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Debt Limit Battle in Congress Continues; Mobster in Court; Obama Skipped Latino Conference; Ten Reported Dead In Syria; Casey Anthony Murder Trial: Lee Anthony Breaks Down

Aired June 24, 2011 - 16:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: And, folks, as promised, watch this.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BALDWIN: Any minute now, one of America's most wanted fugitives will appear in court to face the music. And coming up live, I will be speaking with one of Whitey Bulger's former mobsters. And he says Bulger had help.

I'm Brooke Baldwin. The news is now.

(voice-over): Murder, drugs, cash -- secrets of the mob world unveiled, how Whitey Bulger ruled a city and disappeared into thin air.

BOB STUTMAN, FORMER DEA AGENT: He could kill you for good reason. He could kill you for a bad reason. He could kill you for no reason.

BALDWIN: The feds say two men wanted to unleash terror, machine guns, grenades, all part of one plot in a major city.

Plus, more blood, more violence, and CNN is not only inside Syria. We are getting closer to the chaos.

HALA GORANI, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We're here in the Syrian capital for the first time since the unrest began.

BALDWIN: Hala Gorani joins me live the only way CNN can.

And game on. Ladies in the media, meet ladies of Congress. The annual softball battle included some favorite fans, a supreme pitcher, and our very own Brianna Keilar and Dana Bash.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: What I notice is that you're about to give birth.

BALDWIN: Folks, this one turned into a thriller. Find out who hit the game winner.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BALDWIN: Got a little bit of everything for you this next hour. Welcome back. I'm Brooke Baldwin.

As we mentioned, any minute now, suspected mob boss Whitey Bulger is due in court in his old stomping grounds in Boston. He's going to face not just one, but two judges here. It's a sign of his status as a legendary South Boston mobster and subject of the biggest manhunt in FBI history.

Bulger arrived at the courthouse just about an hour ago. While you saw it, we were live on the air. Take a look back at this.

Go ahead.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Yes, no, go ahead.

DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Brooke, take a look. Brooke, take a look. Brooke -- take a look, Brooke.

This -- we believe that this might be him. Take a look. OK, U.S. Marshal van number one, van number two, van number three. We got another van coming around. This one is blocking. You can see all of this carefully organized, carefully orchestrated. They have got to get him in. Clearly, there's a concern that something could happen.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Got to love live TV, folks. Bulger was flown into Boston Logan Airport from Los Angeles, rushed directly to the courthouse in one of those SUVs. The FBI says he's responsible for at least, at least 19 murders.

So now take a look. These are images from Santa Monica, California -- $800,000 and more than two dozen guns were found in his rent-controlled apartment in that city located down in a dingy hallway building blocks from the beach in Santa Monica. And there is a feeling this case could be the beginning of something much, much bigger, if Whitey Bulger decides to divulge everything he knows.

Want to go to John "Red" Shea. He knows Whitey Bulger pretty well. He ran drugs and served as an enforcer for Bulger's South Boston, the Southie mob Winter Hill Gang. John wrote about it in his memoir called "Rat Bastards."

And, sir, you want me to call you John or Red?

JOHN "RED" SHEA, FORMER MOBSTER: Red is fine.

BALDWIN: Let's go with Red.

Red, you got a text Wednesday night that, after 16 years, Whitey Bulger was caught. What was your reaction? And also you are a native of Southie. What was the reaction there?

SHEA: I -- I thought it was a joke. I got a text from a friend saying they got the rat, and I thought it was a joke. And I looked and realized that it wasn't a joke.

BALDWIN: Not at all a joke. And, also, though, in Southie, people celebrating this?

SHEA: Not really. South Boston is a very low-key town as far as personal business goes. They're old-school. It's an old-school town. And it's kind of like, you know, if you watched "Goodfellas" or something like that in the old neighborhood.

BALDWIN: So let's go back some years, Red. When you were a teen, you were running drugs, running cocaine for Bulger. But, at the same time, from what I understand, he was like a surrogate father to you. How so? Did he give you advice?

SHEA: At times, he was.

Yes, he did. He used to tell me to read, self-educate myself, read history books, and work out all the time, which I did, because I was a boxer, and to eat healthy. He was very big in health. And he tried to guide me in that sense as a -- almost like a father, yes.

