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Breaking News: Congressman Anthony Weiner Expected to Resign Today; Al Qaeda Announces New Leader; White House Defends Libya Mission; Pawlenty Going Big in Iowa; Canucks Fans Riot After Loss; Palin Writes Letter from God; Foreclosures Drop for 8th Straight Month

Aired June 16, 2011 - 09:00   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 9:00 a.m. on the East Coast, 7:00 a.m. or 6:00 a.m. out West, rather. I'm Kyra Phillips. Thanks so much for joining us.

Riots, teargas and actually jumping police officers. Canadian hockey fans go wild in the streets of Vancouver after their Canucks lose the Stanley Cup.

Casey Anthony's lawyers trying to convince jurors that she did not murder her 2-year-old daughter Caylee. And a new potential witness a new convicted kidnapper who may have known the little girl's grandfather.

And just minutes ago, a new measure of the economy. The number of Americans filing their past -- or first unemployment claims falls to 414,000. A drop of about 16,000 from the week before.

This morning, there's a new man in charge of the mission to kill Americans. Less than two months after the death of Osama bin Laden, his chief deputy is named al Qaeda's new leader.

CNN's Nic Robertson tells us more about Ayman al-Zawahiri.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, al Qaeda released its statement on several Islamic Web sites saying that the general command had met, that Ayman al-Zawahiri is now officially taking over for Osama bin Laden but no surprise there whatsoever.

He's been the number-two in the organization since it was first formed. For him, it will have been a natural step that he should move on to leadership. Perhaps surprisingly it's taken so long, an indication of perhaps of divisions and dissentient (ph) within al Qaeda that perhaps some people didn't want him to take on the leadership.

He is seen as somebody who's been divisive in the past. People either people like him or intensely dislike him. He's driven people away from al Qaeda in the past. He's been seen as the ideologue whereas bin Laden has been seen as the person who have the charisma to draw people in, so it'll be very interesting to see the dynamic of al Qaeda perhaps shift as a more divisive, not naturally charismatic person takes over.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: So what exactly does this change in command mean to the impact of what al Qaeda will have now on the region?

CNN's Zain Verjee joining us live from London.

A lot of us wondering how it will impact the region, therefore how will it impact our safety in the states -- Zain.

ZAIN VERJEE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I spoke to a terrorism expert, Kyra, that said basically it's not going to affect things that much because he's been calling the shots for a number of years. He's been the strategist behind al Qaeda and things have been going kind of as -- as he has planned over the past few years.

Let's look at some of the additional things here. He's seen very much, according to experts I've spoken to, as a micromanager. Kind of like a control freak, Kyra. He's obsessive in his personality and if you disagree with him, they say, you are an enemy.

As we've been discussing, he has been the strategist. He has come up with transitioning al Qaeda from focusing on attacking Arab regimes to focusing on attacking the United States. And he has been the man in charge over the past few years.

He's also been a survivor. And many years ago he tried to overthrow the Egyptian government. There was an insurrection against him but it failed. And everyone involved in that plot was killed. He was the only one who escaped. And he's alluded capture or being killed himself over the past few years, too.

And finally experts say that he's also a considered a propaganda vehicle himself. He's been in many audio and TV video messages as well and he even actually, Kyra, had a Q&A Web chat with his al Qaeda followers.

So this is a man who has put himself out there as you have seen. He's not seen really as a theologian. He doesn't really know that much, they say, about Islamic jurisprudence, and neither did Osama bin Laden. But he was a charismatic guy who could win people over. Ayman al-Zawahiri's personality is a little bit prickly -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Zain Verjee, we will follow, obviously, this story closely as we see what lies ahead.

In Libya, NATO airstrikes rocked the capital. The White House says don't let your ears fool you. This is not a war. That's the defense to a lawsuit filed yesterday by several lawmakers. They say the president actually broke the law by not getting Congress sign off on the military action.

Brianna Keilar is at the White House.

So, Brianna, you've actually got your hands on the report. Give us the headlines.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, this is the report. Thirty-two pages yesterday that the White House sent over to Congress, Kyra.

A big headline has to do with cost, because we hadn't seen exact figures until this went up to the Hill. $715 million, that's the cost so far, through June 3rd for U.S. military involvement in Libya so that stands to reason that it's closer to about $800 million now. And there's a projected cost for going through the end of September. That would be $1.1 billion.

