire. He has been trying to stake out a position that says, "I'm going to be mostly about the economy. I probably won't contest Iowa as much because that's where you do get involved in the social issues." Governor Romney will be the target of the other candidates without a doubt you can be certain of that. He knows that. That comes with being the front-runner.
It's a challenge for Herman Cain who has come from nowhere.
LEMON: Yes.
KING: This businessman from Georgia who was nowhere in the polls, now he's up flirting with double digits.
(CROSSTALK)
LEMON: Right.
KING: Well-liked in the Tea Party Movement. As you start to rise then, people start saying ok I like them on first impression. Now let's see him deal with some tougher questions on second. So a challenge for him too to prove now that I've gotten your attention, I need to keep it.
LEMON: Yes and they are telling me, we've got to get -- you and I have to finish up otherwise we'll be going into Monday night.
KING: Let's go. And if the candidates rather, we'll do it out here.
LEMON: I will do what my friend Wolf does. How are you feeling?
KING: I feel strong. Wolf taught me that when I came to CNN. I was a junior White House correspondent. He taught me, you're strong.
LEMON: It's going to be fun.
KING: It's going to be great.
LEMON: Thank you John. It's been great hanging out with you guys here.
Tomorrow night right here on CNN, seven Republicans will appear on stage right here at the Saint Anselm College in Manchester, you know Mark Preston says Saint Aslem (ph) because he's from these parts. The first political debate of the 2012 presidential race, the event will be moderated by CNN's John King.
Now, this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let me present to you a hypothetical; that the body of a young child was stored in the trunk of that car for a period of time and then moved and deposit to another location. Does that fit with the entomological evidence you found?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Absolutely.
(END VIDEO CLIP) LEMON: The Casey Anthony murder trial resumes tomorrow morning. The latest witness, a bug expert; did he help the prosecution's case? We're live in Orlando right after the break.
And we'll tell you how a rock and roll band is trying to stop bullying in schools. We're back in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: The murder trial of Casey Anthony resumes tomorrow in Orlando. Saturday's court session focused on testimony from an expert on insects. Drew Petrimoulx of WDBO Radio in Orlando has been covering the trial. He joined us for a special last week and he joins us now to give us a preview of the week ahead.
Tell us about -- well first before we talk about the week ahead, what is this bug expert? How does this play into it? Did it help or hurt her case?
DREW PETRIMOULX, WDBO RADIO: You would have to say it would hurt her case because these are witnesses for the prosecution. But these forensic entomologists were able to recover both insects from the remains site where Caylee's remains were found and also from inside the trunk of her mother's car. And it helped the prosecution make its case.
For the first time actually this weekend we heard an estimation; the prosecution said they think that Caylee's remains were actually in that trunk three to five days based on the development stages of these insects. Also they were able to analyze insects there at the remains site and estimate that the body was dumped there around late June or early July, which fits in perfectly with the prosecution theory.
LEMON: Hey Drew, when she starts to cry when she is viewing these pictures, did you think the jurors and the people in the courtroom bought it?
PETRIMOULX: Well, I thought it was very interesting. I watched the jurors a lot while they showed these photos. In the beginning every one of their faces were plastered to the photos because they are quite gruesome and it really got their attention. But they went on -- as we got to 10, 12, 15 photos, I noticed a lot of the jurors actually looking up at Casey.
So I thought that was very interesting. But there was a point where she got -- became so ill because of these pictures that they actually had to stop court for the day.
LEMON: Yes. Did you see the photos?
PETRIMOULX: I did. You know, the judge ordered them to be blurred out as it was broadcasted but the people in court, he warned that they were going to be gruesome and quite frankly, they were. Some of them showed the skull basically half way sunk into that swampy area with hair and dirt and mud -- quite gruesome. Then there's actually a group of photos that they showed from the medical examiner's office where they are moving the skull around to get, capture every image. You can actually see the duct tape up against the side of the jawbone there.
Very interesting testimony from some forensic anthropologists who say that they had never even seen a skull that was that far decomposed that still had the jaw bone attached. And prosecutors made the point that the only way it could be, is because of that duct tape that they say was used as the murder weapon.
