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Bachmann to Announce 2012 Bid; Flooding Threatens Nuke Plants; Witness Gives Conflicting Testimony in Amanda Knox Case; Court to Rule on Video Game Sales and Campaign Finance Issue; Casey Anthony Trial Back on Track; Gas Prices Keep Falling; Bachmann Launches White House Bid; Bachmann's Popularity Among Fellow Republicans; Dodgers File for Bankruptcy; A Man and His Mannequin
Aired June 27, 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: Hi, guys. Good morning.
It's 9:00 a.m. on the East Coast, 6:00 a.m. out West. I'm Kyra Phillips. Thanks for joining us.
Right now the murder trial of Casey Anthony resumes after a dramatic weekend twist. No one is saying why the judge abruptly canceled Saturday's planned testimony.
And there are new concerns about two nuclear plants threatened by floodwaters in Nebraska. A barrier protecting one of them has already collapsed. Now equipment at both plants still being protected but the chances of the water getting into the reactor, well, we're told, close to zero.
Gas prices sliding across the country. The national average dropping 11 cents a gallon over the past two weeks. Prices could drop another dime soon.
And one hour from now, the presidential race gets more interesting and probably a lot more angry. Michele Bachmann, the powerful voice behind taxpayer frustration and Tea Party ideal, launches her bid in the critical state of Iowa.
Jim Acosta is in Waterloo where she's already getting a lot of buzz as the potential frontrunner -- frontrunner, rather, right, Jim?
JIM ACOSTA, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Kyra.
I mean this is sort of an amazing development, I would say, for GOP politics for a Monday morning. I mean a few weeks ago, it's pretty safe to say that a lot of Republicans in the GOP establishment did not take Michele Bachmann as seriously as they take her now.
She is a force to be reckoned with. At least here in Iowa, there is a poll that just came out over the weekend in the "Des Moines Register." Just to show you what we're talking about, Mitt Romney, of course he's the frontrunner at this point, is raising the most money. He ran in 2008. But does well on this poll leading at 23 percent.
But right behind Mitt Romney is Michele Bachmann, the congresswoman from Minnesota, who also happens to be a native of Waterloo, Iowa, which is where the congresswoman will be making her announcement in just about an hour from now that she is running for president.
And the reason why she's doing so well here can be explained as sort of a Hawkeye trifecta, if you will. She is -- she is certainly one of the leaders of the Tea Party movement. She started the Tea Party Caucus up in the House of Representatives. She is a social conservative who is adored really by Christian conservatives in this state.
And then she also, of course, is a native of this state. And that's going to do well for her here, because in Iowa, they like to meet you, as they say, three or four times before they settle on a candidate. And after the Sunday talk shows yesterday -- she was doing the rounds yesterday on those shows. She was asked about her near frontrunner status here in Iowa.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. MICHELE BACHMANN (R), MINNESOTA: We're undoubtedly thrilled. We don't take this for granted. This is -- this reflects what we had been hearing on the ground. So this will be the beginning of a marathon. It's not a sprint. And so we're looking forward to go and greet more people and to win in Iowa.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
ACOSTA: Now it's going to be interesting to watch this announcement and hear what she has to say, Kyra, because what we've seen in the last 24 hours really recently since the CNN debate a couple of weeks ago, is almost a kinder, gentler Michele Bachmann.
I mean she has been known for throwing out the red meat. She has said things along the lines of questioning President Obama's patriotism. That was back in 2008, saying that he perhaps had some anti-American views. But she has softened that attack. And on one of the Sunday talk shows yesterday she even said that she hasn't always said things the way she wish she had.
And you know I have to tell you, Kyra, it is pretty early in this campaign to see things get this interesting in Iowa. Not only do we have this announcement here from Michele Bachmann, in about an hour from now, Sarah Palin will be here tomorrow night for a movie premier, a movie about her. And President Obama will be here in Iowa. Just an indication of how important this state is politically.
PHILLIPS: All right. Jim, thanks so much.
And joining us at the top of the hour from Michele Bachmann's official entry into the 2012 presidential race. We're going to carry her announcement right here live on CNN.
Well, flooding is causing concerns in a nuclear plant in Nebraska and keeping thousands of people from their homes right now in Minot, North Dakota.
CNN's Patrick Oppmann and Jim Spellman, both in the flood zone.
Patrick, we're going to start with you at Fort Calhoun at the nuclear plant there. Is there any danger of that plant actually flooding right now?
PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's what officials are being very careful to say, that no, they think that plant can be kept water tight. But you know there is some setbacks in the effort to keep the floodwaters, which are two feet higher, Kyra, than this -- where this plant sits.