The other big headline here, the president's legal rationale for why he hasn't sought congressional authorization to have troops committed abroad as the Wars Powers resolution, the law says he must do within 60 days or pull troops out 30 days after that.

The reasoning, and you really have the White House looking to the fine print of this law, Kyra, they say, "Because the U.S. military operations are distinct from the kind of hostilities contemplated by the resolution's 60-day termination provision," so what they're really saying here is this is a limited role. We don't have boots on the ground. And so we're confident that we're OK, that we're within the realm of not having to seek congressional authorization -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Well, what do you think? Is this enough to satisfy John Boehner and other critics?

KEILAR: You know, we haven't gotten all of the reaction from the Hill but you don't even need to get it to know that this isn't going to satisfy a lot of Democrats and Republicans who have said that the president is flouting the Wars Powers Resolution.

A statement from the speaker's office says, "The creative arguments made by the White House raise a number of questions that must be further explored."

Certainly the speaker's office could have knocked President Obama on this harder, Kyra, and they didn't. They're kind of saying we're going to look at this and see what's in it. But there are a number of rank and file members, Republicans, who say, you know what, the Defense Spending Bill is on the floor next week.

We may look at trying to attach a provision that would defund U.S. operations in Libya. So be sure this is not the end of this -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: No doubt. Brianna Keilar at the White House. Brianna, thanks.

Well, Republican presidential candidate Tim Pawlenty is planning to make a big push in Iowa next month.

CNN deputy political director Paul Steinhauser here with that story.

Good morning, Paul. PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Hey, good morning, Kyra. I guess we're getting a little behind-the-scenes look at the Pawlenty strategy.

Why Iowa? Well, of course, the Iowa caucuses, they kick off the race for the White House. It's the first contest.

We're learning that Pawlenty is going to be spending about half of his time next month out in Iowa in advance of a crucial straw poll in August. And check this out. His campaign this morning sending out a mailer to Republican voters in Iowa basically introduces Iowa Republicans to Tim Pawlenty, the former two-term governor of Minnesota. So a lot of people getting that in the mail today.

Iowa is crucial for him. He is from neighboring Minnesota. If he wants to win the Republican nomination he's going to have to win Iowa. He's going to have some competition from somebody else from Minnesota, Michele Bachmann. So we'll keep our eyes on that state. We'll be out there plenty -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right. Well, what's this about Barney Frank giving Mitt Romney a little fashion advice?

(LAUGHTER)

STEINHAUSER: Yes. Hey, let's go back four years when Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, was running for the White House the first time. He always had suit and tie on. But this time around look, he's very casual. Even when he announced on June 2nd up in New Hampshire he didn't even wear a tie.

So it's -- I guess Romney 2.0, no tie. Well, here's what Barney Frank told our Wolf Blitzer about all that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. BARNEY FRANK (D), MASSACHUSETTS: I haven't (INAUDIBLE) before -- apparently, he has spent so much of his money that he can no longer afford ties. Poor Mitt has not been seen in a tie in several months. So I am going to take up a collection to buy some ties for Mr. Romney.

He's cut all his ties to his past policy but I would like to see if we can get him a tie to put around his neck because he's going around without any tie. He kind of looks a little bit underdressed.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

(LAUGHTER)

STEINHAUSER: OK. I hope Barney Frank, though, Kyra, was watching our debate. Because look, there was our debate Monday night. What is Romney doing? Wearing a tie. So, all right, Barney, it's OK. It's all good.

PHILLIPS: Does the tie really make the man? I mean look -- at Paul Steinhauser. Look at you. STEINHAUSER: No tie. I'm not running for president so doesn't really matter to me.

(LAUGHTER)

PHILLIPS: Although I'd vote for you, Paul.

STEINHAUSER: Thank you. Thank you.

PHILLIPS: Your next political update in just about an hour and a reminder for all the latest political news, you can go to our Web site, CNNPolitics.com.

A loss in the Stanley Cup Finals turned violent. Young hockey fans overturning cars, setting fires, and looting downtown stores. We'll take you live to Vancouver.

Plus we saw thousands of e-mails from Sarah Palin. At least one really stands out because of its signature. She signed it, "From God." We're going to talk about that in just a few minutes.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Checking top stories "Cross Country."

Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords waking up in her own bed this morning. She was released from a Houston hospital yesterday. As you remember, she was shot in the head during a mass shooting outside an Arizona grocery store January 8th.

High winds are hampering firefighting efforts in eastern Arizona. Crews battling the largest wildfire in state history. It has scorched nearly 500,000 acres.

Same-sex marriage moves a step closer in New York. The state assembly there approved a bill last night granting same-sex couples equal rights to marry.

And one New York Giants receiver not happy with the state's move towards gay marriage. David Tyree put it, the bill's passage will be, quote, "The beginning of our country sliding toward anarchy." He also says marriage is the only relationship that actually mirrors the relationship with God. Tyree is perhaps best known for his pivotal catch in the Giants' 2008 Super Bowl win.

It was a night of rioting and setting fires from some disappointed fans of the Vancouver Canucks. The violence followed the 4-0 loss to the Boston Bruins in the final game of the National Hockey League Championship.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS (voice-over): While Boston celebrated its Stanley Cup victory, thousands of Canucks fans took to the streets of Vancouver, rioting, flipping cars, and setting fires. UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Very sad scene right now on downtown Vancouver. We're hearing of more cars that have been overturned as well.

PHILLIPS: People even posed for pictures in front of the fires. Others broke through store windows.

Vancouver police tried to contain the unruly crowd that continually taunted and threw things at officers. Some fans were even wrestled to the ground by police. One fan said he found the riots to be an embarrassment to Vancouver.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is wrong for the city. This isn't the reputation we want.

PHILLIPS: The Canucks have been to the finals three times in their 41 seasons in the NHL but not once have they won the Stanley Cup.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Now the Canucks were seeking to become the first Canadian team to win the NHL title since Montreal won in 1993.

OK. Well, reporters were looking for that gotcha moment. But instead, they got god. One of the thousands of Sarah Palin e-mails that were released last week, well, this is the one that we're talking about this morning. She sent it while pregnant with her son Trig who has Down syndrome.

This part was actually left out of her book. So, it's new to all of us.

It says, quote, "But tell me what do you earthlings consider perfect or even normal anyway? Have you peeked down any grocery store aisle, or school hallway, or into your office lunchroom lately? Or considered the old celebrities, quote, 'perfect' on TV? Have you noticed I make them all shapes and sizes? Believe me, there is no perfect."

Now, take a look at the signature, "Love, Trig's Creator, Your Heavenly Father."

Yes, the Alaska governor writing from God's perspective.

CNN.com religion editor Dan Gilgoff actually wrote about this on our "Belief" blog and it has gotten a lot of clicks.

DAN GILGOFF, CNN.COM RELIGION EDITOR: It has. Yes. A lot of people are commenting. It's really struck a chord.

I think people at first are sort of aghast that someone would presume to write a letter to friends or family or an e-mail in the voice of God. And then they actually read the thing and it turns out to be a very tender and thoughtful meditation on what to expect with a child with Down syndrome, how other people ought to treat him, and really reassessing our entire notion of -- as you read in that excerpt, really what makes perfection. So, it's winning people over.

PHILLIPS: Yes. It's totally putting aside the traditional way that we look at perfection, right? And taking a more sensitive and loving approach to, you know, how you see perfection and it can be in the eyes of -- it is in the eyes, rather, of this beautiful little baby.

GILGOFF: That's right. And, you know, she writes about, in "Going Rogue," her book from a couple of years ago, she didn't release the full letter in that volume, but she wrote about why she wrote that letter in the voice of God. What she said she really wanted to turn around what's widely perceived to be a negative, a handicap, someone having Down syndrome, and encouraging people to look at it as a positive. In her words, God doesn't make mistakes, so it can't be viewed as a flaw.

PHILLIPS: And final thought. A lot of people love her, hate her. Do you think this might have changed some minds of those that maybe didn't like her?

GILGOFF: I think by looking at the comments, yes. I mean, it's amazing how entrenched opinions of Sarah Palin are. You either love her or you hate her, and her negatives are actually quite high.

And I saw people in comments talking about, you know, I don't really like Sarah Palin, but there's nothing wrong with this e-mail. I think it's telling that the e-mail is written in April 2008, before she was picked to be John McCain's running mate. There was this tender moment before she got on to the national stage.

