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Prisoners Converting to Radical Islam; Representative Weiner's Wife Returns Home; Schwarzenegger's Mistress Talks; Pakistan Arrests CIA Informants; Boehner Warns Obama on Libya; Huntsman to Seek White House; Texas Governor Perry Considers Run; Christie Rules Out 2012 Bid; Prisoners Converting to Radical Islam; U.S. Prisons "Fertile Ground" for Terrorists; New York Governor's Same-Sex Marriage Bill; Arizona Wildfire Evacuees Can Go Home; 99-Year-Old Gets College Degree; Wisconsin Court Upholds Anti-Union Law; Hefner's Fiancee Calls Off Wedding; Tweed Walks Off Behar Show
Aired June 15, 2011 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: It's 10:00 a.m. East Coast, 7:00 a.m. out West. Hi, everyone. I'm Kyra Phillips.
Right now on Capitol Hill, members of the Homeland Security Committee are hearing about the threat of radical Muslims in the U.S., criminals who convert to Islam extremism in prison and then pose a threat when they're freed.
The wife of disgraced Congressman Anthony Weiner returning home and that may mean that a decision is near. Weiner has said that he wouldn't respond to calls to resign until his wife, Huma Abedin, return from foreign travels with her boss, Hillary Clinton.
And the one-time mistress of Arnold Schwarzenegger is talking. She tell "Hello" magazine that their teenage love child had one word to say when told that Schwarzenegger was real his father. That word, cool.
Well, we begin with a shocking update on the hunt for Osama Bin Laden and the informants in Pakistan who helped the CIA track him down.
In the U.S., they'd be heroes, but in Pakistan, they're arrested. It's the latest fracture between strained relations between the two countries.
Our Reza Sayah is in Islamabad, actually had a chance to speak with Pakistani officials. What did they tell you, Reza?
REZA SAYAH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, indeed Kyra, the relationship between Pakistan and the U.S. is at a low point. It needs repair, it needs mending. It doesn't need to take more hits, but it looks like it is taking more hits with these latest arrests.
According to security official, the ISI, Pakistan's top spy agency has arrested a number of suspected informants for the CIA. These are Pakistani men who allegedly helped out the CIA, gave them information before the big raid on the Bin Laden compound last month.
Officials won't tell us why these men were arrested, when they're arrested or what they're being charged with if any. The "New York Times" is reporting one of these men is an army major who was writing down license plates of cars going in and out of the Bin Laden compound.
But one of our sources, a security official, says that's simply not true. He flatly denies that any of the individuals in custody is an army officer. We do know, according to officials that some of these individuals were at a safe house rented by the CIA that served as a lookout on to the Bin Laden compound.
Obviously these arrests raise a lot of serious questions, why is the ISI going after these informants when they were supposed to be on board with CIA efforts, U.S. efforts to go after Bin Laden. We should caution, Kyra, that we don't know a lot of details about these arrests.
But if these men are indeed in trouble with Pakistani authorities, it's going to ignite a whole wave of questions and suspicions about Pakistan's commitment to the U.S. fight against extremists.
PHILLIPS: Reza Sayah, thanks.
And testy battle brewing over presidential powers in the U.S. military action in Libya. House Speaker John Boehner says the White House needs to explain this costly mission to Congress.
CNN's Brianna Keilar is joining us from the White House. So Brianna, this whole thing could come to a head today, right?
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: It could come to a head today, Kyra. This would be the White House President Obama defending U.S. military involvement in Libya to Congress.
Pardon me, as you can see, we have some construction noise here, but yes, this would basically be the White House defending U.S. military involvement in Libya to Congress, which has had a lot of questions, Democrats and Republicans, and congressional sources telling us they are expecting a written report.
The White House saying that this report could come as early as today with the number of questions that the House has had probably predominantly among them having to do with the War Powers Resolution because president Obama has not sought authorisation from Congress to commit U.S. troops to this conflict.
This all kind of coming to a fever pitch here over the last 24 hours, Kyra, yesterday we saw a vote in the House to cut off funding for this operation, even though that's not likely to make it through Congress.
We also saw, as you mentioned, that letter from Speaker Boehner saying to President Obama, come Friday, he will be in violation of the War Powers Resolution as many in Congress see it, Kyra. PHILLIPS: Bottom line here, the confusion comes with all of these messages, Brianna, right? The question is, is this a humanitarian mission to protect civilians or is this about getting rid of Gadhafi?
KEILAR: Yes, and that's one of the big questions that Congress has. As I said, one of the big ones has to do with why hasn't the president sought Congress' authorization.
But the other big one is, what is the goal, how does the president hope to achieve it and also, what is the cost going to be? We're expecting, as the White House has said that they are in compliance with the War Powers Resolution.
