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GOP Candidates, Coast to Coast; Obama: Re-Election Odds "Much Higher"; Obama Courts The Jewish Vote; Carville to Obama: Time to Panic; Fears of a Double Dip Recession; Diana Nyad: Xtreme Dream; Nominations Out for the Emmys; Nancy Grace Dancing Machine; Behind the Scenes at Fashion Week; Big Endorsement for GOP Hopeful
Aired September 16, 2011 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Thanks for joining us. We begin today with presidential candidates racking up the miles and trying to stir up support. Republican frontrunner, Rick Perry is in Iowa. Herman Cain is in South Carolina, and Jon Huntsman stumping in New Hampshire. We're following all of them every step of the way.
But first we begin with a wake-up call with a pretty troubled White House, CNN's James Carville says it's time to start firing people, while some Jewish and black leaders back away from a president they helped elect.
Just hours ago, President Obama said his chances of re-election are much higher than when he was first elected. So what's standing in his way? Here you go, new job numbers are grim. A solar power company goes belly up along with more than a half billion dollar in taxpayer loans.
Terrorists launch new attacks in Afghanistan, and in special elections Republicans win two congressional races. CNN senior political editor Mark Preston in Washington.
You know, Mark, Carville says it's time for the White House to panic. He said it's time to start firing people and since those remarks, a lot of response from within the beltway.
MARK PRESTON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL EDITOR: Yes and there's no question that the White House has hit the panic button, Kyra. They certainly haven't done it publicly, but they're doing it privately.
You have to look no further than Virginia, a state that President Obama flipped in 2008, a state that really helped him win the White House. If you were to look at this new poll out in the last couple days, it shows that President Obama has a 62 percent disapproval rating among independents.
That is devastating, but it's not just in Virginia. It's his national numbers and it's states such as North Carolina. It's states such as Colorado and of course, it's the two big states, Florida and Ohio, states that they need to win in 2012 should he win a second term.
You know, Kyra, I was talking to a Democratic strategist just a few hours ago and he said this about President Obama trying to push this new jobs bill. He said there's enough of saying pass this bill, pass this bill, we need more, yes, you can.
And I have to say in the last 30 minutes, Kyra, the Obama campaign has put out a memo to all of us in the media, pushing back against any of the criticism or concern about 2012. Let me just read you a couple quick things.
In this memo from David Axelrod, his top political adviser, Axelrod says the base is mobilized and behind the president. Axelrod also goes on to say that despite what you hear in the elite commentary, the president's support among base voters in key demographic groups has stayed very strong, Kyra --
PHILLIPS: All right, well, if you look back in history and you and I talked about this last hour, you know, Jimmy Carter drew a primary challenger. So do you think this is looking remotely possible, same type of thing for this president?
PRESTON: Well, you know, Kyra, his biggest challenging would come from within his own administration and of course, that's Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. You know, she was this question by Alison Kosik last week in New York. Let's hear what she had to say about it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: What's the likelihood that you're going to challenge President Obama in the primary? You know, you've got Dick Cheney in your court.
HILLARY CLINTON, SECRETARY OF STATE: Yes, it's below zero.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PRESTON: So there you go. It is below zero. We heard that straight from Hillary Clinton's lips. The fact of the matter is, Kyra, it's not a primary challenge that is President Obama's biggest worry in his mind right now. It is turning around this economy because his re- election very largely relies on turning the economy around for 2012. Kyra --
PHILLIPS: Mark Preston, thanks.
Let's bring in Dan Lothian. He's at the White House. You know, Dan, what's the response from the White House with regard to winning back the Jewish vote?
You know, next week the United Nations general assembly takes place, Palestinian statehood will definitely be at issue there. So once again, the Jewish community will be watching how the president acts.
DAN LOTHIAN, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: That's right. I think right now it's a question of whether or not this is a problem of perception or reality. What I can tell you is that the Obama campaign is actively reaching out to the Jewish community certainly to all of their base, but to the Jewish community to shore up support among Jewish voters. Here at the White House, they're not saying anything about losing support among Jewish voters. Instead, they're trying to reinforce the notion that the administration remains a strong supporter of Israel.
And Jay Carney, in fact, repeated several times this week the endorsement, strong endorsement, from Israel's prime minister that the U.S. remains strong or this administration has been committed to Israel's security.
So, that's the message that they're trying to push forward. But as you pointed out, all of this coming into sharper focus as the president heads to the U.N. General Assembly next week. And this issue of Palestinian statehood will be front and center.
PHILLIPS: All right, Dan Lothian at the White House. Dan, thanks so much.
And, you know, James Carville, he loves to rattle cages. The raging cajun is doing it again. The Democratic strategist and CNN contributor says the White House can't ignore all these recent setbacks. And he says the Obama administration should panic and heads must roll. Here's what he told me last hour --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAMES CARVILLE, CNN POLITICAL CONTRIBUTOR: The problem is change the policy and change the personnel that are working with the policy and tell the public you get it. Don't lose two races and come on TV and tell everybody everything's fine when everybody knows it's not fine.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Well, you can read Carville's full column at CNN.com/opinion.