And I think if she would want to run for office again, she might want to kind of return to that sort of side of her and putting that side of her out there.

PHILLIPS: I'll tell you what, you go to any Special Olympics event and you see perfection right there. Those kids are pretty amazing.

Dan, what a great write-up. Thanks so much.

GILGOFF: Thanks for having me.

PHILLIPS: And you can also read Dan's article. I hope you have by now. You just go to our "Belief" blog, though, CNN.com/Belief. And you can read the email in its entirety as well.

All right. A new study shows foreclosure filings plunged last month, but be sure to read the fine print because it isn't all good news. We'll explain.

And lunch for sale to the highest bidder. WikiLeaks is serving up its founder Julian Assange on eBay. Find out other famous people offering you a chance to share a little meal and a little conversation.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Well, dinner with President Obama, lunch with Warren Buffett. Some people are actually paying top dollar for a chance to dine with the rich and famous. Those are just two examples.

And the celebs are actually offering themselves up for the sit-down as well.

Let's talk about it more and see what Zain Verjee is betting on.

Fill us in on the details.

ZAIN VERJEE, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Would you have lunch with Julian Assange, Kyra, of WikiLeaks?

PHILLIPS: Maybe for a big scoop, I might -- I might delve into a salad.

VERJEE: All right. Good to know. Good to know.

Well, it's been auction on eBay, about eight lucky people are going to have lunch at one of London's finest restaurant for the opportunity to dine and have a chat with Julian Assange. And also, the lucky people get a chance to attend one of his speaking events. The going rate is about $1,000 and it's basically being billed as a fund-raising event.

Then you also can get dinner with President Obama, if you donate $5 to his re-election campaign. What happens is your name goes into a big bag and there's going to be a raffle and four lucky people will have a casual dinner and just discuss their ideas with the president.

And, Kyra, that includes flights to dinner in an undisclosed location. Not a bunker, I'm given to understand.

And, lunch, too, with Warren Buffett is not up for grabs any more actually. It was sold for about $2.6 million, Kyra, and the winner gets about seven of his or her guests to go along for a lunch with Warren Buffett at Smith & Wollensky, the steak house in New York. And all of that money is going to be going to Glide, for helping poor people in the San Francisco Bay Area.

I'll tell you who I would have lunch with, Kyra. There is a fourth person here that was really popular. Take a look. It's Kyra Phillips.

(LAUGHTER)

PHILLIPS: What?

VERJEE: One million dollars to have lunch with Kyra Phillips and she will be taking you for lunch at Houston's. Kyra, you could do slightly better than that.

But, anyway, you know, just of Peachtree Road without the twins or the other baby, John.

PHILLIPS: Are you kidding me? The twins is what, that would make the lunch! That would be the most exciting thing.

And you know what? What I could do with $1 million to my favorite charity, that's not a bad idea. But I have a feeling I wouldn't get past 5 cents.

But thank you, Zain. That was very generous. I love you.

VERJEE: All right.

Foreclosures are one of the biggest drags on the housing market right now. But, today, a new study actually shows that foreclosure filings plunged 33 percent in May compared to May 2010. Sounds good, but Alison Kosik is here to tell us that that number isn't really all that it's cracked up to be.

So, what's the story, Alison?

ALISON KOSIK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, you're right. You're right about that, Kyra. You know what this is all about? It's all about a paper work backup, so it really doesn't mean that the housing market is necessarily getting any better. This is all about the fallout from that robo-signing debacle that we've heard about in the past year or so when banks foreclosed on people that they shouldn't have.

So, what's happening is now banks are dotting their I's, they're crossing their T's. So, it's taking a little longer.

Also, banks -- they are no rush to repossess homes because what's happening as well as they're repossessing homes faster than they can sell them. So, it means they real story on foreclosures is not exactly what it seems -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right. Well, also, about an hour, right, we've got some new numbers on the new housing reports.

KOSIK: Yes. We got some hopeful signs for the broader housing market. We found out that building permits which are a sign of future building, they hit a five-month high.

But, you know, the big question in today's rough economy is: will those houses actually have buyers?

We also got some good news on jobs. New unemployment claims fell by 16,000 and stocks wind up -- futures, rather, right now, flat on that news.

