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Murdoch Scandal Takes Down London Police Official; Midwest Feels like Death Valley; House Republicans Push "Cut, Cap and Balance"; Consumer Protection Bureau to Open Thursday; Casey Anthony Leave Jail After Three years

Aired July 18, 2011 - 11:00   ET

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

DREW GRIFFIN, CNN ANCHOR: We're live in Studio 7. I'm Drew Griffin. I'm in today for Suzanne Malveaux, normally here. She's off today. Let's get you up to speed for Monday, this July 18th.

The scandal shaking Rupert Murdoch's media empire claimed another casualty today. London's assistant police commissioner, John Yates, has resigned. Why? He is the person who two years ago decided against reopening the phone hacking investigation at the tabloid "News of the World." Yates now calls that decision, his decision, quote, "crap."

His resignation comes one day after Scotland Yard chief Paul Stephenson quit. Stephenson came under fire for hiring a former "News of the World" editor as his PR consultant. That man was arrested in the scandal last week.

British lawmakers say they expect Rupert Murdoch's protege, Rebekah Brooks, to show up tomorrow to answer questions in the phone hacking scandal. Despite her arrest over the weekend, her spokesman says she will be there. The former News Corp. exec is denying she knew her reporters at the "News of the World" tabloid hacked phones for scoops while she was the newspaper's editor.

Rupert Murdoch, chairman of News Corp., and his son, James, are expected to testify alongside Brooks tomorrow. They will appear before Parliament's media committee.

Hey, a heat wave hitting the middle of the U.S., extremely high humidity. It's going to make it feel as hot as 117 degrees in some places. That heat is creeping east.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Brutal. I probably lost 10 pounds today. It's crazy.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We are sweltering, and we're just asking for some relief here! Houston is hot as blazes. Stay put. Stay cool.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRIFFIN: There's been a change of U.S. command in Afghanistan today, as well. General David Petraeus, leaving to become the CIA director, handed command of the Afghan war to Marine general John Allen (ph). Allen served as a deputy at U.S. Central Command in Tampa before getting that job in Afghanistan.

And in Los Angeles, all back to normal. The 405 traffic has resumed, another typical morning commute. Transportation workers closed that busy freeway this weekend to tear down a bridge. That whipped up talk of citywide gridlock, but "carmageddon," as they called it, didn't happen. Construction crews wrapped up work well before this morning's rush hour deadline.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think people are a little spoiled, and they need to realize that there are other ways to get around.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think it absolutely worked. I wish it could be an ongoing thing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thanks, Ron. And when this flag returns again someday to earth by astronauts that came up on an American spacecraft, its journey will not end there. Its journey will continue.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRIFFIN: Stuart Day (ph). A little bit of history in space. Two hours ago, astronauts shut the door between Atlantis and the space station for one last time. This is the 135th and final shuttle mission. Atlantis will undock early tomorrow morning. The orbiter is scheduled to land Thursday. We'll talk to John Zarrella about that coming up.

And look at it this way, if the U.S. women's soccer team couldn't win the Cup championship, well, at least Japan did. Four months after an earthquake, tsunami and nuclear crisis, Japan needed something to cheer about.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KYUNG LAH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): More than a sports team, they carry the prayers and hopes of the badly damaged nation, moved to tears as they watch. "I think we witnessed something historic," says this fan. "I was so moved."

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GRIFFIN: CNN "In Depth" now. It just keeps growing. The phone hacking scandal engulfing Rupert Murdoch's media empire landed a former News Corp. executive behind bars this weekend and forced London's top cop to quit.

CNN senior international correspondent Dan Rivers joins us from London. And Dan, let's talk first about the arrest of Murdoch's protege, Rebekah Brooks. She's out on bail right now, but her arrest over the weekend a big surprise.

DAN RIVERS, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. I mean, she was -- and the length that she was detained for was incredible, as well. Twelve hours she spent -- more than twelve hours -- in a police station in London answering questions and was only released at around midnight last night local time. So that was a huge development in this.

She's out on police bail now, but that doesn't mean that she's excused from appearing before a committee of MPs tomorrow London time. She's still going to turn up. She's going to have to be careful about what she says, and the politicians are going to have to be careful about what they ask her, as well, because there could be a trial down the track, if she is charged, and therefore, they've got to make sure, under the rules here, that they don't sort of prejudice any forthcoming trial.

But nevertheless, I think she's going to get a pretty tough interrogation at the hands of politicians, as will her former bosses, Rupert and James Murdoch, who will appear now separately from her before the same committee tomorrow afternoon.