LEMON: Hey Drew, take us into next week. What can we expect?
PETRIMOULX: Well this is going to be, we think, the last week of the state's case. What I think we're going to get is the prosecution is going to try to tie that remains site back to the Anthony family home. That duct tape that was used, prosecutors say, as the murder weapon, there is some -- that duct tape was recovered from the home not only on a gas can but George was actually using it to put up some missing Caylee posters.
Also, the laundry bag that the remains were found in, there were similar laundry bags found at the Anthony home. Last week prosecutors showed the brand names on those laundry bags so that they can go back later to the Anthony family garage and point out that they were the same kind of laundry bags there. Also the trash bags -- they're going to break down, they can use fibers on the trash bags to track when they were made and what rolls they came from to try to show that those were trash bags that came from the Anthony family house as well.
LEMON: All right. Always good information, Drew Petrimoulx, we appreciate you joining us as always here on CNN.
He is taking the stage right here in New Hampshire for tomorrow night's GOP debate, but first he talked to me.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RICK SANTORUM (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I get ready every day. I'm here in New Hampshire. And the folks here in New Hampshire, they ask a lot of tough questions. And not to slight John King, but they are pretty tough here and in Iowa, South Carolina. So we've been going through debate prep pretty much every day for the last 18 months.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Rick Santorum says he is ready for tomorrow night's debate. I met up with the former Pennsylvania senator to talk about his place in this race. Can a social conservative get traction when voters are so focused on the economy?
We'll have your back to work forecast as wildfires continue to burn out of control in the west.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. JOHN BOEHNER (R), SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: When you begin to go out there and ask people to vote for you, they are probably not going to vote for you if they can't say your name. My name looks like beaner, bonner, boner. Thank God it's not Weiner.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Well, that was a good one. That was a good one. That was House Speaker John Boehner speaking during commencement ceremonies at Ohio State University today poking fun at his own name and also Representative Anthony Weiner.
And we are back. Coming to you live from New Hampshire on the campus of St. Anselm College where CNN is getting ready for tomorrow night's GOP presidential debate.
Hold on. All right. That's better.
CNN released a fascinating poll ahead of the debate. We asked whether the government should be promoting traditional values. Here is the response: 46 percent said yes but 50 percent said no. Why is that important? Because it's the first time the percentage in the "yes" column has fallen below 50 percent since CNN first started asking the question in 1993.
That number should be very interesting to candidates like Rick Santorum, someone who is very decisive and very divisive on social issues. Here is what he had to say when I caught up with them. I want you to take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SANTORUM: You know go to my announcement speech, I didn't talk about social issues. I talked about the impact of Obama care on jobs and the economy. I talked about the huge debt that we have and the obligation it deal with that. I talked about entitlement reform. I talked about the Ryan plan.
You know, in all due respect, I think the media is fixated on trying to -- this is how the media works, they try to pigeon-hole candidates. They're this kind of here -- they fit this niche. They fit that niche.
Well the interesting thing I think in my candidacy is that I fit all of the niches. I'm someone who's strong on social issues but I'm strong on national security issues. There's nobody who has the experience or the levels of accomplishment that I have on national security; no one has in the federal entitlement. I did. I was the author of welfare reform. So we've got a lot to talk about and we will.
LEMON: Some people say it is contradiction because you are first of all, government, for smaller government. Yet you want to change the Constitution when it comes to same-sex marriage. Some people see that as government intervening on people's lives.
SANTORUM: That is affirming what laws of the states have been for over 200 years. It is simply, putting in law what has been in place in society for thousands of years. That this is what marriage is. There is an intrinsic value that having men and women come together in marriage and having children and raising those children in a stable family, that's good for society. That is something society wants to encourage.
There are some, who I understand have a different view, don't think it is important. Think that society will be just fine if that institution is no longer held to be different or privileged and rewarded. I just disagree with that. You know, I think the appropriate thing is to get in the public square and let's debate it. Let's argue it and let's point out the pluses and minuses and I'm doing that.
