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"Carmageddon" Hits Los Angeles; Debating the Debt Ceiling; Casey Anthony's Future Challenges; Conrad Murray Trial Delayed; Drew Peterson Out to Stop Biographical Movie; Polygamists Sue Over Privacy; Husband Sues Private Eye; Huge Marijuana Plantation Found; Murdoch's Very Public Apology; No Debt Talks This Weekend

Aired July 16, 2011 - 12:00   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Because even on the weekend, traffic, at least in the Los Angeles area, can be a nightmare, which is why the shutdown of a ten-mile span of the 405 Freeway today through Monday has people bracing for what is being called "Carmageddon." Possible massive gridlock on surrounding roads and highways caused by a $1 billion construction project on the 405.

So let's go now to CNN's Kareen Wynter, who is standing near the Mulholland Drive, just above the 405. You've got the right, I guess, vest on there to make sure that everyone can see you and make sure that they know that you're not part of the construction project. But you can tell us all about it - Kareen.

KAREEN WYNTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, and I can't believe you noticed this very, very conservative -

WHITFIELD: How could I not?

WYNTER: -- vest.

Well, Fred, I have to tell you, as someone who lives here in Southern California, I take the 405 all the time. This is definitely, definitely eerie to see - no cars on the roadway. This is something that is so unprecedented, it would never, ever happen.

And, of course, the world isn't coming to an end. This is just a little project - a big project, a $1 billion project, that wraps up hopefully, if things go as scheduled, Monday morning.

But, right now, what you're looking at are construction crews hard at work behind me. They're demolishing a portion of this bridge, and when I say busy, absolutely busy, this - this artery here. About 500,000 cars pass through it each day. Millions hit this freeway each week, and so it's a big deal and, so far, we've gotten a really interesting update that - that I'll tell you about in a sec.

But I saw CNN take the pictures live just a short time ago, Fred. Hopefully you guys turned it around for us. It was pretty cool stuff. You saw the - just knocking off chunks and chunks of those cement blocks at the top there, really, really hard work, a big, big project to tackle. But it seems that things are ahead of schedule. They're tearing down, again, just a portion of - of that bridge. And the update that we have, we checked in with Los Angeles Police as well as California transportation officials, all look - things look really, really well on the roadways, the surface streets. They say traffic across the still - the city is still relatively light.

Of course, they don't know what the rest of the day or the weekend will bring, but if things move ahead of schedule, as mentioned, the project will wrap up 5:00 Monday morning in time for those commuters to hit the busy roadways here again Fred.

Back to you.

WHITFIELD: So - so, Kareen, I realized, you have 500,000 people usually traveling through the 405 on the weekend, on a - on a good weekend, but do people really expect that all of the other arteries are just going to be gridlock as a result of this ten-mile stretch that's closed down or because of, I guess, the advance notice, do people feel like, you know what? I'm going to do what, you know, the - the public affairs announcement said, which is just stay home, stay off the road?

WYNTER: Absolutely. It is realistic. And, again, for people who live outside of our bubble, I heard it from my mom all week, you guys are really hyping this up. No, this is something that could actually happen. This is not a city like New York.

People live in their cars here. This is what they take. Mass transportation, sure, that's an option, but, again, the car is the way to go, and this is a busy artery that - that connects to two other huge arteries here in California. So, you know, we don't want to be too premature here. Maybe perhaps the end of the day, perhaps tomorrow, things could look very, very difficult so we have to be careful, Fred.

We saw what the natural disaster did, that earthquake back in the 1990s, and so - or 1980s, rather, and so we have to, you know, really, really be cautious here. And when you take out an artery like this, anything could happen - Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right, Kareen Wynter, thanks so much. We'll check back with you throughout the day to see how things are going.

So let's check out what traffic might be like in surrounding areas. Let's go to CNN's Sandra Endo, who's live on Ventura Boulevard.

So, how far away - oh, my gosh. You're like at a bus stop, just chilling there. So how far were you from Kareen?

SANDRA ENDO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fredricka, I can tell you, we're not too far away. We're on the valley side, the San Fernando Valley side, at a bus stop, because local officials are saying that public transportation in the affected areas of the shutdown is free today. We saw a bus pass by here. I talked to the driver real briefly. He said - he did say that there are more passengers on board because, hey, it's a free ride. But it is still early, and if there was a Carmageddon or a Carpocalypse, we would see it right here on Ventura Boulevard.

Take a look, though. This almost looks like the empty 405 because the traffic is very, very light here. Normally, it would be pretty busy, and it is smooth sailing this morning. So, it seems, Fredricka, that the scare tactics are working. a lot of people are staying home, off the streets. But, keep in mind, it is early.