We're expecting then, of course, some sort of legal argument explaining that. I think what's interesting, Kyra, as we get this, and again, this could happen as early as today.
Don't necessarily expect those members of Congress who feel like the president is in violation of the War Powers Resolution to be happy with whatever the White House has as its explanation.
PHILLIPS: We'll follow up. Brianna Keilar there at the White House. Brianna, thanks.
Another candidate is about to enter the presidential race. Next week, former Utah Governor John Huntsman will announce his bid for the White House. The 51-year-old moderate Republican also served as President Obama's ambassador to China. He now wants a GOP nomination that challenges his former boss.
Texas Governor Rick Perry also considering a run. Last night he told New York Republicans that the country needs to embrace a conservative vision to fix some of its problems. He says he doesn't have a time table for his decision.
And Chris Christie said his decision is clear and unchanging. The New Jersey governor is popular among GOP activists, but he told CNN's Piers Morgan that you can count him out in 2012.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PIERS MORGAN, CNN HOST, "PIERS MORGAN TONIGHT": I don't think you can look me in the eye, given everything that's going on and say, "Piers, I'm 100 percent certain I'm not going to run," can you?
GOVERNOR CHRIS CHRISTIE (R), NEW JERSEY: You're wrong. I'm 100 percent certain I'm not going to run.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Christie raised some eyebrows when he said he has not yet seen a best option to challenge President Obama.
Well, the housekeeper who had a son with Arnold Schwarzenegger says too much fiction has been written about her and her story. She wants to set the record straight. Mildred Baena sat down with British magazine.
And Zain Verjee is joining us from London to tell us what Mildred is saying. Zain.
ZAIN VERJEE, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Kyra. It was an exclusive interview given to "Hello" magazine. Let's get straight to what she said. She said this.
I knew Arnold was the father and maybe as Joseph got older, and began to look like him. He, Arnold, wondered, but he never said anything to me. She also revealed an interview that Maria Shriver who's now separated from the former governor basically put two and two together.
That was when she heard all the whispers going on about the two of them and how alike they looked. She said she would say things like I'm here if you need to talk. I sensed something was up. I have so much love and respect for Maria.
Finally, she asked, point blank, but there was one thing that Maria Shriver did that Mildred in this interview has really shocked her, which was this.
She said in the interview, quote, "She was so strong. She cried with me and told me to get off my knees. We held each other and I told her it wasn't Arnie's fault that it takes two."
Mildred is saying that she just wants to move on and get back to a normal life. Kyra --
PHILLIPS: I don't know how you can have a normal life after that. Zain Verjee with that interview in "Hello" magazine.
In Mason, U.S. prisons converting to radical Islam and posing a terror threat once they're free. That's the topic of a hearing going on right now on Capitol Hill.
Next I asked the chairman of the Homeland Security Committee just how wide spread the problem is and how he wants to deal with it.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Live pictures now, congressional hearing on prisoners converting to radical Islam in American prisons, you remember the first hearing on radicalization. It drew protests from Muslim groups who felt singled out.
It's a fiery topic and heated up again during this week's Republican presidential debate. Listen as Herman Cain was pressed on an earlier statement that he wouldn't feel comfortable putting a Muslim in his cabinet.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HERMAN CAIN (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The statement was, would I be comfortable with a Muslim in my administration, not that I wouldn't appoint one. That's the exact transcript.
And I would not be comfortable because you have peaceful Muslims, and then you have militant Muslims, those are that are trying to kill us.
When I say that I won't be comfortable, I was thinking about the ones that are trying to kill us.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: I talked about all of this with the chairman of the Homeland Security Committee, Peter King, just before he convened today's hearing.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
REP. PETER KING (R-NY), HOMELAND SECURITY COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN: I have a great respect for Herman Cain, but I disagree with his whole inference there. I have no problem at all having Muslims in my cabinet, Muslims in my staff.
I have said time and again the overwhelming majority of Muslims are outstanding Americans. My concern though is al Qaeda who has made it clear they are going to try to recruit from the Muslim- American community. That's why I'm carrying on the hearings that I am.
But again the overall majority of Muslims, solid Americans, proud to have them as neighbors, but the reality is, just as the Mafia came from the Italian-American community, just as the Westies came from the Irish-American community.
Just as obviously the Black Panthers come from the African- American community, you look into the community where the particular group is coming. That should in no way put any kind of stigma over the entire community.
PHILLIPS: I understand, but you know how the internet world is. It's not like it was, you know, 10, 20 years ago. Now when you say something, it's all over the place.
And radicals can see that and they can judge us for that and tone is so crucial right now. So how do you not come across anti- Muslims, and at the same time be tough on extremism?