LEMON: I was recently on Joy Behar and she said that, she called I think it was -- I'm paraphrasing -- bigoted or homophobic or what have you.
SANTORUM: I have a difference of agreement on a policy issue. That doesn't mean, you know, I hate anybody. I don't hate anybody. I'm called by my faith to love anybody. I do. I pray for people whether they are for me or against me because that's what I'm supposed to do.
And just because I disagree with a, you know, legal definition of what marriage is, it doesn't mean I dislike anybody or hate anybody or spiteful of anyone. Because I think that is what is best for society and we should be able to disagree without calling people bigots. I think that is really sad that you have people on the other side, because you stand up for something that's been in the institution in this world for 2,000 years that all of a sudden now, you are a hater. You are a mean person. I'm not. I've never been.
LEMON: Do you have any gay friends?
SANTORUM: Yes. In fact, I've had gay people work for me.
LEMON: Yes. And friends?
SANTORUM: Yes.
LEMON: People say I have black friends.
SANTORUM: Yes. In fact I was with a gay friend of mine just two days guy. So yes, I do. They respect that I have differences of opinion on that. I talk about these things in front of them and we have conversations about it. They differ from me. But they know that I love them because they're my friend and they know that I respect and we have respectful differences.
LEMON: You know that's a headline. Rick Santorum has gay friends.
SANTORUM: It shouldn't be. It was well known that Rick Santorum had a leading -- a gay Republican working for him for ten years. I don't know what -- I don't know what the -- you know, what the shock value is here.
I mean the fact of the matter is, when for example, when there was a man who was working as executive director of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, who was ousted by one of the gay papers, the first person who came to his aid was me, because he was doing a great job.
I understand the narrative. It is always easy to sort of paint a narrative. Oh, this is guy is standing up for traditional marriage. He must hate gay people. No, I don't. I just disagree with what the issue of marriage should be.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: All right. I want to talk more about this poll. Because it really is a good indicator of where voters' heads are as we look forward to 2012. Let's slow it again. We asked whether the government should be promoting traditional values. Here's the response: 46 percent said "yes" but 50 percent said "no".
So I want to bring in Will Cain, he's a CNN contributor and the host of "Off the Page on NationalReview.com and then Heather McGhee is Washington director for Demos a public policy research and advocacy group in Washington.
So let me pose this question to both of you. We just heard from Rick Santorum at length. Does this poll, that we just showed, does it help people like him or hurt him? I'll go with you first, Will.
WILL CAIN, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: I don't know, Don, because you know what, if I had been responding in that poll, if I had been called, I don't know how I would have answered. I'm a pro-life, pro-gay marriage supporter. How does someone like me answer that poll?
And by the way, Don, I don't think I'm unique. In May a Gallup poll showed for the first time Americans, a majority of Americans support gay Americans. At the same time, polls show young people increasingly call themselves pro-life.
So how does that play for Rick Santorum, I don't know. I'll tell you this. Democrats will be doing everything they can to make this election about social issues. The one thing they don't want to talk about, the economy. What does that mean for Rick Santorum? Depends on how much he emphasizes these things.
LEMON: Ok. All right.
Heather, I'll pose that to you and you do have to say that many people find, think that Rick Santorum have said some pretty disturbing things about gay people and that he is sort of - he is not sort of, he has ostracized them and moved them into a corner. And it will be odd for people to hear that Rick Santorum has gay people and in that interview to kind of set himself up as a supporter of gay people. So how does this play for people like him?
HEATHER MCGHEE, WASHINGTON DIRECTOR, DEMOS: Yes, I think the other big poll result that we have to recognize here that's playing out is that for the first time in America, in polling history, the majority of Americans are actually worried that their children are not going to do better than them. That's the sort of the failure of the American dream in this country. So the fact that you know, most young people are making less than their parents did a generation ago, that's not because of the advent of gay rights. That's not because of the progress on the women's right to choose.
