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Perry Loses Straw Poll Votes; Romney to Meet with Trump; Obama Courts African-American Vote; Saudi Women to be Allowed to Vote; Bake Sale Prices Based on Race; Gas Prices Drop; Perry Campaign in Trouble?; Conrad Murray Trial Begins
Aired September 26, 2011 - 09:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, guys. Thanks so much.
We begin this hour with the power of politics. Candidates reach out. Congress digs in. And a new government shutdown could be just days away.
Paul Steinhauser has the latest stumbles in Rick Perry's presidential campaign. Dan Lothian, following the president's courting of black voters. And Roland Martin looking at the message of tough love.
Let's get live to Capitol Hill for yet another partisan stalemate as well. But first, the presidential race. Our deputy Paul Steinhauser in Washington.
So, Paul, Rick Perry's campaign suffering a couple of big blows this weekend. So how about that unexpected victory from Herman Cain?
PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Yes. And this was a big unexpected defeat, you could say, for Rick Perry, the Texas governor, who's been the frontrunner, Kyra, in the national polls.
Let's look at those results from that Saturday straw poll in Florida. A very crucial state in the battle for the nomination.
Presidency 5, and look at the top ranked right there. Herman Cain. The former Godfather's Pizza CEO and talk show host. And a distant second is Rick Perry, who spent a lot of time down there in Florida, and pundits thought he would be the one to win that straw poll result.
Let's go to the other one that came out this weekend in Michigan, and there's Mitt Romney at the top. Now no surprise here. Listen, Romney was born in Michigan. His father a former governor there. Very popular. Romney won the primary there back in 2008. He was expected to win. But Perry did go up to Michigan and campaign and he was a distant second.
So, for Perry, Kyra, I think a lot of people are saying that those uneven debate performances, especially the one last week, and the attacks on Rick Perry by a lot of the other candidates over his stance on illegal immigration, may be taking a toll. One other thing from these debates or from the straw polls, Michele Bachmann, nowhere to be seen near the top. Remember she won that straw poll back in Iowa in August. But she finished very low down in both of these straw polls.
Kyra, one thing about these straw polls, yes, they are important. They are a gauge or a test or a barometer of a campaign with a lot of activists. But remember they're not the end all. If they were, Herman Cain or Ron Paul who also does well on these straw polls, well, they would be the nominee, and -- well, nobody thinks that is that likely -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right. Well, now let's talk about the latest blasting seeker, Mitt Romney going to meet with Donald Trump today. What is it about Trump and these presidential candidates that keep going to see him?
STEINHAUSER: I guess it gets you in the limelight. When you go to New York City, I guess one of the things you've got to do if you're a Republican is meet with Donald Trump. Rick Perry did it about a week and a half ago. Today, Trump -- Romney does it as well.
Remember it was just a couple of months ago, Kyra, we were talking about Trump himself, he was flirting with a bid for the Republican presidential nomination. But when you meet with him, and if you get his blessing, it does -- it does in a way put you in the spotlight -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: OK, Paul. Thanks.
And here's a measure of just how challenging President Obama's reelection is. He's having to devote precious campaign time to win over African-American voters. And he's delivering the message of tough love.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Take off your bedroom slippers. Put on your marching shoes. Shake it off. Stop complaining. Stop grumbling. Stop crying. We are going to press on. We've got work to do.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Dan Lothian at the White House.
Dan, it was once unthinkable that the African-American vote would abandon him. What happened?
DAN LOTHIAN, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think what you have seen certainly over the last year or so is that there's been this ongoing frustration among African-Americans, in particular some of the black leadership up on Capitol Hill, that the president has not been able to focus on some of the issues that are important to their communities, in particular the unemployment problem, which is much worse than the national average. Unemployment among African-Americans greater than 16 percent. And so there has been this frustration. And so the president is realizing this, and tapping into this group because he realizes he also needs their support in order to win in 2012.
And so you saw the president at the Congressional Black Caucus' speech over the weekend. He also sat down for an interview with BET, which will be airing tonight, where the president made it clear that he needs African-Americans to step up for him in 2012.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: I am spending all my time in this office trying to make sure that if there is some kid in the south side of Chicago that doesn't have a shot right now, isn't going to a good school, parent doesn't have a job, that I'm fighting for him.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
LOTHIAN: Now the president on this West Coast swing reaching out to his base, telling them that they need to be passionate, more motivated even than the other side, laying out his records, pointing out that -- his record, rather, pointing out that he has helped the auto industry, he's been able to go after and catch Osama bin Laden. And the president is hoping that that in turn will fire up the base and help shore it up in -- over the next few months -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right. Dan, thanks.
Well, let's get right to CNN political analyst Roland Martin joining us from Washington.
So, Roland, is it working?