KING: Yes, first of all, I would ask for people to listen to what I say, not what like groups like claim that I say. I would say going back to the first hearing where there was so much outrage and so much hyperbole.
It was because my opponents, my enemies including many in the media such as the "New York Times" were totally distorting what I was saying. Those who watch the hearings, I know it's a fair hearing, a very open hearing, and same with today's hearing where we deal with radicalization in prisons.
This is a real issue. The Obama administration itself has said that the Muslim-American community is being targeted by al Qaeda. Just recently the British put out a report about the threat of radicalization in their prisons. We've had a number of Muslim extremists, radicalized in prison in New York --
PHILLIPS: How big is the problem? Can we actually say how big the problem is?
KING: The problem is big enough that the Obama administration and the FBI are very concerned about it. We know John Kerry put out a report last year saying he thought at least three dozen American extremists have been radicalized in prison and are now fighting in Yemen.
We've had cases in California. We've had cases in New York. We know that there are radical imams attempting to radicalize and I keep telling people. It only took 19 terrorists on September 11th to kill almost 3,000 Americans. So, again --
PHILLIPS: All right, let me ask you a question then, Congressman, because I mean, I've never been in prison, thank goodness. But I'm assuming it's a very controlled environment and so why is this becoming such a big problem? It sounds like there need to be stricter policies within the prison system.
KING: Well, that's what we're hoping comes out of these hearings. For instance, there are, certainly in state prison, there's real no way of vetting who the chaplains are. They had a Muslim chaplain in a New York prison who was actually arrested several years ago for bringing a bag of razor blades into prisons on Rikers Island.
It turned out not only was he arrested and convicted for that, but in his prior history, he had a felony conviction for murder. Yet, he had been certified as a Muslim chaplain in the New York prison. So I think we have to do a much better job vetting who the chaplains are.
But also, even though it's a controlled situation, if a person is in prison and often he could be at the mercy of someone who is a radical. Just for the sake of survival. They're intimidated by them. They're coerced by them. The case being discussed today in California of Kevin James, he radicalized people in prison, then they came out of prison and recruited people out of the mosque and they formed a terrorist gang.
So even though it's a controlled situation, prisons are so -- you have such a devastating experience in that prison. Usually it's the strongest person that prevails, often these strong people turn out to be -- not often, but enough turn out to be Muslim radicals.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: Checking stories cross country. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced his Marriage Equality bill, which could allow gay couples to tie the knot. If approved, New York would become the sixth state in the U.S. allowing same-sex unions.
In Arizona, firefighters battling the largest wild fire in state history say they have it 20 percent contained and 200 plus residents of one evacuated town can return to their homes beginning this morning. It's believed a campfire may have sparked that massive blaze.
Redmond, Oregon's Leo Plaus (ph) is proof that you're never too late. Just a couple of months shy of 100 years old, by the way. He got his long awaited college diploma. He was three credits short of graduating. He had to take a logging job for 150 bucks a month during the depression.
The Wisconsin Supreme Court headed down a highly controversial decision. In fact, hundreds of thousands of workers in Wisconsin and the ruling could set the tone for other heavily unionized state.
Alison Kosik is at the New York Stock Exchange. Alison, let's remind our viewers. This all goes back to the massive protests that we saw in February, teachers storming Wisconsin's capital. Let's talk about what does this new ruling do now?
ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: OK. This new ruling, Kyra, upholds a law that limits collective bargaining rights for most state workers. Eventually it's a huge win for Wisconsin's Republican governor.
Now protesters came out in Madison again yesterday. You'll see that and for teachers and the union and Democrats, it's really about their right to negotiate.
For the Wisconsin governor and Republicans, it's all about the budget. Wisconsin, the reality is, is dealing with $3.6 billion budget hole. So the governor wants union members to make sacrifices.
Taking away collective bargaining could mean lower wages. The median wage of a union worker is at about $917 a week. For a non- union work worker, it's at $717 a week. This law also has union workers contributing more to their health care and pentions as well. Kyra --
PHILLIPS: All right, well, but unions have been shrinking in size, right? So are unions that big of a factor anymore?
KOSIK: You know, unions are shrinking, you're right about that. But the fact is, you know, they have 15 million members nationwide. Take a look at this map. It shows the states where at least 10 percent of their workers are in unions.
You know, they're spread out in the Midwest, northeast, west coast and the numbers may be shrinking, but not their influence, Kyra. They're still a huge voting group. They typically support Democrats, but the reality is even within that power in the union, this issue could affect states across the country, union or not.
Because all of these states across the country are dealing with huge budget issues. I want to get to numbers real fast. Dow is off its lows of the day. The Dow down about 77 points now. We saw it drop over 100 points at the opening bell.