Yesterday, an aqua berm was punctured. It's was about a three-quarter mile long inflatable barrier that's filled with water. It goes all the way around the plant, sort of a moat. And a worker accidentally punctured that berm. They're trying to repair it today. Don't know if that's going to be workable.
And as well, yesterday fears of over flooding meant that they actually had to go to diesel power. Went off the grid to diesel power -- diesel generators -- to keep the radioactive fuel from overheating. And they did that for several hours. They're back on the grid today, Kyra. So that's a positive sign.
One thing we found out this morning as we're coming in here, we noticed that the employee parking lot is also completely flooded. We're asking how people actually get to work. There are hundreds of workers that come here every day. And it's really amazing. They have to climb over a series of ladders, Kyra. They can only really -- it's sort of catwalk in place of -- two people at a time. Several hundred people are doing this every day.
It's a pretty incredible commute but it's the only way they're getting to this nuclear power plant that is now completely surrounded by water -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: OK. We'll keep following with you. Thanks so much, Patrick.
All right, let's get -- talk more about Minot now where as many as 4,000 homes have flood damage. And that's where our Jim Spellman is.
Jim, any problems with the levees? Any more evacuations?
JIM SPELLMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, about a week ago, they realized that the dike system throughout the city, there is no way it was going to withstand this coming flood. So they concentrated on some vita infrastructure around a key bridge across town, city hall, water treatment plant.
So far all of those are holding. But take a look at this. Out in the neighborhood this is what people are waking to here, this morning, and it just goes on for block after block, mile after mile. And people are coming back to the edge of the floodwater, peering down a block and trying to get a glimpse of their home. And so far just about everybody in this evacuation zone has had bad news. Kyra, we went out in a boat yesterday and only about a half a block away from here, it's up to -- just under the roofs of houses. And that just goes on and on and on. It's going to be at least a week of the water staying at record flood levels. And it's going to be months, at least, before the city is back on its feet -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right. Jim Spellman there in Minot for us.
Well, there could be a bombshell testimony in the Amanda Knox case in Italy. A man convicted separately of murdering Knox's roommate is testifying.
Zain Verjee is in London.
So, Zain, this case is pretty strange with the conflicting testimony and what sounds like pretty wild accusations. What's the latest now?
ZAIN VERJEE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. There's so much confusion around this. Let me just explain. What is happening now is that Amanda Knox is going through an appeal hearing, OK? In that hearing, she said, I do not know what happened that night.
Now the testimony is centering around these conflicting pieces of information. There is a guy called Rudy Guede. Now he has refused to say that Amanda Knox was not involved in the killing. Now the reason this is important because another witness has been on the stand called Mario Alessi who said that Rudy Guede said that Amanda Knox was innocent.
So when they put the guy Rudy on the stand, he's saying that -- he refuses to say whether she was not involved in the killing.
Amanda Knox herself says that she's totally shocked by this. But this is a -- this is a stage that is very important testimony. It's very critical. It's in the appeal stages and Amanda Knox and her family continue today, as they have every day, to protest their innocence.
PHILLIPS: And we'll follow it. Zain, thanks.
And the Casey Anthony murder trial is back in session after an abrupt delay on Saturday. We're going to go live to Orlando right after the break.
And selling violent video games to children. Free speech or government interference? A ruling could come down as early as today. A live report from the Supreme Court in two minutes.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: All right. Details just coming in. But for those of you waking out up -- or waking up, rather, out on the West Coast, even big baseball fans here on the East Coast, we got word that the L.A. Dodgers filing for bankruptcy.
So what exactly does this mean? We will find out with regard to the Dodgers and play with -- they're having issues with their finances for a while now. So could this mean just a restructuring of the financials or could they be sold? We're not quite sure.
But we are just getting word now, L.A. Dodgers filing for bankruptcy. We'll talk more about it coming up in sports.
All right. Other stories making news "Cross Country."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tell her to hang in --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's somebody over there. Why does she --
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Well, this is in Nevada. Investigators are looking into the fiery crash between a big rig and Amtrak train that killed six people. They're trying to resolve a discrepancy in the numbers of passengers involved. At least 20 people listed on the passenger manifest are still unaccounted for.
And in New York, yesterday's Gay Pride Parade turned into a gay marriage celebration after New York Governor Andrew Cuomo signed the measure into law. The parade stretched almost two miles from Midtown to Greenwich Village. New York is now the sixth state to legalize same-sex marriage.
In Denver, a photo of Billy the Kid is sold at auction for $2.3 million. The winning bidder, millionaire collector William Koch. This 130-year-old tintype is the only known photo of the legendary gunfighter.
Should kids be exposed to those gory shoot-them-up violent video games or not? The freedom of speech issue is before the Supreme Court right now and the justices expected to rule this week on whether states can stop sales of violent video games to minors.