ROLAND MARTIN, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, first of all, your question to Dan is important because African-Americans are not abandoning the president. Understand that when you look at presidential politics, Democrats typically get about 90 percent of the black vote. President Obama got 96 percent.
But the question is intensity. That is, for instance, black women voted at a higher rate than any other group in America in 2008. The question is, are you going to see the same numbers or are they exceed that in 2012?
He won by 10 million votes in 2008 over Senator John McCain. So therefore, they are expecting it to be a smaller number. Also, it's going to come down to certain states. So he needs a huge black turnout in Georgia. You also look at Florida, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, among several other states.
And so they have to make sure the fervor and intensity is there, not just a percentage. That's the key.
PHILLIPS: But you even pointed out this morning, Roland, you and I were talking about this, that the president is actually using specific words the black community has been looking for. For example --
MARTIN: Of course.
PHILLIPS: Black workers, black voters, black jobs.
MARTIN: Well, absolutely. Look, you have to be able to tailor a message to your audience. Also it's very interesting when people say the African-Americans should not be advocating an agenda for them when gays and lesbians have been very clear on their agenda. Latinos, clear on their agenda. Rural mayors, clear on their agenda.
And so -- women, clear on their agenda. So all groups across this country have clear agendas. Why shouldn't African-Americans be asking the same of President Obama? And so you have -- clearly you have a relationship there where African-Americans are very protective of the president, don't like any public criticism, because they believe that it fuels criticism on the right.
But we look at the unemployment numbers of black men, black youth, at the end of the day, people are saying I want a return on our investment of 96 percent of the vote in 2008.
And so, look, it's a question of, you need the votes. Folks are saying, how are you delivering? So therefore, they are asking for those things. And so he knows he has to get that large number or he will not be able to win in 2012.
PHILLIPS: Roland, thanks.
Two U.S. hikers back on American soil blasting Iran's brutality during their imprisonment. Josh Fattal and Shane Bauer arrived at New York's JFK airport and talked about living two years in isolation.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOSH FATTAL, FREED AMERICAN HIKER: From the very start, the only reason we have been held hostage is because we are American.
SHANE BAUER, FREED AMERICAN HIKER: Every time we complained about our conditions, the guards would immediately remind us of comparable conditions at Guantanamo Bay.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Fattal says the two men had to wage repeated hunger strikes just to receive letters from their families.
All right. Let's talk now about a revolutionary move that's going on in Saudi Arabia.
Zain Verjee, women can vote and run for office?
ZAIN VERJEE, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Oh, my god. Can you believe that?
PHILLIPS: No, no. I mean that is definitely the headline. VERJEE: Oh, my god. What's happened? It's the end of the world.
(LAUGHTER)
VERJEE: Well, it's Saudi Arabia. And, yes, you know what, Kyra, this is a really big deal. It's a very significant step. Women can vote and they can run for elected office in a local government position.
Now there are local elections happening on Thursday. But you know what? It's not going to start then. It's going to happen when there are future elections. But no date for those elections has actually been set.
There was one woman who said, you know what? This is fabulous. This is what was been in the pipeline for so long. And they are looking forward to it. But she also says, if I want to run for a local government position, I can't drive. So how am I supposed to go and campaign?
And that's one of the things in Saudi Arabia, women still can't drive.
Let me show you some of the headlines. The "Independent" here in the UK has this headline. It says, "Veils and Votes." It goes on to say, "This falls well short of full equality. There was no news on whether the ban on the issue of women drivers would be lifted, but it represents startling and welcome progress in the very land where it seemed least likely."
And then "The National" in the United Arab Emirates says, "A milestone for the political rights of Saudi women." It says, "The extension of political rights to Saudi women is a momentous step and likely to be remembered as a turning point in the country's political development."
One analyst said that, you know, King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, you know, has been trying to push ahead on some of these reforms, but don't forget he also has to navigate a very conservative, religious, puritanical group known as the Wahabis who don't want women to have any of these kinds of rights.
So it's also look at in terms of political maneuvering in terms of behind the scenes in Saudi Arabia.
PHILLIPS: Well, let's stay on the scene of things happening -- remarkable things for women.
VERJEE: Yes.
PHILLIPS: A Nobel Peace Prize winner who's a friend of yours and quite an inspiration to you --
VERJEE: Yes.
PHILLIPS: Throughout many years.
VERJEE: Yes.
PHILLIPS: Has passed away.
VERJEE: Yes. Wangari Maathai. She's known as an environmentalist. She won the Nobel Peace Prize. She did some really amazing things. I mean I grew up in Kenya. And think of Central Park in New York, Kyra. Think of the U.S. government grabbing the land, dividing it amongst themselves and then selling little pieces of Central Park off and cutting down all the trees and the green space for the city.