GRIFFIN: Dan, let me ask you to educate us over here about the rules and the laws in England, in the UK. Does she have to answer all the questions? Can she, as we say in the U.S., plead the fifth and choose not to answer the questions?

RIVERS: She can certainly choose not to answer them. And I think she will probably have her lawyers with her. There's no such thing as sort of pleading the fifth here, but because there could be a subsequent criminal trial, in Britain, the reporting leading up to a trial has to be very careful because the idea is that you don't want to influence the jury one way or another into finding her either guilty or not guilty.

Therefore, the rules here are quite strict in what you can say in the lead-up to a trial. The idea is that the jury go in with an open mind, that they haven't already made their mind up as to whether she is culpable or not.

Now, this is an extraordinary situation, one I can't remember happening before, where someone who may be about to, you know, be charged and appear in court is also separately being questioned before a select committee. And I don't think any of us know how they're going to play it.

But think everyone is aware that the politicians have got to be seen, at least, to be doing their job thoroughly, but at the same time, they can't derail any chance of her standing trial, if she is charged.

GRIFFIN: All right, Dan Rivers in London. Thanks, Dan. We're going to take a close look at Rupert Murdoch's efforts to contain this scandal. We're going to talk to Howard Kurtz, Washington bureau chief for the DailyBeast and host of our own "RELIABLE SOURCES" here on CNN. That's in the next hour in the NEWSROOM. Tomorrow, we're going to take you live to London, probably back to Dan, for some of the testimony from Rupert Murdoch, his son and his former executive, Rebekah Brooks, as they face Parliament.

Here's a rundown of some of the stories ahead here. First, the insane heat outside. We're going to get a full report on warnings posted across the Midwest now.

And a new twist to an old airport story. This time, it's a passenger accused of groping a TSA agent.

Then Casey Anthony is free, but what next? We'll ask our legal expert what to expect.

And the hatch closes for one last time on the shuttle Atlantis and on NASA's space shuttle program.

Also, Morgan Freeman -- he will join us in the NEWSROOM to wish South Africa's Nelson Mandela a happy birthday.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GRIFFIN: Feels like Death Valley in the Midwest. There's no break from the extreme heat this week, cooling centers popping up in libraries, senior centers and schools throughout Missouri, the National Weather Service issuing excessive heat warnings in 11 states, including Minnesota, where the heat index is expected to go as high as 117 degrees.

That's where we find CNN's Ted Rowlands. Meteorologist Rob Marciano is with me in a nice, cool studio. So Ted, we'll get to you first since you're suffering the most. You're outside that ballfield, where I bet they could back in the old dome right now.

TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. A lot of complaints about the old Metrodome, but today it wouldn't sound so bad. The temperature is going to be very hot today inside Target Field. The Twins are going to actually have a double-header today, 38,000 people will be packing in here in about an hour or so as we get close to the game.

This is Kevin Smith. He's with the Twins. You're talking about a heat index up towards 119 degrees. This is not only uncomfortable, but it's potentially dangerous, something you guys are taking very seriously.

KEVIN SMITH, MINNESOTA TWINS SPOKESMAN: That's exactly right. You know, this is dangerous weather and we know that, so we've got hundreds of guest services staff on hand today, and they've been prepped on looking for people who might be in distress. We've got water stations, big Gatorade coolers at every gate and around the building for people to refill water for free. And we're asking our fans to kind of really pay attention to the weather, pay attention to their bodies and get out of the sun if they have to.

ROWLANDS: Yesterday, a little cooler, you had people literally passing out in their seats. We saw one guy being pulled out with a gurney with an IV attached.

SMITH: That's exactly right. You know, it's a hot day. We're used to the heat in Minnesota, but you get this excessive humidity with it, it's a little bit dangerous. Unfortunately, we've got a double-header today, which we're going to have to get through. But there's a lot of places in Target Field where fans can get out of their seats, get out of the heat and get to some shade and some comfort.

ROWLANDS: All right, thanks, Kevin. Appreciate it. Drew, you know, they say not only hydrate but try not to be active so that your body can release the natural heat that it's generating. Real tough to do in conditions like this, and not only here in Minneapolis, but across the Midwest for the entire week, Drew.

GRIFFIN: Ted, you got a couple of baseball guys here. Did they schedule a double-header on a Monday, or was this a make-up game?

ROWLANDS: Well, I'll tell you, it's a make-up game with the Cleveland Indians. You're smart, Drew. Yes, it wasn't a scheduled double- header. It's a day-night. They'll clear the stadium and they'll play the regularly scheduled game tonight.