We could wind up having a bit of a hangover from yesterday, though. The Dow tumbled 178 points yesterday. We'll see if Wall Street can kick some of those fears about the global economy -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right. Alison, thanks.

And the housing crisis has caused a lot of pain and hopelessness to one New Jersey town.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Unless like something can turn around, we need a miracle. You know? Because

POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM: A miracle?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We need a miracle.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Ahead, what's happening in hard-hit Plainville, New Jersey, where the banks own a big chunk of that city.

And on Capitol Hill, money troubles may seem a world away. Millionaires make up a big chunk of the House and Senate. We are sifting through all of the financial reports. We'll share the highlights with you.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Checking top stories.

Al Qaeda names a new leader. He's Ayman al-Zawahiri, Osama bin Laden's second in command for many years.

Riots, tear gas, and jumping police officers -- Canadian hockey fans go wild in the streets of Vancouver after their Canucks lose the Stanley Cup.

And in Florida, Casey Anthony's lawyer is trying to convince jurors that she did not murder her 2-year-old Caylee -- daughter Caylee. And a new potential witness, a convicted kidnapper who may have known the little girl's grandfather.

Well, you may not know it, but you got a bunch of millionaires on your payroll. They are members of Congress, actually. And they draw a handsome paycheck of $174,000 a year.

But for most of them, that's just a chunk of change for the personal fortunes that they have amassed.

CNN's Carol Costello has been thumbing through the financial disclosures. She's been up all night and has the highlights of the biggest money amassed, amount of money.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right because what I found -- I just couldn't sleep. Those numbers made my head spin.

(LAUGHTER)

COSTELLO: Are you ready, though?

PHILLIPS: We are ready!

COSTELLO: You're ready, OK. Lawmakers are not like you because the majority of them have a whole lot more money -- although that probably comes as no big surprise. According to "The Hill," Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi and her husband had a net worth of $35.2 million in 2010. And if you're wondering how they made all of that cash, well, he's an investment banker. California's Republican Congressman Darrell Issa's net worth is -- get this -- $200 million. That really does make my head spin. Issa made his money on car alarms. The "L.A. Times" reports House Speaker John Boehner's net worth is between $2 million to $6 million. He made most of his money in blue chip stocks.

Perhaps the most interesting financial tidbit, though, among the 87 new GOP freshmen members, at least 30 had debt totaling $50,000 or more in 2010. And that includes things like mortgages and student loans and credit cards. One example from the "L.A. Times" Arkansas Republican Congressman Timothy Griffin, he reported between $45,000 and $150,000 in liabilities from a student loan and American Express card and another personal loan.

So perhaps he is one of the few kind of like you, sort of, maybe.

PHILLIPS: Kind of, sort of. And I wonder if he's saying now that he's there on the Hill, oh, it was all worth it. It's worth the debt. I'd love to know if that is the case.

COSTELLO: Well, he still makes $174,000 a year and most Americans would say that's a pretty good chunk of change to pay down that debt.

PHILLIPS: Darn right. Not chump change, that's for sure.

Carol, thanks.

CIA's web site appears to be up and running even though a group of computer hackers claim they took it down to show sport for WikiLeaks. Just last week the CIA Director talked about the grave threat of cyber-attacks.

Here's what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LEON PANETTA, CIA DIRECTOR: I've often said a strong likelihood that the next Pearl Harbor that we confront could very well be a cyber- attack that cripples our power systems, our grid, our security systems, our financial systems, our governmental systems. This is a real possibility in today's world.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Well, online security expert Hemu Nigam is here.

Hemu, the same hacker group took credit for bringing down the Senate web site, also PBS, Sony, a number of others.

So, what do you think? Are these the kind of attacks that Panetta is actually talking about?

HEMU NIGAM, ONLINE SECURITY CONSULTANT: Well, what I think you're seeing, Kyra, is honestly hackers gone wild right now. And you're starting to see the development of three different types of hackers. Those who are doing it to taunt the government and others to say, hey, your security is just not good enough so don't tell me it is. Those who do it to support criminal enterprises meaning Gmail even got hacked for phish and thousands of passwords and e-mails were taken and they may be supporting criminal enterprises for identity theft, for example. And then finally social causes. PBS to a social cause. They ran a story anti-WikiLeaks and anti-Julian Assange. And the result of that was don't mess with our true belief in giving information to people who want it and, therefore, they attacked PBS to make a point.

