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American Killed in Embassy Attack; Pakistan Ignores Haqqani Terrorists; Candidates Stump, Shutdown Looms; Five Days to Government Shutdown; Obama's "LinkedIn" Jobs Pitch; Lady Gaga's Focus on Bullying; Perry Loses Straw Poll Votes; Romney to Meet with Trump Today; Prince: "My Grandma is Incredible"; The Queen's Wedding Advice; Man Survives Four Days in Utah Dessert; Storms Whip Up Waterspouts; Reno Remembers Air Crash Victims; Hikers Describe Iran's Brutality; Amanda Knox Appeal Wraps Up; Nancy's "Too Tired to Eat" Diet; 24 Hours of "The Simpsons"; The "Most Annoying Celebrity"; Palestinian Statehood Debate Today; Lauryn Hill Sued For Fashion Theft; Marathoner Sets World Record
Aired September 26, 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: All right. We begin this hour with a brazen new attack near the U.S. embassy in Afghanistan's capital. A lone gunman opens fire in the annex. One American is dead. Another one is wounded.
Nick Paton Walsh piecing together the information for us, joining us live.
Nick, what have you been able to find out?
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The key thing about this is exactly where it happened, in the U.S. embassy compound, an annex where the CIA are believed to have more operatives.
What we know is that around about 9:00 yesterday evening, one Afghan employee who worked in that annex, not exactly what his jobs us, opened fire in various directions, killing one U.S. citizen. also an employee of the embassy working in that annex and injuring another one.
This U.S. citizen who was injured is taken to the hospital and now believed to be surviving his injuries. But really the point is the psychological impact of this breach of security coming after two more recent ones in the past few weeks and a very secure heart of Kabul.
Investigators still not sure exactly why this happened. Whether this Afghan gunman, a lone gunman who was killed subsequently by security personnel at the embassy, whether he was acting out of a personal grudge or working for the Taliban.
But still the psychological blow is there. Once again, inside the heart of Kabul, things like this are able to happen where Americans are supposed to be safe. Kyra --
PHILLIPS: Nick, it's just one more attack that we continue to talk about that has come out of Kabul. You know, just two weeks ago, the U.S. embassy came under ferocious attack from militants. Remember this?
WALSH: Absolutely, absolutely. This is certainly what people are concerned about in the coming weeks. It's not exactly clear whether it's linked to the insurgents or why this happened. For many Afghans, they're just seeing that America's ring of steel, its secure areas, can be violated.
Things that are not supposed to happen inside them are happening. I think that has a great psychological impact of perception when it comes to Afghans and trusting their security at the moment. Too, force there's. Kyra --
PHILLIPS: Nick, we will keep talking. As we look at this video, you know, the U.S. is saying that attack was carried out by the Haqqanis, a terror group that based in Pakistan. This morning, we're now learning that Pakistan's military has basically shrugged off pressure from the U.S. and will not take any action against this group, at least for now.
Barbara Starr is calling that for us out of the Pentagon. So Barbara, you know, what's your take? I mean, won't the refusal of do this, to put the pressure on just ratchet up the tensions between the U.S. and Pakistan?
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, all last week, Kyra, we saw a parade of U.S. officials, military officials here in Washington come out and talk about the Haqqanis and really try and raise that profile of pressure against the Pakistani government to get them to crack down, stop providing the safe havens in Pakistan for the Haqqanis.
The financing, the advice that the U.S. believes the Pakistani government, in particular the Pakistani intelligence service is providing to this criminal terrorist network inside Pakistan. You know, the information coming almost every day.
Sources confirming for us that in fact in that embassy attack that the attackers had cell phones with them. They had Haqqani phone numbers back in Pakistan inside those cell phones.
Many, many attacks, dozens perhaps now over the last couple of years, inside Afghanistan tied to the Haqqanis and, as you say, no sign yet that the Pakistanis who are set to be providing the safe haven are willing to crack down on this enterprise. Kyra --
PHILLIPS: It's hard to understand why. Barbara Starr live there from the Pentagon. Thanks.
