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Transit Cop in Fatal Shooting Freed; Three Quakes in New Zealand; GOP Debate: Candidates' Messages; Representative Weiner's New Photos; Representative Weiner Wants Leave of Absence; Rebels: We have Gadhafi "Battle Plan"; 6,800 + Syrians Flee to Turkey; Syria's "Gay Girl" Blog is a Hoax; Representative Giffords' New Photos; Giffords to Outpatient Rehab Soon; Tracy Morgan Faces More Fallout; Kim Kardashian Alleged Scandal; "The Book of Mormon" Wins Nine Tonys
Aired June 13, 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: 10:00 a.m. on the East Coast; 7:00 on the West. I'm Kyra Phillips. Thanks for joining us.
Congressman Weiner has a new round of photos to explain from the towel to muscle shirts -- well you take your pick. . Celebrity web site TMZ says the snaps were taken inside the house members' gym.
In California, freedom for a transit cop who shot and killed an unarmed man. Johannes Mehserle served half of a two-year sentence for involuntary manslaughter. He told a jury that he meant to tase the man, but grabbed his gun by mistake and fired the fatal shot.
Three earthquakes have rocked Christchurch, New Zealand. There are reports of injuries in addition to the damage. You'll remember in February a massive earthquake killed more than 180 people there.
Well, out of touch or what the voters want to hear? Seven candidates line up tonight to tell you what they'll do if elected president. It's a GOP presidential debate head by CNN, WMUR and the New Hampshire Union leader.
In going into it, we've done some polling on the field, both declared and potential candidates. We asked Republican voters who they would want as a nominee for next year.
Well, Mitt Romney is out in front with 24 percent of the vote. Sarah Palin second with 20 percent, but that is within the margin of error and things start falling off from there. Rudy Giuliani, Herman Cain, Newt Gingrich, all pretty bunched up.
Congressman Ron Paul leads the bottom five, the four remaining taking up less than 5 percent each. Don Lemon is in Manchester, New Hampshire talking to the voters and some of those candidates, too. Bring us up to date, Don.
DON LEMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We're giving the viewer a lot of numbers, so let me make it easy. I'll pop this number up real quickly, Kyra and then we can talk about.
Really the first time since 1993 that CNN has been taking this poll about values voters, that's when Newt Gingrich got Republicans to really take over the government with this contract with America.
For the first time most Americans find these traditional values, so-called value voters, they say, that's not important. That's not important. The numbers now, they want, 50 percent say no, so we can put that down.
What that really means is talking human terms here. It means the economy is so bad now that people find these traditional values to be second-tier issues. They want people to stay out of their homes. They want these candidates to stay out of their bedrooms.
One interesting thing a woman said to us yesterday, they need to be promoting traditional values especially what's going on in the government right now in their own homes and then take care of our economy first, and then get to that other stuff, which is traditional values for us as well.
So that's what that means. People don't have money now. They can't afford to go to the polls and vote if they don't have a job. So what they're concerned about, what they want to hear out of the mouths of these candidates tonight, how are you going to improve the economy?
How will you get me a job. I spoke to Rick Santorum and I also spoke to Ron Paul about this shift in what Americans find important. These things that they are campaigning on and if they're out of touch. Take a listen, Kyra.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. RON PAUL (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The federal government, when it comes to many social issues, many that I'm very sympathetic with.
I'm a very conservative right to life person, but I just think most of those responsibilities should be family, church, local community and the state rather than the federal government getting involved.
RICK SANTORUM (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I am someone who's strong on social issues, but I'm strong on national security issues. There's nobody who has the experience with the levels of accomplishment that I have on national security.
No one has ended the federal entitlement. I did. I was the author of welfare reform. So we've got a lot to talk about, and we will.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: So as we were -- I was discussing this with some folks I worked with last night, and we're driving home and we're hitting the potholes and bumps and we're in construction and all that, that's what people really want from their government. They want the roads to work. They want the school buses to come on time, the public transportation, the government to be up and running, but that's what the concern is.
Not what people do, not about abortion, not about prayer in school, although that's important to some people, but the issues that will get people to the polls on Election Day or walk to the polls are not going to be those traditional - so-called traditional values. It's going to be money, money, money, the economy, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Don Lemon in New Hampshire, thanks so much.
And that big debate is tonight. Join us as the Republican hopefuls face off in New Hampshire 8:00 p.m. eastern only on CNN.
From muscle shirts to just a towel, take your pick. More pictures of disgraced Congressman Anthony Weiner surfaced. These posted on TMZ allegedly showing the congressman in the House of Representatives gym.
He's going off to treatment though. His colleagues are returning to work and many say they just don't want him coming back.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DEBBIE WASSERMAN SCHULTZ, DNC CHAIRMAN: I think that Anthony Weiner needs to resign so he can focus on his family, focus on his own well-being.