PHILLIPS: All right. Sending a message, punking an organization. Let's take a look, though, at the CIA site. It's a public site. It's not the internal site.

So when you look at that hack job, how much of a threat is it really since it wasn't the internal site, but, rather, the public site?

NIGAM: Well, the reality is is the CIA is correct in the sense that attacking the public web site is not in and of itself a threat.

What the real worry needs to be here is that it's exposing the fact that there are vulnerabilities in the government's systems. And if you're an attacker who wants to do some true criminal damage or attack the security of the country, for example, an enemy foreign nation state that may be watching and they're all watching right now, that's the place to worry about and that's why the more secure defenses you have, the better it is to send a message, a real message that don't waste your time here.

But, right now, that's not what is happening. That's not what people are hearing who are destined to do criminal things.

PHILLIPS: Hemu Nigam, always good to talk to you about stuff like this. Thanks so much.

Well, no gas, no money, no problem. Bring your gun and trade it in for a tank full of gas. We're going to tell you where that's happening just ahead.

And a big change in how much time dads are spending with their kids. We're going to talk about dad's roles and also, well, who better to talk to about this? Jim Boeheim, Father of the Year. The Syracuse hoops hero joins us live, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

A new Pugh study is out in time for Father's Day and it's confirming what a lot of us already know, that dads are way more involved with their kids nowadays. And in just a few hours, the Father's Day Council is handing out their Father of the Year awards. And one of the big winners, Jim Boeheim, the legendary Syracuse basketball coach. Father of four, by the way. Father figure to hundreds of young men and also a cancer survivor and a champion for kids in need.

No wonder you're getting this award. Coach, it's good to see you. JIM BOEHEIM, SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY MEN'S BASKETBALL COACH: Well, thank you. My kids were a little split on it. I think they voted 2-2 whether or not for me to come to New York to get the award. The tiebreaker, though, my wife likes New York, so I'm here.

PHILLIPS: Hey, and we always know the happy wife is the happy life.

All right. Now, let me ask you, coach. Just considering this Pugh study, do you think there is any difference, or have you seen a difference between how your dad raised you and how you're actually raising your kids?

BOEHEIM: I just think there's a difference with parents today. When I was younger, you know, our parents sent us out to play. Now, we take our kids pretty much to play. The old, you know, soccer mom story now is soccer mom, dad, baseball mom, dad, every sport.

I go to every event and every event I'm at there's as many dads there as are moms which I think is a difference, I really do, especially with young kids. The dads are very involved and should be. In my history, Kyra, the dads that have been involved with kids that I've recruited and brought to Syracuse have made a big difference, I think, in their sons' lives. I think it's key for kids today.

PHILLIPS: Yes, I totally agree. And do you think that the three decades of coaching for you has made you a better dad, dealing with all of those young men' all of their problems and all of the drama?

BOEHEIM: You know, I thought it did but when the twins came and Jimmy, our oldest, was 16 months, I was not prepared. There is no preparation for that and I've heard you have twins so you're --

PHILLIPS: I can testify.

BOEHEIM: -- going to start to feel some of the pain, but great -- it's a great fun, too.

PHILLIPS: Well, let me -- it is. It is. It is the toughest job I've ever done, that's for sure, and I'm feeling you feel the same way.

So let me ask you, you know, considering -- OK, coach, if you can hold on for just a second. I'm going to try to get back to you.

I'm being told we have breaking news. Let's get straight to the Hill.

Dana Bash, I'm wondering if this has anything to do with Anthony Weiner?

DANA BASH, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It does. I spoke to a Democratic source who is knowledgeable about Anthony Weiner's plans who tell CNN that he does plan to resign from Congress today.

Anthony Weiner who has been embroiled in a scandal that has really angered his Democratic colleagues here, has forced them to push him to resign. They are getting what they want. They are getting his resignation according to this one informed Democratic source that I spoke with.