Now let's go ahead and turn to the power of politics. On Capitol Hill, Congress is flirting with the government shutdown. President Obama is talking jobs and fighting to keep his own.
On the Republican side, well, I guess you can call him the Hermanator. Herman Cain manages a huge upset in the Florida straw poll. Kate Bolduan is on Cap Hill where the clock is counting down to Friday's deadline.
Dan Lothian is following the president's courting the black voters. Paul Steinhauser is looking at Herman Cain's victory, unexpected, that is.
Kate, let's go ahead and start with you. The senate due to hold the vote later this hour so what do you think? Are lawmakers getting any closer to a compromise?
KATE BOLDUAN, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It sure doesn't appear so right now, Kyra. Here is what is at stake just to remind our viewers. The government runs out of money, runs out of funding at the end of this week. That's a key deadline.
Also, FEMA, federal disaster relief fund within FEMA, that could run dry early this week. Some estimates were Monday, meaning today, or even Tuesday. So that's really what's at stake here.
And what's going to happen tonight is that the senate is going to hold a key test vote on a measure on a short-term spending bill that is similar to the House passed measure. They passed it last week. It would do two things.
It would keep the government funded through mid-November, November 18th, to be exact. It would also offer about $3.6 billion in additional funding to FEMA to help pay for all the natural disasters that the country has been facing obviously and still recovering from.
But the key difference here is that the Senate democratic measure does not require that part of that FEMA money be paid for or offset, as they say up her here, as House Republicans are demanding that it be.
So that is really where the standoff is. It will be interesting to follow the discussions today and also watch to see the result of the vote this evening, Kyra. But still, standoff continues.
PHILLIPS: All right, Kate, thanks. And today, President Obama is focusing on jobs and putting more Americans back to work. He's actually hosting a town hall event on the professional social network site LinkedIn.
Dan Lothian is at the White House. So Dan, what exactly is the president going to say today?
DAN LOTHIAN, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, it will be the message that we've been hearing from the president that he's made some stops in key battleground states, but this time out on the west coast.
The president will be first of all, pushing the jobs bill and putting pressure on members of Congress to pass the bill. That's sort of the mantra that we've heard from the president now over the last several weeks.
But an addition the president will be getting a chance to explain what's in the bill and so about 250 people expected to be at the event at LinkedIn. We're told that some of its memberships will be asking some of the questions, also the CEO of LinkedIn will also be handling some of the questions to the president.
This is a jobs bill that remains up on Capitol Hill. It's still a lot of resistance. Not only from Republicans, but also from some Democrats, as well, and one of the big issues is how to pay for all of this.
The president believing that the upper tier Americans, those making more than $250,000 should bear more of the burden. Republicans don't want any kind of tax increase during these times and so the president really doing the sale job out there on the west coast today. He started yesterday in Washington State, today in California and then he'll wrap up in Colorado.
PHILLIPS: All right, Dan, here was -- we're going to take a side bar if you don't mind. It kind of caught our attention, Lady Gaga attending an Obama fundraiser actually tweeted that she was hoping to meet him to discuss bowling. Do you know if they actually met?
LOTHIAN: Well, what would a west coast be without a meeting with Lady Gaga.
PHILLIPS: That's true.
LOTHIAN: Yes, she was there. In fact, it was interesting because the pool report had a description of big sweeping hair with some sort black lace hanging down on it. She did, according to a Democratic official who was there, get a chance to speak briefly with the president.
In all seriousness, she addressed the issue of bullying, something close to her heart, reading to the president from a letter from a fan, according to this Democratic official who talked about someone who had committed suicide because of bullying.
And she thanked the president for everything that he has done in general, but specifically what he and the first lady have done to push this anti-bullying campaign.
PHILLIPS: Yes, serious subject, indeed. Something that we've been following closely, as well, Dan. Thanks so much.