Well, that's kind of what the government of Kenya wanted to do to a couple of places. And what Wangari Maathai did, she said no, and she stood up against an autocratic dictatorial regime as a woman in a very chauvinistic society in Africa and she had herself beaten, bruised, hurt, lying in hospital, and she created this movement called the Green Belt Movement.
And she was able to succeed. She kept the green spaces. And then it became a massively global movement where trees were planted. Because a lot of women in Africa rely on firewood in order to cook food and boil water and things like that. And because of deforestation it wasn't happening.
So she planted all this stuff. So it really is a big loss, and she has been an inspiration to so many people around the world, but particularly women in Africa.
PHILLIPS: And in particular you. Glad we had a chance to lift her up.
VERJEE: Yes.
PHILLIPS: Zain, thanks.
Well, coming up, her majesty, the wedding planner. We're going to tell you about some of the Queen's advice to Prince William and her orders. Details straight from the Prince's mouth.
Plus, they say it's meant as satire. But a college bake sale with prices based on race and gender? We'll debate it after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: All right. Checking stories "Cross Country."
A North Carolina man survived four days in the Utah desert after breaking his leg on a solo hike. Wayne Richards says that he lost his footing and fell 10 feet into a canyon. He then managed to drag himself five miles back to his car. Eventually a helicopter spotted him and got him straight to a hospital.
And check out these amazing pictures of water spouts along Lake Michigan. Dozens of funnel clouds were spotted, but there were no reports of any damage or injuries.
And in Reno, Nevada, more than 400 people attended a memorial service for the victims and families of the deadly air race crash that killed 11 people. Reno's mayor says it was a chance to show support for the victims and everyone related to them.
Well, tomorrow, UC Berkeley, campus Republicans are holding a bake sale. And if you're white, you're going to pay a lot more for your cookies that a black woman. The point, SB 185. The California bill that would allow race and ethnicity to once again be factors in student admissions.
We're going to get to the politics in just a minute. But first, here's what the sweets will cost you. If you're white, two bucks. If you're Asian, buck, 0.50. Latinos, $1.
Hold on, it gets cheaper. Seventy-five cents for African- Americans, 25 cents for American Indians, and women? Well, guess what? We get a 25 cent discount.
And on campus, young Dems and Republicans are going at it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)
SHAWN LEWIS, PRESIDENT, YOUNG REPUBLICANS: The pricing structure is there to bring attention to caused people to get a little upset, but it's really there to cause people to think more critically about what this kind of policy would do in university admission.
ANAIS LAVOIE, PRESIDENT, YOUNG DEMOCRATS: The way that they made the statement, the words that they used, the fact that they humorized and mocked the struggles of people with color on this campus is very disgusting to me.
(END VIDEO CLIPS)
PHILLIPS: Joining us now is CNN political analyst Roland Martin. And also CNN contributor Will Cain.
All right, Roland. It's satire. Good way to make a point or not?
ROLAND MARTIN, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Hell no. These guys are idiots. You know what? This has been happening for like 15 years, making ridiculous points.
But here's what I find to be interesting. They are very quick to say, oh, no purposes. But guess what? None of them will say a word about legacy.
When -- if your mama or daddy went to the school, we're going to hook you up and help you out. In 2004, I questioned President Bush about this very issue. And he owned up to saying legacies should not be used in college admissions.
Let's see college Republicans tackle that. I bet they won't, because they don't have the guts to do it.
PHILLIPS: Will?
WILL CAIN, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: You know, the outrage of the bake sale strikes me as unforgivably irrational, Roland. It's like being mad at the thermometer for telling you that it's hot. This is about whether or not the state should be using racial preferences, whether or not the state should be embracing racial discrimination.
And this bake sale I think is a brilliant piece of satire to draw attention to that much more malignant, that much more offensive state law that California is considering.
PHILLIPS: So --
MARTIN: Actually, it's much -- actually, it's much more offensive, Will, is white privilege, OK? When you have these college Republicans, they are debating many of these guys when it comes to affirmative action. White women have benefited from affirmative action more than anybody else -- many of the same people, their mamas, their aunts, their sisters, their cousins.
But, see, they are likely going to school being funded right now by some mother whose getting a government contract, although we don't want to talk about that because that might affect mom. But, again, Will, address the inequities of legacy.
Why is it they like one preference, and they are quiet about that, but we have a problem with this preference?
CAIN: I happily address. I'll make two points, Roland. First of all, the existence of white privilege or past racial discrimination is unforgivable. That's not something that anyone wants to sit here and excuse.
Hold on. Logically, Roland, it does not follow that a harm was done to person A by person B, so you give a benefit to person C by injuring person D. Do you understand that? That's what you do today.
