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12,000 Flee North Dakota Town; Casey Anthony's Drowning Defense; Mrs. Obama: "Lift Up Your Families"; Obama Details Afghan Drawdown; Decision Day on Afghanistan; Ex-Dior Designer Goes on Trial; First Lady Inspires Soweto Women; Governor Gets Immigration Bill; Amish Man Accused of Sexting; Professor Ran Prostitution Ring; 400-LB Tire Flies Off NYC Bus; First Lady is "Queen of the World"; Obama Kids Read "Cat in the Hat"; "Lost" Actor Marries Girlfriend, 16; Carson Daly Squashes Show Rumors
Aired June 22, 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 a.m. on the East Coast, 7 a.m. out West. I'm Kyra Phillips. Thanks for joining us.
In North Dakota, about 12,000 people are being ordered to evacuate the town of Minot. Rising river waters are expected to swallow much of that town.
Defense lawyers for Casey Anthony presenting their case, but prosecutors are stealing the headlines. They think a fellow inmate may have inspired Anthony's claims that her daughter died in accidental drowning.
First lady Michelle Obama speaks to the leaders of tomorrow in South Africa. She just told the young women that their generation can vanish the hunger and AIDS virus that have plagued their continent.
We begin with the longest war in U.S. history. Today, President Obama turns our attention toward ending it. His prime time address will provide long-awaited details on withdrawing the first U.S. troops from Afghanistan.
Now according to a congressional source, 10,000 U.S. troops will be pulled out by the end of this year. Another 20,000 will be withdrawn by the end of next year, but nearly 70,000 Americans in uniform will remain there.
Chris Lawrence is in Washington, Dan Lothian at the White House. Chris, let's start with you. What's you're hearing in the Pentagon, there are some real differences between the president and some of his members of the military.
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Kyra, some differences, sure. But if you told me the president wanted to bring out 30,000 troops in year and the military didn't want to bring out any, well, that's a chasm between them.
But that's not the case here. What we're hearing from our sources is that, you know, Defense Secretary Robert Gates, General David Petraeus had pushed for a more moderate withdrawal this year.
In other words, they didn't want to see any more than maybe 5,000 troops come home this year. Primarily for the reason that they wanted to make sure they could still consolidate some of those gains down in the south, Helmand province, Kandahar, but also begin to divert a lot of the troops to the east.
That's the area where the Taliban is still very, very potent. That area has been undermanned for a lot of years. So, having more troops now would allow them that flexibility. But what we're hearing from our sources, as you mentioned, you know, the president may be calling for 10,000 troops to come home.
That's going to make a difference, you know, to the commander on the ground who loses 5,000 troops. But 5,000, that's not going to be anything that's going to make a major, major impact on overall strategy.
PHILLIPS: All right, Chris Lawrence at the Pentagon. Chris, thanks. Let's head to the White House now. Dan Lothian, with all the pushback from Congress and military advisers, any last-minute adjustments from the president?
DAN LOTHIAN, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, look, when you look at the numbers as Chris was laying them out, neither side on the extremes got everything that they wanted.
But what I can tell you is that the president as late as Monday was still reviewing options, still finalizing his decision, but at the end of the day, aides here say that it's the president's decision to make.
He is in charge of this process and this is his decision. Although the president did listen to a variety of voices, both inside and outside the administration.
We're told by White House aides, the president over several weeks spent a lot of time meeting with senior national security team -- his senior national security team.
So, yes, the president did listen to a lot of ideas, but ultimately at the end of the day, it was his decision to make.
PHILLIPS: Dan, on the flipside. You know, we have an American public growing more and more impatient with this war.
LOTHIAN: That's right. You know, they're impatient. They're tired of wars and also the cost of war. You take a look at the polling, numbers really taking a spike.
The latest numbers showing that 62 percent of Americans disapprove -- don't approve of the war in Afghanistan. That's up 10 points from last month. When it comes to the troop levels in Afghanistan, the majority of Americans, again 39 percent saying that all troops should be pulled out.
So the message from the president tonight will be to Americans, making the case that there is a reason for U.S. troops to be in Afghanistan. That progress is being made. That U.S. troops have been going after al Qaeda.
That they've been reversing the momentum of the Taliban and helping to stabilize the government so that Afghanistan can take care of its own security in 2014. That's the message that you'll hear from the president.
Also making the case that without involvement in Afghanistan that that country would only become a safe haven for those terrorists who pose a threat to the U.S.
PHILLIPS: All right. Dan, thanks so much. We're staying on the story throughout the day and right up to the president's address to the nation it's scheduled for 8 p.m. Eastern, 5 p.m. Pacific. You'll see it right here live on CNN.
Flamboyant fashion designer John Galliano on trial today in Paris. He's accused of making anti-Semitic remarks against at least three people and there are plenty of reactions to this from around the world. CNN's Zain Verjee following it for us from London. Zain --
ZAIN VERJEE, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Hi, Kyra. Let's go straight to the headlines. This is the focus of many papers today.