GRIFFIN: Got you. All right, Ted, thanks a lot. Thanks for sweating it out for us, too.

Rob Marciano is here in the Weather Center. This is really -- I mean, it's the middle of summer, but this is bad. I don't remember it being this bad in a while.

ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes, and you know, it's been long duration because we started at one part of the country, kind of shifted it west, now we're moving it north, and I mean, it goes as far north as into Canada. Twenty-five percent of the U.S., for the most part, Drew, is what these advisories and these warnings are encompassing.

The pink are the worst. That's where excessive heat warnings are. That's 11 states, and places like Minneapolis and other spots in Minnesota are in that spot. We saw dew points -- now, that's the true level of humidity -- dew points of 85, 86 degrees yesterday. I mean, that's pretty much a steam bath. And to get it that far away from the Gulf of Mexico is truly remarkable. It's so warm at that point that, quite literally, the corn will be sweating.

It's 108 for the "feels like" temperature across parts of Minnesota. And Sarah (ph), if you could click ahead for me, that would be fantastic. The jet stream, which controls the hot and cold air, is going to continue to keep things locked up to the north, as far as the cooler and more comfortable air is concerned. And down across parts of Minnesota, in through St. Louis, we'll see heat indices up and over 110 to 115.

Not only today but tomorrow. Going into Thursday is when we start to get a little bit of a break as the cooler air begins to slide in, mostly staying up towards the north. So that's the deal with that.

One other thing I want to touch on, Drew, is this, tropical Storm Brett (ph), 50-mile-an-hour winds, forecast good news to go away from land. But actually, it would be good if we got a little bit of that rain across parts of Florida and Georgia. So we're sweating it out across the mid-section and parts of Minneapolis. We've got drought, as well. So this has been quite a summer as far as both heat and dry weather goes.

GRIFFIN: Did I hear you right, the corn will sweat?

MARCIANO: Well, farmers will tell you -- evapotranspiration (ph) -- it'll get so hot that the corn will start to sweat, especially this time of year. That actually can add to the humidity, technically.

GRIFFIN: That's a headline.

MARCIANO: There you go.

GRIFFIN: Rob Marciano.

Across the country now for a look at stories our affiliates are covering. Upstate New York, two people died, 35 others injured when a tour bus crashes in a wooded area. This is 60 miles from Rochester. The bus set off from Washington. It was heading to Niagara Falls. Police believe one of the tires may have blown.

Next stop, Iowa, where the corn is sweating, a robber who picked the wrong house. Congressman Leonard Boswell was home with his family when some guy pushed his way in as gunpoint. Boswell, the congressman, wrestled the man and tried to grab the gun. Then his grandson went for a shotgun. Well, that was enough to send the robber high-tailing it out the door. Police say no one seriously injured, still looking for the bad guy.

In Phoenix, a 61-year-old woman accused of groping a TSA agent. Police say the woman refused to go through screening. Then she reached out and grabbed the agent's breasts. She was arrested and charged with a felony.

The debate over raising the debt ceiling and reducing the deficit picks up again today after no significant progress over the weekend. Congress faces an August 2nd deadline to raise the limit or risk federal government defaulting on its bills. Republicans are pushing a new plan with a catchy title. Details from chief political correspondent Candy Crowley.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CANDY CROWLEY, CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Buzzword alert.

SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R), SOUTH CAROLINA: Cut, cap and balance gets us out of debt over a long period of time.

CROWLEY: Cut a substantial amount of spending to bring down the roughly $1.5 trillion deficit expected this year. Cap federal spending at 18 percent of gross domestic product. It's at 24 percent of GDP now. Pass a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution that includes spending caps and makes it difficult to raise federal taxes. Cut, cap, and balance, "CCB," is all the rage in some Republican quarters.

MITT ROMNEY (R-MA), FMR. GOV., PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The answer for the country is for the president to agree to cut federal spending, to cap federal spending, and to put in place a balanced budget amendment.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The House will be in order.

CROWLEY: This week, the Republican-controlled House will likely pass a "cut, cap and balance" bill as a prerequisite to raising the debt ceiling. There are mighty objections from Democrats on the Hill and in the White House.

JACOB LEW, WHITE HOUSE BUDGET DIRECTOR: What these amendments do is not just say you have to balance the budget, but it puts in place spending limitations that would force us to cut Social Security and Medicare more deeply than even the House budget resolution.

CROWLEY: What the House will almost surely approve, the Senate almost surely will not, leaving the debt ceiling issue precisely where it's been for months, unresolved.