You exclude students based upon race because you're giving favor to other students based upon race, based upon things that were done 50 years ago. Now, if you're going to tell me there is legacy existing today, what I would tell you there is that that exists in de facto. That exists out there in society. And it's not part of a law that's in place today. And you don't cure that by embracing racism. You don't cure that by having the state embrace racism.
PHILLIPS: Roland?
MARTIN: So legacy is OK. Preference is OK with legacy. See, Will, guess what? If your grandfather went to a university 75 years ago, you get an opportunity to be able to write that down and you get credit. But my black grandfather couldn't have gone to that university so I don't get to use that legacy. So you tell me who now has a preference.
PHILLIPS: Guys, what happened to just the most qualified person gets to go? What happened to that? Will?
CAIN: I think that's a question for Roland here, because that's what I'm saying. Why don't we just judge students based upon their aptitude and ability? Why not the color of their skin should be no factor whatsoever? That's a question for Roland.
PHILLIPS: Roland, go ahead. Wrap it up.
MARTIN: I'm making a point here, Kyra, simple. No one talks about the equality or qualify when it's legacy. My point is, if you criticize one preference, criticize the other. They don't want to.
But also you never hear people talk about qualify whites. It's also a qualified minority. Bottom line: minority kids are busting their butts to get into school. But if you want to attack preference, attack them all. But don't sit here and cherry pick because you don't want to touch the one that might affect your family.
CAIN: I happily do away with legacies and admission in college.
MARTIN: But you just explained it away.
PHILLIPS: Will, Roland -- obviously, this bake sale has triggered the exact conversation that I think everybody wanted. We'll follow it.
CAIN: I think that's right, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: We'll see how home goes. We'll see what raises the most money and maybe debate that tomorrow. Thanks, guys.
CAIN: Get rid of the legacy.
PHILLIPS: OK.
Finally, some relief at the pump. Oil prices have been falling for several months now, and now gas prices are catching up.
Plus, we heard so much about Kate's royal wedding dress. It turns out Prince William's wardrobe caused some drama, too. He talks about the queen's role in everything, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Let's get to your "Showbiz Headlines."
Alec Baldwin, officially Mr. "Saturday Night Live" now. He just hosted for a record 16th time, breaking a tie with Steve Martin. Baldwin's first hosting gig was back in 1990.
Well, Nancy Grace says she's actually enjoying the brutal practices for "Dancing with the Stars." We're talking five to seven hours a day, by the way. The HLN host has already lost 10 pounds on what she calls the too tired to eat diet. She hits the dance floor tonight again. Don't miss it.
And for the second straight weekend, "The Lion King" release is number one at the box office -- a new generation of kids flocking to see the 1994 film, this time, in 3d. The movie has now earned more than $860 million worldwide.
Well, moving on to some real royalty. Some pretty interesting new insights from Prince William on his wedding, his duties, and especially his family.
Zain Verjee has all the details -- Zain.
ZAIN VERJEE, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Kyra, the queen is a wedding planner. What do you think of that? She did a pretty good job, right?
PHILLIPS: She likes to be in charge.
VERJEE: Yes. You can say that, right? Well, Prince William gave a pretty rare interview to "The Mail." And here's what he said.
He said the queen is incredible. They have a great relationship. It's gone from strength to strength.
And then he was asked about the wedding. And this is what he said. He was talking about the guest list, you know, that they were putting together for the wedding before it happened.
And he said this: "I was given this official list of 777 names -- dignitary, governors, all sorts of people -- and not one person I knew. I looked at it in absolute horror."
Then he says, "I rang her up the next day and said, 'Do we need to be doing this?' And she said, 'No. Start with your friends first. Then go from there.' And she told me to bin the list."
Now, "bin" by the way means throw it in the trash. And then, also, you know how he wore that nice red uniform. He was talking about the Europe form, and he didn't really want to wear it.
And the queen said this. He said this about what the queen said. He said, "I was given a categorical: 'No, you will wear this.' So you don't always get what you want, put it that way."
So she is picking outfits, too. You know, she cares about that stuff.
PHILLIPS: Well, there are some things you need to keep in line with tradition, right? There are some things that the queen will bend on, to the bin. I like that.
VERJEE: Right. Exactly, off with his head and to the bin. The queen always has the right to say that.
And, you know, Prince William also said that everyone in the family is a little -- you know, kind of treats her with a lot of reverence. Ordinary people and other dignitaries would treat. They really kind of respect her that way.
And then sometimes that I say, hey, listen, why don't you take it easy now? You're getting older. But she says no way. She is sticking with it, because who wouldn't like to be queen -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Zain, thank you.
Well, we got some good news back here in the States. Gas prices are finally falling.
Alison Kosik is following it from the New York Stock Exchange -- Alison.
ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: And, finally, I've got some good news to bring you, Kyra. Sure, that drop in gas prices is tracking the drop in oil prices. But, you know what? It took long enough. Oil prices have actually been falling since the spring.