The international "Herald Tribune" has this headline, "For Galliano, a moment of truth." It says by blaming addictions for his comportment, Mr. Galliano and his lawyers are using a strategy that's become a fashionable defense for loutish behavior because his lawyers basically saying it was substance abuse that made him make these comments.
Let's take a look at "The Daily Mail." It's headline, "Vial racist or victim of an immoral industry?" It says innocence or guilt aside, much of the fascination with Galliano concerns his astonishing self-inflicted fall from grace. One minute he was the king of couture, the next he found himself shunned, the proverbial social leper.
Kyra, if he's found guilty on this trial, he's going to get fined about $30,000 and he could get a jail sentence of up to six months in prison. Galliano himself has apologized. He's insisting he's not a racist. He's not anti-Semitic.
He says that he's sorry and said, quote, "I only have myself to blame. I know I have to face up to my own failures and I've got to work hard to get people's compassion and understanding again." Kyra --
PHILLIPS: All right, Zain Verjee out of London. Zain, thanks.
First lady Michelle Obama drawing cheers in South Africa, inspiring young women by using a familiar theme. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHELLE OBAMA, FIRST LADY OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: If anyone ever tells you that you shouldn't or you can't, then I want to say, with one voice, the voice of a generation, you tell them, yes, we can. What do you say?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: A live report on her Soweto speech. Right after the break.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm Lt. Dan Taylor. Welcome to the 4th platoon. What was wrong with your lip?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was born with big gums, sir.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You better tuck that in.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: His BFF, Forrest Gump, pretty quiet there. Hopefully Tom Hanks won't be so shy when he joins us live. Right here in the studio.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Checking stories cross-country. Columbia, South Carolina, Governor Nikki Haley says she'll sign the states' new tough immigration law.
It requires police to check the legal status of any suspect and forces all businesses to first clear the people they hire through a federal immigration database.
Probably first for police in Milroy, Indiana, they arrested a 21-year-old Amish man for sending hundreds of texts, nude pictures and videos to a 12-year-old girl he tried to solicit for sex. Police arrested him when showed up for the undercover string. He was in his horse-drawn buggy.
Albuquerque police arrested a college professor who allegedly started a companion's web site. He called it a safe place for prostitutes and johns. Police called it a virtual house of prostitution.
Look at this video from Queens, New York. A 400-pound tire flies off a city bus. The driver says luckily it just missed a woman pushing a baby stroller. This happened in May, but it has happened before. The MTA blames maintenance cutbacks to save money.
First lady Michelle Obama is a superstar of sorts in South Africa today. She addressed a packed congregation at a church in Soweto, inspiring young women to be a generation that ends hunger, corruption, and combat HIV and AIDS. CNN's Nkepile Mabuse joins us now from Johannesburg. Tell us more about the speech.
NKEPILE MABUSE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, the first lady's speech has received a huge and positive reaction with one journalist saying it's the best speech that he has seen this whole year.
I mean, the Obamas are great orators as you guys all know. She managed to inspire. She spoke about the people that gave their lives, sacrificed fighting for this country's democracy, the likes of Nelson Mandela.
But she also challenged the youth of today. She said, you know, the Mandelas of this world, they were the freedom generation. What generation will you be, because you're faced with so many challenges ahead of you? Let's just take a listen to what she said in her own words.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: You can be the generation that brings opportunity and prosperity to forgotten corners of the world and banishes hanger from this continent forever.
You can be the generation that ends HIV/AIDS in our time. The generation -- that fights not just the disease, but the stigma of the disease.
The generation that teaches the world that HIV is fully preventable and treatable and should never be a source of shame.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MABUSE: You know, Kyra, she's also here to reiterate to her husband, President Barack Obama's African policy. She said that the United States is not interested in extending a helping hand to Africa, that Africa should be a partner with the United States.
Well, some people will criticize the United States and say, no, this is -- they're scaling down funding on the African continent, but you know what, you heard the applause in that hall, 2,000 young people.
This is the message they want to hear. Everywhere I go in the African continent, Africans want to do things for themselves. They don't want to another aid-dependent generation. This speech comes at a crucial time on this continent, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Nkepile Mabuse, thank you.
Well, in Johannesburg yesterday, the first lady and her daughters actually read a book to the young children as well. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MALIA OBAMA, PRESIDENT'S DAUGHTER: And I said, I do not like the way that they play. If mother could see this, what would she say?
SASHA OBAMA, PRESIDENT'S DAUGHTER: Then our fish said, look, look our mother is on the way home. Do you hear? What will she do to us? What will she say?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: In case, you didn't recognize what that was, Dr. Seuss, "Cat in the Hat."
Time running out for the people of Minot, North Dakota. By tonight, their homes could flood. Twelve thousand people have been ordered out. We'll have more on that.
And actor Doug Hutchinson known for his roles on TV shows like "Lost" has now caught the public's eye for getting married. Why? He's 51, his new wife, 16.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Floods of historic proportions are headed to North Dakota. Twelve thousand people who live in Minot have been ordered to get out by tonight.