(on camera): If you cannot get the Senate to pass what the House surely will this week, you will allow the U.S. to go into default, or you will go to a Plan B?

GRAHAM: I'm going to focus on Plan A. That to me is the only plan that will work. It's the real deal, not a big deal.

CROWLEY (voice-over): The most probable deal -- still in the works -- would cut spending by $1.5 trillion over 10 years and let the president raise the debt ceiling through the 2012 election. Congress could stop him, but only in the unlikely event of a veto-proof majority vote in both houses. Everybody gets off the hook, and it avoids economic chaos.

SEN. JON KYL (R), ARIZONA: At the end of the day, Republican leaders have made it clear that we will not be the ones who put the government into default.

CROWLEY: It's uncertain whether Republican rank and file will follow their leaders. The idea comes from Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell, who has been trashed by conservatives ever since.

REP. JIM JORDAN (R), OHIO: We're in big trouble, so let's have that national debate...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right, let's talk -- let's talk about...

JORDAN: -- and not some cop-out like the McConnell plan!

CROWLEY: Sources say the last ditch McConnell plan could be on the Senate floor this week.

(on camera): But a Republican source believes before the McConnell bill, the Senate will take up cut, cap and balance because even if CCB doesn't pass, it has endless possibilities as a CBS -- campaign bumper sticker. Candy Crowley, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GRIFFIN: And there's somebody new watching out for you and your money, a new agency designed to protect you from unfair banking practices and to make mortgages and other loans easier to understand. We'll explain it to you after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GRIFFIN: Three great stories, but only one will air. Budget cuts, you know. This is your chance to choose the news. Here are your choices. First, it was a tough lost for the U.S. women's soccer team, but nothing can tarnish the sport's new popularity in the U.S. If you want, we'll take a look at the next generation of young female athletes ready to take the field.

Second choice, an unlikely biker gang, road warriors touring South Africa in the name of Nelson Mandela and doing good deeds along the way.

Or third, you think LA's recent freeway shutdown made commuting tough? We're going to try planning a wedding in the middle of "carmageddon."

You can vote by texting 22260. Text 1 for the U.S. women's soccer story, 2 for the Mandela bikers or 3 for the "carmageddon" bride. The winning story airs next hour.

CNNMoney.com's lead story, Moody's warns again on U.S. debt. And we're also checking the markets. Right now, the Dow down 148 in the last few seconds.

A new agency is designed now to protect your money. It launches this week. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is aimed at making you feel more secure about complex money matters.

Alison Kosik joins us from the New York Stock Exchange. Alison, explain how this agency will do I guess what other agencies haven't been doing.

ALISON KOSIK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Sure. You know, Drew, let's call it the CFPB. It opens its doors Thursday, and what it's supposed to essentially do is protect you, the consumer. And a big part of its job is actually going to be inspecting the books of financial firms to avoid a repeat of what we saw that led to the financial meltdown.

Now, for one, they want to make sure that home mortgages are in check. They're going to look to end what many call these "liar loans" by crafting rules that ban lenders from giving mortgages without verifying incomes. Now, this bureau is also going to make sure that banks are following new credit card laws that require a lot more disclosure.

And here's what's interesting, as well. The bureau can respond to consumer complaints on things like credit card abuse, essentially giving consumers a stronger voice. You know, it's really mean to bridge the gap between us the people and them the banks -- Drew.

GRIFFIN: And how will they do that? I mean, because this is about transparency. I want to see what they're finding, right?

KOSIK: Oh, sure. And you know, when you think about it, one of the root problems of the recession was that people signed up for credit cards, they signed up for mortgages without knowing what they were getting themselves into. And the CFPB really wants to make sure that consumers don't get tripped up in the fine print and miss those hidden disclosures. So what it looks to do is to make these basic financial practices more clear, and also weeding out these unfair lending methods.

You know, for a while, though, what's interesting about this agency is this new sheriff on Wall Street has been without an actual sheriff. But in a couple of hours, President Obama is nominating the former Ohio attorney general, Richard Cordray, to lead the CFPB. He's still going to need Senate confirmation. This is going to be an interesting confirmation process, Drew, because Republicans have vowed to oppose the nomination -- Drew.

GRIFFIN: All right, Alison, we'll look for what happens later on this week.

Coming up next, though, Casey Anthony out of jail for the first time in almost three years, but she faces an uncertain future. We're going to talk with a criminal defense attorney about the tough road ahead for her.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GRIFFIN: Here's a rundown of some of the stories we're working on. Up next: Casey Anthony walked out a free woman from jail. That happened last night, or early in the morning, I guess. We'll ask a defense attorney and former prosecutor what's next for her.