You look at the Lundberg Survey. It shows over the past two weeks, gas prices have dropped 12 cents. The national average for a gallon of regular is now sitting at $3.54.
Now, this was a survey taken on Friday. If you want more up-to- date numbers, AAA says a gallon of gas is now down to $3.49. Hey, if you're in Missouri, you're approaching $3.
You know, this does, however, come at a big price. Oil prices are actually falling not for the right reasons but because of fears that the global economy is slowing, and demand will drop. So, Kyra, even though we all love lower gas prices, it may not be worth the tradeoff -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right. Well, I guess you had a little bit of good news kind of at the beginning there. Now, as for last week, brutal week on Wall Street. So, what do you think? Same economic problems going to hit stocks today?
KOSIK: Same stuff, same issues at play. But, hey, I got more good news. It's good news Monday.
So, we can expect a higher open. The major averages -- you know, they fell more than 5 percent last week. It was the worst week in Wall Street in three years. Europe, of course, was the main issue. And it's again going to be the issue that plays out this week that really moves the trade.
What we saw happen over the weekend, World Bank met, the IMF met together over the weekend. And Greece said it's going to do whatever it takes to solve its debt crisis. So, we saw a lot of strong words come out of that. Some good ideas. So far, no immediate solution.
Kyra, what everybody is waiting on is some action. At this point, Wall Street is feeling a bit optimistic, though -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: OK. Good. We'll hold onto that optimism. Alison, thanks.
Well, right now, when we need a fix the most, here we are again facing the threat of a shutdown. Coming up, we're going to go in- depth on broken government.
And after several days, the trial of Michael Jackson's doctor is set to kick off. We'll tell you what's at stake for Conrad Murray in just about 15 minutes.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Checking top stories now. The U.S. says an Afghan man shot and killed an American at an annex of the U.S. embassy in Kabul. Security personnel then killed the Afghan, who was an embassy worker.
The U.N. Security Council takes up the Palestinian bid for statehood. The U.S., which wants the Palestinians to directly negotiate with Israel, is expected to veto the proposal.
And lawyers are making their closing arguments in the second trial of American student Amanda Knox. Knox is appealing her murder conviction of her roommate in Italy. Prosecutors are now asking for life in prison.
Now to the threat of a government shutdown in just five days. Kate Bolduan is on Capitol Hill. So, Kate, the Senate due to hold a vote sometime today. So, what do you think? Are lawmakers any closer to a compromise?
KATE BOLDUAN, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Unfortunately, while you're having good news Monday, I don't really have any good news to offer on this, Kyra. It does not appear that they are -- either side -- Republican, Democrat, House, Senate -- are any closer to reaching an agreement to get through this impasse. Just listen here to Democratic and Republican senators speaking to Candy Crowley on "STATE OF THE UNION."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. MARK WARNER, (D) VIRGINIA: Some of these Tea Party Republicans who say on every issue we're going to make this a make or break. We saw it on the FAA when they shut down the Federal Aviation Administration. We're seeing it now on this debate about FEMA.
SEN. LAMAR ALEXANDER, (R) TENNESSEE: Give the Senate Democratic leader most of the credit. He manufactured a crisis all week about disaster when there's no crisis. Everybody knows we're going to pay for every single penny of disaster aid that the president declares.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BOLDUAN: So, this evening as you mentioned, Kyra, the Senate will be back in to have a key test vote on what Democrats are calling a compromise. This is how it's kind of -- this is kind of how it will look like.
The Senate Democrats say they will agree to the House-passed measure of keeping the government funded, as well as offering about $3.6 billion in additional funds to aid federal disaster relief. That's less than Democrats wanted. But they said they will agree to it.
What they will not agree to is what Republicans want, which is to offset and pay for some of that federal disaster relief. Republicans say they want to pay for some of this disaster relief. Democrats say this is not how things have been done in the past. We will see how things go.
But it's unclear how they are going to move forward, because it doesn't seem that Republicans especially in the House are going to go along with it even if the measure moves forward in the Senate. So, unfortunately, the standoff continues.
PHILLIPS: All right, Kate. Let us know if you hear anything. Thanks.
BOLDUAN: Will do.
PHILLIPS: All right. As we talk about a possible shutdown, all this week we are going in-depth to take a look at something we can all relate to, broken government. CNN contributors Will Cain and LZ Granderson join me now. They always have something to say on this.
Once again, guys, here we are, facing a threat of a shutdown? LZ, in your opinion, why is our government so broken?
LZ GRANDERSON, CNN.COM CONTRIBUTOR: Well, there are a lot of reasons why things are messed up the way they are right now. But I think for me, the number one reason is the fact that the higher you go up in the chain, meaning the more power that you get as a politician, the more dollars you. need to get there, the more favors you have to promise, the more masters that own you.