Our Kate Bolduan is actually at the Supreme Court, following or waiting to hear a decision.
So let's talk a little bit about the case -- Kate.
KATE BOLDUAN, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: All right, Kyra. Well, this is a free speech dispute between the state of California -- the state of California and the multibillion dollar video gaming industry. This is a law that was signed back in 2005 by then Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.
And basically it would ban the sale of excessively violent video games to children, to anyone under the age of 18. The state says they have a vested interest in trying to protect minors from graphic materials that they've kind of stepped in to regulate and restrict access to things before like access to alcohol, cigarettes, even pornography, but the multibillion dollar video gaming industry. They say this is a First Amendment issue and that it's violating their First Amendment right to creative expression. So many people are watching this case to see how the justices rule today, as we'll find out in probably about an hour, Kyra, in terms of everyone cares about free speech issues.
Many states watching this to see where and where they cannot regulate or a going forward basis. And let's be honest, many people care very much about their video games -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Yes, that is true.
All right, campaign finance, the other big case that we could hear about today, right?
BOLDUAN: Right. Another big case. Having to do with the Campaign Finance Law in Arizona. This is public financing system for campaign that would offer some assistance that would help underfunded candidates.
This is a law that was actually passed in Arizona back in about 1998 in the wake of an election corruption scandal. And the big question, while we could get into the nitty-gritty, the big question that the court could be deciding is this law designed to fight corruption or is it designed to level the playing field, which is not allowed in election law?
Many people watching this. Of course, we're heading into the 2012 elections, and campaign finance issues are very big issue here. And this comes on the heels of the landmark Citizens United campaign finance case of last year where the court struck down a sweeping Federal Campaign Finance law that offered independent groups like nonprofits, unions and corporations the ability to spend more freely in the election process.
Very important -- very important to everyone in this country, especially as we head into another election -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: OK. Let us know when you get word.
Kate Bolduan, thanks so much.
And the Casey Anthony murder trial set to resume this morning in Orlando. We'll take live pictures right now from the trial.
You know on Saturday the judge actually stopped the trial in its tracks saying an important, quote-unquote, "legal matter" had come up.
Do we have any idea what that was about, David Mattingly?
DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely no idea at this point. But we did have a little bit of deja vu before everything got started today. Everyone went back into a closed door session in the judge's chambers again.
That was only lasting just a few minute this is morning. Everyone came out. They all had a document in their hands. And for about half an hour after that, they were all reading this document, including Casey Anthony, reading it very intently.
Looking at the live pictures in the courtroom right now. No activity yet. The jury has not been called in. The judge is not on the bench.
And we're still waiting for things to get started today. But, apparently, whatever began on Friday is still continuing today. We do have witnesses out in the hallway that are prepared to be called today. A private investigator that worked for the Anthony family, as well as investigators for the Orange County Sheriff's Department, waiting to see themselves when court will get started and how we will proceed from here -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right. We'll track it. David, thanks.
So, how low can they go? Those trips to the gas station are getting easier, day by day. But we're going to find out just how much longer you can expect those prices to go down.
And student protesters in Chile express the demands through dance. The sound track, Michael Jackson's "Thriller," of course.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: All right. Let's talk showbiz for a second here.
There was a super awkward moment at last night's BET Awards. And trust me, it's never a good thing when the info in your hand and the info on the teleprompter -- well, they don't exactly match.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TIFFANY GREENE, FAN PRESENTER: We're here to announce the winner of the Coca Cola viewer's choice award.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Read it straight. Read it straight.
GREENE: And the winner is Chris Brown, "Look At Me Now." I'm sorry, Rihanna, "What's My Name?"
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK. This is awkward. What's the -- OK. It's OK. It's OK. The winner is Drizzy Drake. Come on over here, Drake. Congratulations, Drake.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Oops. So, what really happened? Drake was featured on Rihanna's song, so he accepted on her behalf.
But it turns out Chris Brown was actually the winner, making it even more awkward, his and Rihanna's rocky history, as you know.
Anyway, a BET exec is taking the blame. He says it was simple human error. Life imitates art for Daniel Craig and Rachel Weisz. The actors who play husband and wife in an upcoming movie -- well, they just got married. Craig, of course, is the current James Bond. Weisz might be best known from "The Mummy" and "The Mummy Returns."
And the jacket that Michael Jackson wore on his "Thriller" video went from $1.8 million at auction. The sale included memorabilia from Elvis, Frank Sinatra and Bob Dylan. But M.J. stuff right in the biggest box. Besides the jacket, one of his famous bedazzled gloves sold for $330,000 also.
The auction was held on the second anniversary of Jackson's death. Meantime, students in Chile marked the day a little differently, with a thriller of a protest.