Now in just about an hour, we're going to go live to the White House where President Obama will deliver remarks and sign the America Invents Act into law.
The legislation will dramatically speed up patent laws and allow inventions to come to market more quickly. The White House says that will help kick-start the economy.
And any boost can't come soon enough. According to a survey in "The Wall Street Journal," economists now predict a one in three chance of another recession within a year. That's a big uptick in pessimism.
CNN's Karina Huber at the New York Stock Exchange with a closer look at that. Karina, the picture just seems to get more and more gloomy.
KARINA HUBER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You got that right, Kyra. I mean, this is the worst outlook since "The Wall Street Journal" started polling on this two years ago. So it's a big disappointment, but for many Americans it's not a surprise.
One analyst we spoke to said many Americans never really thought we never got out of a recession even though technically we did, and why? Americans are feeling so gloomy is, of course, home prices, the slump has continued there.
We haven't really seen a pick-up in home prices and job gains have been very limited and now, we've got the latest out that manufacturing is slowing again so big disappointment. And the "Wall Street Journal" says that economists expect more of the same, Kyra --
PHILLIPS: All right, now, the fed reserve has a big meeting next week, so can it do anything to help the economy?
HUBER: Right, that's the question. I mean, do they have any ammo left at this point? And economists are pretty skeptical, some say the fed could rejigger its balance sheets and own longer-term bonds than short-term bonds.
This would help push down longer term interest rates like mortgage rates, but they're already very low. Some analysts we've spoken to say if anyone is getting us out of this, it's corporate America.
And they're sitting on huge hoards of cash right now, but their lack of confidence right now is causing them to pull back on hiring, that's the problem, Kyra --
PHILLIPS: All right, how about a quick look at the markets here. It looks like we're in positive territory, up 50, and the Dow Industrials?
HUBER: Yes, we are up. It's the fifth straight day of gains. We see that the Dow is up by 54 points. It's about half a percent. For the week the Dow is up more than 4 percent. We got some optimistic news on Europe this week. That's been helping the markets.
But at the same time we might not end in positive territory, some analysts say that Wall Street is still cautious because there's no long-term solution to the problems in Europe. And the market has been volatile over the past few weeks and it's not over yet. Kyra --
PHILLIPS: All right, Karina, thanks.
Recession fears aren't reserved for the U.S. Today, finance ministers of EU member nations delayed a decision for a possible bailout for Greece, the source of much global financial insecurity. CNN's Max Foster is watching those headlines for us out of London, Max?
MAX FOSTER, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, what's really interesting is that Timothy Geithner, the U.S. Treasury Secretary, of course, flew into this meeting of European finance ministers, a very, very unusual move.
And he's actually knocking heads together. He's saying that Europe has the capacity to deal with this crisis, but there needs to be better coordination. He's basically criticizing the government and the central banks for not working closely enough with each other and this could delay the whole problem. Let's have a look at a few of the headlines around the world addressing this euro crisis that plays into it. "The Australian" writing the E.U. must think beyond the zone or think to assess the likelihood of Greek default.
There is no need for economic expertise. More important there's an understanding of European politics not to allow a Greek default was always a political decision and a stupid one at that.
"The Herald Tribune" sometimes superpowers aren't too bad, referring, of course, to the U.S. It's becoming increasingly clear in the crisis it's awfully handy to have a superpower around.
That sentiment is felt most strongly this week in Europe because Geithner's getting involved in this debate, Kyra, also U.S. dollars being pumped into the European system to bolster it. The superpower to the rescue, perhaps.
PHILLIPS: All right, Max, thanks.
And back here in the states, a key witness in the trial of Michael Jackson's doctor is missing. He's a pharmacist who earlier testified that he shipped a large quantity of the drug Propofol to Dr. Conrad Murray.
CNN's Alan Duke following this trial for us from Los Angeles. So, Alan, tell us more about the witness?
ALAN DUKE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: He's Tim Lopez. He was the owner/operator of Applied Pharmacy Services, which normally sells to wholesale shipments of drugs such as Propofol to big pharmacies like CVS.
And Dr. Murray, he testified in January, was the only doctor who has ever ordered Propofol directly from him. In fact, he shipped about 15 liters or four gallons of Propofol to surgical anesthesia to Dr. Murray's girlfriend's apartment in Santa Monica. This is Propofol that we found out was used on Michael Jackson.
It is the drug that the coroner ruled played the largest part in Michael Jackson's death. He's moved out of the country, and it is very likely he will not be here for the trial according to the deputy district attorney who is prosecuting Conrad Murray.
He said that he instead wants to use his preliminary hearing testimony from January and they will have a hearing Monday to decide if the prosecution has done its due diligence, done everything they can to contact him to bring him back for the trial.
He is a key witness in this because he is the one who sold the Propofol that allegedly killed Michael Jackson.
PHILLIPS: So, how important, bottom line, is his testimony?
DUKE: Well, if they're able to do the preliminary hearing testimony, he was the 18th witness on January 10th when they established probable cause to try Murray, so his testimony has already been given.