Well, now to the contest for Republicans who want to replace the president. Rick Perry's campaign suffered a couple of big blows this weekend. Our deputy political director Paul Steinhauser has that from Washington. Paul, how about that unexpected victory from Herman Cain?
PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: You know, Lady Gaga, Kyra, I don't have anything on that so I won't try to match it. But yes, a very big weekend for Herman Cain, the former Godfather's Pizza CEO and radio talk show host.
He won that straw poll in Florida, a much watched straw poll (inaudible) about 3,500 GOP activists there. Look at that, Cain at 37 percent. I guess this is a reflection maybe the activists are not so happy with the normal politicians and they wanted something different.
Perry, the Texas governor who jumped into the race six weeks ago, he was expected to win this very distant second. Let's go to that straw poll in Michigan. There were two this weekend. Another one in Michigan and Romney on top by far.
Now we expected that the former Massachusetts governor would win that straw poll. Remember, he grew up in Michigan. His father was a former governor there, very popular. Romney has a strong organization in the state.
But Perry went up there, Kyra. He did campaign there, came in at a distant second. A lot of people are saying these results for Perry this weekend, well, maybe it's a reflection of those uneven debate performances he had the last two weeks and also his stance on illegal immigration.
Perry's still the front-runner on the national polls, but this weekend hurt. Kyra --
PHILLIPS: All right, well, I guess, you know, on the west coast if the thing is to meet with Lady Gaga. If you're on the east coast, apparently the thing is you meet with Donald Trump.
The latest blessing seeker, Mitt Romney now, Paul. So what is it about Trump and these presidential candidates that keep going to see him?
STEINHAUSER: Here you go. A week and a half ago, Perry had dinner with Trump in New York. Today, Romney is there. He's meeting with Trump around 2:00 this afternoon.
Remember, Trump, we spent a lot of time covering him earlier in this year when he thought about, well, flirting with the bid for GOP nomination and decided against it.
But you'll never know with Donald Trump. I tell you what, it gives these candidates attention. We're talking about it right now. Others will be talking about it all day, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right, Paul.
Overseas a new book has interesting insights from Prince William. He opens up about his wedding preps, his royal duties, and his grandma, the queen. Let's get the -- I guess, the down and dirty from Zain Verjee.
She's been all over this, this morning. I guess, you know, sometimes you can negotiate with the queen, other times you just have to do what she says.
ZAIN VERJEE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: When she's made up her mind, you can't budge the queen, OK, Kyra? She likes detail. She pays a lot of attention to that and it turns out she likes to plan weddings.
Here's actually what Prince William said. He's talking about the guest list, the initial one that they gave him. OK, this is who we're going to invite to the royal wedding. He said this.
"I was given this official list of 777 names, dignitaries, governors, all sorts of people, and not one person I knew. I looked at it in absolute horror. I rang her up the next day and said, do we need to be doing this?"
And she said, no, just start with your friends first and then go from there and she told me to bin the list. Now, Kyra, you know what bin is, right, from --
PHILLIPS: To the trash. You've taught me well.
VERJEE: Trash, baby, to the trash. OK, now, referring to his uniform. You know he wore that nice red uniform that's like the Irish regimen.
PHILLIPS: Dapper.
VERJEE: He looked hot. He did. So what he said was, I was given a categorical from the queen, no, you will wear this. She insisted that he wore that outfit. So he added, so you don't always get what you want, from the queen, put it that way.
He went on to say, you know when he gave this interview said he has a great relationship, you know, he says my grandma is incredible. And, also, the queen's just not really into being a celebrity is something he added.
And then lastly, he said a lot of members of their own family say, you know, maybe take it a little easy now. You're getting old. You've been through like 12 British prime ministers. Why don't you chill out a bit and enjoy life.
And she says, no way. She's not -- she's not giving up the throne. I can't say I blame her, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Yes, it's a nice post? Zain, thanks.