We're seeing a couple of people coming out to walk their dogs this morning, getting some coffee. They aren't really getting in their cars yet. They're trying to check it out, see if traffic is bad.

But, clearly, it is not the anticipated gridlock that everyone was talking about for months. They have been preparing the public for three months, telling them that this major shutdown is going to affect half a million drivers. So, for right now, so far, so good, Fredricka. But, it's early, so anything can change over the weekend.

WHITFIELD: All right. Maybe people are just using this as an excuse to say, you know what? A day, maybe two days without getting behind the wheel, period. So they're just going to chill a little bit.

Sandra Endo, thanks so much.

ENDO: That's right.

WHITFIELD: We'll check back with you throughout the afternoon. Appreciate that.

All right, well, now to a true gridlock, but of a very different kind in Washington, the debate over raising the debt ceiling. There are no face-to-face talks planned this weekend, but judging from the words today of President Obama and Republican Senator Orrin Hatch, the stalemate is far from over.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I'm willing to compromise. I'm willing to do what it takes to solve this problem, even if it's not politically popular, and I expect leaders in Congress to show that same willingness to compromise.

SEN. ORRIN HATCH (R), UTAH: Washington has consistently demonstrated that it cannot control its urge to spend. That is why the only long-term solution is a balanced budget amendment to the constitution.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right, so August 2nd, just 17 days away. So what happens if there is no debt ceiling increase by then? Lisa Dejardins takes a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

OBAMA: The United States does not default -

LISA DESJARDINS, CNNRADIO CAPITOL HILL CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): News conferences on the debt, meetings on the debt, more rhetoric, more meetings - ignore it all for a minute. Let's simplify. If Congress doesn't raise the debt limit by August 2nd, what happens?

JAY POWELL, FORMER TREASURY AIDE: Starting on August 3, the federal government will be far short of the amount of cash that it needs to pay all of its bills.

DESJARDINS: That's Jay Powell. He oversaw the debt under the first President Bush. He says if the U.S. hits the debt ceiling with no more borrowing, the U.S. will bring in maybe $172 billion in revenue in August. But it's committed to spend, oh, about $306 billion. So there'd be enough money to pay just 56 percent of government's bills.

And then -

ANDY ROTH, CLUB FOR GROWTH: The decision on who gets paid is left up to Secretary of the Treasury Geithner. He can decide what gets paid and what gets not.

DESJARDINS: Nearly everyone expects Wall Street investors would get paid first and the U.S. would not default, but then it's tough. Government could pay social security, Medicare and unemployment benefits, but there'd be no money to pay the troops. Or government could pay the troops but then couldn't afford unemployment benefits. And, in both cases, there'd be no money for security or any other federal workers.

Now, back to Wall Street, what would happen to the markets? Interest rates likely would rise. How much? That is in dispute.

POWELL: It seems very likely that there would be significant disruptions in the market.

ROTH: I think that the stock or the equity markets and the - the bond markets are going to be fine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

DESJARDINS: So you probably see what's happening there. There is some political disagreement over how big of a hit the markets and the government would take. But some people argue, is it worth the risk to try and find out?

We know this, Fred, certainly government would immediately see a huge wall in what it could spend. It would have, again, just 50 percent of the revenue it needed to continue as it is now - Fred.

WHITFIELD: So, Lisa, what's the fallback plan, if any, in case the debt ceiling is not increased?

DESJARDINS: I wish I had better news. The truth is, Fred, we don't know if there is a back-up plan if the debt ceiling is not raised.

You have to imagine, though, that Treasury Secretary Geithner is preparing for that, that he's starting to figure out what the priorities would be for spending. But he hasn't made that plan public if there is any single document.

These are all going to be very difficult decisions, so there's no plan for exactly what they would do if the debt ceiling's not raised. At least, it hasn't been made public.

But there is a back-up plan that senators are trying to work to avoid this whole situation to have an increase in the debt ceiling, even if the politics don't work out.

WHITFIELD: All right, Lisa Desjardins, thanks so much.

We boil down the four plans on the table right now. Go to CNN.com and look for our debt debate cheat sheet for more information.

All right, the government shutdown in Minnesota appears to be nearing an end. The Democratic Governor Mark Dayton has cut a deal with state Republicans who control the legislature. It involves selling bonds rather than raising taxes to make up the budget deficit.

The governor hopes to call lawmakers back into special session on Monday once all the I's are dotted and T's are crossed.