It's sort of if he had been deceased. You know, they can still use it, but what the government has to prove is that they've tried everything that they can to get him here. It would be a big hole in their case if they're not able to have him.
Because there are a number of little things that he said that would help establish in the jury's minds what Dr. Murray was thinking when he ordered the Propofol.
PHILLIPS: Got it. Alan Duke out of L.A.. Alan, thanks.
Diana Niad didn't make it from Cuba to Florida, but the marathon swimmer's journey was pretty incredible. Our CNN special "Diane Niad: Extreme Dream" tells it all. Dr. Sanjay Gupta joining us live with a preview.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Checking stories cross country now. In Texas, the U.S. Supreme Court has halted today's scheduled execution of Duane Buck issuing a temporary stay of his sentence while the court reviews his case. Buck was convicted of killing two people back in 1995.
In San Diego, a police raid targeting suspected illegal immigrants is caught on tape. Custom agents swarm the dock yesterday, 15 Mexican nationals were arrested. Six are believed to be smugglers.
And in Utah, the motorcyclist who was rescued from a fiery crash earlier this week is out of the hospital and talking about the near brush with death. More important to Brandon Wright, thanking the bystanders who turned into good Samaritans.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BRANDON WRIGHT, ACCIDENT VICTIM: I just wanted to thank all the heroes that put their lives on the line to save mine. I'm forever in debt. I can't thank them enough. I just hope they know how much they mean to me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Doctors expect Wright to fully recover from his injuries.
Diana Nyad set out to become the first swimmer to cross from Cuba to Florida without a shark cage. She had to come out of the water before reaching her goal, but her journey it was still pretty darn amazing.
Our Dr. Sanjay Gupta has been following her story for more than a year. A 62 years old, and you've been talking about her since the very beginning. And I remember you coming back, man, I tried to, like, swim with her for a while, she just blew me away.
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: We get lucky in these jobs that we have because we get to meet some amazing people and she's one of the more inspiring people I know. You know, when I'm digging deep, if I'm training for something or just in life, she's the person who comes to my mind, and 62 years old as you mentioned, do you know what it was, Kyra, it was sort of like an unrequited love.
She just never gave up on this dream and so 30 years later, an older person now obviously, all the things that go with it. She tries it again, hypothermia, getting enough nutrition and hydration and sharks as well a big concern. Take a little look at something she does to try and make this happen --
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GUPTA (voice-over): -- is the team's lead shark diver. He knows just how dangerous these waters can be.
LUKE TIPPLE, MARINE BIOLOGIST, SHARK EXPERT: Hanging off the back of the boat, these particular waters we're looking for white tips, hammerheads, fighter sharks, Caribbean reef sharks. This animal has evolved to dominate the ocean. They have a sixth sense. They can feel the electricity in the water. They know that we're there.
GUPTA: And that's why in 1978, Diana swam in a shark cage. Today, she just uses this.
DIANA NYAD, ENDURANCE SWIMMER: Sharks are tremendously sensitive to this. This is actually in the kayak.
GUPTA: It's called a shark shield, and off the coast of the Bahamas, Tipple shows us how it works. It's a shark feeding frenzy at this block of chum, until Tipple approaches and turns on the shark shield that hangs right above him.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: Wow.
GUPTA: You got to watch the show to see if it works, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: OK, what happens? I get it, that's part of the tease.
GUPTA: It's called the tease.
PHILLIPS: All right, now, you talked about the dehydration.
GUPTA: Yes.
PHILLIPS: And how she became malnourished, how does she eat while she's doing all this?
GUPTA: Just paint a picture for you. She's wearing a bathing suit, cap, goggles, and nothing else. She can't touch the boat, no shark cages. She's literally swimming through the ocean 103 miles. If she touches the boat, she's disqualified, and she'll come to the boat and treading water and put food into her mouth.
PHILLIPS: For example?
GUPTA: Peanut butter. They basically work on the diet that's sort of a special diet for her based on her experience, what she thinks won't upset her stomach and what will give her the most energy.
They create these special drinks and they put it in a pouch like this and they toss that pouch into the water on a line and she swims to it and drinks like that.
But, again, she cannot take a break. And, you know, we're talking about 60 hours at least in the water through the night, twice, through the days, hot sometimes, you know, gets colder at night.
And then obviously the predators and everything else, it's amazing, you know, just the mechanics of the whole thing.
PHILLIPS: She didn't make it, what actually caused the stop?
GUPTA: Well, you know, it's interesting. It was some shoulder pain that she started to develop and, you know, if you ever watch tennis players carrying their bagging out to Wimbledon. You always wonder why they are carrying these 50-pound bags right before a tennis tournament.
It's the same thing with swimmers, they want all their stuff. In her case, she had a special pain reliever bottle. She's allergic to certain pain relievers. That particular pain bottle she said got lost. She took something else.
And she thinks she had an allergic reaction, which caused her to have profound asthma attacks. She had to get inhalers in the water. She had to get oxygen, but eventually it was too much.