BALDWIN: So fair to say you knew him pretty well. And he's been off the radar, Red, for 16 years. How do you think he pulled that off --

SHEA: Yes.

BALDWIN: -- in Santa Monica, of all places?

SHEA: Well, the funny thing about it is I believe that there were -- he had some help from old -- old FBI agents, FBI agents that had no longer been in service, that probably still had contacts and sources that probably helped him out along the way.

And it was probably also close -- close friends, possibly family, that also helped him some way or somehow.

BALDWIN: Why do you think that? Do you know something, or is it just your gut?

SHEA: It's my gut. It's my opinion.

BALDWIN: If he were sitting in front of you right now, what would you say? What would you -- what would you say to him?

SHEA: Well, I have -- I talk about this in my book, "Rat Bastards." I have this dream that I have occasionally, and it's a dream of me seeing him in the streets of New York, just bumping into him and grabbing a hold of him and pulling him into a building and asking him, why? Why did he -- why did he become an informant against basically myself and betrayed the code of silence? And --

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: What do you do in that dream?

SHEA: -- he wanted -- in that dream, I snap his neck.

BALDWIN: You snap his neck. And this is all because --

SHEA: I do.

BALDWIN: -- you went to jail, you served time, you never ratted him out. What do you say about rats in Southie?

SHEA: Well, it's -- I think it's -- realize that rats in any mob world is a no-no, and especially in Southie. Southie, you grew up, accept your responsibility, even if the guy next to you can't. If you do something wrong, you pay your price for it, and that's just the way it is.

BALDWIN: Red, last question to you. What happens now that he's in custody, facing all kinds of charges? What if he talks? What if he continues to rat and tell all to the FBI?

SHEA: I believe -- I believe he might have some more to give, but I don't think he has a whole lot to give, to be honest with you, because most of the guys have already been convicted of most of these crimes.

And so I really don't think he has too much to give. Where he might have to give is the people who obviously helped him along the way for the 16 years. Those people have something to worry about, for sure, and, you know, because he's not going to talk about a body that he killed himself, because then he'd be piling it back on himself. He wouldn't put more weight on himself.

And, you know, the funny thing about it is, when he was in Santa Monica --

BALDWIN: You were there blocks from him.

SHEA: -- where he got -- where he got captured, three blocks away, my friend, personal friend Ken Kokin, who was a producer on "Usual Suspects," lived. And I was out there with Ken Kokin writing this screenplay for "Rat Bastards."

And I walked by this house many times from Ken's strolling down the street.

BALDWIN: Wow.

SHEA: And I couldn't -- I just can't believe it. I can't believe that I -- he was actually in the backyard, so to speak, if you will, of my friend's house all those years.

BALDWIN: I understand he was walking along with his girlfriend on the Third Street promenade there many times, seen. Imagine if you had bumped into him. I don't know if I want to imagine that. But --

SHEA: And --

BALDWIN: Go ahead. Final thought. SHEA: -- I was just there -- I was just there in November.

BALDWIN: Red Shea, thank you so much. Good luck with your screenplay.

SHEA: Thank you.

BALDWIN: You have written a memoir. You're working on that screenplay. Thank you so much. Appreciate it.

What an interview.

(CROSSTALK)

SHEA: Thank you so much, Brooke.

BALDWIN: Sure.

And I want to remind everyone we're monitoring -- we have Develop Feyerick outside that courtroom, that federal courthouse in Boston. We saw those SUVs roll up just about an hour ago, presumably carrying Whitey Bulger, facing many, many charges. And of course, if anything else breaks there, we will bring that to you live. What a story.

Coming up, the small item CIA found in Osama bin Laden's compound that's revealing something huge. Did Pakistan help bin Laden hide all those years? You won't believe what we're learning here.

Plus, we're just getting word a Hollywood legend has died, the news just in on Peter Falk next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: All right. You know the deal here. If it's interesting and it's happening right now, you're about to see it rapid fire. Let's go, beginning with this.

The U.S. military role in NATO's Libya mission not popular in the House of Representatives. A resolution to show support for U.S. operations over Libya failed by a big margin in the Republican- controlled House today. It is believed that these House members don't believe President Obama consulted them sufficiently before committing all those U.S. troops and weapons to the NATO led campaign. Also today in a later vote, the House rejected a bill that would have cut funding for the U.S. involvement in the mission.