All right, Casey Anthony is about to be released from jail. Find out what major challenges she's likely to face once she is free.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Acquitted of murder, Casey Anthony leaves jail tomorrow, but she may still have to deal with another legal challenge. A prison inmate in South Carolina wants a paternity test to determine if he's the father of her deceased daughter, Caylee.

In papers filed with the Orange County, Florida court, Chris Umberger requested Anthony be served before she is released from jail tomorrow. It's unknown if Umberger and Anthony have had any previous relationship.

So Anthony is also likely to face personal challenges as she tries to move on with her life. Here now is CNN's David Mattingly.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): As one of the most watched and talked-about people in the country, public relations executives weigh in with a word of caution to Casey Anthony - do not confuse infamy with fame. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's not fame. There's interest in you. A lot of it is negative interest. Don't confuse that situation with celebrity. Don't think that you have to go out and do a whole lot of things right now. As a matter of fact, it's best probably to lay low.

MATTINGLY: If that's even possible. Angry words we heard outside the Orange County courthouse are tiny in comparison to the Casey Anthony hatred expressed online. More than 770,000 people are signed on to just one of many anti-Casey pages on Facebook.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We, the jury, find the defendant not guilty.

MATTINGLY: Acquitted in a court of law, Casey Anthony may need to begin fighting for her freedom in the court of public opinion the minute she walks out of jail.

BRIAN PIA, LUCKIE STRATEGIC PR: She doesn't need to walk out of jail smiling. She doesn't need to walk out of jail with a smirk on her face. She needs to walk out of jail looking like a mother who lost her child.

MATTINGLY: And, from there, experts believe it would be time, at least temporarily, to disappear, consider the offers that come her way and decide how best to tell her story.

MARVET BRITTO, THE BRITTO AGENCY: We're going to have to hear from Casey Anthony. We're going to have to hear a first-person account. People will be interested in what she has to say. Whether or not they accept it or not is a different story.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: So David Mattingly now joining us live from Orlando.

So, David, Casey Anthony being released tomorrow, possibly as early as 12:01 A.M. What do we know about security arrangements for her release?

MATTINGLY: The security is in the details that they're not releasing. We don't know where, when or how she will be departing the jail. This is a massive facility behind me, multiple buildings, multiple ways that you could exit the property.

What they have made clear is that they're going to do everything to make sure she stays safe while she is in their custody. But, as soon as she's out of the parking lot, she's going to be treated like any other citizen, that the only way that they're going to be able to protect her is if there is a specific threat that she reports and they will follow up on that, just like they would for anybody else.

But, for right now, they're not letting a lot of information out there. In fact, they're only going to let three members of the news media inside the jail. They're going to be embedded in there. They're not going to be allowed to communicate with anybody on the outside until after Casey Anthony has departed. But they'll be allowed to record and witness the event of her actually leaving the jail here.

So it's possible we will all find out after the fact that Casey Anthony has left the jail and is, in fact, a free woman.

WHITFIELD: All right. David Mattingly, thanks so much, from Orlando.

So at 2:00 Eastern today, a forensic psychologist weighs in on Casey Anthony's future and tells us what her body language, Casey Anthony's body language, might be saying. That you saw during the trial and possibly upon her release.

All right, Anthony is also facing a defamation challenge in court. We'll be back with our legal guys, ready to tackle all that's next for Casey Anthony.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: A major misstep by federal prosecutors spells mistrial for baseball great Roger Clemens. The trial ended during the second day of testimony after the prosecution showed jurors evidence the judge had ruled inadmissible until later in the trial.

Clemens was charged with lying to Congress when he testified that he never used performance-enhancing drugs during his career. A hearing on whether to retry the case is set for September.

And the month after that, we could see former senator and Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards in court. He has pleaded not guilty to conspiracy and campaign law violations.

The charges have to do with money used to support Edwards' mistress and whether it should have been considered campaign donations. If convicted, Edwards could face up to 30 years in prison.

Casey Anthony is only hours away from getting out of jail, but then what? Let's bring in our legal guys, Avery Friedman, a civil rights attorney and law professor in Cleveland; and Richard Herman, a New York criminal defense attorney and law professor, joining us from Las Vegas.

Richard - hello, both of you. Richard, let me begin with you.

OK, so we heard David Mattingly talking about all the precautions that are being taken to make sure this is a clean sense of freedom for Casey Anthony. She will be released somewhere after midnight Sunday and there will be photographers that are kind of embedded. We'll get a chance to see her actually leaving and maybe getting into a vehicle.

Is this normal or is this what is to be expected when you have a high-profile case like this? Protecting this departure?