REP. STENY HOYER (D), HOUSE MINORITY WHIP: It seems to me extraordinarily difficult that he can proceed to represent his constituents in an effective way, given the circumstances, this bizarre behavior.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: CNN's Kate Bolduan is on the Hill. Kate, with the new photos over the weekend, what do you think? Is the pressure even stronger on Weiner to resign now?
KATE BOLDUAN, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I think the pressure is mounting. But what's unclear still, Kyra is what Anthony Weiner will do about the pressure that is mounting on him, as more people continue to call for him to resign.
`What we do know is that he is taking this leave of absence to get treatment at a treatment center in an undisclosed location, and according to a Democratic source, Congressman Weiner doesn't want to make any decisions about his future until his wife returns from an overseas trip.
His wife is a long time aide to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and I think they're scheduled to return from the trip Thursday, but that kind of leaves the -- this statement -- this idea that he isn't determining what to do about his future yet, leaves the door open that he's considering the possibility of resigning.
But still we don't know at the very same time, as you just showed, the pressure does seems to be mounting, as you've seen a significant shift over the weekend from Democratic members really being resistant to not come out, to explicitly call on him resigning.
And then over the weekend many of them, the top Democrats in the House are coming out to say very clearly that it's time for him to step down. They didn't want to go into a third week having answered questions about this.
They want to talk about their agenda. As one top Democrat put it, his behavior has become an insurmountable distraction to the House and that seems to sum up the sentiments of his colleagues right now, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Kate, thanks.
And Nancy Pelosi wants to know in Weiner violated any ethics of the House. So coming up in just a few minutes, we're going to talk to the former chief counsel of the House Ethics Committee and ask him if he thinks Weiner actually broke the rules.
Opposition forces in Libya claimed that they have a copy of Moammar Gadhafi's top secret battle plan. CNN has obtained the 15- page document. Rebels in Misrata say that they took it from government troops last month.
In its title are the words, quote, "battle plan to cleanse the city of Misrata from militant gangs," end quote. CNN has not been able to confirm the authenticity of that document and with the fighting moving closer to his doorstep in Tripoli.
Guess what Moammar Gadhafi is doing? Playing chess, taking time for a photo op with the visiting Russian president of the International Chess Federation.
We're also keeping an eye on the Middle East, particularly Syria, cell phone videos and YouTube postings show us how brutal the violence continues to be. Thousands of citizens fleeing their homes of fears of a government slaughter. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is calling on Syria's leader and his forces to show restraint.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HILLARY CLINTON, SECRETARY OF STATE: President Assad has said over the last several years that he wanted to make changes and, as President Obama said, he either needs to make them or get out of the way.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: All right. We're also now learning that an icon of the uprising is a hoax. The blog "A Gay Girl in Damascus" claimed to capture the struggles of a Syrian-American woman caught up Syria's violence. Last week the blog reported that she was abducted by government forces. An online campaign then sprang up to demand her release. Zain Verjee has a closer look now. So Zain, what do we know about the real author of that blog now?
ZAIN VERJEE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We know there was no Amina Abdullah, there was no kidnapping. It was just all a big fat hoax. The author was actually an American guy living in Scotland.
His name is Tom MacMaster. He made the whole thing up. Now he posted something, where he did not apologize, Kyra, but what he said was, look, it was a fictional character.
And he played an important part in bringing to attention some of the issues that gay women face in the Arab world. He doesn't apologize for it, but it's made a lot of people really mad.
PHILLIPS: So the other bloggers, especially those in the region, what are they all saying? Because as we know, Zain, as the story circulated, this alleged gay woman became such an icon within all of this.
VERJEE: She really did, and in the blogosphere, people are really annoyed. Look and see what some people said, Sami Hamwi, who's an activist said this, "To Mr. MacMaster, I say shame on you. What you have done is harmed many and put us all in danger."
Someone else called Daniel Nasr said this, "You took away my voice, Mr. MacMaster and the voices of many people who I know," and then there is other Twitter user that calls himself Bangpound saying, "There is no positive side effect of the Amina hoax. It did not bring attention to Syria. It brought attention to a white fantasy."
A lot of critics too, Kyra, saying that, you know, this whole hoax thing -- it gives the Syrian government an upper hand because then they can go around saying, look, don't believe the blogs. Don't believe what you read, it's just not true.
It's also a note to so many people who rely on blogs for information that we need to be a little extra careful because it may be someone like Tom MacMaster sitting in his graduate student dorm in Scotland and making stuff up.
PHILLIPS: Yes, you always have to be careful with the blogs. Zain Verjee, thanks.
From the depths of tragedy to a glimmer of triumph, we're getting our first look at Congresswoman Gabby Giffords since being shot in the head five months ago. Dr. Sanjay Gupta will tell us what these pictures actually show.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Well, new images capture the resilience and remarkable recovery of Representative Gabriele Giffords. It's the first time we get to actually see her smile since she suffered a gunshot wound to her head just five months ago.