In Arizona, the hacker group calling itself LulzSec has police on edge after stealing some sensitive information about the officers and then releasing it. The personal files included e-mails, names, phone numbers and addresses and passwords. The group says they did it in retaliation for what they are calling the anti-immigrant police state that is Arizona.

The State Highway Patrol Association says this act puts officers at risk. The same group here, LulzSec, has previously taken responsibility for attacks on the CIA, the U.S. Senate and several video game companies.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is unbelievable.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It kind of just makes a big lump in your throat.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Heartbreaking images here. This is Minot, North Dakota, massive, historic flooding surpassing levels from 1881. Parts of the area already look like a lake. And forecasters say the worst is yet to come -- five more feet expected.

Smoke from massive fires along the eastern border of Georgia and Florida is making its way across the Atlantic. Take a look there. This is a NASA image. And you can kind of see the smoke there over the ocean.

Officials say most of the smoke is from the Honey Prairie Complex fire, which has burned more than 266,000 acres.

To Houston, where a deadly crash left a bus in two different pieces. Investigators believe a crash with a dump truck sent the bus into a concrete beam, splitting it in half, killing the bus driver. We are told he was the only one onboard that bus.

And a TV legend has died. Actor and Academy Award nominee Peter Falk passed away at the age of 83. Falk probably best known for his role in a TV series, "Columbo," died peacefully in his home last night. That is according to longtime family friend and attorney.

Falk is survived by his wife of over 34 years and two daughters from a previous marriage.

And a militant group in Pakistan says it did not hide and protect Osama bin Laden. They're responding to that "New York Times" article today that draws the line from al Qaeda to this group that's close to the Pakistani intelligence community. A cell phone found in bin Laden's compound reportedly contains information showing this group knew where bin Laden was holed up.

In fact, just a little while ago, I spoke to a former CIA operative about this piece of intel.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIKE BAKER, FMR. CIA COVERT OPERATIONS OFFICER: And so, what they're looking at now is this question of to what degree can they piece those communications together to show definitively -- and there's not a smoking gun yet -- but to show definitively that some members of ISI were aware of bin Laden's presence? And it does defy logic and common sense to think that there weren't some people -- not necessarily the top levels -- but some people within that organization that knew. (END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Also this -- government forces spraying bullets at protesters in Syria. And, today, several more people are dead.

Remember, no journalists have been allowed in this country since the bloodshed began, that is until now. Hala Gorani, she has been trying, as we've been talking about this, for months and months to get into Syria. Now, she's there live in the capital city. And she's going to come on and tell me what she's been seeing on the ground, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Ten people died in protest-related clashes today in Syria. And another person died from injuries suffered just a -- from a couple days ago. That is according to a human rights group tracking a fresh wave of anti-government uprisings in Syria.

And, you know, for weeks, we have been telling you that CNN has not been allowed to report from inside this country until now. That has changed.

Hala Gorani is now in the capital city live for me in Damascus.

And, Hala, tell me what you've seen in the time you've been there and if you can also just touch on some of these deadly clashes that have been reported. What happened?

We can't hear her. We can't hear her. We're going to stand by and hopefully we can get her microphone turned on.

Meantime, I see her over my shoulder, Candy Crowley standing by -- good thing she is -- with the latest news off the Political Ticker.

Candy, to you. What do you have?

CANDY CROWLEY, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: A little bit easier to talk from Washington, D.C., than from Syria.

Listen, a couple things on the ticker, most of them having to do with 2012. There is a meeting this week of Latino elected and appointed leaders. It's in Texas.

For the third year in a row, the president was invited. For the third year in the row, he declined. That has caused hurt feelings among that group who say not only has he not delivered on his promise of immigration reform, but they think symbolically it would have been important for the president to show up.

The White House says, listen, the president can't go everywhere. It's a scheduling problem. But his efforts on behalf of all the Americans can't be measured in a number of the meetings that he goes to.

Nonetheless, symbolism in politics does mean a lot. Latinos, a very, very important voting group.