We got some economic data raising fears about inflation and slow economic growth, not such a good combo. It set the markets off in a bad way, but now kind of eased off those lows, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right, Alison, thanks.
What would have been wedding number three for Playboy's Hugh Hefner, but his 25-year-old fiancee apparently had a last minute change of heart over the weekend. That story next in the entertainment news.
Plus, rumors of a Shaquille O'Neal sex tape gets a man kidnapped in Los Angeles. We'll have more.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: The wedding is off. Looks like 85-year-old Playboy founder, Hugh Hefner will not marry 25-year-old Crystal Harris. Apparently the bride-to-be changed her mind over the weekend and of course, the late-night comedians are loving it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAY LENO, HOST, "THE TONIGHT SHOW": The Hugh Hefner-Crystal Harris wedding is off. Fellow, fellow, wait. He's 85, she's just turned 25. I wonder what happened? I guess, he got cold feet. Not scared, you know, just circulation problems.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: All right, what's the real scoop? Why did Crystal Harris say no at the last minute? I bet A.J. Hammer has the scoop for us. A.J. --
A.J. HAMMER, HOST, "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT": Yes, well, theories anyway, Kyra, there hasn't been any sort of official statement about exactly what went wrong, but everybody seems to have thoughts about this split.
Hef just tweeted that Crystal had a change of heart. Crystal wasn't any clearer on her web site because she announced the wedding was off, but only added that she still has utmost respect for Hugh Hefner. There are plenty of theories out there.
Some people are asking if the whole thing, you know, was just a publicity stunt. On Monday, Crystal did coincidentally release a new song on iTunes. She's actually the cover of the July issue of "Playboy" that comes out Friday.
Reportedly it's too late to change the cover, which reportedly has a cover line that reads "America's Princess Introducing Mrs. Crystal Hefner." Oops. Now the "New York Post" says that Crystal planned to leave Hefner at the altar, listen to this, and then sell her story to somebody for $500,000.
That's the "New York Post" report. Other reports say she left Hefner for another man, specifically music producer Jordan McGraw, Jordan who is Dr. Phil McGraw's son. Crystal's manager denied that report.
And "People" magazine saying that Harris and Jordan McGraw only have a professional relationship. But Hef does seem to be dealing with his disappointment. Over the last few hours, he's been tweeting. Here's among what he wrote.
The break up is a heartbreaker, but better now than after the marriage. And then another tweet followed where he said -- I love this - "Since we're not getting married on Saturday. I've scheduled a movie "Runaway Bride" seems appropriate."
Obviously, Kyra, his sense of humor intact, but I'm guessing, getting dumped is not something Hugh Hefner is accustomed to.
PHILLIPS: No, I don't think he's used to that. My guess is he won't have a problems finding possibly another fiancee if that's what he wants.
All right, let's stay with the relationship drama, shall we? Kiss star, Gene Simmons and his long time love Shannon Tweed just can't stop.
HAMMER: Yes, this is another story that some people are speculating is just a publicity stunt. It looked pretty real to me. You'll have to judge for yourself.
Gene Simmons and Shannon Tweed were taping an interview for HLN's "JOY BEHAR" show when things got very awkward. Watch this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOY BEHAR, HOST, "THE JOY BEHAR SHOW": How's your back, Gene?
GENE SIMMONS, MEMBER OF "KISS": My back is good. My schmeckle not so much.
SHANNON TWEED, GENE SIMMONS' WIFE: That's very nice of you to joke about it.
SIMMONS: It's a joke. Where are you going?
TWEED: That's so rude.
SIMMONS: I was just joking because she's a comedian.
TWEED: Here.
SIMMONS: Thanks for the question.
BEHAR: I'm sorry, you're blaming it on me? Don't put this on me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: There she goes, and she never came back. While they've been together as unmarried couple for 28 years now, it seems that Shannon has enough of Simmons notorious womanizing.
They were promoting the reality show, Gene Simmons family and Kyra, I don't know if you've noticed, being on a reality show, doesn't tend to do good things for marriages.
And then again, Gene Simmons is a marketing master, hard to know what's real and look there, I just mentioned the name of the show, I don't know.
PHILLIPS: We actually did a story on the fact he's a marketing guru. He has an entire store within his mansion with all his Kiss goods. So let's end with a good story, shall we? Natalie Portman had her precious baby.
HAMMER: Yes, you gave me a hard time yesterday for ending on such a downer, so I wanted to end this way. Great news. "People" magazine broke this news yesterday.
Natalie Portman and her fiance Benjamin welcomed the baby boy to their family. So if you have been playing along, you now know that by doing the movie, "Black Swan," Portman met her fiance, won an Oscar, and now has a son. Kyra, that seems like it was a pretty good decision to make.
PHILLIPS: There we go. Now that's how I like to wrap up entertainment news. Thank you, A.J.