Zain Verjee is here with all the details.
Well, the students got pretty creative, Zain.
ZAIN VERJEE, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Yes, they did. You know, if you're upset with your government, do a few Michael Jackson "Thriller" moves, OK? That's what's going on here. Santiago, Chile. Take a look at this video.
Students, like 3,000 of them or something, demonstrating in front of the presidential palace because they're upset over education and the whole system. And they want to see education higher reforms.
But look at them go, Kyra. They dressed up as ghouls, and goblins and zombies. And the whole reason for the zombies was because they're saying the education system in Chile is dead and rotten, just like a zombie.
So, they want the education minister to resign. They've been holding rallies about this for a while. But at least they were having a little fun. They were making a point.
PHILLIPS: Can you imagine our senators, and members of Congress disagreeing with the president all dressing up and doing a little Michael Jackson number right there on the Hill?
(LAUGHTER)
VERJEE: Who knows? You know? You may distract and deflect attention.
But, no, I absolutely cannot imagine any of us doing that out in front of the Washington monument or Capitol Hill.
But, Kyra, I can imagine you doing it. When was that night we went out when I was in Atlanta? You had some pretty good moves.
PHILLIPS: Oh, yes. Well, it definitely was not the Michael Jackson move.
VERJEE: That was you, right? PHILLIPS: I don't know if that was me or not. We'll talk later. Thank you, Zain.
VERJEE: All right.
PHILLIPS: Talk about getting creative.
All right. Gas prices, never thought we would be happy to pay $3.50 a gallon, right? But that just shows you that everything is relative.
Alison Kosik is at the New York Stock Exchange.
And, Alison, they're supposed to go even lower, possibly 50 cents lower. What do you think?
ALISON KOSIK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Actually, hearing a little bit less than 50 cents. But, you know what, yes, let's rejoice. The national average now sitting at $3.57 a gallon. That's down more than 20 cents in a little more than three weeks.
And in that time, look at where we've come from. We've gone from almost a dozen states over the $4 mark down to just two states, Alaska and Hawaii at that mark.
Now, these lower gas prices, what do they mean? They mean -- Americans, they have more money to spend on other things. So, it could give a much-needed boost to the overall economy. We are getting consumer confidence numbers out tomorrow.
And, Kyra, we're going to see if consumers have noticed these lower gas prices -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right. Well, this doesn't even factor last week's move by Obama administration to tap the reserves, right?
KOSIK: Exactly. And you know, we can see gas prices, as you said, go lower than where they are. And the general consensus is that prices, they haven't hit bottom yet. Some experts say we could see prices drop another 20 cents a gallon over the summer. Now, that's not enough to get them below that $3 mark, but hey, it's a whole lot better than where we were in May -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right. Alison, thanks.
And just minutes from now, Michele Bachmann enters the presidential race. She's come in swinging against the president and his policies. What about her own record on Capitol Hill? CNN's Dana Bash joins us for a closer look.
And just how thorough is the TSA? Well, why don't you ask this 95- year-old cancer patient in a wheelchair, who had to take off her depends? Yes. The whole story, coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Checking top stories. Fifteen children and eight adults recovering from injuries suffered in this school bus crash in Pennsylvania. Police say the driver of a Cadillac tried to pass the bus but swerved back in its way.
Parts of the ground of a Nebraska nuclear power plant are under water after the Missouri river flooded. The owner says that the facility is on backup power and is secure.
Amanda Knox testifies today in her appeal that hearing that she didn't know what happened at the night of the murder. A drifter, convicted of killing Knox's roommate denied he had said she was not involved.
All right. Right now, we're keeping close eyes on Iowa, where the latest Republican is about to enter the presidential race. Michele Bachman was born in Waterloo and may have a hometown advantage over fellow Republicans. A poll from "The Des Moines Register" actually shows that she may be an early front-runner.
Kathie Obradovich is the political columnist for the newspaper. She's joining us now from Des Moines.
So, let me ask you, Kathie. We see all the poll numbers. So, what are you finding out to be the true buzz when it comes to Bachmann? You're on the ground. You're talking to everybody every day.
KATHIE OBRADOVICH, POLITICAL COLUMNIST, DES MOINES REGISTER: Yes. I think that Michele Bachmann, first of all, is a good fit for Iowa in a number of ways. She is really appealing to the right wing of the party. This is a really strong block in the Iowa caucuses, as most people know. She is the founder of the Tea Party caucus and there is a strong Tea Party support that we found in this "Des Moines Register" Iowa poll.
And also, you mentioned that she's an Iowa native. That really does not hurt her here. And she has been making the most of her Waterloo roots here today.
PHILLIPS: So, when you talk to those voters and you attend all the various events, what are the issues that people there are talking about? And, how -- what, in particular, the issues that Bachmann is saying exactly what they want to hear?