RICHARD HERMAN, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Well, Fred, they have an obligation to protect her if there are credible threats against her, and apparently they've agreed that there have been credible threats so they're going to try to whisk her away in the wee hours of the morning. In fact, she may even go sometime this evening, or she may be gone already. We don't know. And, like David said, where, when and how, just like in the trial when they didn't know how she was murdered, this is the situation on her release today.

I do not believe they're going to get a live reporting of her leaving. You're not going to see her getting in the car and - and taking off. It's going to be after the fact. It's going to be over and out, with a substantial lapse of time when these reports will come forward. And she's going to have to try to rebuild her life somewhere, somehow out of the public eye -

WHITFIELD: And that's in -

HERMAN: -- because she's in danger right now.

WHITFIELD: And that's in large part so that people wouldn't be able to follow her, so that anyone in the general public wouldn't know exactly where she's going to go, where home will be for her after this.

HERMAN: Exactly. And her life is at stake. People are really - this case has drawn up so much interest and - and emotion that she's in trouble.

WHITFIELD: So, I wonder, to what extent will protections be made? We heard David Mattingly say that the state is not obligated to protect her once she leaves the confines of the jail, even though there are these reported threats against her. She will have to pick up the phone, like anybody else, 911, and say that someone is threatening me right now, at this moment, before they impose any other protections for her?

HERMAN: Avery will agree with me, absolutely. I mean, if she's getting threatened or she has people outside her house harassing her, or she's being stalked by anybody, she's going to call for protection for - against and ask the very people that she told hundreds of lies to, to now step up and protect her life.

And they're going to have to do it. That's the dichotomy.

WHITFIELD: OK. And - and meantime, let's move on a little bit from these other cases. A, we know that she was convicted on lying to police. She and her attorneys are saying, we're trying to appeal those convictions, but on what grounds?

HERMAN: Well, what they're saying, Fred, is this - she was charged and she was convicted on four different counts of perjury, and the defense is claiming on appeal, listen, this was really only one count of perjury. We lied, she lied concerning the whereabouts of her child, and that was it. You can't charge her four separate times.

You could have - she told a hundred lies. You couldn't charge her a hundred different times for all these lies to law enforcement. So, basically, what they're saying is, we want it reduced down to one count, one conviction. Look, Baez stood up in his opening and said, she lied, she lied. So they're not going anywhere with that aspect of it. She lied. The question is, was it right to have four different convictions or should it have been one?

A panel of judges in Orlando area are going to make this decision. With all the press, with all the publicity, I don't think it's going anywhere. The judge ruled on it. I think his ruling was sound. I don't think it's going anywhere.

WHITFIELD: All right. And, you know -

HERMAN: But it's going to prevent - you know, prevent - but Fred, it will prevent the deposition right now in the civil case and allow her to take the Fifth in October, if the appeal is still pending. And that was really, I think, the ultimate purpose behind it.

WHITFIELD: Yes. And then there are others who kind of want payback. We saw, Avery, at the top, you're not hearing him right now because we've had some audio problems, but it looks like we've worked that out.

So, Avery, I'm going to ask you now, let's talk a little bit about the what's next in terms of people who say they want a little bit of payback upon Casey Anthony's release. This from the woman known as "Zanny the Nanny" who has a defamation case against her -

AVERY FRIEDMAN, CIVIL RIGHTS ATTORNEY: Right.

WHITFIELD: -- and wants to see her in court, to also this Equusearch, this group in Texas that says we want our money back for all that was exhausted in the search for Caylee Anthony.

Give me an idea whether either one of these cases really has legs.

FRIEDMAN: Well, I - I - we talked about Zanny the Nanny. I actually like that Richard doesn't like the case.

But the Equusearch case is fascinating because it sounds like there's a base - there's a basis for a case. But when you study the nine-page complaint, you learn, Fredricka, that it was Cindy Anthony who engaged Equusearch, not - not Casey. But Cindy and George are not parties to the case.

At the end of the day, Fredricka, that case has to be dismissed because there was no connection between Casey Anthony. They're arguing that she remained silent -

WHITFIELD: Yes.

FRIEDMAN: -- and therefore she acquiesced to a - an implied contract. The case is going nowhere.

WHITFIELD: OK, let's switch gears a little bit and talk about the Conrad Murray case. This is the - a doctor who is accused in the death of pop star Michael Jackson.

So now lawyers for both sides, actually, are saying they want raw footage from Michael Jackson's documentary "This Is It." What, Avery, do these attorneys intend to do with this material? Both sides?