And you can see the ice on the shoulder there. They were trying everything, Kyra, to try and make this work. And again, remember this is, you know, 29 hours of swimming into this whole thing.
PHILLIPS: Amazing. All right, so your special airs this weekend.
GUPTA: It airs tomorrow night, 8:00 p.m. "Extreme Dream" we're calling it. But, again, I think it applies to anybody who has had some sort of dream in life, goal. If they haven't done it yet, this woman will make you want to do it.
PHILLIPS: Thanks, Sanjay.
GUPTA: You got it.
PHILLIPS: Coming up, he says he was pretending, Brad Pitt's memories to his marriage to Jennifer Aniston raising some eyebrows now. We'll have details and the rest of your showbiz headlines.
And 200 light years away, it might really be a planet like Luke Skywalker's. Yes, the latest on NASA's new discovery is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) PHILLIPS: Well, when science fiction becomes all too real -- NASA spacecraft has reportedly discovered a planet reminiscent of this moment Luke Skywalker's home in the movie "Star Wars," one planet, two suns, some 200 light-years away. It's being called Kepler 16-B. Meteorologist Rob Marciano --
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: But even the scientists are saying it's cool. Yes. Come on, two suns, how cool is that? And Kepler, by the way, the mission, is basically this high-power telescope that trails the earth around the sun.
So it orbits the sun and just points at this select group of stars, a lot of them, actually, 150,000 of them, to try to find earth-like solar system and earth-like planets out there.
Here's an animation from NASA, which is kind of cool and it kind of gives you an idea of what we're talking about. This would be the planet that they've discovered and these would be the two stars that -- this one being the big one.
This one being the small star that orbits around the main star. At about -- it takes it about 41 days or so. It takes this not really earth-like planet, it's more like Saturn. It's got a lot of gas, and it's a little too far away from both stars to have any sort of -- any sort of life to it.
And just to give you a better glimpse of this without the animation, so here's your -- here's your Kepler 16-B. This is star number 1, star number 2. But the other thing to remember here with this discovery and this kind of puts things into perspective.
What you're looking at here is our milky way galaxy, and our little planet, our little solar system, is right in there. And all this Kepler's looking at is this little slice of our galaxy.
And then there's a number of galaxies within our universe, so it's only slicing about 3,000 light-years, about 150,000 stars, but in the words of the great Carl Sagan. There are billions and billions of stars out there, so this one -- this planet has two stars that it orbits around.
Unfortunately the planet itself is not close enough to one of the stars to have any sort of life form on it, but it gives us hope once again that there's something more out there, Kepler. And Kepler will be looking for another few years.
PHILLIPS: Kepler 16-B. All right, thanks, Rob.
All right, let's dish about another kind of star, movie stars. "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT" host, A.J. Hammer here talking about, well, I guess this new Brad Pitt interview. It seems hard to believe, but did he really say life with Jennifer Aniston was boring and pathetic?
A.J. HAMMER, HOST, "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT": Well, if that's what it seems like he said, it's actually not exactly what he meant, Kyra. Brad Pitt is definitely regretting putting this out there at this point. He gave an interview to "Parade" magazine. In the interview, he called life before dating Angelina Jolie pathetic and he seemed to blame it in part with his marriage to Jennifer Aniston. He told "Parade" magazine that he spent the '90s as he put it sitting on a couch, holding a joint and hiding out.
And part of the problem was he was trying to pretend his marriage to Aniston was something it wasn't. Now sometimes, Kyra, we forget the whole reason this is a story is because, you know, everybody seemed to think that Pitt and Aniston had the perfect marriage when they were together, so naturally there's been a lot of reaction to this interview.
Well, Pitt is telling "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT" he is sorry that people are taking this as a slam on Aniston, so he set the record straight to us and here's what he's saying to us, it grieves me that this was interpreted this way.
Jen is an incredibly giving, loving, and hilarious woman who remains my friend. It's an important relationship I value greatly. The point I was trying to make is not that Jen was dull. But that I was becoming dull to myself and that I am responsible for.
So hopefully, Kyra, this clears the air for anyone who may have thought that Brad was putting down Jen in any way.
PHILLIPS: You know, just now solved the whole thing. Very good, thank you, A.J.
All right, Charlie Sheen, has he solved things? He's back in the public eye. What do you think? He's making the rounds. The new show is out, without him.
HAMMER: Well, I'm a little more optimistic about Charlie than I was, say, four months ago. He is making the rounds. He's trying to prove, you know, he's not as crazy as everyone thinks or thought he was. He said he went through a crazy phase, and he actually told Jay Leno he can't blame his old bosses on "Two and a Half Men" for firing him. Watch what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAY LENO, HOST, "TONIGHT SHOW WITH JAY LENO": Are you still angry towards the producers and CBS?
CHARLIE SHEEN, ACTOR: No, no, I would have fired my -- too. Well, maybe not like they did.
LENO: Yes.