Then Nelson Mandela is turning 93. Oscar-winning actor Morgan Freeman, who's played Mandela, joins us with 67 reasons to wish him a happy birthday.

And later, the hatch between the shuttle Atlantis and the space station closes for the last time.

First, though: For the first time in three years, Casey Anthony is no longer behind bars. Early yesterday morning, she did this, walked out of jail and right into a very uncertain future. Anthony was freed 12 days after a jury acquitted her of murder in the death of her 2-year- old daughter, Caylee.

Joining us to talk about it and the road ahead for Casey Anthony is criminal defense attorney, former prosecutor Holly Hughes. Holly, do we know where she went?

HOLLY HUGHES, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: We don't know, and that's probably for the best because there are some folks out there who would like to do harm to her. I think she's probably holed up one of her attorneys' houses, or you know, maybe they have a vacation home or something like until such time as they can get her a passport. We'll probably find out that she's taken out of the country, maybe by a publisher who will put her up on an island, help her write a book, and then she'll reappear in a few months.

GRIFFIN: I was surprised to see how public her release really was because as you say -- I mean, I was just thinking of a Jack Ruby moment.

HUGHES: Right. And most of us were. But if you'll notice, Drew, what they did was they had a lot of mounted police out there. They had officers out there with automatic -- fully automatic weapons. You know, looking at them, they looked like they had SKSs, some AKs out there. They were serious.

So I'm sure what they did was probably patrolled that perimeter very well to make sure there was nobody with a scope and a night-vision goggle, you know, out there waiting to take her out.

And I think they also didn't want to be perceived as giving her special treatment because we all thought what you thought. We thought they're going to take her out the back door. They don't want an incident.

But I think they took all of the necessary safety precautions out front so it didn't look like they were favoring her because everybody got upset last week when they...

GRIFFIN: Right.

HUGHES: -- they were going to transport Whitey Bulger by helicopter, saying, Why does he get special treatment? Orange County might have been listening to that and thought, Oh, we don't want that kind of criticism. Let's let her go out with her attorney.

GRIFFIN: Yes. In an attempt to try to diffuse the situation or throw a ruse in, I guess her attorney asked Caylee's parents...

HUGHES: Casey's parents, yes.

GRIFFIN: -- Casey's parents, excuse me -- to set up a diversion. Let's take a listen to what this -- was said by one of the attorneys involved.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARK LIPPMAN, ATTORNEY FOR GEORGE AND CINDY ANTHONY: Last night, we got a call from Mr. Baez. He had wanted to use my clients as decoys for the media. And I, of course, did not agree with that, and neither did my clients. One, it was risky at best, and two, just in my opinion, something that would not be beneficial to anybody. But we did find out that wherever Casey is, she's safe. Cindy received a text from Jose.

(END VIDEO CLIP) GRIFFIN: Baez, of course, is Casey's attorney. Mark Lippmann is the attorney for Casey's parents. After this trial, no love lost between these groups.

HUGHES: Oh, my goodness! And let's think about this, Drew, seriously. You have called these people child rapists, and then you're going to telephone them and ask them for a favor? Now, that's some chutzpah, OK? I just can't believe he did that. But of course, as we heard Mark Lippmann say, who represents George and Cindy, No, we're not going to participate in this. We are not in a mind frame to do you any favors. And I don't think they should have, because look at it realistically. Casey has not received any death threats in jail, but George and Cindy have received over 16. So it doesn't make sense to put the two of them in the public eye who received death threats and protect Casey, who has not.

So I think Mr. Littman made the right call in saying his clients wouldn't participate.

GRIFFIN: What does this woman still face in terms of legal battles?

HUGHES: She's facing a lot of civil legal battles, Drew, because what's happening is Texas Equusearch, which is the group run by Tim Miller, who conducted that huge, extensive search for little Caylee, you know, alive or dead, they spent so much money -- $112,000 and they had to turn down 40 other families who requested their help to find missing children. And, according to Jose Baez, lead defense attorney for Casey, they knew the whole time the child was dead. So they're suing to get that money back.

The state now is also asking under -- they filed a motion with the court saying we would like the money back for the cost of investigation because it was for naught. She lied to the police and said the baby was out there and she knew she wasn't.

We also have Zenaida Fernandez Gonzalez suing her, who is the person she claimed was the nanny that kidnapped baby Caylee and took off.

And, don't forget the old IRS is knocking on her door. She sold $200,000 worth of photos and videos of her baby Caylee and never paid taxes. So they've got a lien on her for $70,000, too.