So, I think when you look at Congress, what you have to remember is you're looking at hundreds and hundreds of people who have made concessions to people that may not necessarily be what's best for the American people but are favors that were promised to get those contribution dollars. And I think that more than anything else is the way we are struggling the way we are.
PHILLIPS: Money, favors, payoff. Will, you say our government is not broken, it's just being manipulated.
CAIN: You know, I couldn't help but laughing, and that's why I was. Because I do take the position, I don't really think that is our government is that broken.
Look, the founders envisioned the government as one of conflict, one where it was hard to get things gone. And that's why we lament today. We lament, oh, why don't these guys ever get anything done?
But look, they put in place three branches of government, two bodies of the legislative branch. They put in veto, filibuster power, all of it designed to make it hard to get things done. Now to the extent that we are having the government shutdown or having a problem getting things done now, it's because we are trying to undo some of those policies that have been built up over the past 100 years, and you have to run the same traps to undo it. You have to run through all those same traps.
So, there you see people committed to government spending cuts like the Tea Party, threatening a government shutdown.
PHILLIPS: LZ, are we undoing the policies that were set many years ago?
GRANDERSON: I don't think we're undoing the policies, I think that there are a lot of people in power who don't understand the policies, honestly. I think there are a lot of people that don't understand the three different branches of government, how they actually work, how they are supposed to be working together.
And that the goal is not capitalism but actually patriotism when it comes to government. But I think people get confused and they mix up capitalism with patriotism. And those two are just not one and the same.
PHILLIPS: Will -- are politicians not smart enough then, Will?
CAIN: No. It's not that. Let me go back to what LZ said earlier regarding politicians seeking favor. And I would agree with that. I think populism is one of the biggest problems in politics. Toqueville, a French philosopher, said the American republic will last until the politicians realize they can bribe the people with their own money. And I think that's essentially the biggest problem we've got in politics, that what we have is guys bribing us with their own money to stay in their careers.
The way to fix, that, I think the most easy way to fix that is term limits.
PHILLIPS: LZ, he's breaking out Toqueville. You better one up that!
(LAUGHTER)
GRANDERSON: I am actually a huge proponent of term limits. I think if you're able to say to the people of Congress that this is a finite number of years you have in office, I think you have less of a chance of someone sitting there and just getting paid over many, many years to make decisions that are not what's best for the American people.
But with that being said, Will, I think there are a lot of people in Congress who really don't know what the heck they are doing, and we can all start with Michele Bachmann when it comes to that conversation.
PHILLIPS: Oh, there's another debate right there. We're going to have to leave it there. LZ, Will, thanks, guys.
CAIN: Thank you.
PHILLIPS: All this week, we're going to actually go "In Depth" on our broken government issues, questions, and who knows, maybe even some solutions. "Broken Government" all this week, "In Depth," on CNN.
Coming up, Rick Perry's star seems to be fading a bit since he first got into the race. So, why does it seem like some Republicans are moving away from Camp Perry? We'll discuss that next.
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PHILLIPS: All right. A quick look at where the GOP candidates are today. Today, Michele Bachmann hosts a rally in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Mitt Romney and Ron Paul are in New York. Romney meeting with Donald Trump, by the way. Paul is actually taping appearances on "The Daily Show." And Herman Cain making the CNN rounds on AMERICAN MORNING and this evening on "PIERS MORGAN TONIGHT."
And while Rick Perry hasn't announced any public events today, he didn't escape a little political skewering this weekend. Alec Baldwin and "Saturday Night Live" took a shot at Perry's most recent debate performance.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Mitt Romney's city was for -- against Obamacare -- but what about Mitt Romney? Mitt Romney - was it was before -- he was before -
(LAUGHTER)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: All right. So, after all the grumbling about his debate performance, the presidential frontrunner takes another knock. Rick Perry coming in distant second in Florida's straw poll.
Peter Hamby's in Washington. So, what do you think? Are these signs that the Perry campaign could be struggling a bit here, Peter?
PETER HAMBY, CNN POLITICAL PRODUCER: Kyra, they are certainly in damage control mode. He went into that straw poll over the weekend expected to win in Florida, which probably will be a decisive primary state early next year. And like you said, came in a distant second. They were spinning afterwards that, hey, we actually beat Mitt Romney by a few points, so it's a devastating loss for Mitt Romney.
But this is just contributing to a narrative that started last Thursday during the debate, carried on through SNL, and will go through this week. And you'll see Mitt Romney start to hit Perry a lot harder on some of those issues that troubled him in the debate like immigration. So, yes, they are in trouble. And Republicans are kind of -- that were supporting Perry are a little concerned now.