The swollen river there, which flows right through the city, could spill over its banks by tomorrow afternoon. Forecasters predict more heavy rain and water released from dams. That's also adding to the crisis. Rob Marciano tracking it all. How bad could it get? What do you think?
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Well, it's going to be the worst they've seen. So the problem with this, Kyra, is that they have issues with -- they can control some of this water flow with dams, but those dams can only hold so much.
So, now some of that water is being released. The dams are up here. That's where lake reservoir holding a lot of this water. It all rained up in through here and through Canada on Sunday and Monday. They got anywhere from 4 to 7 inches of rainfall in Canada.
And yes, this river flows out of Canada through Minot. So it's the Souris River where we've got the 41,000 people approximately living in Minot and a mandatory evacuation for 12,000 people.
This will happen slowly, but gradually here over the next couple of days. Once it gets through Minot, it actually flows back into Canada. So - but for those who live in Minot we're talking about record flooding.
Here's the inundation map that is a little bit tough to read, but basically the blue is where the swollen river is going to be. The river typically is just this line. So, we're talking about, you know, a huge chunk of real estate.
All of these neighborhoods have substantial amount of homes in there and a lot of people. So that's why they've gotten out -- they've asked over 10,000 people to evacuate. When do they think this will crest?
Right now, it's already in major flood stage. That's here. Record flood stage happens on Thursday. Once we get towards Monday that's when we expect hopefully for it to crest.
We're not sure about that at the moment. We do have a little more rainfall in the forecast over the next five days, but a historic event again. I can't believe we're talking about another historic flooding event with a completely different river system. Kyra --
PHILLIPS: We'll keep talking about it. Thanks, Rob.
A 51-year-old "Lost" actor's new bride is only 16 and there's trouble on the set of "Voice" and Nick Lachey's wedding will be televised again.
"SHOWBIZ TONIGHT" host A.J. Hammer joins us with all these stories and more. I guess we should start with actor Doug Hutchinson. A little weird, A.J.
A.J. HAMMER, CO-HOST, "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT": Yes, creepy is the word I've been throwing around. Doug Hutchinson is a 51-year-old actor and he's announced his marriage to a 16-year-old aspiring singer. Her name is Courtney Alexis Studen.
Do the math, that's a 35-year age difference there. The newlyweds released a statement say they were married on May 20th. Here's what they said, Mr. and Mrs. Hutchinson live together happily in Wisconsin, their Hollywood Hills home with their little pups, Evert and Tuna.
They've also said that despite their age difference, they are very much in love. They are married in Las Vegas and Studen's mother was right there reportedly to make it all legal.
Hutchinson is an actor who has appeared in "The Green Mile" and on "Lost," but he was certainly not a household name, perhaps until now.
His young bride's music at this stage, Kyra, is apparently only available through Youtube. So I really hope they're not doing this for the publicity, as some have suggested.
PHILLIPS: The inside scoop, possibly. All right, A.J. well, something that is very legit, "The Voice," this show has been doing really, really well, but I understand that there is some sparks flying on the set?
HAMMER: Maybe. I mean, you need some drama in these shows. "The Voice" is actually one of my favorite new shows, one of the hottest of the season for sure on TV.
But there have been stories about how the judges can't seem to stand each other. Don't know if it's true, but Christina Aguilera and Maroon 5's Adam Levine supposedly have a very tense relationship.
"SHOWBIZ TONIGHT" was there last night and we caught up with the show's host, Carson Daly after the show and tried to get the scoop. Here's what Carson said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CARSON DALY, HOST, "THE VOICE": It's so weird. I mean, you really just want to like talk to middle America and sort of make that connection with them and say, listen, I know you think of Hollywood and celebrities are all this way and the stuff you read about.
But when it's not true, when it's not right or if it's just wrong, then I like to be the one to say it because I've been around long enough and Christina has been great to work with.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Also in what may be an effort to show some solidarity, Kyra, Lavigne and Aguilera have released a single together, in fact, they performed their new song on "The Voice" last night and I think it's pretty good.
PHILLIPS: OK. We'll see how successful it becomes. All right, finally, I guess the last time we saw Nick Lachey on television he was in the reality show "Newlyweds" with then-wife Jessica Simpson. So what's going on? Is this like season two?
HAMMER: Well, not exactly, but maybe the sequel? I don't know. We should file this story under the category of not learning from your mistakes. Nick Lachey is going to have his wedding televised, the second time he's doing that.
TLC just announced it will air a special on the wedding of Lachey and Vanessa Minnillo. The show is tentatively titled "Nick and Vanessa's Dream Wedding." It's going to air a few weeks after the wedding and it's going to show the couple's preparation and the actual ceremony.
But since the couple wants to protect their privacy, so to speak, we don't know exactly when they'll be walking down the aisle. They've been dating since 2006, got engaged last fall and Lachey became an early reality star by filming his wedding to Jessica Simpson.
We all remember that. That led to the reality series and their marriage didn't work out so well. So Nick, you know, buddy, reality shows and marriages often don't really turn out that well. I wish and you Vanessa the best. You're both lovely people.