All the information breaking in the entertainment world, A.J.'s got it. Just watch him every night, HLN 11 p.m. Eastern time.
It's not your average kidnapping plot, that's for sure. An ex-gang member says he was abducted over a Shaquille O'Neal sex tape. Live report from L.A.
And America's most expensive home goes to a 22-year-old. Guess how much she paid, $150 million. So, who is she?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Well, late-night comedians having a field day with the recent Republican debate. Naturally, all the candidates are very proud of their families and they said so. But still Conan O'Brien had fun tallying up the baby count of the evening.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CONAN O'BRIEN, HOST, "CONAN": It seem like the candidates were obsessed with who had the biggest family or who brought the most children into the world. It's kind of weird. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TIM PAWLENTY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'm the father of two beautiful daughters, Anna and Mara --
HERMAN CAIN (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'm father of two, grandfather of three.
RICK SANTORUM (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Karen and I are parents of seven children.
MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I have five sons as you know. Five daughter- in-law, 16 grandkids.
MICHELE BACHMANN (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I've had five children and we're the proud foster parents of 23 great children.
RON PAUL (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Before I went into Congress, I delivered babies for a living, and delivered 4,000 babies.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Well, "Political Buzz" is your rapid-fire look at the hottest political topic of the day. Three questions, 20 seconds on the clock. And playing today, we have CNN's political analyst Roland Martin, comedian --
ROLAND MARTIN, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Hey, welcome back, Kyra, with your two kids!
PHILLIPS: Thank you, Ro. We'll talk about that after the show!
Comedian Pete Dominick is back as well as conservative radio host Dana Loesch.
All right, guys. It's not about my twins. You actually heard Conan just a moment ago: for GOP candidates, do big families translate to big votes? Dana?
DANA LOESCH, CONSERVATIVE RADIO SHOW HOST: I don't necessarily think so. I think it shows a very positive, family values sort of scenario. And I think it's realy important to have that, especially when all of the talk as of late has been on one particular Democratic Congressman who was sending certain lewd photos out. And now his wife is coming back to confront him over that.
So, I think it -- just considering the headlines, it's nice. People like to focus on familiar that work.
PHILLIPS: Roland?
MARTIN: This is shameful. If you are a person out there, you don't have any kids, you have no shop (ph). They don't want your vote, they don't want to talk to you. You're absolutely irrelevant.
(LAUGHTER)
MARTIN: So, me and my wife are up in the air since have no kids. But hey, since I helped raise six of my nieces, I guess that qualifies. Right?
PHILLIPS: And Pete, we don't want to mention what all those six nieces are doing right now under the hand of Roland Martin --
MARTIN: I will -- you know this. I jack a kid!
(LAUGHTER)
PHILLIPS: That's so true.
PETE DOMINICK, COMEDIAN: I'm sure five of -- Kyra, I'm sure five of Roland's nieces are upstanding individuals. Listen, Kyra, you can have 100 kids, no kids, black kids, white kids. One of each, Asian kid, rich kids, poor kids. It doesn't matter how many kids you have or if you have no kids. Unless one of those kids is going to get Americans a job or lowers the price of gas at the pump, I don't think voters are going to care about your kids than the presidential election.
PHILLIPS: All right. Question number two. Rick Perry, his latest speech yesterday sounded pretty presidential, but he doesn't say if he's going to run or not. What is he waiting for and would he be worth the wait. Ro?
MARTIN: Absolutely. First of all, I'm a native Texan. He also is a Texas A&M graduate. Whoop! I'm a graduate of Texas A&M as well.
Look, huge state - huge state, strong candidate. Very conservative. Can the Po2 (ph) GOP voters. The The down side, I still think this country has Texas governor fatigue. And so President George W. Bush could still be a drag on any effort by Governor Perry -
(BUZZER SOUNDS)
MARTIN: but again, it could be a strong, strong candidate. So I say yay for any Texas A&M graduate in the race.
PHILLIPS: Dana.
LOESCH: Whoo, hold me now because I am agreeing with Roland, which I have never done before, ever.
MARTIN: Actually -- actually you have. You just don't want to admit it on television.
(LAUGHTER)
LOESCH: No, I agree with him on this, and I also agree with - I don't, I mean, we had one Texas governor who left with not very high ratings -- not a very high approval. So, I don't know if Rick Perry can differentiate himself from that. He's got a very strong conservative record. Great on economics. Created jobs -- (BUZZER SOUNDS)
LOESCH: We'll see. I don't know what he's waiting for.
PHILLIPS: Dana was the one mentioning Rick a couple days ago. All right, Pete.
DOMINICK: Yes, I think America misses that Texas swagger in the White House. We need a little bit of that back.