OBRADOVICH: Well, a number of issues where Bachman really resonates. For one thing, repealing Obamacare, the federal health care plan, has been her mission in life. That resonates pretty well with Republicans. But that is, I think, part of a larger concern about the federal budget and spending. And she is what I hear from voters is that they like the fact that they consider her a true constitutional conservative, someone who is really going to push the power of the federal government back down to the states, where they think it belongs.
And, generally speaking, they want to get their taxes down and really, really control federal spending.
PHILLIPS: "Des Moines Register's" Kathie Obradovich, we'll be watching it, of course. And the big event coming up in about 30. Kathie, thank you so much.
Now, let's view Michele Bachmann from another angle of -- well, I guess, from her paying job on Capitol Hill.
Dana Bash joins us with a look of the congresswoman's standing on the issues and her standing among colleagues.
Tell us about her, Dana.
DANA BASH, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, first of all, let's just go through what her role is here in Congress. She was first elected in 2006, which wasn't that long ago, of course. She sits on the financial services committee, which gives her platform to rail against the bailout of Wall Street, which she says she was against.
But just this year, Kyra, she got a spot -- a coveted spot on the House Intelligence Committee and that allows her to really have a platform and really hone her skills in national security and foreign policy for the first time.
But what she is best known for here on the Hill is what she's known for around the country and that is her involvement in the Tea Party movement. She saw it coming early on. Just last year she said she wanted to found and was successful at founding the Tea Party Caucus, and that really did give her a platform as the go-to person. She was outside the Hill, at the Capitol, rallying and railing against the president's policies and that made her profile go up dramatically.
PHILLIPS: And let's talk about how respected, how popular she is with other members of Congress.
BASH: Well, I've got to be honest, if you probably took an anonymous poll of her colleagues, particularly her Republican colleagues, she wouldn't do very well. She is somebody who is viewed by Republican colleagues, definitely who is very good at railing against President Obama, against Democrats, but maybe not so much in terms of pushing legislative ideas.
She's also somebody who has really challenged her own Republican leadership. In fact, one GOP strategist told me she was actively unhelpful on a lot of things going through the past few years. That is what has made her not have the greatest relationship.
But it is those issues that have actually propelled her on the national stage and that's important to keep in mind. It is because she has been anti-establishment, it is because she has said that she's not going to stand for what Republicans here stand for that has really made her sky rocket nationally. And I can tell you, our Deidre Walsh told me this morning that in terms of rank and file Republicans, she raised more money last year than any of them.
PHILLIPS: All right. We'll all be having our eyes on Waterloo in about 30 minutes. Dana Bash from the Hill, thanks so much.
So join us at the top of the hour. Michele Bachmann's official entry into the 2012 presidential race. We will carry that announcement live.
She is 95 years old, battling cancer and she's confined to a wheelchair. Heart wrenching enough, right? Well, listen to this. As Jean Weber's mom wheeled up to security, a TSA agent said something on her leg felt a little suspicious. So the TSA took her mother to a private room to be searched.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JEAN WEBER, HER ELDERLY MOM SEARCHED BY TSA (via telephone): They came out and told me that it had something to do with her depends, that it was wet and it was firm and they couldn't check it thoroughly, she would have to remove it. And I was -- I said, I don't have an extra one with me. Normally this isn't a problem. And she said that she could not complete the security check without the Depends off.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: So how did the TSA defend its search?
Here you go. Quote, "While every person and item must be screened before entering the secure boarding area, TSA works with passengers to resolve security alarms in a respectful and sensitive manner. We have reviewed the circumstances involving this screening and determined that our officers acted professionally and according to proper procedure."
Is the addiction to painkillers creating a new generation of heroin addicts? We're going to talk to the reporter who went right to the dealers to find out.
Casey Anthony is in her seat, her murder trial set to resume this morning in Orlando. We'll talk about the case with our legal expert Sunny Hostin.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
It's as bad as the 1980s crack epidemic and 1970s heroin epidemic combined. That's exactly how Barack Obama's national drug policy director described today's epidemic -- prescription drug abuse.
Journalist Marianna Van Zeller won a Peabody for the documentary about pill abuse and now she writes in her CNN.com opinion piece that painkillers have introduced a whole new generation of heroin addicts.
Marianna, it seems like such a jump from a pill popper to using a heroin needle.
MARIANNA VAN ZELLER, CNN.COM OPINION WRITER: It is. I mean, it does seem like a lot. You know, there's a lot of stigma attached to heroin than there isn't a lot of prescription pills. And, for -- a lot of kids are starting with prescription pills, thinking that it's something that is not as dangerous. But the fact of the matter is that it becomes addictive really fast and it's expensive, sometimes hard to find and so they switch to heroin, which is essentially -- they have the same active ingredients and they satisfy the same urge. So, this is what is happening. It's a fast switch from prescription painkillers to heroin and it's really dangerous.