SHEEN: No, I mean, it is what it is.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: He has also said that during the whole meltdown he thought that he was still actually wind up back on "Two and A Half Men," Kyra, I think it's fair to say that bridge is definitely burned. I've heard rumblings about that, but I don't actually see it happen.
PHILLIPS: Stay tuned, I bet there will be more. A.J., thanks.
HAMMER: You got it.
PHILLIPS: Well, Todd Palin standing by his woman. Blasted a new book that accuses Sarah Palin of cheating and much more, we're talking about it in today's "Political Buzz."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Well, "Political Buzz," your rapid fire look at the best political topics of the day. Three questions, 30 seconds on the clock, and playing today Democratic strategist Maria Cardona, talk radio host Dana Loesch and John Avalon, senior political columnist with "Newsweek" and the "Daily Beast."
All right, guys, Todd Palin says this new book that's out about his wife, and I'm quoting here, is full of disgusting lies and innuendo and smears, but it's full of some pretty serious allegations, drug use, cheating on her husband.
What do you think? Will any of them stick, Dana?
DANA LOESCH, RADIO TALK SHOW HOST: No, I don't think any of these are going to stick at all. In fact this is a guy -- Joe McGinnis who's -- he's a creepy peeper who moved next door to her and looked over her yard for an entire summer.
"The New York Times" absolutely ravaged this book, "Politico," "The Atlantic." It's the subject of media ridicule. This is a guy who is a plagiarist, who had to settle out of court. This is a guy who tried to exploit a sexual abuse victim so he could get dirt on Sarah Palin.
I am more interested in the absolute crumbling character of Joe McGinnis than I am interested in any of the smears and trumped-up allegations in his book.
PHILLIPS: Creepy peeper, I'm seeing the title of Dana's next book there. Maria?
(LAUGHTER)
MARIA CARDONA, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: I don't think any of it will stick, Kyra, because Sarah Palin is like a magnet politician, meaning in both how she repels and she attacks. People who support her will I think be emboldened by this, because they'll think that people are still out to get her. And people who dismissed her and don't like her I think none of this is going to change.
Personally I think this is sickening because as a Duke University grad, it brings back memories of 1989 when Duke lost in the -- in the final four and Michigan won in the championship, and Glen Rice who's the player that she's accused of having an affair with won the Michigan MVP. So for me I just don't want to go there.
PHILLIPS: All right, John?
JOHN AVALON, SR. POLITICAL COLUMNIST, NEWSWEEK, THE DAILY BEAST: What's extraordinary tome is that "Politico" pointed out this morning. What she has called the lame-stream media has run to her defense. And indeed you see "The New York Times" being invoked as this paragon of integrity, if "The Times" dishes on the book, it's got to be true.
Look, I think that's fair. There seems to be a sleazy, salacious and not very well-sourced book. The fact that Sarah Palin is not running for president -- to all accounts I think makes it less news worthy.
So, no, I think it's out-of-bounds and it shouldn't have any impact on people's perceptions of Sarah Palin.
PHILLIPS: All right. Question number two. Former Pennsylvania governor and Homeland Security, Tom Ridge, endorsing Jon Huntsman. Right now I'm actually looking at live as it's coming through our control room.
So what do you think? Can anything help resuscitate this struggling presidential campaign? Maria?
CARDONA: Unfortunately not, Kyra, because Jon Huntsman, I think in terms of the candidate, is one of the most thoughtful, rational, mainstream thinking of these candidates. He believes in evolution. He believes in climate change. And I think that is what hurt him or is hurting him within his own party, and especially with the Tea Party advocates.
And Tom Ridge is within that same frame, so I don't think any of this is going to matter, unfortunately. His is like a campaign that falls in the forest that no one is hearing and Tom Ridge endorsing it is not going to do any good.
PHILLIPS: Dana?
LOESCH: I agree with Maria, actually. I agree with what she just said. I don't think that there's anything that's going to help Jon Huntsman campaign. I think even if Palin came out and tried to endorse Huntsman, it wouldn't work out. It's just he's the lesser- known moderate in this race. We already have a big moderate in this race and that's Mitt Romney. So I think, you know, he's already sucked up any energy that Huntsman could look to attract.
PHILLIPS: John?
AVALON: Well, I appreciate that Mitt Romney is running as the establishment candidate but he was running to the social conservative to the right of McCain and Rudy last time. But it does say a lot about the field.
Look, Jon Huntsman deserves to be doing better in this race than he is. He's a two-term governor, was very effective record, and he's had the courage to stand to the extremes in his own party. But it has not translated to support. When you're stuck at 1 or 2 percent, you'll take all the help you can get. Tom Ridge is a serious get. But the fact that he's doing so badly in the polls I think should cause some soul-searching on the part of the Republican Party in particular. He deserves better.
PHILLIPS: All right. Guys, bioethicist Art Caplan taking on Michele Bachmann's claims that the HPV vaccine causes, quote, "mental retardation," something that no medical expert support, by the way, is actually offering 10 grand to whomever can prove this, or if she can prove this.