Listen, Rick Perry got some issues. Right now, he's got a whole prayer controversy. I think he would bring a lot to the table in some of his conservative principles, of course. He would be better looking - I'm saying this right now on CNN - he'd be better looking than even Mitt Romney. I'm just throwing that out there.
But I don't know that he can beat Romney at this point. We'll see.
(BUZZER SOUNDS)
MARTIN: Kyra, real quick, Republican women love Rick Perry. He always did well in those bachelor deals where they bid on people.
PHILLIPS: Oh -
MARTIN: Trust me. I'm serious!
PHILLIPS: Hey, I remember being a reporter in Lubbock, Texas -
LOESCH: He's a good looking man!
PHILLIPS: He'd roll out in the boots and the Wranglers and the whole deal. Actually, I should say ropers. I better be - all right, Buzzer Beater.
MARTIN: He's the Garth Brooks of politics.
PHILLIPS: All right, President Obama holding a congressional picnic at the White House tonight. Aside from Anthony Weiner, of course, I want predictions from you guys on what's going to dominate the dinner time talk. Dana?
LOESCH: I hope jobs and energy. I hope that's what dominates it. But I don't know, maybe they won't get past Weiner.
PHILLIPS: Roland?
MARTIN: Oh, please! They'll be saying wait a minute, no Tiger in the U.S. Open, no more basketball, football is in a lockout. What in the world do we actually watch? That's what they'll actually be discussing. They're not going to be discussing politics. They're going to be -
(BUZZER SOUNDS)
MARTIN: -- about who actually barbecued.
PHILLIPS: Pete?
DOMINICK: I disagree with Roland. They're going to solve America's problems at the congressional picnic. They're going to be talk about policy issues. They're going to be very serious. As long as nobody tweets out a picture of a hot dog at the barbecue --
(LAUGHTER)
(BUZZER SOUNDS)
DOMINICK: -- I think everybody will be safe.
PHILLIPS: Oh, boy. Whoo! Okay, guys, I'll leave that alone. Roland, Pete, Dana, thanks so much.
MARTIN: Thanks, Kyra!
PHILLIPS: You bet.
Checking top stories now. Live pictures from Capitol Hill. A testy battle brewing over presidential powers and the U.S. military action in Libya. House speaker John Boehner says the White House needs to explain this costly mission to Congress.
And a break today in the Casey Anthony trial. The court is adjourned until tomorrow morning to deal with legal matters. The prosecution rested its case. Defense starts tomorrow.
Twenty-two-year-old Racing Heiress is the proud new owner of America's most expensive home. That's right. That's who bough the 57,000 square-foot L.A. mansion worth $150 million. It was built by the late TV producer Aaron Spelling.
Don't forget ransom. Alleged kidnapping victim said the man who took him after a sex tape starring NBA veteran Shaquille O'Neal, prosecutors charged seven gang members now in that case. Meantime, they say there's no proof that the tape exactly exists.
CNN's Alan Duke following that story for us out of L.A. So, Alan, this case goes back to 2008, right? So, fill in some of the details for us.
ALAN DUKE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. February of 2008, it was the night of the 2008 Grammy Awards, in fact, a record promoter claims, alleges he was kidnapped and robbed. What happened? He was sitting -- meeting someone on Sunset Boulevard in West Hollywood when seven people, kidnapped him at gun point, forced him to drive into South Central L.A., to the home of a reputed gang leader by the name of Ladell Rowles, also known as Dell Dawg. And there, they robbed him of $15,000 in cash, diamonds and jewelry.
And according to his testimony they demanded he hand over a videotape that they believe he had of Shaquille O'Neal, the now- retired basketball player engaged in sex with several women. This testimony coming in Los Angeles County Court this week in the preliminary hearing of the seven alleged gang members charged with kidnapping and robbery.
Did the sex tape exist? Well, we don't know. Prosecutors don't know. Nobody has found it if it has been destroyed or if it ever existed.
PHILLIPS: All right. So, can you tell us more about this alleged victim and his ties to Shaq?
DUKE: Robert Ross was a record promoter who had some dealings with Shaquille O'Neal. He testified one of his jobs was to bring musical groups to Shaquille O'Neal. There was one artist by the name of Ray Jay, who he brought to him allegedly in 2008 who did sign with Shaquille's entertainment company.
According to testimony, he claimed he was never paid for bringing the artist there, and that's why he's threatened to release a sex tape of Shaquille unless he was paid the money.
By the way, prosecutors say Shaquille O'Neal, while questioned in this case, is not part of the case. So, they are not suggesting that he put these gang members up to the robbery.
PHILLIPS: All right. Alan Duke following that case for us. Thanks, Alan.
William and Kate poised to make their first official overseas tour. One stop? California. Other than her husband, we'll tell you one person Kate just can't leave home without.