PHILLIPS: Are you becoming a marriage counselor here, A.J.?
HAMMER: No, not me.
PHILLIPS: A new profession for A.J. Hammer.
HAMMER: Yes -- no. PHILLIPS: OK. Well, if you want more information on everything breaking in the entertainment world and a little opinion and a little therapy, A.J.'s got it this evening on "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT" every night actually on HLN at 11 p.m. Eastern Time.
Japanese researchers have developed a remote control pill that could help in diagnosis of digestive diseases? After the capsule endoscope is swallowed, well, doctors use a joystick to move the capsule around.
Research actually say, this is the first time a self-propelled endoscopy can move from one part of the digestive tract to another and shoot images inside the colon. The device is called "The Mermaid."
Coming up --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You got a squeeze bunt with our best hitter? What's your sign to swing away? Blond girl, what's the sign to swing away?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: What does Tom Hanks, boozy baseball manager have in common with his newest character? Both are kind of in the second act of their lives. Tom Hanks joining us live right here in studio to talk about "Larry Crown."
And coming up, Newt Gingrich under fire again, this time for a million dollar credit line at Tiffany's and a top fund-raiser calls it quit. Can his campaign survive?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Checking top stories. Police in Mexico have captured the leader of one of the country's most violent drug cartels. A government spokesperson calls the capture an overwhelming blow to the group.
The Casey Anthony murder trial has resumed this morning. Prosecutors say they're looking into information about a woman once incarcerated with Anthony. That woman's child died in a similar way to the way the defense say Caylee Anthony died.
And first lady, Michelle Obama speaking in a church in Soweto. Mrs. Obama met with South African President Nelson Mandela as part of her trip to that nation with her daughters.
All right, political buzz, your rapid fire look at hottest political topics of the day. Three questions, 20 seconds on the clock.
Playing today, Democratic pollster Cornell Belcher, SiriusXM political talk show host and comedian, Pete Dominick and conservative talk show host, Dana Loesch.
All right, guys, first question. Prime time address tonight on Afghanistan. Is there anything the president can say to satisfy his critics on the right and the left? Dana?
DANA LOESCH, CO-FOUNDER OF ST. LOUIS TEA PARTY: Goodness. I think one of the things that I'm going to be watching for this evening is to see whether or not the president's plan for troop withdrawals matches that of what Petraeus and other military officers have suggested.
I know a lot of people on the left are going to want a big push. I think they're going to go with the 10,000 number as opposed to Petraeus' 5,000 number. I'm going to kind of wait -- he's going to be criticized either way, but I hope that there's a clear plan and there's a clear withdrawal plan by the time his speech ends.
PHILLIPS: Cornell?
CORNELL BELCHER, DEMOCRATIC POLLSTER: No, you can't. He's not going to please folks on the far left or folks in the far right, people who want them to stay longer and do more or those who want them to get out immediately.
You can take a president he can trust. He say he was going to drawdown in Iraq. He drew down. He said he would draw down in Afghanistan. He's drawing down. This guy to do it in a way that not too quick and what the general asked for, allow them to consolidate the gains and that's the middle of the road approach.
PHILLIPS: Pete?
PETE DOMINICK, HOST, "STAND UP! WITH PETE DOMINICK": Kyra, as usual the president is going to try to please everybody and probably, unfortunately, disappoint most.
As of yesterday, 1,630 Americans have lost their lives. Thousands more have been injured. He's going to have to convince Americans that these lives are worth the promises that will be uncapped, the love that will be lost and the dreams that will go unfinished.
I don't think he's going to be able to do that tonight. More and more people, 56 percent against this war in a new poll.
PHILLIPS: All right. Newt Gingrich, another credit line at Tiffany, this time 1 million buckaroos, his top fund-raisers also call it quits. What do you think, can his campaign survive? Dana --
LOESCH: I don't know. This is probably one of the worst things that can happen. You have your top consultants that all leave you and for rumors of a Rick Perry campaign. You have all of your financial consultants.
I don't care about his credit line at Tiffany's because I'm not going to be envious of something that he can afford that I can't. I'm not envious of the first lady and her $2,000 dresses that she can afford that I can't. But bottom line -
(BUZZER SOUNDS)
LOESCH: -- this is a disaster. It's a disaster. Disaster.
PHILLIPS: Cornell, shopping at tiffany's?
BELCHER: In the South, we call that a backhand compliment, by the way, her $2,000 dresses. You know, I don't know if he's running for president or running for a rap mogul. I think the million-dollar Tiffany's line of credit is an issue because it does sort of speak to your character and sort of speaks to who you are. I think voters will look at that and say, this is not a guy who can get me, who will understand me. His campaign is over.
PHILLIPS: Newt Diddy, is that what you just said?
BELCHER: Newt Diddy!
(LAUGHTER)
PHILLIPS: Pete Dominick?
DOMINICK: Oh, Kyra. Poor Newt Gingrich. He has been under water for weeks, and the only time we hear about him is when an air bubble of negative news pops up to the surface. I think Newt Gingrich might be able to save his campaign if he'll buy a Tiffany's bracelet for all his major supporters. How about that idea? Newt, listening?