FRIEDMAN: Well, I'm mystified. I mean, I - if I'm prosecuting the case, sure, let's take the outtakes, let's take the raw footage and show that Michael Jackson was perfectly healthy. I - I can't imagine how this is going to be helpful to the defense because all it's going to show is a very active, very healthy, very strong Michael Jackson.

Defense says they have some information. It's important stuff. That's - that's their language. But I'm mystified what it could possibly be.

WHITFIELD: Yes. Richard, he looks incredibly fit, you know, in "This Is It," and much of that tape comes from just days before his death.

FRIEDMAN: Yes.

HERMAN: Well, Fred, this man is 6'1", and I think he was weighing about 165 pounds even in these pictures here. I don't know how fit he is. But we'll see with these pictures -

WHITFIELD: Well, he's moving freely. He's thinking clearly, as he communicates -

HERMAN: Yes. Right.

WHITFIELD: -- with the - the dancers and the band members.

HERMAN: OK.

WHITFIELD: That's just my, you know, non-medical point of view.

HERMAN: I understand. We'll see what the footage reveals. We'll see what it all reveals.

But, in addition to this - and this is going to take a long time. There's 21 boxes. They only went through one box now, Fred. But, in addition, you know, the prosecution keeps adding expert witnesses to the case, doctors. That's a sign of desperation, Fred. They've had so much time to prepare their case, and they keep changing and changing.

And, I'm telling you, there are problems with the prosecution case here. A lot of pressure on these prosecutors. They don't want to lose this one, and I believe that there's a little desperation in the state's case. That's why these delays are taking place.

WHITFIELD: All right. Richard Avery - Avery, hold the phone. We're going to get back with you in a moment. We're going to talk about the case of whether you suspect your spouse of cheating, can you hire a private eye, also use the GPS, to track that cheating spouse? We're going to talk to you guys about that in a moment.

HERMAN: So, T.J. was a little nervous about that, Fred. T.J. was a little nervous.

WHITFIELD: He's watching right now.

FRIEDMAN: He just wants to see it. He just wants to see it, that's all.

WHITFIELD: All right. Very good.

HERMAN: Listen up, T.J.

WHITFIELD: We're going to talk about that in a moment.

And we're also going to talk about Carmageddon. Be glad right now you're not in Los Angeles, just for the sake of what some folks are very fearful of -

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, see, we're going to set up out there (ph).

WHITFIELD: -- the possible gridlock.

All right. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: They're calling it Carmageddon in Los Angeles, what possibly could happen, the gridlock that could come with closing down a ten-mile span of the 405.

We're going to check in with our Sandra Endo who's there on Ventura Boulevard. It's supposed to be one of the arteries that people would take to kind of get around that 405. You're at a different perch now, but how's it looking?

SANDRA ENDO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fredricka, I'm about three miles north from where they're demolishing that bridge, which is why hay had to shut down the entire 405 for that stretch.

To begin with, you could see just how empty the freeway is behind me. Take a look here as well, here's another vantage point of construction crews staging the area, also just repairing little things along the freeway.

And I have to say, this is a really freaky scene because living in Southern California, this services half a million drivers and it is completely empty. Considering all the pain and heartache this freeway has caused so many people and all the traffic jams, it's an unbelievable sight.

For months, local officials have been preparing the public to get ready for this shutdown. The scare tactics, Fredricka, seem to be working because let's take a live look at Ventura Boulevard, as you mentioned, a main street here in San Fernando Valley.

If there was a "Carmageddon," if there was "Carpocalypse," if there was major gridlock, you'd be seeing it right there on Ventura Boulevard, but right now, so far, so good. Smooth sailing for a lot of the cars traveling this morning, but it is early.

We stopped a bus driver earlier because there are free buses and trains for the people affected because of this closure and the bus driver says, well, everyone wants a free ride. He is seeing more ridership this morning because the rides are free. It seems like a lot of the people are taking heat of the warning, leaving their cars at home. If they do get need to get around, getting on the buses. Some people we've seen on bikes. Other people walking to get their cup of coffee.

That's pretty rare here in Los Angeles. But clearly, the day is young. So Caltrans officials say despite everything going smoothly so far, they are anticipating more traffic later in the day. Fredricka --

WHITFIELD: All right, well, maybe people will just kind of enjoy the peace. They'll be inspired by that peaceful scene that you're showing us there of the 405 and everything around it and just stay home and take a chill pill today.

All right, Sandra Endo, thanks so much. We'll check back with you. Not necessarily frustrated with the traffic, but instead kind of frustrated with that car.