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PHILLIPS: Royal newlyweds William and Kate will travel to the U.S. next month. It's part of their first official overseas tour. And their itinerary includes everything from glamour to charity work.
CNN's Max Foster was there when the itinerary was actually announced this morning. He's joining us live from London. Okay, Max, what's on the agenda?
MAX FOSTER, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it really is a whirl wind weekend for the couple. Kate's never been to America before. So a big event for her particularly. They're taking everything in from a big black-tie dinner with Hollywood A-listers to Skid Row. They'll be going there to meet young homeless people. A subject and a cause very close to William's heart as it was his mother - mother's as well.
And also a charity polo match. William will be playing in that in Santa Barbara. If you're interested, you can buy VIP tickets to see the match taking place. $4,000. It is for charity, though.
William will also give a keynote speech in front of some veterans, some war veterans particularly from Afghanistan. Catherine, though, giving no speeches. She's not comfortable with public speaking, we're told. So, she won't be doing any interviews, any speeches.
But we know she's traveling with a very small entourage. Lots of speculation in the papers here about that. She'll be going with her hair dresser, who did her hair for the royal wedding. So, maybe something different, but maybe royal wedding hair.
PHILLIPS: Hey, got to look good on these travels! I'll tell you what, everyone definitely watches what she wears and what she looks like. She's a beautiful young woman.
Max, thanks so much.
Well, Montell Williams is a well-known TV personality and Emmy award winner. And a former talk show host. But today he's pushing a new message about medical marijuana. And he says, hey, I use pot to treat my M.S.
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MONTELL WILLIAMS, FORMER TALK SHOW HOST: I use it in every direction I can. I try to eat it at night so that at night I don't have the spasticity and I don't have cramping. I try to make sure that during the day, I try to vaporize. I try to eat. I do various things and all we have to do is do the science behind this --
ALI VELSHI, CNN ANCHOR, "AMERICAN MORNING": Yes.
WILLIAMS: -- and we'll bring it into the 21st century.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Well, Williams is joining forces with a medical cannabis consulting company to help them advocate the legal use of medical marijuana.
A nation awash in debt. Thousands of people enraged by a government's massive cutbacks. The nightmare unfolding right now in Greece, and the world sharing concerns here. Zain Verjee will join us with the international headlines.
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PHILLIPS: In Greece, tens of thousands are protesters taking to the streets right now in striking labor union, bringing much of that country to a standstill. They're rotesting the government's stifling budget cuts and deepening financial crisis.
Zain Verjee is watching it for us out of London. So, how bad is it getting, Zain?
ZAIN VERJEE, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: It's pretty ugly out there, Kyra. Greece for years has lived above its means, and now it's got to pay for it.
Now, the government has come up with this austerity plan. It basically increases taxes, cuts government spending and ultimately will cut jobs. What they need to do is successfully execute that so they can get a bailout that they're looking for. They want something that's over $100 billion to help them out. So, they need to do this.
Out on the streets, as you can see, people are furious. They were clashes, tear gas got fired out there. There were about 7,000 people in the heart of Athens. What they've done, they've surrounded the parliament building, Kyra. So, imagine thousands of people around Congress refusing to get lawmakers get inside and have a debate. Here, they're trying to block them from having a debate on the austerity deal.
The reason, Kyra, this is such a big deal in this part of the world is because of the euro. There's 16 countries that use the euro as currency. It's known as the Euro Zone. And Greece is a part of it. So, if Greece tanks, all 16 countries with the Euro Zone are going to get badly hurt. So, that's why they're desperate to get Greece out of this mess.
PHILLIPS: Oh, and a lot coverage in the international newspapers as well.
VERJEE: Yes, there is. They are really focusing on this issue because it really does have an effect on all of these other countries.
There's really one thing they are talking about too, which is basically, the finances are so bad that nobody wants to give them any money. So the situation is that they are going hat in hand, looking for a bailout to countries. And they're looking to Germany to do it, and Germany is pretty mad about the whole thing because they helped out with a bailout, of a short while ago. And so they feel they've been fiscally prudent. A country like the Netherlands has been fiscally prudent.
I mean, you've got other countries in Europe like Italy, like Spain, like Portugal that are also a little bit shaky. They are in a bit of a mess too. They want to give Greece a bailout. Because you know what? They might need a bailout too, Kyra. So, they try to figure out how to help out Greece and how to structure it.
PHILLIPS: All right. We'll track it. Zain, thanks.
Looking ahead at some other headlines making news later today. On Capitol Hill, defense secretary Robert Gates, joint chief's chair Admiral Mike Mullen will testify before a Senate committee on the Defense Department's budget request for next year. That gets underway at the top of the hour.