And so Rick Santorum is going to have to have a really honest conversation with people about what's keeping them up at night. And at this point in time with this economy, it's not the social issues. It is really how they are going to put food on the table and get their next paycheck.
LEMON: All right. Heather. I'm going to pose the next question to you as well. I want to turn to the debate tomorrow night that CNN is sponsoring here. It is very early in the race, of course, but who needs to prove themselves the most tomorrow night, Heather?
MCGHEE: Yes. I think Newt Gingrich has a real opportunity. First of all, he has got to take the narrative back. He has got to say, listen I'm no longer on vacation. I'm here to work hard. I'm going to put together a great team, all of that. But as I was saying on this issue of the economy, Newt Gingrich has been a real truth-teller. I mean, when he said that the Ryan plan was radical, he was telling the truth. That's what the majority of the voters think. The idea of ending Medicare and really sort of taking away that sort of sacred covenant between generations is pretty radical. So he can break away from the pack and offer some real solutions.
LEMON: Right.
MCGHEE: I mean, winning the future that President Obama says, that was his slogan. That is his phrase. So he could sort of break away from the pack.
LEMON: Yes. I want to ask Will, Will, do you agree with her?
CAIN: No, I think that's hilarious. I think that just shows how dead Newt's candidacy is that Heather, who I'm sure I would like, but is from (INAUDIBLE) says Newt has a chance to prove something here. I think that just shows how dead Newt's candidacy is.
LEMON: All right. Let me ask you this, do you believe then Will that the eventual Republican nominee will be on the stage tomorrow night? Before I say that, Heather you can jump in if you disagree, you know, go ahead and get in here. But do you think though, Will, that the eventual nominee will be on the stage tomorrow night?
CAIN: Yes. I think that Mitt Romney is the potential nominee but you know, I would say this, Mitt Romney is also the guy with the most prove. He's going to be getting hit from every angle. And well he should. You know, we talk a lot about what this election is going to be about and definitely something about the economy. But a theme in 2010 and a theme again this year will be how does a candidate see the relationship between government and the individual? There is nothing that defines that more than the Affordable Care Act in Obama care. Mitt Romney created its model. He has a lot to prove.
MCGHEE: You know, I will say that -
LEMON: Anyone on that stage - go ahead, Heather.
MCGHEE: I was just going to say that I really hope that the eventual nominee is on the stage because the American people need time to look at these guys and get to know guys and gals and get to know what they stand for. And not just sort of go to the polls and see what has been trending on Twitter the past few weeks. It is time to get this campaign really started.
LEMON: All right. Heather McGhee, Will Cain, thank you. Very interesting conversation. Appreciate it.
MCGHEE: Thank you, Don.
LEMON: More good news if you have to fill your car up this week. And later a bizarre day for Colonel Gadhafi. He is under constant NATO bombing. But he found time to relax.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Hello, everyone. We are back coming to you live from New Hampshire. We are on the St. Anselm campus where CNN is getting ready for Monday night's GOP presidential debate. It is turning out to be a really beautiful evening here. And it's cool. I'm not sure it's so cool back in Atlanta where Richelle Carey is probably very hot and steamy. Richelle.
RICHELLE CAREY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I did pick up that bragging you were doing. You were just bragging. It is so nice out there. Yes, it is very warm here, Mike.
All right. Let me get to the top stories right now.
Police in Indiana are counting on help from America's Most Wanted program to help find a missing college student. She's 20 years. Her name is Lauren Spierce. She disappeared July 3rd. She is a student at Indiana University. She was last seen twice on video after leaving her apartment in a pre-dawn darkness. Police are reviewing videotapes and speaking with persons of interest.
Some good news about the price of gas. It is falling. The Lundberg survey puts the average price of a gallon of regular at $3.74. That's down nearly 17 cents in the last three weeks. Lundberg says prices will fall even more because of an oversupply and gas at the time of unemployment is weakening demand.