VERJEE: Yes, you sit on your cushy throne there, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Yes, and I have quite a lifestyle like the queen. I don't think so. All right, Zain. Talk to you later.
VERJEE: All right.
PHILLIPS: Survived four days in the Utah desert with a broken leg. We're going to tell you what this hiker did, who found him, and how he's doing now.
A long ordeal of American Amanda Knox could soon be over. Her appeals trial wrapping up in Italy. We'll have a live report right after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Checking stories cross country now. A North Carolina man survived four days in the Utah desert after breaking his leg on a solo hike.
Wayne Richards says 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 the hospital.
Check out these amazing pictures of water spouts along Lake Michigan. Dozens of funnel clouds spotted. There were no reports of any damage or injuries.
Reno, Nevada, more than 400 people attended this memorial service after that deadly air race crash that killed 11 people. Reno's mayor said it was a chance to show support for the victims and their families.
Two U.S. hikers back on American soil and blasting Iran's brutality during their imprisonment. Josh Fattal and Shane Bauer arrived at New York 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 VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Fattal says that the two men had to wage repeated hunger strikes just to receive letters from their families.
In Italy, more testimony today in the Amanda Knox appeals trial. A verdict could come later this week. The make or break piece of evidence is the DNA. CNN's Matthew Chance is live. Matthew, why exactly is the DNA so important?
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The DNA is important, Kyra, because it's the only physical evidence that actually connects Amanda Knox and her then boyfriend Rafaelle Sollecito to the room where Meredith Kercher, Amanda's British roommate, was found dead with her throat slit and having been sexually assaulted.
And so it's very important because without the DNA traces that were found by police investigation, one on a suspected murder weapon, a knife, another bit of DNA of Sollecito on a bra collapse that was found some 46 days after the killing on the floor of the room where the murder took place.
Without that evidence, there's nothing actually in terms of, you know, physical evidence that connects those two figures, convicted of the murder of Meredith Kercher to the actual room where the killing took place.
And so it's crucial for the defense and crucial for the prosecution as well. In some ways this whole appeal spins on that.
PHILLIPS: All right. We'll see if a verdict indeed comes later this week. Matthew Chance, thanks so much.
And coming up, practice makes perfect for Nancy Grace. She's dancing hours and hours a day and seeing big changes on the dance floor and in the mirror.
Plus, a new poll as to which celebrity is the most annoying. See if your picks are in the top five showbiz headlines, straight ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Nancy Grace says she's working her butt off practicing for "Dancing with the Stars" and it turns out she's working some other stuff, too.
"SHOWBIZ TONIGHT" host, A.J. Hammer is here with all the details and she just lays it out there for us.
A.J. HAMMER, HOST, "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT": Go, Nancy, go. Yes, a grueling "Dancing with the Stars" practice, Kyra, the schedule there for her is having some very positive results. She's telling "People" magazine she's inadvertently lost 10 pounds on the calling it, I'm too tired to eat diet.
Now Nancy says a jam packed day of getting 3-year-old twins ready for school and then heading off to dance practice for five to seven hours and then coming home has her exhausted. But Nancy says that all the practice has been a whole lot of fun although she does admit to being a fish out of water on this show and her goal is to still take home that mirror ball trophy.
Here's what she's telling "People" magazine. She wants there to be many nights of me dancing on stage for the twins to one day look back and go, look at mommy, not, mommy got thrown off. So we're going to see all of that practice pays off.
This week, of course, Nancy is slipping on her shoes again, but, Kyra, I have to imagine. As a mother of twins, it's hard for you to imagine adding seven hours of dance practice to your schedule. That's nuts to me.
PHILLIPS: Yes. You're doing the cha-cha 24/7. Let me tell you what, pal, and the two-step, and three-step, and ten-step. All right, I think you're right, though, that Nancy, she's got her own show on HLN, but we're also hearing a popular series may be getting its own channel. Yes? HAMMER: Yes. We've got, of course, 24-hour cooking channel these days and sports channels, of course, 24-hour news channels, but how about a 24-hour Simpsons channel? You may want to break out your duff beer and doughnuts because it just might happen.