CNN's chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta here with a closer look. So what do you think when you see the photos? I mean, we love seeing the smile, but what is behind the photos? What we can we tell?
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: You mean, it obviously is one static image in time. So it's hard to make a lot out of it, but you know, a couple things you'll notice right away.
Obviously, she's making great eye contact with the camera. She's got a great smile. I mean, she seems very much there. From a medical perspective, you know, there are a few things I just want to show you.
You know, we talked quite a bit about the fact that some bone was removed on this side of her head, the left side of her head to allow for the -- because of the brain swelling, the concerns about that.
You can see some scars here probably from the initial injury as well, and then a pretty classic sort of tracheostomy scar there in her throat. We know that she had a tracheostomy. It was subsequently removed, but you know, it's one image in time.
But you know, she clearly is making good eye contact and seems to have an idea, sort of a presence of just where she is in getting that picture taken.
When you look at things like this, obviously you want more information to put it together in the long run, but this was the first time we've seen her, Kyra, since this all transpired.
PHILLIPS: And you know, physically she looks great, but what about her cognitive skills?
GUPTA: Well, you know, when people talk about this from a left- sided brain injury, typically you talk about the impact on speech and you talk the impact on strength on the other side of the body, left side of the brain, right side of the body.
With speech, it's sort of an umbrella term in your ability to understand speech, understand all forms of communication, but then obviously also to express yourself. It seems that she can understand.
She's always been able to follow commands, holding up two fingers immediately after this happened. Her receptive part seems OK. It's more of the speaking in short sentences, not always finding the right words.
That's what you see a lot of in these types of injuries and then obviously working on the strength on the right side of the body.
PHILLIPS: And now she's going to be heading to outpatient rehab so what will she do there and? GUPTA: There is an important milestone as well six months now. So outpatient rehab, she's going to stay in Houston, going to get rehab at the same hospital, but be in her own place, her own kitchen, for example, her own bathroom.
Start learning the activities of daily living, sort of independent living on her own, which is, you know, about on schedule typically. Every patient with a head injury is going to be different, but six months into this, outpatient rehab is about on schedule.
PHILLIPS: Right, I hope you get to spend some time with her because we'd sure like to --
GUPTA: I'd like to talk to her when she's able to talk, but her staff says at this point it's still too early.
PHILLIPS: Got it. Thanks, Sanjay. So if you don't use your work Blackberry or your work computer to send steamy pictures of yourself, that's one thing.
But what if you snap the photos in the House gym? Is that a breach of the rules? We'll ask a former chief counsel of the House Ethics Committee.
He said I'm sorry, but Tracy Morgan is still getting slammed for anti-gay jokes that he did in a recent comedy routine. More celebrities are speaking out against Morgan. We'll have that just ahead as well.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Nancy Pelosi wants to known if Congressman Anthony Weiner broke any House ethics rules with his cell phone self- portraits. The new batch of steamy pics posted by TMZ over the weekend were possibly taken in House gym, could give ethics investigators a lot more evidence work with.
Blake Chisam, a former chief counsel to the House Ethics Committee. So, Blake, I guess, let me start by asking you, criminal activity, do you think he actually committed a crime?
BLAKE CHISAM, FORMER CHIEF COUNSEL TO HOUSE ETHICS COMMITTEE: I think it's a little bit too early to tell, but most likely not.
PHILLIPS: OK, so then let's move in to the ethics side of this. Do you think this case will actually go to a House Ethics panel?
CHISAM: If he doesn't resign, I don't see how the committee doesn't take it up at this point given the calls from the leadership on both sides.
PHILLIPS: OK, so then if indeed it does go to the House Ethics panel, what will the panel look at? What does such a committee need to know?
CHISAM: Well, the straightest path that they're ever going to take is to see if someone misused official resources or abused their official position. And obviously, they're going to look to see if his conduct brought discredit on the House.
PHILLIPS: All right, well, he's already come out and said I didn't use my work Blackberry, I didn't use the work computer to send these pictures, but now we're hearing that possibly he took these latest photos in the House gym. So, is that enough to have an issue here?
CHISAM: I think the House gym is a little different than most places. The members actually pay a fee, just like you would going to the gym down the street from you. So whether that -- I think that's going to be a little bit of a fine line to say whether that's a misuse of official resources.
PHILLIPS: So what actually in your eyes, from what you've seen here and what you know, what we all know to this point could be -- could be the issue at hand, could lead to a punishment?
CHISAM: Well, at some level the punishment may in fact be the investigation. The simple fact is the committee is going to have to look, and as they look, you don't know what they're going to discover, you don't know what they're going to find, but they'll dig through this.
It will be in the news every day. At that goes forward, Mr. Weiner is going to have to deal with all the questions and just the process.
PHILLIPS: All right, well, what would those questions be? Let's say you were still chief counsel to the House Ethics Committee. What would the questions be that you were asking right now? As you smile.