PHILLIPS: Ooh, that's going to cost him! Might be a lot more than a million bucks.
All right, Buzzer Beater. Bristol Palin, tell-all memoir, hits bookstores this week. She write in graphic detail about her sex life with Levi Johnston, at one point saying, quote, "I was part thank-you, part security deposit." Do we even care? Cornell.
BELCHER: Sounds like the end of a lot of my dates, actually.
(LAUGHTER)
PHILLIPS: Cornell's dating life.
BELCHER: I think -- I think it's bothersome because it does hurt Sarah Palin because she's a darling of the social right -
(BUZZER SOUNDS)
BELCHER: -- and those people care most about values.
PHILLIPS: Dana?
LOESCH: Yes, people care. People cared about Sarah Palin's e- mails enough they were will to pore over them more than they were the health care law, more than they were anything else. They care absolutely anything a Palin does. PHILLIPS: Pete?
DOMINICK: We shouldn't care about what Bristol Palin does. She's 20. Unless she's conducted symphonies or sailed around the world, you're a loser for buying this book. I'm sorry.
This is what I think of when I think of when I think about Bristol Palin? That's how it makes me feel.
PHILLIPS: Dana, Cornell -
PHILLIPS: Is Tom Hanks watching me? Does Tom Hanks know I do --
PHILLIPS: Yes, actually - actually is here. And he says your comedy sucks. I'm sorry, Pete.
(LAUGHTER)
DOMINICK: Oh, no! I'm crushed!
PHILLIPS: Oh, wait! I only had ten seconds. And there he is. Yes, lessons to Pete Dominick on how to do comedy. Bye, guys.
One of the nation's top economists, Federal Reserve chief Ben Bernanke set to speak today. With the economic recovery clearly slowing down, well, his assessment becomes even more important. Felicia Taylor at New York Stock Exchange. Felicia, stocks not doing so much right now.
FELICIA TAYLOR, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, actually, the Fed chief's news conference is the main event today, and all eyes will be waiting for that. In the meantime, we'll see a little bit of a churning in the marketplace and, indeed, stocks are down across the board but frankly not as much as they were earlier. We'll have no big moves until investors hear from him at about 2:15 Eastern time.
Wall Street wants to hear Bernanke's thoughts on the economy. We've had some latest reads on GDP and manufacturing showing slowing growth. We've also had some numbers recently about the housing and job market. And those frankly don't look like they're getting any better any time soon.
The Fed has been propping up the economy by buying billions of dollars in bonds. That program ends this month. It was controversial. Some say not quite as good as advocates would have said or as bad as opponents claim. We'll find out when it all comes to an end at the end of this month. Kyra?
PHILLIPS: Felicia, thanks. And coming up.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JULIA ROBERTS, ACTRESS (acting): Good morning, Larry.
TOM HANKS, ACTOR (acting): Good morning.
ROBERTS: Should I have been calling you lance all this time?
ROBERTS: Oh, only one person calls me Lance.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLLIPS: And the man who brought Lance to life, sitting right here, in studio with me. Tom Hanks talks about the new movie, and maybe we might be able to talk him into a few other things as he slowly moves into studio.
(LAUGHTER)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: That's a deal.
Let's head "Cross-Country" now. Alvin, Texas. A single mom trying to stop three brothers from stealing beer from a local Wal- Mart. Here's what she did. She chased them to the car, jumped on the roof, then tried to open the driver's door. Well, as the car sped off, you kind of see what happens here. She fell to the pavement.
(LAUGHTER)
TOM HANKS, ACTOR: Were they her brothers?
PHILLIPS: I knew Tom was going to say something.
HANKS: They were her own brothers.
PHILLIPS: It was actually Tom Hanks' beer.
HANKS: No!
PHILLIPS: The cops were arrested -- arresting --
HANKS: Why steal beer from a Wal-Mart? You don't find cheaper beer than you have at Wal-Mart? How much money are you trying to save.
PHILLIPS: OK, so much for that script. So much --
HANKS: I mean, the will and terror in the car (ph) is going to. Well anyway, I don't know --
PHILLIPS: -- for that script. So much for that script.
HANKS: No, no, no, no! This is important news. It must go out all over the country.
PHILLIPS: Let's move it up to E-3, shall we? Perfect.
HANKS: Let's see what we can do here.
PHILLIPS: He's been on our screens, large and small, for a very long time -- HANKS: Save it for Headline News, without a doubt.
PHILLIPS: -- but Tom Hanks still has perfect timing.
HANKS: Oh, my God.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JULIA ROBERTS, ACTRESS (acting): Why is Congress saying one thing and doing nothing?
HANKS (acting): Well, tradition mostly.
ROBERTS: You sit at the intersection of the State Department, the Pentagon and the CIA. The three agencies you would need to conduct a covert war.
HANKS: Yes.
I want the CIA in my office at 10:00.
What is the U.S. strategy in Afghanistan?
PHILLIP SEYMOUR HOFFMAN, ACTOR (acting): Well, strictly speaking, we don't have one, but we're working hard on that.