And his country has been torn apart by civil war but Moammar Gadhafi can still enjoy a game of chess. Today, video of the Libyan leader playing aired on Libyan state TV. It is not clear where he was. But an anchor says his opponent was the president of the World Chess Federation. Just this week, a senior official toll CNN, on condition of anonymity, that NATO is targeting Gadhafi and not just his forces but a NATO official denied that claim. Let's head back to New Hampshire with CNN's Don Lemon. Don, I think I called you Mike because, out of habit, I'm always tossing to my colleague, Mike Galanos.
LEMON: I was ticked about that. I was like -
CAREY: That's (INAUDIBLE). Did I do that?
LEMON: I said, "Did she just call me Mike?" And we are good friends and we hang out all the time. I'm going to get you next time we go to dinner.
CAREY: You're going to attack me on Twitter. I'll be watching.
LEMON: (INAUDIBLE) This is on my feet. That's a heater.
CAREY: Look at you. I love it. I love it. And I'm excited about tomorrow too.
LEMON: Southerners aren't used to this. Yes, I am too.
All right. See you Barbara. Thank you.
The Tea Party became a force in the last presidential election, but is it still gaining power? We'll talk with the party leader, coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Well, we're getting excited. It's just about 24 hours away, 24 hours away. We're back now live from New Hampshire on the St. Anselm campus where CNN is getting ready for Monday's night's GOP presidential debate. Man, it is getting close.
You know, this will be the first presidential election where the Tea Party is expected to have a major impact. But as it has gotten stronger, will the Tea Party end up weakening the major party it usually aligned with and that's Republican. So we're going to talk about that and much, much more with Amy Kremer. She is the co-chair of the Tea Party Express. Thank you very much for joining us.
AMY KREMER, CO-CHAIR, TEA PARTY EXPRESS: Thanks for having me.
LEMON: We've had an interesting conversation for being here.
Right now, it is Mitt Romney really who is, you know, tracking ahead in the polls. So he is a Republican source of president. 21 percent to Sarah Palin's 17. So do you think the Tea Party members will support Romney despite his healthcare plan for Massachusetts?
KRAMER: Well, you know, everybody wants to talk about the general election and Don, we're not even there yet. I don't even think all of the players are on the field for the primary. You know, we still have a lot of primary play to do. So we want to see the strongest candidate, the strongest constitutional conservative that is supportive of Tea Party principles and values and you know what, we're going to hand the GOP a candidate. We're not going to wait for the GOP to hand us a candidate.
LEMON: So you won't endorse anyone right now? Any of the people?
KREMER: We're not endorsing anyone because we have partnered with CNN to do the first ever Tea Party presidential debate, which is historic. And that's a testament to the power of this movement.
LEMON: But Bachmann is a favorite? I mean, you can say that. Bachmann is a Tea Party favorite. And I don't mean that you're endorsing here but among the Tea Party member, she's a favorite.
KREMER: Bachman has been, you know, a very strong voice out in the front lines within this movement for a while. So you know, yes, there a lot of strong voices out there but we have to see these candidates rise up. Tomorrow night's going to be really exciting. It is chilly here right now. But the sparks are going to fly and it's going to warm up.
LEMON: I will turn my little foot heater towards you to warm up a little bit. You know, there is a concern that the Tea Party might split the vote between independence and the people who are going to vote for President Obama and the Republicans. What are going to do because I know that you don't like to align yourself with any party.
KREMER: Right.
LEMON: But you have more support -
KREMER: We are an issues oriented -
LEMON: You are but you have more support from Republicans. So what are you going to do though so that you don't split any of it?
KREMER: You know what, this is the thing -- is that people are focused on the economy and the fiscal issues that this country is facing right now and even Democrats and independents want fiscal responsibility. What's been working - what's been going on is not working. So we need to do something different. And that's why these independents and Democrats have, you know, they identified with the Tea Party movement.
As I said, I think that we have to look at the best candidate, the one that's most qualified, that has answers and supports the principles and values of this movement and can get this economy back on tract. You know, that can get us back toward sound economic footing.
LEMON: Amy, tell me if you agree with this. The new poll that came out that we saw for the first time. In a long, long time, voters are saying social issues, it's the economy. It's jobs. It's money. That is what we are concerned about. Whether or not you can pray in school, it is an issue for some people. And it's important or other things. It not going to make you get into your car and drive to the polls as much as I want to vote for the person who is going to help me pay my mortgage.