CHISAM: The first thing you're going to do is look at the records. You're going to look at his e-mails, the computers, and you're going to talk to his staff. You're going to talk to him at some point.
As you do that, you're going to be looking, like I said, focused on whether he abused his office or misused the resources of the House. At some point, though, I think we need to realize there's a level of -- this just looks bad.
I think for an investigator in the House and in the political system that the committee works in, that frankly any day that you have to feel like in the course of your investigation you have to take a shower at the end of it. You know things aren't going to end too well.
PHILLIPS: Blake, do you think he should resign?
CHISAM: Well, I think it's going to be a long, hard road if he doesn't.
PHILLIPS: Blake Chisam, always great to see your insight. Appreciate it. More fallout for comedian, Tracy Morgan, despite apologizing for his homophobic rant, he's still getting slammed by his fellow celebrities.
"SHOWBIZ TONIGHT" host, A.J. Hammer is here. I guess, we definitely should start with Tracy Morgan. It's still the talk over the weekend, A.J.
A.J. HAMMER, HOST, "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT": Yes, it didn't slack off one bit over the weekend. Kyra, the story broke on Friday. Tracy Morgan went on a homophobic tear during a show, the week before saying among other things he would stab his son to death if he was gay.
Now he has apologized for the very unfunny jokes. Here is what he said even in a comedy club, this clearly went too far. It was not funny in any context. It's a big topic on the red carpet at the Tony Awards last night.
"SHOWBIZ TONIGHT" was there, of course, catching up with lots of stars including Anika Noni Rose from the "Good Wife" and "Dream Girls." Her reaction pretty much summed up a great deal of what we heard last night. Here's how she put it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANIKA NONI ROSE, ACTRESS: What do you say to that? That's not funny alone in the house behind the door so people do stupid things. I don't know him. I think the judgment has been passed. I haven't heard one person who's like, yes. I'll bet no one laughed. It's just not funny.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Not funny at all. He's not even getting support from other comedians, Chris Rock, Wanda Sykes, even Morgan's own "30 Rock" co-stars Tina Faye and other have issued statements condemning his statements.
And I should point out, Kyra, he only apologized a week after he made the comments and only after it came to light.
PHILLIPS: Yes, it's a true shame.
All right, there have been a lot of tabloid headlines out there about Kim Kardashian now having an affair, but you may have gotten to the bottom of the story I am told?
HAMMER: Yes, at least a part of it. This really falls under the category of you can't make this stuff up. NFL player, Bret Lockett made headlines when he said, he had a physical affair with Kim Kardashian while she was dating her fiance, Chris Humphries.
I spoke with him on Friday, and we learned that maybe this affair was more virtual than physical. Watch what he told me.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: She says she has never met you. I assume, she means by that face-to-face. Have the two of you ever met face-to-face?
BRET LOCKETT, NFL PLAYER: No, we have not. She was very busy. It was during my football season. She was opening her stores in Miami and New York. Her book signing was being launched at the time, so we weren't able to connect at the time.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Yes, and reports have Kim Kardashian getting set to sue Lockett for defamation. Not just having not met each other. She says she never even heard of the guy before all of these.
The big question is, Kyra, is she pouring gasoline on the fire by suing him over this? We'll have to wait and see.
PHILLIPS: All right, I'll let you follow the salacious news on that one, A.J. but let talk about you and I --
HAMMER: Thank you.
PHILLIPS: -- something you and I both love, this has a lot the credibility and that is the New York theatre, the Tonys were last night.
HAMMER: Yes, and no big surprise. The huge winner was the hit show "The Book of Mormon." Mormon won nine Tony Awards, including best musical. The story of two Mormon missionaries sent to Africa was created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone, the genius guys behind "South Park."
But despite some of the low brow humor you might expect from them, this production has been almost universally well received by critics and audiences. It was great.
During the speech last night, Parker thanked the audiences for making the show what it is, and of course, he added, having now won the award, he said, you now you have to atone for this. But what a show and great win for them last night.
PHILLIPS: Yes, hats off. I'm looking forward to see it. That's the next one on my list. Have you seen it yet by the way?
HAMMER: No, I haven't seen it and everybody around me is wondering why that is so I'm going to try actually in the next couple weeks. Give me a little tough now I think, you know, it's always been tough to get tickets of the show. Winning those Tonys is not going to help my access to tickets, Kyra. I'm not that well connected in the theater world.
PHILLIPS: We'll work on that. We'll see and then we'll talk about it.
HAMMER: Thank you.
PHILLIPS: A.J., great to see you. OK.
Well, if you want everything breaking in the entertainment world, A.J.'s got it every night. "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT" 11 p.m. on HLN.
And don't miss, CNN's GOP debate tonight in New Hampshire, Mitt Romney will make his pitch for why he should be the next one to take on the White House.