So, free from jail but not free, Drew. There are levels of freedom and she is not a free woman by any means and will not be free of the legal judicial system for quite a few years.

GRIFFIN: And we are not rid of her yet apparently.

HUGHES: Apparently not, Drew.

GRIFFIN: Holly Hughes, thanks a lot. Very insightful. Appreciate it.

HUGHES: Thank you.

GRIFFIN: Hey, remember, we're giving you the chance to tell us which story you want to see. You can vote by texting 22360.

Text 1 to see the next generation of U.S. women's soccer stars in training.

Number 2 for the South African biker gang riding in the name of Nelson Mandela.

Or number 3 for the carmageddon bride. Gridlock almost kept her from getting to the church on time.

The story with the most votes airs next hour.

Nelson Mandela turns 93.

(VIDEO CLIP)

That's reason to sing and to volunteer. We're going to talk with actor Morgan Freeman about what Nelson Mandela wants you to do on his birthday. Freeman is one of several stars with the birthday shout- outs for Nelson Mandela, affectionately called by his clan name Madiba.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHARLIZE THERON, ACTRESS: Madiba, happy birthday.

WHOOPEE GOLDBERG, ACTRESS: Happy birthday.

MORGAN FREEMAN, ACTOR: Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday. Happy birthday, Madiba.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRIFFIN: We are wishing a happy birthday to Nelson Mandela. He's 93- years-old today. This picture of South Africa's iconic elder statesman released by his family. Today, children across the country celebrated the birthday with a song.

(VIDEO CLIP, SINGING)

GRIFFIN: The world is also celebrating Nelson Mandela Day, is recognized by the United Nations as a global call to volunteer.

And we are joined from New York by actor Morgan Freeman, a strong promoter of Mandela Day, a great singer, too, we found out Mr. Freeman.

What exactly is the mission?

FREEMAN: We've taken a lead from the fact that Madiba spent 67 years of his life in community service. So for his birthday if we're going to make a fuss, he didn't want it to be just a day to not go to work or a day to go shopping. He says if you're going to make a fuss over my birthday, please make it mean something.

So we say, OK. He spent 67 years in community service. We'll ask for 67 minutes of community service on his birthday from the world at large. Anything you can decide what you think helps make the world a better place. Spend 67 minutes doing it.

GRIFFIN: And what is interesting to me is it doesn't matter what you do, just help somebody else seems to be the message.

FREEMAN: Exactly. Yes. There are just any number of things and we'll be -- over the course of the day suggesting things that people can -- things people have done and you can do what someone else has done or you can think of stuff to do on your own.

GRIFFIN: You're a personal friend, of course, of Mr. Mandela. You've also played him in real life -- I mean, in the movies. Is he the same -- are you the actor he is in real life?

Does he say, hey, you know what, you do a good job doing me?

FREEMAN: Well, yes, in so many words. When he published his book "Long Walk for Freedom," he was asked if it was a movie, who would he want to play you? So he anointed me. He said, Morgan Freeman.

So over those many years I got a chance to meet with him a number of times because I told him on the first meeting, if this is going to come about, if I'm going to play you, I need to have access to you. I need to be able to walk with you and talk with you and hold your hand. And he said OK. So on many occasions over those ensuing years, he made that possible.

GRIFFIN: He -- I would almost be afraid to meet him for this reason. He seems like somebody you cannot say no to. That was certainly the person that you acted upon in the movie in "Invictus."

Is he like that? Can you turn this guy down?

FREEMAN: No, I've not been able to do it and I think large portions of the world have not been able to do it. With his track record, when he asks for help in anything that he's doing, you feel it's your obligation to help him.

GRIFFIN: Of course he's 93 years old. Can you give us some insight on to how he is doing health-wise? Is he doing all right? Is he enjoying this 93rd birthday?

FREEMAN: Generally -- he is generally in good health. He's just a little bit feeble, as you can imagine a 93-year-old would be. He's still able to get up on his feet, however, and move around. Zelda -- I call her his personal handler -- tries to hold down as much activity as possible, because everybody wants him to go and appear at this function or that function and -- but that gets to be too much for him. But generally he's in good shape.

GRIFFIN: All right. Mr. Freeman, pleasure to talk to you. Pleasure to talk to you about Nelson Mandela, as well. Thank you for all the work you're doing, too, on this day of volunteering for Nelson Mandela's birthday. And for more on the celebrations, you can go to CNN.com. It's bigger, it's brighter. Now I'm told even easier to find CNN's most compelling video there and we invite you to check out the bold new look of CNN.com's groundbreaking new video experience at CNN.com/video.