How this is going to come out, what exactly Anthony Weiner is going to say we are working our sources to get that information but the headline we do expect Anthony Weiner to resign his seat. This is nearly three weeks after he initially sent that lewd tweet and started this whole issue rolling and started this big scandal. For somebody who has had a very promising career in the Democratic Party and certainly has been in a very, very bad place, according to many Democratic sources who have been talking to him the past few weeks because he is trying to keep his job, but it looks like that is not going to happen, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: And so let's talk about reaction on the Hill. Who have had a chance to talk to? Or have you even had a chance to talk with a number of people on both sides to get reaction here?

BASH: Not yet, because we're still working our sources. We had strong indications that this is going to happen. We are still --we should emphasize we have not heard from Anthony Weiner and his office yet. This is from people outside of his office.

But certainly the reaction, I think, I can tell you right now at least from Democratic leaders, people in his own party who has been pushing him to leave, it's going to be a sense of relief because they made a decision over the weekend inside the Democratic leadership he is too much of a distraction, too much of a political problem that they decided to go public, which is very rare to do with one of their own and say it's time to go.

But, Kyra, I'm going to keep working my sources and try to get you more information. But we have the headline right now.

PHILLIPS: Yes, you do. And Dana, just one question, if you don't mind. There were a number of people coming forward there on the Hill, even just Americans responding to this story, saying what's the deal? What's taking him so long? Why doesn't he just resign? With all of these people calling for his resignation and more pictures coming forward.

BASH: Yes.

PHILLIPS: A number of people saying he wanted to wait until his wife to get back. As we know she's the aide to Hillary Clinton. They had gone overseas for a trip. The news had broke that they were expecting their first child.

What's your take? Do you think he was waiting for her to come back and them to have a discussion about this?

BASH: That's a great question. Yes, absolutely. Several people who have spoken to him have told us that he was waiting for his wife to return and she did that in the very early morning hours yesterday. He wanted to have a face-to-face conversation.

One source had told me he wants to look her in the eye and talk to her about this because early on in this saga what he was telling people is that she, his wife, wanted him to stay in office. That was part of the plea that he was making with his colleagues who were saying, you know what, Anthony, you've got to step down, because he was really from every indication, every source I've spoken to, he was really trying to find a way to stay in office.

He is somebody who has really spent his life in politics. He does not have a law degree, he does not have a business degree which is something also talked about amongst his friends and colleagues, meaning that he doesn't necessarily have something that he can officially fall back on if he is not in Congress.

But definitely that conversation with his wife was something that everybody was kind of holding their breath waiting for him to have to -- and giving him a little space to have that to make his final decision.

PHILLIPS: Our Dana Bash breaking the news right here, 9:43 Eastern Time, getting word through her sources that Anthony Weiner, the disgraced congressman, is set to make that announcement today. Finally coming forward with a decision. We are told that he will resign.

We will continue to follow this breaking news story right after the break.

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PHILLIPS: All right, if you're just tuning to CNN, our Dana Bash just broke the story. She's been working her sources all morning. We are told now through Dana's sources that disgraced Congressman Anthony Weiner is expected to step up to the mikes, possibly step up to the mikes to make the announcement that he is going to resign.

Not quite sure if it will happen via a news conference, if his office will come out with a written statement, but sources telling our Dana Bash now that the disgraced Congressman that has been caught up in this sexting scandal is going to resign today.

We had gotten word that possibly that was going to happen since his wife has come back from her overseas trip. As you know, his wife, right-hand woman to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, they had been on a trip overseas. That's when the news broke that she was also expecting their first child.

She came back to the states and our Dana Bash saying, more than likely, they had a discussion face-to-face about this. And now, Dana Bash's sources coming forward and saying disgraced Congressman Anthony Weiner set to resign today.

We are working this story for you. We're going to take a quick break. We're going to comeback with Dana Bash and more on this developing story.

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PHILLIPS: Welcome back to the CNN NEWSROOM.

If you're just tuning in, our Dana Bash up on Capitol Hill just broke the story. She is getting word that the disgraced Congressman Anthony Weiner is set to resign today.

It's been three weeks now since those pictures were released, the sexting scandal that we have been talking about. What started with one photo, as you know, over the past couple weeks has turned into a number of photos that have been released.

Questions about where he was taking those photos, if indeed he was using a government phone or computer to distribute those pictures.

Our Dana Bash now hearing that he will resign today.

Also, following this story has been our Mary Snow. She's been to Weiner's district, getting reaction from -- from voters there. How will this impact New York? How will this impact the -- the future of the Congressman?