There have reportedly been a number of internal discussions at the Fox Network on how to capitalize on the massive library of Simpson episodes beyond of course, DVDs and reruns. One idea that apparently has been floating around over there is a 24-hour channel dedicated to Homer, Marge, Bart, the whole Springfield gang.
But here's the thing, Kyra, I was doing the math on this. I broke out the "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT," abacus. The show is just starting its 23rd season. They're approaching 500 episodes. If they're on 24 hours a day, we're still only talking about 10 days, a little more than 10 days worth of shows running them back to back.
So I don't know if this is going to work. I love "The Simpsons," by the way, but I'm not sure about the idea.
PHILLIPS: I'm still thinking about the fact that you pulled out an abacus. That must have been your great, great, great grandfather's, yes. I still use my fingers.
All right, A.J., tell us about this new poll out on the most annoying celebrities. I would love to know your pick.
HAMMER: Well, this is a list you probably want to avoid. "Parade" magazine has compiled this poll listing those who they say are the most annoying celebrities. Number one, surprise, surprise, it's Kim Kardashian.
Now "Parade" says that Kim, of course, a lot of people say is famous for being famous, has been inescapable with her recent wedding and honeymoon and maybe that's why she tops the list although she's been growing on me. Now, I'm a big Kim Kardashian fan.
Second on the list no, big surprise here, Charlie Sheen. He has toned it down a bit over the past few months as we've been talking about, but you can't forget all the bizarre behavior and public meltdowns from earlier in the year.
And in third place, I was pretty unsurprised to see this on here. How could a "Jersey Shore" cast mate escape, one word for you, Kyra, Snooki. Now you asked for my opinion and they actually fell on to the honorable or not so honorable mentions on the list. Lindsay Lohan and mine on here, Donald Trump. Hi, Donald.
PHILLIPS: I'm with you on the Lindsay Lohan. That's what -- I was waiting for that to at least be in the top three. All right. A.J., appreciate it.
Well, if you want anything and everything breaking in the entertainment world, A.J. always has it, even his list of annoying celebrities. You can get it on "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT," 11:00 p.m. on HLN every night. Herman Cain was the surprise winner at this weekend's Florida straw poll. Is his star rising or was this a protest against the rest of the GOP field? "Political Buzz" weighs in next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Checking top stories now. The U.S. says an Afghan man shot and killed an American in the 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 today. The U.S. which wants the Palestinians to directly negotiate with Israel is expected to veto the proposal.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid wants a vote today on a compromise plan to keep the government running. The House and Senate are at odds over how to pay for disaster relief funding.
"Political Buzz." You're rapid fire look at the best political topics of the day. Three questions, 30 seconds on the clock.
Playing today, Alexis Johnson from the American Values Institute, Sirius XM political talk show host and comedian, Pete Dominick and CNN contributor and radio host, Dana Loesch.
All right, guys, first question. Herman Cain, the surprise winner at this weekend's Florida straw poll. Was this a vote for Cain or a protest for the rest of the GOP field, Dana?
DANA LOESCH, TALK RADIO HOST, "THE DANA SHOW": I think it was kind of both. And I think it was definitely reflective of some of the candidates' poor performances that the debate. Perry did horrible at this debate, which is surprising because I've seen him speak before.
I know he can speak eloquently. I know he's quick on his feet. He hasn't been at these debates. This was sort of just further -- this is indicative of that. But I think it was also a vote for Cain because Cain is -- he's a small business guy. He comes from the private sector. He's not a political beltway establishment hack kind of guy.
So that resonates with grass roots people who are tired of the same old same old. So we'll be watching him definitely in weeks to come.
PHILLIPS: Alexis?
ALEXIS MCGILL JOHNSON, AMERICAN VALUES INSTITUTE EXEC. DIRECTOR: You know, I have a lot of respect for Herman Cain especially running the black van for the nomination of the GOP. But I have to tell you I think this is really about a weak field.