The president did find time to go to Pennsylvania where the Republican Party greeted him with some acid words, including that the president -- according to the Republican Party chairman in Pennsylvania -- the president was coming to talk about jobs and the economy, but the only job he's interested in is his own. That is the president's.

And finally, just a little something from our Sunday show, Brooke, we'll be interviewing Jim DeMint. I don't know -- he's a Tea Party favorite. He riled some of his Republican colleagues in the Senate when he backed candidates that were not necessarily traditional Republican candidates in the last election.

But he is going after President Obama today and President Obama's announcement that he would -- or the White House announcement the president would release about 30 million gallons of oil from the Strategic Oil Reserve. And Jim DeMint saving some of his choice words saying, "The president is trying to be the wizard behind the curtain in the Wizard of Oz. He's trying to control our economy from Washington and that's not how it works."

So, a rough day for the president I think.

BALDWIN: Getting it from all sides, he has been lately, I guess.

CROWLEY: Rhetorically.

BALDWIN: Yes. Candy Crowley, thank you so much for standing by and hopping in for me. We'll check you out at 9:00 a.m., Sunday morning "STATE OF THE UNION."

Now back as promised, we've been working on it. Hala Gorani live in Damascus, inside Syria.

And, Hala, what I was asking you was if you can just tell me what you've seen since you've been in country. And what do you know about these reported deadly clashes? What happened?

HALA GORANI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: All right. Hopefully, you can hear me now.

Well, Brooke, when over the last few weeks, I've told you consistently that it's impossible for CNN to verify the authenticity of this online video independently. And the reason for that, we're not granted access to these areas where uprisings are taking place. Well, that in essence hasn't changed.

We are in Damascus. It's a fantastic opportunity to see what's going on here firsthand. But we're not able, because we're followed by government minders, to go to these areas where these demonstrations are erupting and where there is violence, according to activists and based on the evidence we see online and on these amateur YouTube videos.

What we are able to see, however, is the heart of the Syrian capital. We were taken today to the old city, the Umayyad mosque, the famous Umayyad mosque. There we saw a small but vocal pro-Assad, pro- Bashir al-Assad demonstrators.

And you had among these demonstrators a common thread, that those who are responsible for the unrest and crisis in Syria are the foreigners. They're foreign agents. They're even cable news channels in some cases.

In fact, there was some -- one chant I found amusing, "If you don't clap with us right now, your mother is Qatari."

Now, let me explain that one. Qatar, of course, is where al Jazeera is based. This is a way for them to blame the satellite news channel for giving a negative image of the country.

So, it's a fascinating opportunity as I said to see this one side of the story we haven't been able to see so far, and an ability firsthand to see that in the capital, at least. It's still -- every day life still ticks on as normal, though it's a bit quieter because there are no tourists.

BALDWIN: Let's talk about the condemnation today by the European counsel. You know, do you think that will make any difference in the Syrian government's approach to these protesters you've been seeing?

GORANI: You know, yes, every little bit of pressure is going to have an impact. The question is, will it be a big enough impact to sort of force thing to budge? And the answer, at this stage, appears to be no.

However, the much longer term possibility is that because this economy is suffering, and it is suffering, there are no tourists, foreign direct investment is going down, estimates for growth every year have been lowered -- because all this is happening, those middle and merchant classes that right now are still supporting the regime or are not joining the opposition, might change sides.

And so, it's internally that things might change in this country, rather than from external pressure.

So, I don't think this is something that will be resolved in a matter of weeks, unlike Egypt, for instance.

BALDWIN: Sure.

GORANI: This is a much longer term process. Things are changing. Things -- very significant things are going on, but the timeline appears to be much longer.

BALDWIN: Well, I'm just glad you're able to bear witness to some of those changes. We were just sitting here in Atlanta on the sofa over here predicting you might get in country the end of the summer. Here we go, in CNN style, we're in now. Hala Gorani in Damascus -- thank you.

Back home, the feds say these two men wanted to use grenades and machine guns to kill Americans in one major city. CNN now has their YouTube videos. And what you will see, it is disturb disturbing.

Plus, one of the suspects has a profile on a dating Web site. Find out just who he was looking for, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: By now, you've probably heard there was a terror plot to attack a military recruitment facility. This was in Seattle.

And these two men here were arrested last night. The FBI calling them would-be terrorists. They're Americans.