Romney leads the polls, but what does he need to do to actually seal the deal? We'll talk about it in our political buzz, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: As Speaker John Boehner obviously is aware of the initial hesitation some folks have with his last name, he gave the commencement address at Ohio State University, given his own experience, well, he reflected upon the significance of a politician's name.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. JOHN BOEHNER (R-OH), HOUSE SPEAKER: When you begin to go out and ask people to vote for you, they're probably not going to vote for you if they can't say your name. You know, my name looks like Beaner, Bonner, Boner -
(LAUGHTER)
BOEHNER: Thank God it's not Weiner.
(LAUGHTER)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Time for our "Political Buzz" now, a rapid-fire look at the hottest political topics of the day. And each of our brilliant observers gets 20 seconds to answer three probing questions. On the left, Cornell Belcher, Democratic pollster. John Avalon, and independent and CNN contributor. And, of course, conservative radio host Dana Loesch, Tea Party supporter.
OK, first question, guys. Mitt Romney tops the polls heading into tonight's debate -- on CNN, of course. But plenty of political watchers, having called him a weak front-runner. So, what does he need to do tonight to solidify his status as the Republican to beat? Cornell, let's start with you.
CORNELL BELCHER, DEMOCRATIC POLLSTER: First of all, I think this is hilarious because he's not the front-runner. In CNN's polling we have, he's four points ahead of Sarah Palin, someone who hasn't even announced. Which puts him basically in a statistical dead heat with Sarah Palin, who hasn't announced.
He's got to be the weakest frontrunner in some time. What he has to do, he has to explain away his flip-flopping to the Republican base so they will rally around him. And good luck to that coming from that the Tea Party -
(BUZZER SOUNDS)
BELCHER: -- is a disproportionate part of the Republican base.
PHILLIPS: Oh, Dana, he's shooting down the CNN poll.
DANA LOESCH, CONSERVATIVE RADIO SHOW HOST: I'm throwing my hands up here because this is, like, the second time in a row that I've agreed with Cornell. I am not a big Mitt Romney fan.
(LAUGHTER)
LOESCH: And I -- he can't run away from campaigning, either. He's avoiding the Iowa straw poll. He seems more worried about making a glitzy campaign than he does in actually getting out there and pressing the flesh. His strategy being the last man standing is utter fail. It's not going to work for him, especially when we still don't -
(BUZZER SOUNDS)
LOESCH: -- who's all in that.
PHILLIPS: John Avlon?
JOHN AVLON, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Wow, Cornell and Dana agreeing is just breaking the time/space continuum. He needs to be the adult in the room. He needs to keep his flyer focused on Obama. And he needs also to have some human moments and show that he's a relateable human being with a sense of humor, not just a plastic man running for office like a salesman.
PHILLIPS: All right. Republicans aren't the only ones campaigning, as we know. Today, President Obama hits two key swing states, North Carolina and Florida. So, which GOP candidate makes him the most nervous? Dana?
LOESCH: I think if Rick Perry were to get in, that would be cause for concern. Although I realize that Rick Perry doesn't have high name recognition right now, he has a really great record as governor. He's great on economics. I think he's a really good, solid conservative candidate. I don't think really that anyone in it at this point is going to be - I don't know. It's too early for me to say, but I think -
(BUZZER SOUNDS)
LOESCH: -- if Rick Perry gets in, that would make him nervous.
PHILLIPS: Cornell, this is like the sixth time she's brought up Rick Perry.
BELCHER: Yes, Rick Perry is - is -- would be an interesting candidate. I think - well, what I'm going to push back on the idea that he's campaigning because he's out looking at industries. They're looking at new, innovative ways to bring about jobs. He's not doing a rally. So, I don't think he's really campaigning.
And I don't think he actually spend a lot of time thinking about, worrying about who the Republican nominees are be. He's got some things he's got to get accomplished -
(BUZZER SOUNDS)
BELCHER: -- and present so he's got a story to tell Americans.
PHILLIPS: John Avlon.
AVLON: Not Rick Perry. I think he assumes he's running against Mitt Romney. I think the candidate they'll have the hardest time adjusting the strategy to compete against is Jon Huntsman because that would change the equation in the general election entirely. Obviously the biggest competitor he's got to worry about, the economy. North Carolina, Florida, high unemployment rates. Swing states not looking this favorable economically (ph).
PHILLIPS: All right. Guys, time for the Buzzer Beater. You've got about 10 seconds here. Actually today it's going to be a pool, okay? We decided to have you all compete against each other. Whoever wins get a fabulous CNN NEWSROM mug, so now I know you're really excited. John, you probably already have 12 of them.
All right. Weiner-gate, more pictures, more pressure, and now treatment. It's a two-part prediction here. What kind of treatment do you guys think he's going in for, and how long will that last? I want times and dates. Cornell?