HANKS: Who's we?
HOFFMAN: Me and three other guys.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: All right. You knew exactly where I was going.
HANKS: Yes. That clip took place in the 1970s. Reagan was president when we made that clip. So, don't try to, like, turn this into something that's ripped right out of today's headlines.
PHILLIPS: OK. But here's what I'm thinking --
HANKS: We should throw the Russians out of Afghanistan. I'll still stay by that!
PHILLIPS: OK, c'mon! Charlie Wilson had a warning years ago --
HANKS: Yes, he did.
PHILLIPS: He did. Now here we are talking about drawdown of troops. We're talking about the longest war in history.
HANKS: Yes.
PHILLIPS: What do you think?
HANKS: Well, I think this is what happens when you try to -- you take action years and years ago. And guess what, Afghanistan remains Afghanistan, I guess.
The Afghanistan of Charlie Wilson was all about -- he wanted to go head to head with the Russians, you see. He wanted to go to battle with the Communists. And not long after that, the Berlin well - Berlin Wall fell down.
I don't know if you can make direct connections from when Reagan was president to now, but I'm going to --
PHILLIPS: You're too young to remember that.
HANKS: I actually -- no, I actually -- I actually voted in that election.
PHILLIPS: Really?
HANKS: Yes.
PHILLIPS: You look good for your age.
HANKS: For a guy whose butt Reagan kicked but --
PHILLIPS: That's a whole other story.
HANKS: Yes.
PHILLIPS: Well, we're not going to get too - well no. We are going to get political.
HANKS: That's all right.
PHILLIPS: Let's do this. Apollo 13. OK, this totally works into the headline. The guy you played, the astronaut you played, coming out and talking about the program coming to an end.
HANKS: What did Jim say?
PHILLIPS: You don't know what Jim said?
HANKS: No, no, no. I must say, I've been --
PHILLIPS: Well, it's probably how you feel. You wanted to be an astronaut -- every little boy wants to be an astronaut since they're this high. The program's going away. What do you think, is it a mistake?
HANKS: No, the program obviously is going to evolve into something other than it is. The space shuttle has done its job. We have the ISS that's up there.
I think what's to happen has to happen occur is the same sort of national mandate and sort of, like, will of human kind in order to go to whatever the next step is. I don't think anybody knows what that is now. So, what can you do now except get scientist up on the microgravity of the space station and try to come up with whatever needs to come up with? PHILLIPS: Why - why are you so into the space program?
HANKS: Well, when I was growing up it was an example of everything that we were studying in school. It was geopolitics because it was against the Russians. It was technology and science because they were doing it for the very first time. There was economics involved because it was incredibly expensive. And there was a sociological question of it, too, which is why are we doing this? Isn't it more important to look at our own problems?
But the real thing is it was a romantic quest at that some point, human beings were going to stand on the moon and look back at earth. I was happy to be alive at a time when someone was going do do that for the first time. I was in Red Bluff, California.
PHILLIPS: Do you remember the moment?
HANKS: Yes, I do. Very much so. I was laying underneath my mom's couch playing with my Major Matt Mason, as a matter of fact.
(LAUGTHER)
PHILLIPS: Major Matt Mason! Oh, my gosh!
HANKS: Do you remember Major Matt Mason?
PHILLIPS: We are going retro. I don't want to admit. No, I don't remember.
HANKS: You don't remember?
PHILLIPS: Yes, I do!
HANKS: Well, because you weren't alive yet. You were going to be born another ten years from then.
PHILLIPS: Thank you. I love you. I was on my Easy Bake Oven at that time.
All right. President Obama, you've been a big supporter --
HANKS: And I will be again! Let me take it right now. I'm going to vote for him for his re-election in 2012. I beat to you the punch.
PHILLIPS: No, hold on a second. Gay marriage, OK --
HANKS: Yes, yes.
PHILLIPS: You're a supporter.
HANKS: I view --
PHILLIPS: His views are, quote/unquote, "evolving."
HANKS: I view people getting married as a commitment of fidelity and honor. What's wrong with that? PHILLIPS: Does he need to endorse gay marriage. Does President Obama need to endorse it?
HANKS: Does he need to -- isn't that above my pay grade to make comments on?
PHILLIPS: No! Are you kidding me? You're Tom Hanks --
HANKS: I think all of America should endorse the idea because there's nothing to be afraid of. Now, the hate mail can be sent to me --
PHILLIPS: Tom Hanks at -
(CROSSTALK)
PHILLIPS: So, what do you think of the president, how is he doing? Has he lived up to your expectations?
HANKS: He expanded my expectations. OK. Since we're on CNN, let's not talk about the movie I'm selfishly promoting. Let's get into the hard-hitting aspect.
PHILLIPS: We'll talk about Larry Crowne after the break, I promise.
HANKS: You if you would have told me a few years ago that "don't ask, don't tell" would be repealed and about a billion jobs at General Motors and Chrysler would be saved because the president was smart enough and strong enough and bold enough to do so, I would have said wow. That's a good president, I think I'll vote for him again.