PHILLIPS: Now, you, Peter, always get a chance to talk with the insiders. What are the concerns within the circle, and what do you think? Any signs of a shakeup, personnel changes?
HAMBY: Well, I don't think there would be a shakeup. They have been in the race five weeks. Rick Perry's advisors, it's a very tightly knit crew. Most of them are out of Austin. They have been with the governor for a very long time. And they are renowned for sort of taking the long view in politics and in campaigns and not kind of getting bogged down with what the Beltway is saying about their race or whatever.
But his debate did prompt a lot of concerns about Republicans who are looking for somebody other than Mitt Romney to be the Republican nominee. That's why you heard so much buzz over the weekend about New Jersey governor Chris Christie. A lot of former Bush administration officials, donor types, are really trying to get Chris Christie into the race because they don't think that Perry can be competitive in a general election. Imagine him in a debate against Barack Obama. If you looked at that on Thursday, he might look even worse in a general election.
The Christie people I talked to over the weekend says that nothing has changed, Governor Christie is not looking at the race, but he is still getting a lot of pressure, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right. Peter, we shall see. Thanks, Peter.
He is accused of giving Michael Jackson a fatal injection. Now, Dr. Conrad Murray will have his day in court.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's no way that Dr. Murray would pump Michael Jackson full of Propofol, sufficient for major surgery, and walk out that room. It's not going to happen.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: We're going to give you an inside look at the trial after the break.
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PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Stories "Cross Country" now.
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PHILLIPS: Police near Seattle shot and killed a gunman armed with two rifles. Investigators say they still don't know why the 51- year-old man opened fire near a school Saturday where a youth football game was going on.
And new storms are rolling across the Tampa, Florida, area this morning. Heavy storms have already flooded streets and stalled cars. Several major roadways were shut down for a while.
And singer Lauren Hill is getting sued by her stylist for fashion theft. A consultant fitted Hill for her 2007 European tour, and now the stylist claims that the hip-hop artist made off with a whole wardrobe of high fashion threads, paying only a fraction of what they're worth.
The jury is set. The trial of Conrad Murray begins tomorrow in Los Angeles. Michael Jackson's personal doctor is charged with giving the King of Pop a fatal overdose. CNN's Ted Rowlands tells us what's ahead.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DR. CONRAD MURRAY, MICHAEL JACKSON'S DOCTOR: Your honor, I'm an innocent man.
TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The jury in the Conrad Murray manslaughter trial will have several questions to answer. One, did Dr. Murray give Michael Jackson a lethal dose of Propofol? Prosecutors say there's no doubt.
Murray and his attorneys say there's no way.
ED CHERNOFF, MURRAY'S ATTORNEY: There's no way that Dr. Murray would pump Michael Jackson full of Propofol sufficient for major surgery and walk out that room. It's not going to happen. That's not the doctor that Dr. Murray is.
ROWLANDS: Murray claims the day Jackson died, he only administered 25 milligrams of Propofol, far less than what was found in Jackson's body by the coroner.
(on camera): How did it get in him?
CHERNOFF: Well, that's a good question. Ted, do you have any idea how it got in him?
ROWLANDS (voice-over): The defense is expected to argue that Jackson somehow gave himself the lethal dose.
(on camera): Could Michael Jackson have done it?
CHERNOFF: Is it possible for an individual to inject himself with a drug? Yes. Yes.
ROWLANDS (voice-over): Before Jackson died, he spent hours struggling to go to sleep, according to a timeline Murray gave police. Murray says he gave Jackson five doses of three different drugs, between 1:30 a.m. and 7:30 a.m. At 10:40 a.m., he says he gave Jackson the Propofol.
911 OPERATOR: Did anybody witness what happened?
CALLER: No, just the doctor, sir.
ROWLANDS: 911 was called at 12:21. Emergency responders will testify they believe that Jackson was dead when they arrived.
Another question jurors must answer is was using Propofol, an anesthetic for surgery, as a sleep aid, so reckless that Murray should be held responsible for Jackson's death.
(on camera): Doctor after doctor gets up and says it should never be used outside of a clinical setting, outside of a hospital or a clinic.
CHERNOFF: The fact that the circumstances may be unusual may be demonstrated to be unusual does not make it egregious. That alone does not make it egregious.
ROWLANDS (voice-over): Murray's defense will argue that Jackson was a drug addict and in horrible physical shape and he was getting drugs from other doctors that Murray didn't know about.
Prosecutors plan to argue that Jackson was in good shape, and planned to show this clip from the documentary "This Is It" of Jackson rehearsing just days before he died.
MICHAEL JACKSON, SINGER: OK, OK.
ROWLANDS: So, now, more than two years after Jackson's death, a Los Angeles jury will be presented with the case and ultimately decide whether or not Dr. Conrad Murray should be held responsible.