Here's what he told CNN's Anderson Cooper.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON COOPER, HOST, AC 360: Are you maybe suggesting that there was no person who came up to Bachmann or do you think there was a person who came up but she just shouldn't have put forth what this person said because there's no scientific validity to it?
ARTHUR CAPLAN, DIRECTOR, CENTER FOR BIOETHICS, UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA: Yes, great question. I don't doubt somebody came up to her, but you don't put that into your statements. You don't go on national television and repeat it and repeat it. That's an anecdote. It's not verified. You don't know if the woman is telling the truth or even understand what's going on, it's like saying, gosh, you know, I was attacked by aliens and they abducted me and what is the government going to do to stop this?
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: So what do you think? Is Michele Bachmann still credible? Dana?
LOESCH: Well, I think she's still credible. I just think it's really unfortunate that -- I would not have -- if I were advising her, I would not have said give this answer after the debate because it overshadowed a really strong performance at the debate, and I don't necessarily agree with her on this issue.
But I wish somebody was offering a big thousand dollar reward for the administration to tell us what's going on with Solyndra. I'm more interested in hearing that, but no, I don't think it was a good answer and I -- she's still going to be in the running.
PHILLIPS: Maria?
CARDONA: Still credible? That assumes at any one point she ever was credible.
AVALON: Right.
CARDONA: Which is not the case. I mean, this is, again, somebody who does not believe in evolution, science has never been a pillar of her campaign. Definitely not credible. Though, I did hear this morning that she was endorsed by the Earth is Flat Coalition, so I think she might still be credible to some people. PHILLIPS: John?
AVALON: The flat earth society makes a comeback.
(LAUGHTER)
CARDONA: Yes, no, exactly.
AVALON: Look, Michele Bachmann's entire campaign, her entire political career has always been attacked by anecdotes. She has never been constrained by facts. And the problem is, when she called Obama -- said President Obama is bringing tyranny and slavery to the United States, those were always meant to be just bomb-throwing incendiary statements. When you're running for president you get held to a higher standard. And you should. So she really made a big mistake in this but it's entirely in the character of her political career.
LOESCH: You know what? If she would have said this before introducing the president, and throwing in some SOBs, maybe she would have been invited to sit in the VIP box or something at the jobs address.
(CROSSTALK)
PHILLIPS: Look at Dana. Dana has always got to have the last word. What happened to the 20-second buzzer beater?
(CROSSTALK)
LOESCH: You can take it of mine next time.
CARDONA: Playing by the rules.
PHILLIPS: Uh-huh, there you go, Dana never playing by the rules. Have a great weekend, guys.
AVALON: Take care.
LOESCH: Thank you, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right.
Coming up, or actually, let's turn to Libya, shall we, and talk about the hunt for deposed dictator Colonel Moammar Gadhafi. He's still out of sight but not out of mind of Libya's National Transitional Council. They want him and members of his former regime in custody, some of whom including Gadhafi's son Saadi have fled to neighboring Niger.
Meanwhile rebel fighters are tightening the noose around Gadhafi's last bastion of support with gun battles reported near Bani Walid, Sabah, and Gadhafi's hometown of Sirte.
Well, Libya's rebels are claiming victory in al Barack, capturing an air base there despite heavy resistance from pro-Gadhafi forces.
Let's go straight, rather, to CNN's Ben Wedeman. He and his crew are the only international journalists right now in the area of that country, in that area in particular.
So, Ben, Libya's civil war, definitely trending a certain way, but it's far from over.
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It's far from over, Kyra, certainly it does appear that we may be in the final chapters. Right now we have three simultaneously offensives, one here in the (INAUDIBLE) area in the south, one around Sirte, Gadhafi's hometown and one around Bani Walid, as well, but as you see here, we're in a bunker, full of tank ammunition.
And it's just one of 12 here that the rebels now have their hands on, so every time they advance here, they get stronger and stronger because they get more equipment and --
PHILLIPS: Ben, I apologize, we're not -- we've got a bad connection with you, Ben, I apologize. We'll talk more about the hunt for Moammar Gadhafi, we'll try and reconnect with you, get a better connection, I apologize.
Coming up, big Emmy hopes for "Boardwalk Empire." Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tragic, though, it is I need hardly remind you of the passage of the 18th amendment has given rise to a new breed of criminal, vicious thugs emboldened by the promise of an easy dollar.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: The HBO series up for 18 awards on Sunday. We'll check on its chances and more.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Well, two period dramas will slug it out Sunday night at the Emmys, "Mad Men" and "Boardwalk Empire," neck in neck wit nearly 20 nominations apiece. But hot on their heels a little comedy called "Modern Family."
Here with a preview, "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT's" Kareen Wynter.
One of my favorite shows, Kareen.
KAREEN WYNTER, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT: I bet, and so many other people as well.
Hi, Kyra, happy Friday to you.