But this is what not to do when your car won't start. Pull out a gun and then shoot it? That actually happened. Our legal guys are going to tell you about why it's now a case.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Drew Peterson wants the Lifetime Network to pull the plug on its movie about him. Rob Lowe stars as the ex-police officer accused of killing his third wife and suspected in the disappearance of his fourth.

Peterson's lawyers have filed a cease and desist letter with Lifetime arguing that they just not have the right to use his story. Lifetime Network officials told CNN that they had no comment. Peterson is in jail awaiting trial.

Reality TV star Cody Brown and the sister wives are suing for invasion of privacy. Really? Our legal guys are back. I mean, you know, reality TV, where's your privacy when you put it all out there?

Richard Herman and Avery Friedman are back with us. OK, Avery, let's start with you, but what gives? What part of privacy are they looking for that they, I guess, have been missing?

FRIEDMAN: None. Here's the theory, though. Here's the theory. The theory is that there was an -- there was a sodomy case decided by the Supreme Court involving a gay couple. And the Supreme Court invalidated the criminal sodomy laws of Texas. So the theory here -- it's really pie in the sky. I teach this stuff so I get it. But what they're arguing is, well, in Utah which has worked hard to ban polygamy, they're saying there's a public policy, the state is, to ban multi-member marriages.

The Cody Brown and his people are saying, no, no, no, we have a right of privacy based on that anti-sodomy case. Ultimately, the United States district judge is going to take a good look at it, Fredricka, and throw it out. It's going nowhere, nowhere.

WHITFIELD: OK, so Richard, I don't know, are you giving up some of those rights maybe voluntarily when you sign up for reality TV and you've got cameras everywhere, which you're going to show and publicize everything in the first place?

HERMAN: Is reality TV really reality? I don't know. All this stuff seems staged to me.

FRIEDMAN: Good point.

HERMAN: The issue, Fred, is intimate behavior between consenting adults behind closed doors, are we going to prosecute that? Avery brought up the Texas case in '03, Supreme Court case. Don't mess with Texas. They did.

And here, this is what they're saying. I don't know -- I don't think it's going anywhere. They do a civil ceremony with one wife. Then they marry three or four wives in a religious ceremony and live in a marriage-type scenario like that, it's -- in Utah, they don't really prosecute polygamist marriages in Utah.

They huff and puff about it, but they don't prosecute it. But with the gay marriage bill being passed, they're hoping polygamy will be the next major issue to be tackled by states and the Supreme Court in the United States --

FRIEDMAN: Never happen.

HERMAN: It may be.

WHITFIELD: Interesting. OK, let's move on to the GPS and the alleged cheating spouse, et cetera.

FRIEDMAN: Love this case.

WHITFIELD: You've got a husband who apparently is suing a private investigator who tracked him down using a GPS at the request of his now ex-wife. And so, Avery, this man is saying. Wait a minute, I'm ready to sue because, where is my privacy?

FRIEDMAN: Well, he did. Actually he did sue. The case was thrown out and went in front of a three-judge panel. And this past week, the three judges had to answer the question, do you have a right to privacy when you're -- at the time it was his wife -- snuck a GPS in the glove compartment and caught him? And the three-judge panel had to answer this question -- do you have a right to privacy driving on public streets? And in order to get to the secluded place to meet your paramour or something like that.

And the three judge panel in a very strange decision said because you're on public streets to get to the secluded place, there's no expectation of privacy. There is no privacy, case dismissed.

WHITFIELD: OK, so is there a big "but" there? If a device were in your vehicle and you were on a public roadway, are the rules any different?

HERMAN: Based on that rationale, Fred, no. The distinction here was that the ex-wife is the one who placed the tracking device. It wasn't placed by the private investigator. It was placed by the wife herself. This is sort of the linchpin of the case.

But in any event, the panel did not disclose whether or not there was a right of expectation of privacy between married spouses. That's really the area they should have gone into and they did not. But I guess the spouse was so frustrated trying to find information, she couldn't.

So as soon as they put that tracking device on, within two weeks, they disclosed, they found it and they buried him with it. Larger issue, can insurance companies do it on insurance fraud cases? Is law enforcement going to be able to do it now without a warrant? These are some of the larger issues involved --

FRIEDMAN: Different issue.

HERMAN: I understand that. But the distinction is the wife who was the one who placed it on her husband's vehicle. That's the key that why this case went the way it did in New Jersey.

FRIEDMAN: And the husband and wife actually settled their matter in divorce court. The only one left was the private investigator, three-judge panel said, no, going nowhere.

WHITFIELD: Wow, all right, that was New Jersey. Let's drive west now and let's find our way in Arizona. Kingman, Arizona, in particular.