PHILLIPS: And you didn't just take written research and put together your piece. You actually went out and spent time talking to the pushers and the addicts.
What did they tell you?
VAN ZELLER: I did. You know, I've been investigating prescription painkiller -- prescription pill abuse in the United States since 2009, and what this investigation basically led me to finding out that a lot of these addicts are switching from painkillers to heroin. And we've spoken to people all the way from Florida, all the way up to Massachusetts.
And in this last report called Gateway to Heroin, we went and met with some drug dealers in a drug den in Massachusetts. And, you know, when you enter a drug den, you expect to find heroin, and cocaine. But alongside these hard drugs, this hard stuff, were prescription pills, Oxycontin and Percocets right next to it.
And the dealers themselves were telling us that this has sort of become their cash cow. That most of the money they make, they make out of selling prescription pills. So this has become a street drug, just like any other.
PHILLIPS: And it's going to take a lot more than just taking down those pill mills.
Marianna, great job. Great piece. Appreciate it.
If you want to read her entire article, you can just go to CNN.com/opinion.
The Woman's World Cup soccer under way and a we actually have a new octopus is making predictions, Jeff Fischel. Any relation to the former rested soul octopus?
JEFF FISCHEL, HLN SPORTS: Paul. Farewell, Paul. Rest in peace.
This time --
PHILLIPS: Six waves under now.
(LAUGHTER)
FISCHEL: Remember, last year Paul the octopus correctly predicted eight World Cup matches. I guess one for each tentacle.
This year it's the women's turn on the pitch and in the tank, Paula, the octopus, who lives in a German aquarium, went against the home team and chose underdog Canada. She ate food from a cylinder marked with the Canadian flag. Bad choice, Paula.
Germany beat Canada, 2-1 before 73,000 fans at Berlin's Olympic stadium. The German women looking for a World Cup (INAUDIBLE) and maybe an appetizer of calamari. Sorry, Paula.
Well, hey, coming up in 15 minutes, Doc Holiday again shows why he is one of the best pitchers in baseball. I'll have that in about 15 minutes. I caught you.
PHILLIPS: You did catch me. I was waiting -- I'm looking, waiting for the next story. I'm look, oh, whoops, that was just a tease.
Thank you so much, Jeff. OK, let me put my water down. That's advertisement. We'll see you in a little bit.
All right, well a murder suspect busts out of jail, hits the road, but his life on the lam, well it proves pretty short. We'll have the details.
And Casey Anthony has entered the courtroom. Her murder trial set to resume this morning in Orlando.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Let's go cross country.
Oklahoma cops get the jump on an escaped prisoner. In the end, the murder suspect Shaun Bosse enjoyed only a few hours of freedom. He overpowered three guards yesterday morning and stole a car. Well, somebody spotted him about 25 miles away and tipped off police.
The Los Alamos National Lab in New Mexico closed today as crews fight a wildfire nearby. As of last night it was less than a mile away. Los Alamos is the center for nuclear research and in a statement, lab officials said, quote, "All radioactive and hazardous material is accounted for and protected."
And in New Hampshire, ten tons of sand and 21 hours later, this is what Mark LaPierre (ph) of Quebec created to take Hampton Beaches Master Sand Sculptor. Every year artists from around the world come to carve the larger than life displays and compete for thousands of dollars.
Casey Anthony murder trial back in session in Orlando. Casey is in the seat and on Saturday the judge actually stopped the trial in its tracks, saying an important, quote, unquote, "legal matter" had come up.
Well, our legal eagle Sunny Hostin joining us from New York.
So Sunny, what are you hearing about that legal matter? In any way, shape or form could it be some type of bombshell?
SUNNY HOSTIN, LEGAL EXPERT: Well, we now know what it is. The court just let us know. This is breaking, actually, Kyra. There was a competency issue that came up on Saturday. It appears that the defense contended that perhaps Casey Anthony was not competent to proceed and the court ordered that three independent psychologists meet with her. One, Dr. Daniel Treschler met with her Saturday, another one Dr. Harry McClarion met with her Saturday evening and part of Sunday. Another one, Dr. Ryan Hall met with her on Sunday. And according to those three doctors they all concluded she was, indeed, competent to proceed and now the trial continues.
My understanding also is that there are four witnesses that are waiting in the wings to testify and so the trial is going to go forward. But that is the bombshell, Kyra. People were wondering, her defense team was concerned that she was incompetent to proceed with trial.
PHILLIPS: Now, why would that come up now because those accusations were made in weeks past?