Ted Rowlands, CNN, Los Angeles.
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PHILLIPS: Opening statements begin tomorrow. Be sure to check out your sister network, HLN, for expert coverage that begins tomorrow, 11:00 a.m. Eastern.
Golfer Bill Haas takes home a record breaking $11.44 million check. PGA tour championship, sudden death highlight, eight minutes away.
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PHILLIPS: And stories making news.
Later today, 2:00 p.m. Eastern, President Obama holds a town hall at the headquarters of networking Web site LinkedIn. The focus: jobs and the economy.
And then later that hour, a National Parks service briefing on a conditioning of the Washington monument.
And a big night for CNN legend Larry King. He's getting a lifetime achievement Emmy at the news and documentary ceremony in New York.
All right. We're following lots of developments the next hour. Let's check in first with Dan Lothian -- Dan.
DAN LOTHIAN, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: As you pointed out, the president on this three-state tour out on the West Coast trying to put millions of dollars into pockets of his campaign but also pushing a jobs bill that he believes will put money into the pockets of many Americans. I'll have the details at the top of the hour.
KATE BOLDUAN, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: And I'm Kate Bolduan on Capitol Hill, where a stand off in Congress threatens another government shutdown. I'll have the latest at the top of the hour on what the fight is all about.
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: And I'm Matthew Chance in Perugia, Italy, where U.S. college student Amanda Knox is again in court today as her appeal hearing to overturn her 2009 conviction for her British flat mate gets into its final phases. There will be more at the top of the hour.
PHILLIPS: All right. Thanks, guys.
And Kenya's Patrick Macaw sets a new world record for the marathon. He wins the event in Berlin. You are going to hear from him next hour.
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PHILLIP: Men o' war stings forced endurance swimmer Diana Nyad had to cut short her swim. Nyad came out of the water 67 nautical miles through the 103-mile trip. She described being stung twice. First on her back and then on her face.
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DIANA NYAD, ENDURANCE SWIMMER: Oh, my God. The first night I felt I was -- my back was paralyzed. Then I thought, wait a second, it's the Portuguese man o' war. It was the worst pain. Oh, my God, I was in pain.
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PHILLIPS: Well, Nyad's previous attempts to cross to Florida came in 1978 and last month.
Jeff Fischel, I can't believe you're not leading with your son's T-ball game. Big event over the weekend.
JEFF FISCHEL, HLN SPORTS: Yes. Go Dodgers.
(LAUGHTER)
FISCHEL: But, yes, you know, funny thing happens during football season. People like to talk about football. And I'll tell you what? Everyone is talking about the Buffalo Bills.
Who would have thought, right? This team is struggling so much the last few years. There was always one thing you can count on, Buffalo Bills losing to Tom Brady and the New England Patriots. But guess what? Brady throws for 387 yards, 4 touchdowns but it was also picked of four times. This time the tip pass returned for a touchdown by Buffalo's Drayton Florence.
Later in the fourth quarter. Brady hits Wes Welker for the T.D. All right. The game is tied at 31-31. Welker had a huge game.
But the Bills come back. The clock runs out. Rian Lindell, 28- yard field goal to win it for Buffalo. And he nails it. Buffalos breaks a 15-game losing streak to the Pats. The bills are 3-0. What? Yes, the Bills are 3-0.
Talk about an incredible start to your career, Ravens and Rams. Raven's rookie wide receiver Torrey Smith. That is the first catch of his career, 74 yards for a touchdown.
But he wasn't done. A few minutes later me caught the second pass of his career, 41 yards for a touchdown. Then a few minutes later his third catch, 18 yards for a touchdown.
His first three catches, touchdown. That was just in the first quarter.
He tweeted he had a good feeling about the game. I would say so. Ravens won, 37-7.
Baseball's wild card race is coming down the wire. Look at Jacoby Ellsbury, three-run home run in the 14th inning to help the Red Sox beat the Yanks. The Sox leave the race by just one game, with three games left. The wild card race also tie the Braves lead the Cardinals by just one game.
Check out Bill Haas at the PGA Tour Championship. Final round in overtime, out of the water. Gets within three feet of the cup. What a pressure shot that was, Kyra. That forced a sudden death playoff.
And then on the third playoff hole. Haas drains it for the win. His father, long-time tour pro Jay Haas applauding from the gallery.
I would say that was a huge play. That was worth the win, worth more than $11 million. That is a payday.
PHILLIPS: Yes. Great shot. Great to see his dad out there. Great moment the golf. Had us all talking.
FISCHEL: Out of the water. Incredible.
PHILIPS: Great. I'll see you do that next round. Easy.
FISCHEL: I'm going to get it into the water. I don't know about getting out.
PHILLIPS: I'll take the shot. Thanks, Jeff.
FISCHEL: All right, Kyra.