So there's this one man. He's so upset with his Camaro, it wouldn't run. You know, everyone can probably relate to this. You go to crank up your car and your car does not start. But does everyone grab a gun and start shooting at the vehicle, firing bullets into the windshield, the body?

But there's more. He goes home, into the house, and the SWAT team knocks on his door surrounding the house for many hours.

So, Richard, this seems a little extreme. But, I guess, any neighbor if they hear all those gunshots being fired, they're going to call. What's his defense? HERMAN: You said, though, everyone can relate to this. Maybe this guy has a triable(ph) case and should try it. It's in Arizona statute says you cannot discharge a firearm within the city limits without justification. You just have justification, Fred. WHITFIELD: Well, I said everyone can relate to feeling frustrated, but I don't know if everyone can relate to, you know, unloading on the vehicle.

HERMAN: The car's going to make it. I just got news, the car's doing fine.

FRIEDMAN: I think this guy, is this Yosemite Sam? I mean, who is this guy? I mean, he gets mad at the car, pulls a gun, and shoots out the windshield. Then he tries again and blows out the dashboard. The strangest thing, he's loaded, goes to bed.

The SWAT team tries seven hours, Fredricka, to get him out, on the bullhorn for seven hours saying, reach for the sky or -- I don't know what they were saying. He finally comes out and they say, we're going to get you for -- they don't know what to charge him with.

The judge put him in jail for three months and three years' probation. Just goes to show, don't engage in, what, vehicle-cide or whatever it was. Just a silliest thing in the world.

HERMAN: Felony conviction.

WHITFIELD: That's a big price to pay to be frustrated over those cars.

FRIEDMAN: Absolutely. Stay away from '99 Camaros, I guess.

WHITFIELD: I guess, we figured, you know, you'd get a big bang out of this one.

FRIEDMAN: Fred!

WHITFIELD: Always love you guys.

FRIEDMAN: Good one. Good.

WHITFIELD: All right, you all have a great one. Bye-bye.

Well, this is a shocker, if not to everybody else, it was to me. After seven years of marriage, J-Lo and Marc Anthony calling it quits. Details in less than 3 minutes.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: I want to update you now on some of the top stories we're following. The superintendent of the Atlanta schools will not tolerate cheating, especially by educators.

A report found 44 schools where teachers changed grades on an important standardized test. A letter went out to 178 teachers, principals and administrators allegedly involved or who have already admitted to taking part. It reads, resign or be fired.

And some entertainment news now, entertainer Jennifer Lopez and singer Marc Anthony in happier times right there. Well, not anymore apparently. After seven years of marriage, the two have decided to divorce. They call it amicable, but a very difficult decision.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BEYONCE: Good morning, Atlantis. This is Beyonce. Sandy, Chris, Doug and Rex, you inspire all of us to dare to live our dreams.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: I'd say that was a great wake-up call. Beyonce waking up the International Space Station crew with her song "Run the World."

She also sent a message saying, quote, "You inspire all of us to dare to live our dreams." She said it better, but I thought I'd reiterate that.

All right, Reynolds Wolf, that was kind of fun? You're not digging that --

REYNOLDS WOLF, AMS METEOROLOGIST: No, I mean, she says everything better.

WHITFIELD: OK, excuse me.

WOLF: It doesn't matter where it is. It's like butter --

WHITFIELD: I say the name and people are like, what, what did you say?

WOLF: Story of my life anyway. Beyonce is from Houston and in Houston this morning, you've had your share of rainfall. Some scattered showers, a few thunderstorms have been popping up.

A few of these have been fairly strong. But in terms of any flash flooding, it is a possibility in places where you have poor drainage. We've seen scattered showers popping up not only along places like Houston, but also back on the I-10 corridor in Louisiana and some along the Alabama coastline as well.

Expect that to continue throughout much of the day. Something else that's going to continue is a big story we've been talking about, the extreme heat in the upper Midwest. It's been relentless.

Today, Fredricka, we're expecting highs into the 90s, 92 in Kansas City, 100 in Dallas and 93 in Minneapolis. It didn't sound like it was too intense, 93 degrees. But when you bring in the high humidity, it's going to feel much warmer than that.

In fact, it's going to feel like it's well beyond 100 degrees. Tomorrow, more of the same deal. For Sunday, for Minneapolis 111 degrees, that's what it's going to feel like. It's a combination of your high humidity and your high temperature, 108 in Kansas City, above is century mark in Oklahoma City, back into Dallas. Fast- forward into Monday, based with the same story.