You know, on Sunday I think it's going to feel like all of Hollywood, Kyra, is converging on that Emmy red carpet with some pretty, pretty major stars. You've got Kate Winslet who's been nominated for the mini-series "Mildred Pierce," Steve Carell -- this, by the way, Kyra, is his last shot at winning an Emmy for "The Office." He left the show at the end of last season, unbelievable, though, that he's never, never won an Emmy for that. In the comedy category look out for "Modern Family," everyone's favorite show it seems. That show will try to win best comedy for the second year in a row and it's really amazing, Kyra, the entire cast -- get this -- is nominated for their acting, so Ed O'Neil, Ty Burrell, Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Eric Stonestreet compete against each other.
What could be more exciting.
And Julie Bowen as well and Sophia Vergara from "Modern Family," they're also competing. They're going up against each other for their best supporting actress in a comedy.
"Mad Men" could win for the fourth year in a row for best drama series and that would equal the feat of "The West Wing" which won four years running, too, so it could be a big night for them.
But some people, Kyra, they think "Boardwalk Empire," the HBO show, is going to grab it away from "Mad Men," so we'll have to see. So many decisions on that big, big Emmy Sunday.
PHILLIPS: Well, what do you think? Any breakout stars gaining recognition here?
WYNTER: Well, you know, one that really stands out to me that comes to mind would have to be Melissa McCarthy, hands down, not sure if you saw the movie "Bridesmaids" over the summer, Kyra.
Anyway, McCarthy, she played this very funny character in the film and some people really thought she stole the show, she stole the movie. That really showed a lot of folks what she could do as a comedic actress and then she completes this fantastic year by getting an Emmy nomination for "Mike & Molly," it airs on CBS. She plays Molly, a plus-size woman who falls for a plus-size guy.
You know I got a chance to talk with her the morning she got her Emmy nomination, listen to her, she's such a treat.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MELISSA MCCARTHY, ACTRESS: "Mike & Molly" is just -- it's the best experience, we've got the greatest cast and the greatest crew and writers. It's, like, this weird little family, so to be -- to love your job so much and to get kind of recognized for it, it's, like, it's a little overwhelming.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
WYNTER: It's been an overwhelming year for her, for sure, Kyra, but win or lose, she's going to have a big, big, fantastic night. But a lot of people, they think that Laura Linney is going to take the Emmy in the comedy category, though, for "The Big C."
PHILLIPS: All right. We'll be watching, Kareen. Thanks.
Well, just three days left until her "Dancing with the Stars" debut. We check in with our Nancy Grace to see how things are going just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: So, is our HLN superstar Nancy Graceful? Yes, she's known as a bulldog in the courtroom, but how is she in the ballroom? She debuts on "Dancing with the Stars" on Monday, but just last hour she and her partner Tristan MacManus joined me live from L.A.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TRISTAN MACMANUS, "DANCING WITH THE STARS" PRO: Nancy is doing great. She is picking up everything. She --
NANCY GRACE, HLN HOST: Good.
MACMANUS: She listens --
GRACE: Good.
MACMANUS: She listens to what she wants to hear.
GRACE: Go ahead. Go ahead.
MACMANUS: And then --
GRACE: Listen, this is the deal, day one, dance practice, I'm minding my own business, I'm trying to do the cha-cha-cha and then I hear, no, no, no, I'm, like, what?
PHILLIPS: You're getting some of your own medicine there, Nancy.
GRACE: Talking to me. There was a little slap involved. I'm like, what?
MACMANUS: Nancy is a professional dancer now so I'm going to treat her as such.
(CROSSTALK)
GRACE: Looking at the video there's nothing professional going on there on my part anyway.
PHILLIPS: No, I think your cha-cha looks pretty good.
Now Tristan, did you have any idea, you know, like, how -- you know, big of a name you are dealing with here? You know Nancy's reputation, I mean she will eat you alive, pal, if you go against anything she says.
MACMANUS: Yes, she's trying to. She's trying to. I didn't have any -- I didn't have any worries going in --
GRACE: Did you feel that? Did you feel that?
MACMANUS: I think, yes, I didn't have any worries coming in, because to be honest with you, I didn't know who I was dancing with, but it was --
GRACE: That is so sad, because I looked on his computer, Google, Yahoo!, who is the real Nancy Grace, just search after search. So sad.
MACMANUS: You see the relationship that we have here? I don't ever really get to finish anything I'm saying but --
(LAUGHTER)
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: Well, Grace says the program coincided with her plans to attend the Los Angeles trial of Michael Jackson's physician Dr. Conrad Murray, but she said the most challenging part of her intensive training is taking care of her twins who turn 4 years old in just a couple of months.
Well, if the front row isn't good enough for you when it comes to the hottest fashions, stick around, our Alina Cho has your backstage pass to Fashion Week.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Fashion Week has wrapped up in New York City and thanks to our Alina Cho we had a backstage pass. She spoke to A-list of celebrities and the people who they wear. She's here now with the sneak peek at our weekend special.
Boy, you hit all the big names, Alina. I'm not surprised.
ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, I don't know what you're doing in Atlanta, you should be in New York this week, girl.
(LAUGHTER)
CHO: Anyway, it's good to see you. You know, you're right, it's been a busy week. The world celebrated New York's Fashion Week, all the glitz, the glamour, and, of course, the more than 250 -- yes, 250 -- fashion shows, highlighting the new designer collections for spring 2012.