HOSTIN: Exactly. I mean, it's very interesting. I think we've seen a toll has been taken on Casey Anthony. She looks very different from the woman that we saw three years ago. Even very different from the woman that we saw at the beginning of this trial.
She has cried. She cried a lot when Cindy Anthony recently took the stand and when her brother, Lee Anthony, took the stand. And so many people are -- are thinking and reporting that perhaps this trial has taken such a toll that her mental health is now at issue.
PHILLIPS: All right, Sunny Hostin, watching the Casey Anthony trial for us. Keep us updated. Sunny, thanks so much.
HOSTIN: I sure will.
PHILLIPS: And violence and videos: the nation's highest court could decide today whether states can ban the sale and rental of violent video games to minors. The live report from court in the next hour of CNN NEWSROOM.
And say it isn't so. The L.A. Dodgers are broke. They just filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy. After the break, we'll ask one of our CNNMoney.com folks what this all means.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: So the word just getting to us this morning, the L.A. Dodgers is filing for bankruptcy. So, what do you think? Should they head back to Brooklyn? Paul La Monica, assistant manager of CNNMoney.com joins us now.
So Paul, what could happen here? Do you think they will they be sold?
PAUL LA MONICA, ASSISTANT MANAGER, CNNMONEY.COM: I think it is very likely that the Dodgers will be sold. The McCourt family that owns them, Frank McCourt and his wife, are going through a bitter divorce. Baseball doesn't like to see a franchise, any franchise having unstable ownership, right along on one of their most storied franchises like the Dodgers.
PHILLIPS: And that's -- and that's why, this is such a big story -- it's such a big story because as you say this franchise -- it's such a part of our -- our nostalgia. What do you think? Possible buyer, Mark Cuban?
LA MONICA: He has talked about, you know, them in the past. He has expressed interest in the Chicago Cubs. That did not go through.
But you know, Cuban, any time he talks, you have to take him seriously. I mean, just look what he's done with the Dallas Mavericks, won the NBA championship there; a very successful sports owner. And you would think baseball would want to have a guy like that owning a team because at the very least he would invest in the Dodgers and make them a contender I think.
PHILLIPS: And he's been a successful businessman, that's for sure. All right, Paul I appreciate it. You can check in the CNNmoney.com. Paul La Monica, following that story for us along with our other sports writers. Thanks so much Paul.
LA MONICA: Thank you.
PHILLIPS: And here's some stories developing today also.
Minnesota Republican Congresswoman, Michelle Bachmann, making her entry into presidential race official. That announcement expected in just about ten minutes from now. We'll take it live.
Then at 1:35 Eastern, the Colorado Rapids, this year's Major League soccer champs hold a clinic for children of military families on the South Lawn of the White House.
And 2:00 Eastern, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton releases a worldwide report on government's efforts to combat human trafficking either for slavery, sexual exploitation, forced labor or modern day slavery.
All right, we're following lots of other developments in the next hour of the CNN NEWSROOM, including the Michelle Bachmann announcement as I just mentioned. That will be happening in about ten minutes and that's where our Jim Acosta is in Waterloo, Iowa. Jim, let's start with you.
JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Kyra. That's right. A Tea Party favorite is jumping into this presidential race on the GOP side. Michelle Bachmann, she may hail from Minnesota as a Congresswoman, but she grew up in Waterloo, which is where we are. We'll have more on her announcement in just a few moments.
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: I'm Brianna Keilar at the White House. And President Obama is jumping into the fray. He's meeting with the top Republican and the top Democrat in the Senate to talk about raising the debt ceiling. There are some still -- there are still some major sticking points. I'll have those at the top of the hour.
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: And I'm Rob Marciano in the CNN Severe Weather Center. Major flooding across the Missouri River has the nuclear power plants in Nebraska on high alert, one going off the grid at one point. We'll show you what they're doing to protect themselves.
Plus, another nuke scare in Los Alamos as a wildfire heads towards that area of New Mexico -- all in the next hour.
PHILLIPS: All right, thanks, guys.
Also in the next hour, it's not just grunting you hear at Wimbledon. Now you hear some whining. Serena Williams thinks she's being dissed, that and more live from London.
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PHILLIPS: Philadelphia Phillies, the best team in baseball right now, Jeff here to brag a little bit and talk about yesterday.
JEFF FISCHEL, HLN SPORTS ANCHOR: What?
PHILLIPS: A big reminder why.
FISCHEL: Yes.
PHILLIPS: They are the greatest team.
FISCHEL: They are. She was trying to sneak something in on me.
PHILLIPS: Yes, you're waiting for a little something, I know. I'm sorry.
FISCHEL: I have to watch out. I have to watch out.
PHILLIPS: Every Philly fans is going to love us for this league.