BELCHER: Talk about innovative new jobs. I didn't know there was a therapy for sex texting. So, I have no idea. But that's a new boom industry. A week maybe?
(BUZZER SOUNDS)
PHILLIPS: A week. OK, Cornell says a week. Dana?
LOESCH: I can't believe you have to go seek treatment to not cheat on your wife and send pictures of your shwang (ph) out to everyone on the Internet.
(LAUGHTER)
LOESCH: But I will say - I think perhaps 30 days. He'll be in for 30 days.
PHILLIPS: Thirty days. OK. John?
AVLON: 28 days, sex addiction, because there is no more specific diagnosis for what he's got yet.
PHILLIPS: Outstanding, all three answers. OK, so now - wait a minute, now did you give a time line, John? I've got a week, I've got 30 days --
AVLON: I think he's going to finish the 28 days -
PHILLIPS: Oh, you said 28 days.
AVLON: Twenty-eight days because that's the best hopes. That's the only hope of holding on to the seat, and he doesn't have much hope as there is.
PHILLIPS: All right, guys. I'm dusting off the mug right now, taking my lipstick marks off it. All right. Thanks. We'll talk to you again.
Let's check on the top stories right now. Dallas' Dirk Nowitzki puts the finishing touches on the Mavs' first-ever NBA title. They beat the Miami Heat 105 to 95 to capture the finals four games to two.
Three earthquakes struck Christchurch, New Zealand. Two of them with magnitudes of at least 5. There was some damage and a few injuries, but nothing like the Christchurch quake in February when 180 people were killed.
And the average price for a gallon of gas now $3.74, a drop of 17 cents over the last three weeks. Lundberg survey predicts pump prices will keep falling.
In less than an hour, President Obama will be in North Carolina discussing job growth. He's meeting with the advisory council on ways to strengthen the economy. CNN's White House correspondent Ed Henry at the White House with a little more.
Now, the president is pushing green jobs. In January, he proposed a plan to create about 17,000 manufacturing green jobs, so I guess my question is, have any of those jobs been created since he started touting the program?
ED HENRY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, the White House says he's creating jobs. Exactly how many is hard to tell because the Labor Department doesn't always break that out specifically.
Now, I spoke to somebody representing the real estate roundtable. And they say that basically the White House is part of their better buildings initiative where you try to create more energy-efficient buildings all around the country. That will create an estimated 114,000 jobs over the next couple years as you get to these more energy-efficient buildings.
But the keyword I mention there is estimate. These are all estimates. Whether they pan out or not remains to be seen, number one. And number two, there are a lot of people around the country who hear these estimates, but they don't feel like the jobs are created. They don't feel like the economy is getting better, and that's the uphill climb this president has, Kyra.
PHILILPS: All right. Well, we talked about this last hour, North Carolina unemployment rate, 9.7 percent unemployment in April. The state also considered key in the 2012 elections. So, OK, let's put it together. He chose this state because?
HENRY: Well, because it has high unemployment. But yes, wait, it's an important state in 2012. He carried it for the first time for Democrats since 1976 when Jimmy Carter had North Carolina. All kinds of states like that - Indiana, Virginia, that flipped over to the Democrats the Republicans think they'll have this time because of high unemployment, because of high gas prices.
It's interesting, Larry Summers in the "Wall Street Journal" today, they talk about a fundraiser where Larry Summers talked about how he thinks by the end of 2012, unemployment will be down to eight percent. Well, it's at 9.1 percent right now. A lot of people wondering whether it really will come down that much. And even if it comes down to eight percent, that's still pretty awful, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Yes, it sure is. Ed Henry at the White House. Ed, thanks.
Coming up, a menace at home and abroad. Ash from a Chilean volcano heads down under, grounding flights thousands of miles away.
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PHILLIPS: New across country. Crews in Arizona say they're making progress against the second-biggest wildfire in the state's history, but it's slow progress. The fire is only about 10 percent contained, and only some evacuees are being allowed back in their homes.
And more than 30 people camping in the Cascades Mountains of Washington were rescued from a giant wall of mud. It was about 10 feet deep, 200 yards wide in some places Rescuers got them out by punching a tunnel in the mud.
And Bob Maxwell of Oregon has another accomplishment to go with his Medal of Honor. This war hero finally got his high school diploma - yes -- at the age of 90. Mr. Maxwell had to drop out of school during the Great Depression to work on the family farm. Way to go, Mr. Maxwell.
Well, it forced thousands of people out of their homes nearby and has left thousands of travelers stranded an ocean away. More than a week after it belched back to life, a huge Chilean volcano still smoking.
Zain Verjee is back here with more. So, Zain, is this thing really making that big of a mess?
ZAIN VERJEE, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: It is. It created havoc today. Sixty thousand people, Kyra, were stranded because of ash coming from the plumes of that volcano in Chile. Part of the Southern Hemisphere were totally affected. There were delays, grounded flights, cancelled flights in Australia and New Zealand. People were pretty stressed out.