PHILLIPS: Boom.
HANKS: Boom! And once again, the hate mail can be sent to Tom Hanks, care of I hate what you think.com.
PHILLIPS: You have tackled many, many important issues through your movies. Is there an issue that you really want to talk about before you die, before you're six feet under. Do you want to make a movie about this?
HANKS: I would be - I would be -- very suspicious of anybody saying, at last I've made the movie that talks about what I want to make a movie of. Make a documentary of that, and put it out there and let it speak for itself.
PHILLIPS: Is there something, though? Is there something in there you really, really want to do and you haven't done it yet?
HANKS: No, I can't say there is because otherwise I'd be a politician rather than an artist. I think I'm an artist.
There are certainly all sorts of issues that will come up. Well, like -- I'm not trying to promote even more movies than Larry Crowne which you have yet to mention, thank you very much -- PHILLIPS: We're doing a whole segment after the break!
HANKS: All right, all right.
PHILLIPS: I want to talk about -
HANKS: Well, for example, I'm in a move that Steven Daltry (ph) just directed with Sandy Bullock called "Extremely Loud, Incredibly Close," and that's really dealing with the real human aftermath of 9/11, I think, in a brand new and very personal way. But we'll see if it works or not.
PHILLIPS: Will you join me again when that is ready to go?
HANKS: Not if you're going to wear that dress.
(LAUGHTER)
PHILLIPS: OK. I promise we're going to let tom talk about the movie Larry crowne.
HANKS: I want to see something -
PHILLIPS: I swear -
HANKS: I want to see something -- you a liar!
PHILLIPS: We're going to take a quick break. I'm not giving him any more coffee, Red Bull --
HANKS: Don't you view scooters as --
PHILLIPS: I had a scooter, by the way.
HANKS: -- an evil Asian influence? OK, all right.
PHILLIPS: We'll be right back.
HANKS: Once again, the hate mail can go to Tom Hanks.IHateWhatYouThink.com.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: I'm not even going to read the intro.
HANKS: OK, let's hear this! It is not being called "The Recession Love Story," except by your cheap-shot editors. It's a romantic comedy that takes place in the face of indiscriminate corporate indifference. That's what it is! And it's funny as hell!
PHILLIPS: Do me a favor, run the funny as hell clip. I need some help.
(LAUGHTER)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) HANKS: It's Larry crowne!
ROBERTS: Right, hi.
HANKS: I have you for speech (INAUDIBLE) in just a couple of minutes.
ROBERTS: Yes, you do.
HANKS: I saw you singing.
ROBERTS: Oh, I'm just drowning out the GPS. See, it never stops.
HANKS: No wonder. That's a Map Genie. Back when I sold you such things, I would have steered you toward a Vortex. Because the Map Genie has - it's very complicated.
Well, no wonder. The auto on feature is engaged. So, menu, select, features, auto, voice select, change, yes. On, off. Good.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANKS: The mikes are hot.
PHILLIPS: Now, you say in many ways Larry Crowne is you. Were you a geek? Are you a geek?
HANKS: No, no, not at all. Not at all. No, I'm not a geek.
PHILLIPS: You've always been cool? You never struggled to be cool?
HANKS: No, no, no. Here. Larry Crowne gave up on being cool. Here's what we have in common: I waited until a chick came along and made me cool. Like Larry Crowne, like all the smart guys here amongst your nonunion crew.
They wait for a woman, yes, to come along and say, I like you. You're cooler than you think are you. You're going to get a haircut and you're going to stop tucking in shirts like that and you're going to wear different kind of pants. And put on these boots, they'll going to alter the way you stand. And when you do that --
PHILLIPS: Who dressed you today?
HANKS: Who dressed me? I believe I'm married to the taste maker Rita Wilson.
PHILLIPS: Rita, not bad! Not bad!
HANKS: She approves. She approves all of my celebrity meal train wardrobe.
PHILLIPS: You look fantastic.
HANKS: Thank you very much. That's very kind of you.
(LAUGHTER)
PHILLIPS: That's for Rita. Talia, she is this character and she takes you, the geek Larry Crowne, and hips you up.
HANKS: This is what can happen when you open yourself up to the environment like a community college, is that you will park next to somebody who will change your life somehow. She's just a nice girl. I'm riding a scoooter. She says, hey, you want to join my gang? Next thing you know, I got places to go, I got people to hang out, and I got a much, much better wardrobe.
PHILLIPS: It's all about reinvening yourself. That's exactly what Larry Crowne had to do.
HANKS: Well, there's a brand of reinvention that comes around because have you to or because you want to.
PHILLIPS: A lot of people doing that now, Tom.
HANKS: I know. This is part of -- in all honesty, this is part of the American dream is is that you able to reinvent yourself should you have to or should you want to. Now, it takes a lot of faith and guts and also takes the help of an awful lot of like-minded people. I think by and large, 80 percent of the people out there are willing to say, you need a hand? And that's what Larry runs into.
PHILLIPS: If you could reinvent yourself, you would, dot, dot, dot?