And tonight at 7:00, it's time for R&R. President and Mrs. Obama will host a picnic for members of Congress on the South Lawn.
And at 8:00 Eastern, Boston Bruins take on the Vancouver Canucks in game seven of the Stanley Cup finals.
The Detroit Tigers ace, Justin Varlander flirts with a no-hitter and with history. We've got that in Sports, right after the break.
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PHILLIPS: So, are you out there looking for that unique lawn ornament? Maybe a pink flamingo, a fiberglass King Kong? Well, then, you got to go to Oshkosh, Wisconsin. CNN's Tom Foreman with the latest installment of "Building Up America."
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TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: On an old farm outside Oshkosh --
MEL SCHETTL, BUSINESS OWNER: Yes, we do have a lot of unusual items. --
FOREMAN: -- a wonderland is growing.
SCHETTL: I just call it a collection of art.
FOREMAN: An open air emporium of nostalgia, whimsy and whatever else catches Mel Schettl's interest. He has rescued these items from old restaurants, theme parks, even movie sets for 30 years. Now, they are rescuing him.
SCHETTL: Well, those items are actually helping us make it through the tough times.
FOREMAN: Schettl's main business is building materials. But as construction has stumbled he's found himself relying more on the foot traffic and trade brought by, well, this.
SCHETTL: This is a reproduction of a rodeo-type bull.
This is an eagle fabricated out of all steel.
This is a fairly popular piece. Some people might think it's unusual. I don't.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My daughter wanted us to stop here. And I'm glad we stopped.
FOREMAN: Many people come just to look, but plenty end up buying. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you know how much it is? The neon one?
SCHETTL: The neon porch sign is $650.
A lot of individuals will buy it for home use, yard art, interior art. Other businesses use it for interior and exterior artwork to get attention. The same as we do.
FOREMAN: It is not an economic cure-all but it makes up for some of the weakness in his other trade.
SCHETTL: Well, I don't know how much of an advantage I have. I do know some of my competitors are gone and we are still here. So it must be helping us some. FOREMAN: And in the building business these days, hanging on can be enough.
Tom Foreman, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: Well, no Major League pitcher has thrown two no- hitters in one season since Nolan Ryan in 1973. Enter Justin Verlander. The Tigers' ace is the modern-day Nolan Ryan. 100-mile- an-hour fastball. Knee buckling curveball. He threw a no-hitter May 7. And last night, he was mowing down the Indians. No hits, 12 strikeouts. But with just six outs to go, well the big play, give up to single center. He loses no-hitter. Still ended up with a complete game shut-out, by the way. And with that win, the Tigers take sole possessions of first in the AF Central.
All right. U.S. soccer playing in the Gold Cup against teams from Canada, Central America, and the Caribbean. Last night's game against Guadalupe and Josie Altidore scores for Team USC -- USA. That goal. Nine-minute mark holds up for the 1-nil win. U.S. advances to the quarterfinals now.
New in the NEWSROOM with Suzanne Malveaux, the Missouri River rising after two levees breached, putting some towns at risk of flooding.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: People are just waiting to see what happens for the next two months. Because this is going to be here for at least two months. And there's some concerns the flows will be even higher -
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: We'll talk live to a resident who lives along the river's banks about what he's doing to keep his family home.
And that and more in the NEWSROOM with CNN's Suzanne Malveaux.
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PHILLIPS: Well, New Jersey governor, Chris Christie said he's really not excited about the current GOP field for president. But he could whet his political appetite at lunch today.
CNN White House correspondent Brianna Keiler has this hour's Political Ticker. Brianna.
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESOPNDENT: That's right, Kyra. Having lunch today in New York as we understand it, former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani and New Jersey governor Chris Christie. Perhaps presidential politics will be on the menu. Giuliani is kind of toying perhaps with this idea of throwing his hat into the ring for the Republican nomination. Christie for his part has said he's not going to be doing it but he has met with a lot of GOP hopefuls. So, we'll see what comes out of that.
And also, take a look at this. It's day four - and we're following this on the ticker. Day four for jury deliberations in the retrial of former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich. He's being retried on corruption charges. Remember, he was charged for essentially trying to trade -- in 2008, the Senate seat vacated by then President-elect Obama. In August, a jury found him guilty of one count of lying to FBI investigators, but they deadlocked on 23 other counts. And at this point, Kyra, no indication if the jury is close to coming to a conclusion on this, but they are in day four now.
PHILLIPS: All right. Brianna Keilar there live at the White House for the Political Ticker for the hour. Thanks so much.
That does it for us. See you back here tomorrow morning, 9:00 a.m. Eastern time. Turn it over to Suzanne Malveaux.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN ANCHOR: All right. Nice to see you, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Good to see you.