But just a few hours ago, good news. The wind has swept away some of the ash particles, so flights are back on schedule. But people are still really delayed.
Just take a look at these incredible pictures of this volcano. I mean, it could really have seemed like the bubbling cauldron and the plumes of ash in the sky, and it was just spewing the flames and lava as it erupted like this. This volcano is called (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE), Kyra.
And one of the issues that's trending on the Internet is why all the names of volcanoes so difficult. I mean, I found the volcano in Iceland, actually, pretty easy. (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE). Kyra?
(LAUGHTER)
PHILLIPS: You know, you bring up a really good point. There is never an easy name of a volcano that at least we have to say. And then there's the one that starts with a T that I can never say properly.
(BUZZER SOUNDS)
PHILLIPS: I just remember that I always screw it up - oh. I guess that means we're out of time. They're now buzzing us, Zain!
VERJEE: Yes. They are? They're buzzing us? So, we can't say (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE) again?
PHILLIPS: Yes, no - six more times. Thank you, Zain.
VERJEE: All right. Thanks, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Well, the target's on Mitt Romney at the GOP presidential debate in New Hampshire. That's one of three things to watch for tonight. We're going to get you all set for the debate right after the break.
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PHILLIPS: First medical mistakes, now sexual assaults. A House panel for veterans' affairs will hold a hearing this afternoon about a shocking new government report. 284 sexual assaults reported in the V.A. system over a three-year period. Many of those cases not even reported to the V.A. leaders who could have done something about them. The cases include rape, inappropriate touching, and forceful medical exams.
And it wasn't just patients. Employees were among the victims, too. Earlier, I had a chance to talk with Congressman Jeff Miller of the House Veterans' Affairs committee, how this could have even happened.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. JEFF MILLER (R), FLORIDA: There's a culture within the system that people at the lower level are afraid to bring things to the top for fear of losing their jobs. And that's not an acceptable issue at all, especially when you have criminal intent with sexual assaults like the GAO report has brought forward. And remember, there are hundreds of residential facilities out there. And right now, they have only studied in depth about five of them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: And remember, this is the same V.A. that put thousands of veterans at risk over the last couple years because of the dirty surgical instruments. We'll stay on top of the story.
Here's some other developing stories. Later today, 11:00 a.m. former NFL wide receiver Plaxico Burress makes his first public appearance since he was released from prison. He served 20 months on a weapons charge. The National Urban League says that Burress is expected to make an important announcement.
President Barack Obama meeting with the Jobs and Competitiveness Council in Durham, North Carolina. That happens at 11:05 this morning. The council was set up to advise the president on ways to strengthen the economy.
And at noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific time, an important hearing begins in California on gay marriage. At issue is whether the judge's original ruling declaring Prop 8 unconstitutional should be tossed out.
CNN is the only place you can catch tonight's GOP presidential debate from New Hampshire. Our deputy political director, Paul Steinhauser, joins us from the debate site there in Manchester with three things to watch for. Hey, Paul.
PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Hey, Kyra. You know it's a big deal. Why? We brought the bus. When you bring the bus, it's a big deal.
So, let's talk about these three things to watch for. I know you talked about our polls earlier. Mitt Romney, former Massachusetts governor on top. You know what that means? He's the front-runner. That means he'll have that bull's eye on his back. So look for the other six candidates, or some of them, at least, to go after Mitt Romney, partially because of what he did with that health care bill he passed in Massachusetts five years ago.
Michele Bachmann, the congresswoman from Minnesota. She is a darling of the Tea Party movement. This is her first debate. I guess you could call this her coming-out party. So, see if Bachmann can appeal to a broader audience, OK? We know she's loved by many Tea Party activists. Here's her chance to reach out to more mainstream Republicans.
A similar thing for Rick Santorum because for some people it's Rick who? We're talking about the former two-term governor - senator from Pennsylvania. He's beloved by social conservatives because of his stances on such issues as abortion and gay marriage, but he's not well known out of that community. So, here's another chance, a national audience for Rick Santorum to get out his word and to increase his name I.D. That is a big thing to do tonight for a lot of these candidates, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right. Well, as we get ready for the seven candidates to go at it, shall we say, what's going on behind the scenes there? I hear there's a lot of, I don't know, inside something-something.
STEINHAUSER: There is a lot going on here. Besides me yapping away here, we have a lot of people behind the scenes putting this together. Last night, I got a sneak peek in the control room, in the production truck, with Sam -- from Sam Feist. He, of course, is the bureau chief in Washington. He's executive producer in this debate. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SAM FEIST, CNN WASHINGTON BUREAU CHIEF: This debate is a little different than other debates we've done before. It will take place here in Manchester, New Hampshire, but it will also take place across the state of New Hampshire. We're going to bring in voters from around the state. We're going to bring them in via satellite, and those voters will not only have a chance to not only watch the debate, but put questions to the candidates. So, the candidates on stage here at Manchester will be answering questions from John King of CNN, from reporters -- local reporters here in New Hampshire, and also voters across the state.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STEINHASUER: And of course, New Hampshire plays a huge role of picking the Republican presidential nominee. This is the state that holds the first primary in the race to the White House.