You know, we have Perry who has been all hat and no cattle and can barely articulate why he wants to run for president much less critique his own fellow potential nominees.
You have Romney who is flip-flopper. He is completely untrustworthy and Michele Bachmann who, you know, was a rising star and now is a complete nonfactor. So I think this is about the GOP completely running out of time.
PHILLIPS: Pete?
PETE DOMINICK, SIRIUS XM POLITICAL TALK SHOW HOST: Kyra, do you know how many votes Herman Cain got in the Florida straw poll, 996 votes. He was three votes away from what number, 999! And that would have been so perfect.
I don't think this is a protest vote against the other candidates. He got a third of the vote. They like him down there. Maybe old people like Godfather's Pizza. Herman Cain is not a politician that seems to be working for him plus, 999.
PHILLIPS: Pete being the comedian that you are, I thought you were setting me up and I was just afraid to open up my mouth. All right, second question, Romney meets Donald Trump in New York today. Rick Perry met with Trump two weeks ago. Herman Cain has an October 3rd meeting.
So, why are these candidates making Trump a priority and do voters even care what Trump thinks? Alexis.
ALEXIS MCGILL JOHNSON, AMERICAN VALUES INSTITUTE EXEC. DIRECTOR: That is such a great question. I mean, really. Donald Trump is not a policy expert by any means, you know? He is a blow hard birther who has, you know, has a series of essentially failed reality TV shows. It's another sign that the Republican Party has completely lost its compass.
And, you know, I have no idea what to do. I mean, what are they going to do, meet with Snooki and Flava Flav next? This is just a none issue.
LOESCH: Well, to Alexis point, don't forget that several polls showed any generic Republican candidate beat Obama. So, it is, frankly, a strong Republican field. But, about Trump, I don't care who Donald Trump wants to get behind, but I do think it's interesting. He is a very successful businessman.
So, it doesn't matter that he's not an academic Tupperware fresh policy expert. This a guy who actually has tried and true policies out in the real world which hands over fist beats the president's current, again, academic Tupperware fresh experience. But, bottom line, this is -- you know, he's into pop culture. He's got a successful show on television that millions of people watch. (BUZZER) it does say something. So, maybe, it goes into that, but frankly, I don't care.
PHILLIPS: Dana the Tupperware sales woman. Pete Dominick?
(LAUGHTER) PETE DOMINICK, SIRIUS XM POLITICAL TALK SHOW HOST: Well, why are all of these candidates meeting with Donald Trump? I think they're probably asking him what not to do or, frankly, Kyra, maybe they're just begging him not to endorse them. I mean, this guy is an embarrassment. He's an arrogant fool.
And given him credit for success to me, I don't know about anybody else, but I'm one of those Americans who doesn't give a lot of credit to a guy who had that much of a head start, millions of dollars that his daddy gave him. Mitt Romney is like that. John Kerry George Bush, all these guys started way ahead of the game. I don't know why they'd be meeting with him. Maybe, they want to learn how not to eat pizza or maybe they're doing "The Apprentice, Tea Party" edition.
PHILLIPS: Oh, that's interesting. That actually -- that might make some money. Some ratings.
(CROSSTALK)
PHILLIPS: Yes. All right. You're buzzer beater, guys. Twenty seconds each on this one. Morgan Freeman tells our Piers Morgan that President Obama has made Americans more racist. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PIERS MORGAN, CNN HOST, "PIERS MORGAN TONIGHT": Has Obama helped the process of eradicating racism or has it, in a strange way, made it worse?
MORGAN FREEMAN, ACTOR: Made it worse. Made it worse. Look at the -- the Tea Partiers who are controlling the Republican Party, that's stated policy, publicly stated, is to do whatever it takes to see to it that Obama only serves one term. What does that -- what underlines that? Through the country. We're going to do whatever we can do to get this black man -- we can do whatever we can to get this black man out of here.