Now that's the catwalk. What you'll see on my upcoming half hour special is an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the fashion world, my backstage pass, beginning with my interview with Marc Jacobs and the big buzz that he's about to replace John Galliano and become the next designer of Christian Dior.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHO: You have said that you would love to be a designer that the French embrace.
MARC JACOBS, DESIGNER: Yes. Yes, it would be an honor. I mean there is no question that the two great couture houses in Paris are Chanel and Dior. I think it would be a very hard thing to turn down. (END OF VIDEO CLIP)
CHO: Great talking to Marc Jacobs. We also talked with Rachel Zoe, stylist to the stars, reality TV star, and now a designer herself. Zoe recently scored a major coup when one A-list star was photographed wearing one of her dresses. Watch.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHO: You've been dressing celebrities for so long, when Jennifer Lopez --
RACHEL ZOE, CELEBRITY STYLIST/DESIGNER: Oh, my god, look, I still get chills, I can't -- because I know where you're going right now and I can't even talk about it.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
CHO: Let's just say it was really exciting for her. You know, that's not all. I talked with fashion icon Karl Lagerfeld, Tommy Hilfiger, and makeup maven Bobby Brown. We also at fashion's night-out. We caught up with Justin Bieber, he was there. Michael Kors and the Window of Bergdorf Goodman, and Jason Wu. You'll even hear from Bono who plays backup to his fashion designer wife Ali Hewson.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BONO, LEAD SINGER, U2: The only deal we have I don't give any fashion tips. Ali is very sure about that. You know she's a tough customer. I mean I think fashion is tougher than the music business.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
CHO: He may be right. You know, it's all on my special fashion backstage pass which airs tomorrow on CNN at 2:30 p.m. Eastern Time, and, Kyra, I want to thank you for all the love this week and for running all my pieces. I really appreciate it.
PHILLIPS: Sure. And hey, you're known as the fashion diva here around CNN.
CHO: I don't know about that.
PHILLIPS: Did any of those designers say, Alina, OK, you work it on CNN?
CHO: Thank you. Do you know what, sometimes. I don't always get it right. You know I've got some fashion misses.
PHILLIPS: All right, we're always looking at those necklaces, you know.
Alina, thanks.
All right, stories making news later today. Top of the hour in Washington, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta presides over the department's POW/MIA Recognition Day. And that same hour in Alexandria, Virginia, President Obama signing the American Invents Act into law.
And at 6:00 p.m. right here in Atlanta a protest march set on behalf of convicted murderer Troy Davis, who is set to be executed early next week.
Well, a big hug and kiss, that's what troops usually get from family members when returning from war zones but in today's "Making Their Mark." It's not people, not just people, but the dogs that are making a difference.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, thank you.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And I miss the dog a lot. This helps a lot.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Well, these are welcome home dogs at Camp Atterbury in Indiana. They are specially trained to help brighten the moods of soldiers waiting to be processed and debriefed. And these dogs provide just the TLC that the troops need for actually going back to see their families.
In the next hour of CNN NEWSROOM he's being called the iPhone doctor, his success all due to smashed iPhones and customers looking for a quick fix.
Plus, if a traditional classroom isn't working for a child you know, how about cyberschool? That's all next in the hour ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Well, one of the president's men is pushing back against the idea that he's lost the support of some core group leaders.
Mark Preston here with the story that we've been talking about all morning.
Hey, Mark.
MARK PRESTON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL EDITOR: Hey, Kyra, yes, in the last couple of hours we've seen a memo issued by one of President Obama's top political advisers David Axelrod, that is, in fact, pushing back against any criticism about how the Obama campaign is heading into 2012.
In fact, let's look at what David Axelrod had to say about this criticism in this memo that was just released.
In the memo, David Axelrod says, "Despite what you here in elite commentary, the president's support among base voters and in key demographic groups has stayed strong." Now, this Axelrod memo which was just released this morning comes on the heels of very, very sharp criticism from Democratic Party elder James Carville who is also a CNN contributor who wrote on CNN.com that it is time for the White House to push the panic button, that they needed to start firing some people and start tacking into a new direction.
So a lot of talk right now in the Democratic Party about which direction the White House is heading.
Let's quickly turn for the race for the Republican presidential nomination. Just in the last 15 or 20 minutes a big endorsement for Jon Huntsman, the Utah governor, he has received the endorsement of Tom Ridge, who is the former Pennsylvania governor. He's also the first person to head up the Department of Homeland Security.
That endorsement, Kyra, took place in a very important state of New Hampshire -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right. Mark Preston, appreciate it so much. That does it for us. We hope you have a great weekend. We'll see you back here bright and early on Monday morning.
Fredrick Whitfield still in for our Suzanne Malveaux that's headed back from Afghanistan.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: That's right. En route. So you'll see her on Monday.
PHILLIPS: Great.
WHITFIELD: You have a great weekend.
PHILLIPS: Thanks, Fred. You too.
WHITFIELD: Thanks so much.