KREMER: Right. People are - I mean, social issues are important. But this movement is not focused on the social issues. It is all of the fiscal issues.
LEMON: That's what I'm asking you. Is that why you think that you had such success with the Tea Party?
KREMER: Yes, absolutely. I mean, because it doesn't matter what party got us into this mess. We are here now and we've got to fix it. That's what Americans want. They want ideas and solutions. What are you going to do to create more jobs. And you know, to get the gas price down and to do these things so that we can go back to living our lives and taking care of our families the way that we always have. Whoever thought that the United States of America would be on the precipice of bankruptcy and we are.
LEMON: Yes. As we said, you have to be able to afford the gas in order to go to the polls.
KREMER: Right. Exactly.
LEMON: All right. Amy Kremer, thank you, you are the chairman -
KREMER: The chairman of the Tea Party Express.
LEMON: The chairman, I said co-chairman.
KREMER: That's OK.
LEMON: Chairman.
KREMER: I'm just a mom. Thanks for having me.
LEMON: Thank you. Appreciate it. I'm going to be seeing a lot of you around here, I'm sure.
KREMER: Tomorrow night, right here on CNN. Seven Republicans will appear on stage right here at St. Anselm College in Manchester. It will mark the first political debate of 2012, the presidential race. The event will be moderated by CNN's John King.
The National Crime Prevention Council says six out of 10 teenagers see someone being bullied every day. Some ignore it, others join in and few try to stop it. CNN's education contributor Steve Perry reports a teen rock band is encouraging more kids to stand up and do something.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
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STEVE PERRY, CNN EDUCATION CONTRIBUTOR (voice-over): Team band Radio Silence NYC is making some noise about bullying with its first single, "Renegade."
(MUSIC PLAYING)
PERRY (on camera): "You were starting to write our own music. When the wheels start spinning," how do you end up on bullying? WYATT OFFIT, HIGH SCHOOL SENIOR: We have this idea to make three lists, things we love, things that we kind of not really care about and things that we don't like and we all wrote the word "haters" on the list of dislikes.
PERRY: What's that? What's a hater?
OFFIT: Someone who makes fun of you for what you like, your style, and we're like - that's it. It's the song we want to write about. And something that has affected us in our lives.
PERRY: How?
DYLAN BRENNER, HIGH SCHOOL JUNIOR: Well, we all experienced it, but probably me the most, because I have always been on the shorter side. So kids are just like, got a hoot out of either verbally, you know, picking on me or sometimes even physically.
PERRY: When I look at bands like "The Ramones" and others, they must have been outcasts. Tell me about that experience of being on some level by design, outcasts.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I guess you just have to try to learn it's OK and you just have to be your own person and not care what other people think.
PERRY (voice-over): To spread that message, the band teamed up with dosomething.org, a non-profit that provides tools for young people to create social change. Together, they spoke out and rocked out at several high schools in New York and New Jersey this year.
(on camera): What do you want kids to take from this?
TIM HOLMES, HIGH SCHOOL SOPHOMORE: We're trying to get kids to stand up and say something to the bullies, "Stop that, it's not cool."
(MUSIC PLAYING)
PERRY (voice-over): Steve Perry, New York.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: A big break today in battling the enormous fire in Arizona. After 15 days, fire crews now say they have turned the corner. Controlled burns have robbed the advancing flames of fuel as 430,000 acres of fire is not expected to get much larger.
Will the weather cooperate in Arizona though? And for the forecast there and around the nation, we turn now to our meteorologist Alexandra Steele in the nice warm, cozy studio back in Atlanta.