A Congressman fights off an intruder at his Iowa farmhouse. Details are ahead in a political ticker update.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GRIFFIN: Still time left to tell us which Choose the News story you want to see. Send us your vote by texting 22360.

Here's the choices.

Text 1 to see the next generation of U.S. women's soccer stars take the field.

Number 2 for the South African biker gang taking the teaching of Nelson Mandela on the road.

Or 3 for the carmageddon wedding. The gridlock that almost kept a bride and groom from exchanging vows.

The winning story is going to air next hour.

Republicans are tallying up the cash. Shannon Travis, part of the Best Political Team on Television, live from the political desk in Washington.

How much money we talking about, Shannon?

SHANNON TRAVIS, CNN POLITICAL PRODUCER: A lot of money, Drew. You know, we've been paying a lot of attention to what the presidential candidates are raising, but, of course big dollars being raised on both of the national political committees.

The Republican National Committee is reporting what it raised in June. Now, take a look at some of these numbers. In June the RNC reports that it raised $6.7 million. That would bring its first six-month total, the total it's raced in the first six months of this year, to nearly $37 million, Drew. Cash on hand, the RNC reports that it has $7.3 million and the RNC says that its debt -- its debt is down to 17.5.

Now, you remember last week, Drew, the DNC released their numbers. This pales in comparison. What the Republicans raised pales in comparison to what the Democrats raised. They raised about $38 million in the second quarter in conjunction with President Obama's re-election campaign, and about $58 million for the first half the year, Drew.

GRIFFIN: I'm scratching my head. They're flushed with cash while the government's going is going broke.

TRAVIS: That's right.

GRIFFIN: Anyway Shannon, we're hearing that Representative Leonard Boswell of Iowa and his family were victims of this home invasion. This is a big political story that involves crime and shotguns in Iowa.

TRAVIS: It's a pretty shocking story out of Iowa there. As you mentioned, Drew, Leonard Boswell, he's a Democrat, 77-years-old, was the victim of a home invasion this weekend in Iowa on Saturday.

Now, the details from the Congressman's office go like this. And again, pretty stunning details. This intruder entered Congressman Boswell's home through the front door, physically assaulted his daughter, demanded money at gunpoint. At some point the Congressman heard screams from his daughter, ran in there, tussled with the intruder. This standoff, this episode didn't end until a 22-year-old grandson apparently grabbed a gun and ran into the room, pointed it at the intruder and the intruder ran off. The family, the Congressman and his family, we're told, are OK, minus a few scrapes and bruises and the intruder made off.

But it's a pretty shocking story out of Iowa, Drew.

GRIFFIN: Yes, that is shocking. Shannon, thanks for all that.

And for the latest political news, you know where to go -- CNNpolitics.com.

Hey, if you're getting ready to sell your car, Alison Kosik is here with today's top tips on how to boost your car's value before you sell it -- Alison.

ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, so if you are getting ready to sell your car, Drew, the last thing you really feel like doing is repairs that you've put off for years. But CNNMoney actually talked with some experts who say those small improvements to your car can really improve its resale value. Because you know that just a deep cleaning can help you negotiate $300 to $500 more from a buyer, Drew.

GRIFFIN: And what areas of the car should these sellers focus on that cleaning, Alison?

KOSIK: Well, the cleaner your car is, the newer and more attractive it's going to look to the buyer. And here are some areas you want to focus on.

First of all, nothing says old car faster than dinghy headlights. There are a number of the cleaning products on the market to brighten your plastic light covers and make them look like new. You have to make sure to use headlight cleaners and not window cleaners if you want the best results.

Also make sure your wheels don't show how far they traveled. Clean out the dirt, the dust and the grime from the wheels and the hubcaps and use a shine product on the sides of those tires to make them look fresh.

And finally, check out the floor mats. If your floor mats are removable, that means it's time to probably give them a good wash if you haven't noticed them before -- Drew.

GRIFFIN: All right. And there's more you can do. We're going to have more with Alison when we come back on how to boost your car's value before you sell.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GRIFFIN: Back now with Alison Kosik.

Alison, you've got some easy fixes you can make to boost your car's value before you sell.

KOSIK: Yes. And it's really worth it to make the minor repairs. You know, CNNMoney says those minor repairs for a mid-range car could wind up increasing the selling price by as much as $2,000.

So what kind of fixes should you make? Well, first, experts say make sure there are no warning lights flashing on your dashboard. If you're low on windshield washer fluid, fill that up, or if your check engine light is on, have that checked out. Take a look at all of your headlights and your taillights. If any are burned out, replace them.