Kyra, back to you.
PHILLIPS: OK, Paul. We'll be watching tonight.
The Dallas Mavericks make it to the promised land. Mavs start Dirk Nowitzki lifts the trophy after his team won its first-ever NBA crown. We'll show you the highlights in Sports.
And is college worth it? That debate is heating up. We have new numbers that will probably surprise you.
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PHILLIPS: College. We all know it's extremely expensive. But new numbers show that the price of higher education is growing so quickly that it's actually squeezing out many people in the middle class.
Alison Kosik at the New York Stock Exchange. So Alison, how bad is it?
ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: You know what? It's just not good, Kyra. You look at this, the reality is for so many families they're really just being priced out of a college education. Here's what's happening. College prices are going higher, but wages aren't.
Let me lay it out for you and show you the numbers. The average tuition at a four-year public school in 1988 was $2,800. That's adjusted for inflation. In 2008, it was $6,500. That's a 130 percent increase. And guess what? It doesn't count room and board.
And keep in mind, the median U.S. income declined over that same period again. That's adjusted for inflation. But again, it means it's really tough financially just to afford to send your kids to college, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: So, I crunched the numbers a couple months ago, and it's pretty scary where my kids are going to be in 15 years.
Well, is there any way to deal with the financial burden?
KOSIK: You know what? For many families, it winds up being just really tough choices. The Department of Education says what's happening is fewer middle-class students are going for the four-years degree. Instead, they're going for a two-year degree. So, yes, it's a great financial decision to not take on more debt than you can handle.
But what you wind of doing you could be hurting your earnings potential over the long-term, because that two-year degree may start you at a lower pay and that limits how high you can go during your career.
But you know what? You can't blame them. You've got to make these tough choices and at least get into college, right?
And then there's just one more reality for you, Kyra. Analysts say most graduates from a four-year school will be paying off student loans in 20 years, which means when we're sending our kids to school, we're still paying off our loans.
So, a lot of this is about tough choices. That's the reality of the age we're living in, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Start those 529s immediately. Alison, thanks.
KOSIK: You said it.
PHILLIPS: Firefighters making slow progress against the Arizona wildfire. Some evacuees are returning home while other, well, still waiting for the relief. Next hour, we'll check in with one of the homeowners.
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PHILLIPS: Dallas Mavericks on top of the NBA world after beating the Miami Heat for their first-ever title. Jason Terry led the Mavs with 27 points, including this basket off a steal. Boom! Terry was pretty prophetic. He had a tattoo actually of the championship trophy put on his right bicep before the season began.
The Mavs' star forward, Dirk Nowitzki, didn't dominate, though, like he has for much of the postseason. But did score 21 points, including a couple baskets as the Mavs pulled away in the fourth quarter. The final score, 105-95. Mavericks win the finals in six games.
All right. Let's take a look at the countdown clock on the bottom right of your screen. Just a bit more than nine hours before the first debate of the presidential campaign season. CNN crews scrambled all weekend to get ready, by the way. Seven hopefuls will take the stage and begin to shape the field. Our Candy Crowley explains.
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CANDY CROWLEY, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: New Hampshire has this history of turning the race upside down or re-forming the race. Look, it's the first primary in the nation, so there are a lot of people -- not because New Hampshire voters decide, o, it can't be this guy. But if you come in fourth in New Hampshire, what happens? Your donors dry up. Other people look around.
Again, what voters want, whether you're a Republican or Democrat, but in this case we're talking about Republicans, what Republicans want is someone who can win. So, you come in fourth in the New Hampshire in the primary, people are not going to give money to you. And money feeds the process. Then you're able to go on to South Carolina or you're able to go on to New Mexico, you're able to go on to Florida, et cetera, et cetera.
So, New Hampshire can very much shape the race.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: All right. The big debate tonight. Join us as the Republican hopefuls face off in New Hampshire. 8:00 p.m. Eastern, only on CNN.
Two seconds to go, then Suzanne Malveaux takes over from here in Studio 7 -- Suzanne.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN ANCHOR: Kyra, are you going to watch tonight?
PHILLIPS: Of course.
MALVEAUX: Of course. Are you going to set your TiVo or are you going to do the live thing and watch, stay up? Huh?
PHILLIPS: You know we always have to do it live. Come on.
MALVEAUX: Of course we do. I'm going to have a debate party. I'm that nerdy. You have got to come over. We're just going to have a party. We'll make a party of it. OK?
PHILLIPS: OK, you got it. That's a deal.
MALVEAUX: All right. Thanks, Kyra.