HANKS: I would take over this network. (CLEARS THROAT)
PHILLIPS: Oops.
HANKS: I would take over this network, (CLEARS THROAT) and I'd put you in a skin-tight cat uniform.
PHILLIPS: Oh, god! All right. We're going to break. We're going to check Sports. Are we going to check Sports? Yes?
You know what, Tom, you're doing sports. Go, go, go, take it away.
HANKS: The Washington Nationals stage a thriller comeback against the Sierra Mariners. They scored five runs with two outs in the ninth inning. That's baseball!
Wilson Ramos has the game winning three-winning homer for the Nats. It was the first walk-off home run of his career. And the biggest ninth-innning comeback in Nashville's history. Fistfights broke out, it was so exciting!
You know, a fan at Fenway Park was kicking back with his buddies, and then a foul ball bounces off the rail two rows in front of him and plops right in his beer cup. That's a waste of beer! His shirts and pants are soaked, but he rung them out and sucked on them in the car on the way home. No problem! He raises the cup, takes a sip, ball and suds. That's why kids go to baseball game so a beer will - a ball will end in Dad's beer.
The Texas Rangers gave out sunglasses at last night's game - at a night game with the Houston Astros. That's so you wouldn't have to see the game! 33,000 fans, including George W. Bush, former president of the United States, and the Rangers team president Nolan Ryan, put on the shades and pretended to be other people than they actually are! That was at the end of the sixth inning. They looked cool. They went home and made love to their wives and girlfriends.
(LAUGHTER)
HANKS: the Rangers were hoping to set the record for the most people wearing sunglasses in the dark. As though that matters.
And now Jon Huntsman heads to South Carolina today after declaring for the White House. And the conservatives want to know if he's flip flopping on a health care mandate? Yes or no?
How was that?
PHILLIPS: If I get fired, will you please get me a job?
HANKS: Geez! I'm exhausted.
PHILLIPS: Holy crap, I've got to take a break!
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Well, looking ahead at some of the headlines making news later today. On Capitol Hill, a House subcommittee will hold a hearing on the lasting implications of the GM bailout. That's taking place at 1:30 Eastern.
And your money is also in the spotlight today. The Fed hold a meeting on whether to raise interest rates. We expect to hear from Federal Reserve chair Ben Bernanke at 2:15 on that.
And President Obama revealing his troop withdrawal plan for Afghanistan in a primetime address, tonight 8:00 Eastern.
Jon huntsman heads to South Carolina today after declaring for the White House and conservatives want to know if he's flip-flopping on a health care mandate.
(COMMERCAIL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Fresh off his announcement he's running for president, Jon Huntsman heading to South Carolina today. And he may have some 'splaing to do to conservatives, right, Jim Acosta?
JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Kyra. They'll be doing some conservative tire-kicking down in South Carolina today. That's where Jon Huntsman will be. And he does have some explaining to do on a number of positions he's taken as governor of Utah.
One of them is health care. You'll remember, Lyra, health care has been a problem for Mitt Romney, who had an individual mandate in his health care plan in Massachusetts. Well, Jon Huntsman, when he was governor of Utah, also passed health care reform and at one point supported an individual mandate.
He talked about this on a public TV station out in Salt Lake City. And I asked him about it yesterday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JON HUNTSMAN (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIATE: I'm comfortable with a requirement. You can call it whatever you want, but at some point we're going to have to get serious about how we deal with this issue.
ACOSTA: Isn't it true you once supported a mandate?
HUNTSMAN: Oh, no. You take a look at what we passed. And it's based on free market principles. Of course, we looked at every conceivable option. That's natural for any government to do. But take a look at what we signed.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ACOSTA: yes, the big sticking point in all of this is whether or not conservatives can be comfortable with a Republican candidate who once supported an individual mandate. You know, that is a requirement, Kyra, as you know, that makes people buy health insurance. It's a huge sticking point for conservatives when it comes to the president's national health care law. They may have a tough time getting around a Republican who did a similar thing or supported a similar thing when they were in their jobs as governor or taking positions as perhaps a senator. This is going to be a problem for Jon Huntsman.
He'll be down in South Carolina later today. There's a whole slew of issues where he's going to have to explain himself on these issues, but he claims that he is going to be the conservative to go up against Mitt Romney once this field is whittled down. So, we'll have to see what happens and how Jon Huntsman handles this as the days go on, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Jim Acosta, thanks. And we'll have 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, 24/7, CNNpolitics.com.
That does it for us. We'll see you back here tomorrow morning. Now, Suzanne Malveaux.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN ANCHOR: Tom Hanks, that was fantastic!
PHILLIPS: My heart is still in my throat. I had no idea what I was in for. I am forever changed.
(LAUGHTER)
MALVEAUX: He answered more questions than any of those presidential candidates will ever answer. You went at him, all angles.
PHILLIPS: You know what? I'm voting for Tom Hanks for president. I don't know about you.
MALVEAUX: Let's see if he's going to run. Thanks, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: You bet, Suzanne.
MALVEAUX: See you.