Also while it's probably not worth it to do major body work before you sell, some small scratches and parking dings, they can be fixed without spending a bunch of money, Drew. And while you may be tempted to leave these kinds of things for the car's new owner, you really want to send that message to the buyer that you've taken great care of the car while you've had it -- Drew.

GRIFFIN: Alison, hey stick around. You might want to see this one. This story involving Justin Timberlake. He agreed to serve his country by going on a date with a Marine.

YouTube played matchmaker -- watch this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CPL. KELSEY DE SANTIS, U.S. MARINE CORPS: So Justin, you want to call out my girl Mila? Well, I'm going to call you out and ask you to come to the Marine Corps Ball with me on November 12th in Washington, D.C.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRIFFIN: Here's the back story here. Corporal Kelsey De Santis sent in that video calling out Timberlake after he urged Mila Kunis, his costar in the movie "Friends with Benefits" to go out with a Marine who sent out a similar video.

Here's Timberlake's response.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE, MUSICIAN/ACTOR: I don't get asked out, ever.

(LAUGHTER)

TIMBERLAKE: So I was very flattered by that, and I hear that she's like trained in martial arts so I'm hoping we can tussle at some point.

That last part was a joke.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRIFFIN: It better be. Besides being a black belt Karate instructor, De Santis sometimes does cage fights, Alison. The date, or tussle -- is set for November 12th in Washington. And, by the way, we're hearing another Marine sent out a video.

KOSIK: I bet Justin Timberlake would be the perfect date, don't you think, Drew? Not only can he sing great, he's so funny. Do you see him on "Saturday Night Live?" He is just a hoot.

GRIFFIN: Did you guys hear that? Did she just ask me if I thought Justin Timberlake would be a perfect date? Me?

(LAUGHTER)

KOSIK: I think he would be.

GRIFFIN: Somebody's asking out Betty White.

KOSIK: Yes, I heard that.

GRIFFIN: Do you think she'd be the perfect date, Alison?

KOSIK: Yes. Not for me, probably for you, though, yes.

GRIFFIN: All right. Alison, thanks a lot. We'll follow the market with you later on.

KOSIK: Sure.

GRIFFIN: Hey, there were lots of hugs to go around for the crew of the space shuttle Atlantis. They said goodbye to the international space station for the last time this morning. We're live from the Kennedy Space Center next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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The winning story airs next hour.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When this flag returns again someday to earth via astronauts that came up on an American spacecraft, it's journey will not end there. It's journey will continue. (END VIDEO CLIP)

GRIFFIN: Kind of a sad day, John Zarrella, for the very last time a space shuttle crew closed a shuttle hatch and said good bye to the international space station. Atlantis on its last mission before all three space shuttles retire for good.

And John is at the Kennedy Space Center there.

You've been following these guys so long, this has to be kind of a moment for you, as well.

JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's right. You know, this is it, really the end of the era coming very good here. Atlantis scheduled to land back here the Kennedy Space Center on Thursday morning, 5:57 a.m.

But, you know, today it -- really what -- we always use that word bittersweet. Certainly was today. The six space station astronauts and cosmonauts bidding farewell to the four space shuttle astronauts and the shuttle astronauts left behind an American flag that they attached to the hatch of the international space station and that flag flew for the first time 30 years ago on STS One, the first space shuttle, Columbia.

GRIFFIN: What is the mood there? I know it's supposedly we're going to bigger and better things. But, really? Are people sad and a little bit worried that things aren't going to progress?

ZARRELLA: Yes, I think, Drew, that that's certainly a very, very realistic concern. You know, the flag that we were talking about -- when the first commercial astronauts get up there in three or four years, they're supposed to capture the flag, so to speak, retrieve it and bring it back to earth and then it'll fly on the very first deep space mission out to an asteroid or maybe to Mars.

But all that is so far off and, you know, the real questions now are, how soon will the U.S. be flying astronauts again? How soon will the U.S. really be able to get out to deep space? Is there a national resolve for all of that? You know, already we see Congress wanting to cut further funding for NASA in next year's budget so clearly there are going to be very, very different times for the space agency. And so much of it is going to depend on what the American people want from their space program and I think that that's clearly quite up in the air right now, pardon the pun, but certainly quite up in the air -- Drew.

GRIFFIN: All right. John, I know one thing. If they do capture that flag, you will be covering it and we look forward to that.

ZARRELLA: Yes, we will.

GRIFFIN: All right. Thanks a lot. John Zarrella, Kennedy Space Center.