ALEXANDRA STEELE, CNN METEOROLOGIST: You got some cold issues. 56 where you are. So I know why you have that heater. It's going to be 69 tomorrow. We'll talk more about your forecast coming up. But you know, Don is just talking about the fires and extreme really seems to be the new normal, doesn't? Of course, the fire is emblematic of that. Again, right now, we're watching Arizona. And it's on the cusp of really having this fire become the worst in the state's history. Of course, last month and April, talking about the worst flooding we have ever seen in 116 years. So of course, we are continuing to see that extreme weather. Critical fire danger continues through tonight. The winds have been a factor, blowing that very small soot now from Arizona into New Mexico and we're going watch those winds stay about 30, 40 miles an hour with gusts exceeding that in the next couple of days.
Severe weather also has been a factor today. Washington all the way down to Richmond. Big hubs being impacted in the mid-Atlantic. That's today's severe weather. Isolated tornado potentially earlier today. But it's really been the winds and the hail. Washington having 60-mile per hour winds. Today's threat, the mid-Atlantic. As we head towards tomorrow, we're going to shake that off, much drier skies in Washington and the northeast tomorrow but here's the concern tomorrow for some isolated storms. We could see again some strong winds and hail and also tomorrow, we're going to see the incredible heat.
So, Don, I know it's not incredible heat burn where you are. But we are going to watch that heat all the way from the south to Kansas City tomorrow, getting from the 80s into the 90s.
LEMON: It's a little chilly. Not complaining. We're having a little fun because we came from the heat of Atlanta and the folks in Washington, it was 102 earlier this week and then now we have this, Alexandra.
STEELE: Yes. And on par for our severe weather, right?
LEMON: Thank you. See you soon.
STEELE: With all these extreme temperatures. Of course, that factor is really into extreme is suddenly normal.
LEMON: Yes. All right, thank you.
You know, these days, fewer people can afford to pay their mortgages but they apparently still have money to buy a round of drinks. Alison Kosik has the details in this week's "Getting Down to Business."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALISON KOSIK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Of the four million homeowners severely behind on their mortgage, almost two-thirds have essentially become squatters in their own home. According to lending agency, LPS, it takes an average of 565 days to foreclose on a home after owners begin missing payments. People failing to pay their mortgages in New York and Florida are staying even longer. These states usually takes about 800 days to foreclose.
The recession was tough on many industries but it didn't dampen American spirits, at least not in terms of alcohol sales. According to the finance company, Stageworks (ph), alcohol sales were not only strong throughout the recession, they actually grew each year, in 2010, showing a nine percent increase.
And it looks like dad maybe getting a nicer tie this father's day. A survey by the National Retail Federation shows Americans will spend about $10 more this year than last, averaging $106 for Dad's present. But never fear, moms out there, you still get the greatest affection with an average of $140 spent on mother's day.
That's this week's "Getting Down to Business."
Allison Kosik, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
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LEMON: We're back, coming to you live from New Hampshire where CNN is getting ready for Monday night's GOP presidential debate. It is a beautiful evening here. You probably hear the birds chirping. Do you hear that? Richelle Carey is back in Atlanta with all the day's top stories. Can you can hear that?
CAREY: I hear the chirping birds. It seems like a blissful night. It's kind of hot here but thanks.
All right. Gabrielle Giffords will leave the Houston rehab hospital at the end of the month to begin outpatient therapy. New photos of the Arizona congresswoman posted today on her Facebook page, her mother is right next to her. The photos were taken nearly a month ago. Giffords was critically wounded in a January shooting at a Tucson shopping center that killed six people.
Syrian military forces are attacking the city of Jaisr al-Shugur, using helicopters and ground forces. Several people had died in today's fighting including at least one Syrian soldier.
And more explicit and embarrassing photos of Congressman Anthony Weiner are cropping up. TMZ posted these pictures and said they were taken in the gym where House members work out. Weiner is seeking professional help after the democratic leadership called for his resignation on Saturday.
Let's head back to Don lemon in Manchester, New Hampshire. Hey, Don.
LEMON: Hey, Richelle. And bye.
CAREY: Bye.
LEMON: I'm Don Lemon in Manchester, New Hampshire. Next, "WikiWars: The Mission of Julian Assange." We'll see you back here at 10:00 p.m. Eastern. Thanks for watching.
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