The man on the left side of your screen, the guy with the glasses and a beard -- that is Abu Khalid Abdul-Latif. He was Joe Davis before he converted to Islam several years ago. And he talks a lot about Islam and his conversion on YouTube.

It's pretty fascinating to watch here in light of his arrest last night. I want to play just part of it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ABU KHALID ABDUL-LATIF/JOSEPH DAVIS, CHARGED WITH PLANNING TERROR ATTACK: People, they want to sit out here now and call Islam a terrorist religion. But terrorism started a long time Islam. There are many terrorists out here from every other religion today. It's a common law.

But no one talks about that. No one talks about the baby (INAUDIBLE) Catholicism or Christianity.

There isn't any proof that Muslims have anything to do with September 11th, but we take the blame because we don't want to be targeted.

Well, we're already targeted. If you have a beard, if you have dress, if you pray, if people even know you're a Muslim, no matter how you try to cover it up, they know you're a Muslim.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Abdul-Latif or Davis appeared several times on YouTube.

But I want you to look at this because it seems he was looking for love. This is a dating site. In fact, it's a Muslim dating site. This is Abdul-Latif's profile age. And on it, he is looking for a second wife religious, Muslim, second wife today.

"The Seattle Times" is reporting that Abdul-Latif filed for bankruptcy last month and he allegedly tried to kill himself twice and that he had spent time in prison when he was still Joe Davis.

Coming up, you've been asking for it on Twitter, the media versus Congress softball game. Brianna Keilar was there. Don't miss this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) BALDWIN: So, let me just say that my Twitter page has essentially exploded. So many of you were watching that interview I conducted at the top of the hour with Red Shea. He's a former mobster. He used to run essentially cocaine for Whitey Bulger, who is now in a courtroom in Boston. He's been on the lam for 16 years.

What an interview it was. He talked about dreaming and snapping Bulger's neck. If you missed it, guess what, we're going to put it on the blog for you. Just go to CNN.com/Brooke.

And now, this -- what happens when you give a bunch of politicians bats and balls and send them on a field with a bunch of reporters? Believe it or not, no one got hurt. Although I do hear Brianna Keilar might have pulled something. She's coming up next with your "Political Pop."

Watch this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We are ready to go.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You know what? We came from behind last year. We're going to stay in front the whole time this year.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Uh-oh, ladies talking some smack. It is Washington's answer to the "League of Their Own." They even threw in a Supreme Court justice for good measure and a very, very pregnant, did you see that? Dana Bash?

That's next. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: You know the movie "League of their Own," it's about a bunch of women playing baseball. And who could forget this line? This is from their coach, Tom Hanks.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TOM HANKS, ACTOR: Are you crying? There's no crying. There's no crying in baseball.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Well, there's no crying in our nation's capital last night. But there was a huge game on the diamond between the bad news babes and the lady lawmakers. And guess who scored one of the runs for the media team? My friend, CNN's Brianna Keilar.

Look at her. She's already like arms crossed -- yes, I was kind of awesome. She's stepping in for "Political Pop" today.

Obviously, Brianna, look, this is Washington. This game taken very, very seriously, a summer staple. Talk to me about who you saw.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it's pretty amazing this game. It brings out a lot of political heavy hitters, even just in the stands, Brooke.

So, there last night, we saw House Speaker Boehner. We saw Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, her deputy Steny Hoyer. Those were just the spectators.

There was a huge lineup of Democratic and Republican female lawmakers there.

And check out who was there to throw out the first pitch -- none other than Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor. And, you know, she did -- she did actually a pretty good job, I have to say. She told us we needed to report on it if she threw a strike. And I have to say that she ended up doing quite OK.

Now, the reason all these people come out, Brooke, really, it's for a good cause. This game benefits the Young Survival Coalition, which is really the top organization in the U.S. for young women 45 and under who suffer from breast cancer. So, a really good cause.

That's why you have all these Democrats and Republicans and people from different branches of government coming out.

BALDWIN: Well, let's listen to your big get, Supreme Court Justice Sotomayor. Let's listen.

Oh, we don't have it, I'm told. But bottom line, you were happy to be talking to her, obviously. There she was in her zebra print top throwing out the first pitch.