Still sweltering conditions, 116 in Minneapolis, 100 in Memphis, 94 in Atlanta. You've see Atlanta return to the 100s as we get into Tuesday and 112, Minneapolis, 103 in Kansas City. Just rough, rough times in terms of the hot weather.

Again, Fredricka, it's one of those times where people really have to be careful. Don't want to be out there in the peak heating hours of the day especially in the mid to late afternoon hours.

WHITFIELD: That's right. If you're working out or even walking your dog and you have to hydrate.

WOLF: Absolutely.

WHITFIELD: It's amazing how much you sweat. You don't realize how much you're dehydrating in all that heat. Take it from me. All right, Reynolds, thanks so much. Appreciate that.

All right, you can't script everything, even when you are the U.S. secretary of state. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So we have two new guests.

HILLARY CLINTON, SECRETARY OF STATE: Hi. We have the kitty question.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right, that's what happens when two stray cats interrupt her town hall meeting in Turkey. That was today.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Not even the U.S. secretary of state can control the message every time.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We have two new guests.

CLINTON: Hi.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You love cats.

CLINTON: So we have the kitty question coming up.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Two stray cats suddenly appeared on stage while Hillary Clinton was taking questions there. You can see right there, she just rolled with the punches. The unscheduled moment came during a town hall-type meeting in Istanbul.

All right, one of the major drugs fueling the Mexican drug cartels is marijuana. Medical police have found the biggest-ever crop of it, about 300 acres and now plan to destroy it.

Here now is CNN's Rafael Romo.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The massive extension of the illegal crops can only be seen from the air, stretching as far as the eye can see.

Field after field after marijuana grown between tomato stalks in an apparent effort to hide the illegal crops from authorities. The Mexican Army says this is the biggest marijuana plantation ever found in the country.

GENERAL ALFONSO DUARTE MUGICA, MEXICAN ARMY (through translator): Once this finding is processed and recorded by authorities, the field will be destroyed by the method of incineration.

ROMO: The illegal field was found in Mexico's Baja Peninsula, 450 kilometers or about 280 miles south of Tijuana. It spans about 120 hectares or about 300 acres. Mexican officials say it's 168 times larger than the soccer field in Mexico City Azteca Stadium.

MUGICA: It's very important to find out with this finding we have stopped the harvest of 120 metric tons of marijuana that would have produced 60 million doses. This considerably affects the financial structure of drug traffickers in organized crime.

ROMO: The Mexican Army detained six people as part of the operation, 250 Mexican soldiers will be deployed to the plantation with the mission of destroying the illegal plants in the next few days.

(on camera): The drug would have had a street value of up to $160 million, according to Mexico's Department of Defense. A report issued by the U.N. says that Mexico is the world's largest producer of marijuana, closely followed by the United States. Officials say the find is a decisive blow to organized crime.

Rafael Romo, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: They're calling it "Carmageddon." The potential nightmare traffic gridlock caused by this on the right a partial shutdown of a vital freeway in Los Angeles because of construction there. Is that "Carmageddon" actually happening? Is it gridlock? Find out next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Checking our top stories right now. A day of violence in Jordan's capital. You see right there, riot police chasing demonstrators, in some cases punching and kicking them, say a lot of witnesses on the ground.

An official said police were simply trying to separate two groups, government supporters and those calling for reform. The protesters and journalists say police attacked them.

And a very public apology from Rupert Murdoch, the head of News Corp, has taken out full-page ads in seven British papers. He says he's sorry about the phone hacking scandal that has engulfed his media empire. Yesterday, he apologized in person to the parents of a murdered girl whose phone was allegedly hacked.

And so far, no new talks are scheduled between President Obama and congressional leaders this weekend over raising the debt ceiling. The president wants to consider both tax hikes on the wealthy and spending cuts on popular entitlement programs.

But Republicans insist tax hikes are off the table. Unless a deal is reached, the U.S. could default on its loans 16 days from now.

And so far, looks pretty good in the Los Angeles area where residents are staying off the roads to avoid what's being called "Carmageddon," a ten-mile section of the busy 405 interstate has been shut down for the weekend for a construction project.

Officials urge residents to stay home to avoid getting stuck in standstill traffic on surrounding roads. Right now, it looks like nobody is stuck. Of course, you're seeing the empty 405 that's closed down. But on surrounding arteries, apparently traffic is moving freely, if there is any traffic at all.

Join us at the 2:00 Eastern hour and we'll tell you what you can do at home that will save you money.

And then at 3:00 Eastern, we're going to look at some rare photographs of the Beatles that were taken in 1964 by my guest when he was just a teenager.

I'm Fredricka Whitfield. "YOUR MONEY" starts right now.