FISCHEL: No exactly, Roy Halladay, he's -- he's absolutely the best, he's two-time Cy Young winner, this year, he's at it again, he's tied for the NL lead in win, second in strikeouts, second in ERA. And I won't even get into all of those new age stats, the points he had like -- let's say, he is the best. Another dominant performance yesterday against the Oakland A's; look at Doc's patience while they clearly need to be medicated and institutionalized.
Halladay throws a complete game, no walks, 16 groundouts including the game-ending double play right there; easy 3-1 win. Philly leads the NL East by five games. That's the biggest lead in any division in baseball.
NASCAR Sunday, all about the bumping and grinding at Sonoma; they're allowed to get away with a little more of that on the road course. They could settle any old scores. It's like that scene in the "Godfather", right? Today, I settle all family business.
Watch Brain Vicars takes out Tony Stewart. Kurt Busch who knows a thing or two about driving with road rage did end up winning the race.
Red Sox fires -- let's go back to baseball. Check out the fan right behind home plate. Let's zoom in on him, shall we? He is asleep. It's only the second inning. It's not like this thing lasted five hours.
PHILLIPS: And he's got great seats. The game is never that close.
(CROSSTALK)
FISCHEL: He's right there. I mean the guys are right in front of him. They just started the games right there in front of him. He's clearly very excited about interleague play. The Red Sox beat the Pirates 4-2.
No fan would want to sleep through this though, the San Diego Padres grounds keeper look at him move. This is exactly what Kyra does while I do my sports cast.
That's Jeff Fischel behind the camera.
FISCHEL: Oh, boy. Did he pull out the Dougie? I don't know. The Padres beat the Braves, more reason to dance.
All right. Finally, the world's ninth-ranked women's tennis player had an unusual way to spark her comeback at Wimbledon. Frances' Marion Bartoli, she had her mom and dad removed from the stands. Get out of here. She later compared it to like breaking a racket to release frustrations, said her parents actually understood.
Bartoli won her match. She will play Serena Williams today. No word on whether she will let her folks be there to watch.
PHILLIPS: Sometimes your family makes you nervous or maybe her parents were yelling something at her she didn't want to hear.
FISCHEL: It's been known to happen with tennis players.
PHILLIPS: You lose we're taking away your allowance.
Thanks Jeff.
FISCHEL: All right.
PHILLIPS: Well, it's a love story as old as time: boy meets girl, falls head over heels, builds her body and marries her. CNN's Jeanne Moos introduces us to the Nefers.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's such an incredibly odd sight that motorists do double takes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That can't be real. What the (EXPLETIVE DELETED) is that?
MOOS: Then turn around for another look. Before posting it on YouTube, someone created a Facebook fan page for him. Ned Nefer just did an interview with a couple of deejays out at 97X in Davenport, Iowa.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're married to a mannequin?
NED NEFER: To me, she's not a mannequin.
MOOS: This Syracuse, New York, resident has become a phenomenon, pushing what he calls his wife Teagan (ph) 70 some miles from Syracuse to Watertown, back to where they first met and where a "Watertown Daily Times" reporter found it.
SARAH HAASE, STAFF WRITER, "WATERTOWN DAILY TIMES": He said hi, you know, my name is Ned and this is my wife Teagan. He believed it. You could see that he believed that this was his wife.
MOOS: Now folks are noting sightings on his Facebook page, they're posting photos posing with Ned and Teagan. People who haven't met him think it's an ad, but it sure doesn't seem like one.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Does she talk to you?
NEFER: Yes. I hear her very clear. We love each other and everything. We're just out living our life.
MOOS (on camera): Ned tells folks that he met his future wife at the Jefferson County Children's Home, a home for orphans and that when he first met her, she was just a head.
HAASE: The head told him to build her a body and that's what he did.
MOOS: We don't know why he chose this caricature of a black woman. His situation is right out of the film "Lars and the Real Girl."
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Bianca is a missionary. Well you are.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He appears to have a delusion.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Fantastic. When will it be over?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When he doesn't need it anymore.
MOOS: Ned says he's need Teagan for 25 years.
We can't diagnose Ned Nefer's mental status but he does say that he's on government disability.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You guys have any kids?
NEFER: She's not flesh so she can't have children.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's almost like she's not real.
NEFER: Well, she's real, but, you know, there are ladies that are flesh that can't have children.
MOOS: Some may mock with music.
Some may snicker watching Ned feed Teagan a snickers bar. But others are it touched. They think he's no dummy.
HAASE: He seems happy.
MOOS: And at least he has the grace.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Good luck to you. And have a safe journey.
NEFER: We certainly hope so.
MOOS: To wipe a Snicker off the lips of his significant other.
Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.