Oh, I'm told we have it right now. Well, then, let's listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SONIA SOTOMAYOR, U.S. SUPREME COURT JUSTICE: I just start throwing a softball. So, forgive me if it's not perfect.

(LAUGHTER)

SOTOMAYOR: If I throw a strike, you better report on it.

(LAUGHTER)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: So, Bri, who won?

KEILAR: Yes, I'm sort of burying the lead on that one. That may not be an accident because I have to say, it was the lawmakers who won. They won 5-4.

This was a total cliff hanger of a game, I have to tell you, because we tied things up. We were trailing. We tied things up in the sixth inning. Only seven innings.

And we tied things up there. You see that, brought it 4-4. And then at the bottom of the last inning, we saw our very own CNN's Erica Dimler. She had this amazing catch. She kept us in there.

But we just couldn't help it because Debbie Wasserman Schultz, line drive. She brought in Congresswoman Linda Sanchez for a home run. Two outs were on the board at that point, Brooke.

And so, we lost.

BALDWIN: Oh.

KEILAR: There will be a rematch in 2012. Make no mistake about it.

BALDWIN: Indeed there will. And I know we saw -- I saw video earlier of Dana Bash -- a very pregnant Dana bash who told me in her e-mail in 2 1/2 weeks. Here she is. So, who was she? She was the captain of the team?

KEILAR: Yes. So, she was one of the captains of the team and she was a captain last year as well and she played. She's actually a pretty good batter. But considering that she is nine months pregnant, no, she did not get up to bat.

Well, a lot of people got trophies. She was awarded a onesy. And I couldn't believe honestly that she came out but it was such a good cause. She said nothing was going to stop her.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DANA BASH, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It's for breast cancer awareness, the Young Survival Coalition. This is appropriate that this is an all-women thing and I'm sitting here nine months pregnant.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: Yes. So, good cause, yes, Brooke, but we take this pretty seriously. We do trash talking on Twitter for weeks leading up to the game. There is going to be a rematch. The rules, I have to say, were a little unequal.

I think I talked to you about this before. They said lawmakers could have four coaches, we could only have two.

BALDWIN: Totally unfair. Absolutely biased game. Anti-media. Clearly. We're breaking new ground with that.

Brianna Keilar, nice moves on the diamond. Thank you very much.

All right. Folks, let's get right to this -- this is just in to us here at CNN. The same-sex marriage bill in New York, here we go, just in from CNN's Mary Snow in Albany there. A source familiar with the negotiations says there is an agreement between the governor, the Cuomo administration, and legislative leaders on the language on an amendment to that same-sex marriage bill regarding protection protections for religious institutions to recognize same-sex marriage. So stay tuned. As I know Mary and Dana Garrett, a number of folks are digging on that there in Albany. And as soon as we get anything more definitive, we will let you know.

And, you know, while Washington has been focused on things like softball, as we just saw with Brianna, and, you know, debt and the debt ceiling and Libya, there was something really important that happened this week. And it pertains to the war in Afghanistan. And it's something that I know put things in perspective for me when I watched this. And I hope you'll stick around and watch it with me.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: This week was a pivotal one for the war in Afghanistan. President Obama announced 33,000 troops will come home by next summer and whether that's too fast or too slow, they simply depend on your politics.

The fact is this. It is too late for more than 1,600 Americans who have died there since 2001 and flags are at half-staff today in New Jersey for one soldier, 23-year-old Corporal James Harvey, whose remains arrived home this week alongside those of another soldier, PFC Joshua Jetin, a 21-year-old who leaves behind a wife, expecting twins.

Here now, we want to show you their dignified transfer at Dover Air Force Base.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: All right. As always, this is when I check in with my colleague, Wolf Blitzer to see what's coming up on "THE SITUATION ROOM."

When we chatted last, you asked if I watched the "Today Show." Just poof like magic because my team is that good, we pulled it up. Let's watch. There you go, Bruno Mars.

WOLF BLITZER, HOST, "THE SITUATION ROOM": Brooke, the team is good, but not great. That's not the clip we wanted. What we wanted was Bruno mars doing James Brown on the "Today Show." Not singing that lovely love song. He actually started dancing like James Brown. You got that clip?

BALDWIN: No. I kind of want to throw a piece of paper at the camera.