Mary Snow is joining us on the phone now. She's actually heading toward Weiner's district to get reaction as this news is breaking.

And Mary, it was just yesterday -- you know we've been talking about how this story continues to develop. It started with the pictures and then just yesterday you actually talked about this former porn actress who had been exchanging e-mails and messaging with the Congressman.

So it seems like the longer this goes on, it doesn't seem to be getting any better for the Congressman, so his critics saying it's about time, just get up to the mikes and make that resignation.

MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): Yes, it was just adding to the steady drumbeat, Kyra, the increasing pressure on Anthony Weiner, and keeping him in the headlines in terms of that news conference yesterday.

But you know, Kyra, throughout all these headlines, he still has a sizable portion of his district, his constituents, saying he should not resign. There were many people in that 9th district in New York, which encompasses Queens and parts of Brooklyn, who said that they felt he could weather this scandal they have pointed to others who had the -- you know weathered other scandals and thought (AUDIO GAP).

Of course, not everyone felt that way. And even this past weekend after he had said that he was getting treatment that they were doing rallies in his district, some calling for him to step down.

But you know, in terms of what happens next, if he does resign, as is anticipated, there would be a special election in New York, and Kyra, there was just a special election a short time ago. If you remember back in February it was Republican Congressman Chris Lee had resigned over a short lived photo he have put on Craigslist. And just last month there was a Democrat who took his seat (INAUDIBLE) district. So there would have to be a special election. PHILLIPS: And Mary, just real quickly, we're going to get back to our Dana Bash. She's just getting some -- some information. We're going to take her as soon as she's ready. So Dana, just give us the high sign when you're ready to go.

Ok, she is ready now. Mary, stay with us as you're heading now to the district there. And I can see you, Dana, working the Blackberry. You're on the phone. I didn't want to go to you too soon.

You just broke this news, you just announced that Anthony Weiner is set to resign today. What more do you know?

BASH: I just want to give you a little bit of information of how the Democratic leadership here in Congress found out about this. It's kind of an interesting story. This is a source familiar with this conversation. And that is that Congressman Weiner put a phone call into his colleague from New York, Steve Israel, who also happens to be Chairman of the Democratic Campaign Committee.

And Steve Israel at the time was at a White House Kyra, he was at a White House picnic for members of Congress, but Anthony Weiner called him and gave him the news. This was last night, late yesterday, last night gave him the news that he was going to resign and then, Israel went over and told the Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi of the news, and said that they have to -- that -- that Weiner should tell both of them.

So I'm told that obviously this is a big, big event at the White House where lots of members of Congress are -- I'm told that they went to sort towards a tree to have some more privacy to talk, and that Anthony Weiner told both Steve Israel and Nancy Pelosi at that time that he was planning on resigning, he would announce it today.

He was described by the source who's familiar with this conversation as extremely remorseful, very clear, I was told in earlier conversations, he was quite upset and quite emotional. I'm told not in this conversation very, very clear, and making clear that he was very sorry to the Democratic leadership for the distraction that he has caused. And that he does intend to step down.

So that is how the Democratic leadership here I'm told found out from Anthony Weiner about his plans.

How he is going to make that announcement today we're not exactly sure. Our understanding is that he is still in the treatment center or having treatment that he said he was going to get. That is what he is saying but we're not exactly sure, it was underscored, we're not exactly sure where he is going to be.

But we are waiting to hear officially from his office at any time.

PHILLIPS: And Dana, we're going to go to Wolf in just a second as well. He's of course working the story alongside with you. Do we know if it's Anthony Weiner's wife, Huma Abedin that has talked him into doing this? Doing it today, do we have any confirmation if she's the one that basically said, all right, it's time? BASH: According to the source familiar with this conversation, with leadership, the Democratic leadership. Anthony Weiner did say that he had the discussion with his wife. He did say that they spoke face-to- face. Whether or not she convinced him to step down, whether that was a mutual decision, that we don't know, but he did have the conversation that he was waiting for, we are told, with his wife Huma.

PHILLIPS: Our Dana Bash right there on the Hill, breaking the story for us this morning.

Disgraced Congressman Weiner is set to resign today. Dana, great work.

We're going to talk more after a quick break. Our Wolf Blitzer also going to join us. Stay with us.

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