BLITZER: That's not the clip we wanted. We wanted to see Bruno Mars doing a little James Brown.

BALDWIN: You know, we can only do so much.

BLITZER: Are you old enough to remember James Brown? You know who James Brown is?

BALDWIN: I'm in my 30s, Blitzer. Of course, I know who James Brown is.

BLITZER: He does a great James Brown.

BALDWIN: We do what we can, Wolf. We do what we can.

BLITZER: Well, do that on Monday.

BALDWIN: OK. What do you have coming up on your show?

BLITZER: We don't have Bruno Mars. We obviously don't have James Brown. But we have a rare sit-down interview with the first lady of the United States, Michelle Obama.

BALDWIN: Really?

BLITZER: She sat down with our own Robyn Curnow in South Africa today and she really opens up, talks about raising her daughters in the White House, talks about the upcoming election.

And reflects on the memorable meeting she, Sasha and Malia had this week with Nelson Mandela, the former president of South Africa. So that interview, the first lady of the United States, will air in "THE SITUATION ROOM" that's coming up. That's pretty good, right?

BALDWIN: That is pretty good. I might have seen a snippet of it. I thought maybe you had the interview, but you know.

BLITZER: One of those days maybe.

BALDWIN: One of these days, right, you and I both. Wolf Blitzer, thank you so much. I'll do what I can for Monday.

Coming up next here, Casey Anthony's brother, Lee, he broke down in tears on the witness stand today while testifying about his sister's pregnancy. Sunny Hostin is on the case.

Sunny, you know, talking about Lee, what made him cry when he was being questioned by the defense?

SUNNY HOSTIN, LEGAL CONTRIBUTOR, "IN SESSION:" ON TRUTV: Well, you know, Brooke, he talked a lot about the dysfunctional secret keeping dynamic within the Anthony family.

He broke down when he talked about why he was not at the birth of his niece, Caylee Anthony, at the hospital. Take a listen to what he explained happened.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LEE ANTHONY, CASEY ANTHONY'S BROTHER: I was very angry at my mom and I was also angry at my sister. I mean, I was just angry at everyone in general that they didn't want to include me and didn't find it important enough to tell me, especially after I'd already asked. So I was -- I was very hurt.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: So what do we make of that? Is the defense trying to show, you know, enough reasonable doubt that Casey, the sister, will have to take the stand?

HOSTIN: You know, I think they would love, Brooke, not to have Casey Anthony take the stand because we know she's given so many conflicting stories. So there's no question that she be skewered on cross-examination, right?

So the defense is certainly trying to put the family members on to show that this was, indeed, a secret keeping dysfunctional family. Are they going to get there?

Are they going to get so far to make all the promises that the defense sort of made in their opening statement come true for this jury? I don't think they get there without Casey Anthony on the witness stand.

BALDWIN: Well, so today, lunch break, afterwards prosecution takes over questioning her brother, Lee. Were they able to clarify, Lee, about his testimony earlier about Casey's pregnancy?

HOSTIN: I don't think so. Certainly they tried very hard to make -- to give some clarity to the jury. They made it very clear that he appeared now to be cooperating more with the defense than with the prosecution. But take a listen to what they did.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When your parents learned of the pregnancy, they were very excited, weren't they?

ANTHONY: Couldn't tell you. They didn't admit it to me.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, are you -- is it your testimony that from the time that you learned you it until the date of Caylee's birth there was no activity in the home indicative of preparations for the birth of a child?

ANTHONY: Not saying that at all. Actually, that was one of the reasons why I was so angry and I decided not to go see my sister in the hospital was because I was not included on it. And when I did ask about it one time early on, it was denied to me and I was told to let it go. So that's what I did.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Your parents were over the top about this, weren't they?

ANTHONY: Especially afterwards. Absolutely, yes, sir.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, even before. They were over the top. You described them as over the top. Isn't that right?

ANTHONY: My parents are very over the top --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: And that was just a piece of what we saw today. I know Cindy Anthony also took the stand not once, but twice. Sunny, you're going to keep watching it as will we. We'll continue talking about it.

HOSTIN: That's right.

BALDWIN: Meanwhile, have a great weekend to you and to you as well. Now to Wolf Blitzer, "THE SITUATION ROOM" starts right now.