MORGAN: Is that necessarily a racist view?
FREEMAN: It is a racist thing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Dana, I'm going to let you begin.
LOESCH: Oh, yes. Well, it kind of kills part of my soul, because Morgan Freeman, I think, is, you know, a great actor. I had respect for him up until this point, but as a co-founder of a Tea Party movement here in the United States, my expressed goal has never been to take down the president.
It's always been to hold government accountable and to make sure that government stays limited, and it spends our money wisely. That's the goal. So, I guess, Herman Cain is racist (BUZZER) or Antoine (ph) members. Has Morgan Freeman ever even been to a Tea Party, because the people who preach about this aloud have never bee. I bet 50 bucks right now that he hasn't.
PHILLIPS: Alexis.
JOHNSON: You know, I think it's same the old-fashioned racism that has existed pre-Obama, right? When we have black unemployment twice the rate of white unemployment, there's a systemic issue that we have to discuss. And I think that more than anything, what Morgan Freeman is trying to talk about is the fact that we have increased racial anxiety in our ability to actually have honest conversations about this is getting much more limited due to the fact -- (BUZZER)
PHILLIPS: Pete.
DOMINICK: I'm not going to question or accuse God and the President, which is two people that Morgan Freeman has played. Frankly, I don't really -- I'm white. It's easier. I don't question what a black person sees and feels and hears every day. I have been to many Tea Parties, and there are elements of the Tea Party that are racist. Saying that the president of the United States was not born American, I define that as racist (BUZZER).
LOESCH: That's a Democratic movement. No, no, no. That's not racist. And it began with Democrats. In fact, it began with the Clintons.
DOMINICK: Dana, you're done. You're done. You're done.
(CROSSTALK)
PHILLIPS: Alexis, you get five more seconds, Alexis. Dana just gave you five more seconds.
JOHNSON: Look, you know, I think it's real. I mean, I appreciate what the previous guy was saying, because I think that the real challenge is that we need an honest dialogue. And the problem in the left and the Democratic Party is that we're ceding this face to a few crazies on the right. And if we really want to have an honest dialogue, we need to start that right now.
PHILLIPS: Thanks to you three. I appreciate it.
All right. If you've got a free checking account, you can actually count yourself lucky because they're disappearing pretty quickly, right, Alison?
ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Exactly, yes. You know, it is possible to find one, but I'll be honest with you, it's harder to find an outright for real free checking account. You know, if you ask bankrate.com, they tell you free checking is on the endangered species list at this point, because only 45 percent of checking accounts out there are actually free.
That's down sharply from just a year ago when 65 percent of accounts were free. And why do you ask? Well, it's because banks are taking in less money because of more regulations. There are new Federal Reserve rules out there that limit how much banks can collect in other fees. So, they're just trying to make up for the lost revenue at this point.
But banks contend, you know what, we have to pay for their workers, technology, fraud management. So, they're going to stick it to the consumer with these fees on your checking accounts -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right. So, 45 percent of checking accounts are free. So, how can people make sure that they get one of those?
KOSIK: OK, and that really is the question. And there is a trick with this because most checking accounts, Kyra, they can become free, but you have to abide by certain rules. Now, the most common rule is you have to have direct deposit of your paycheck. Also, you got to maintain that minimum balance or go ahead and do a loft at your banking business at one institution.
So, you want to have your savings account, your money market account, your mortgage, all with the same bank, and chances are, you'll be able to get that free checking -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: OK. Alison, thanks.
Well, they say it's meant as satire, but a college bake sale with prices based on race and gender, we'll hear from both sides after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Stories cross-country now.
You can actually hear the police there (ph) shot and killed the gunman armed with two riffles. Investigators say that 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 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 bit.
And singer, Lauryn Hill, is getting sued by her stylist for fashion theft. The consultant fitted Hill for her 2007 European tour and now claims that the hip-hop artist made off with a whole wardrobe paying only a fraction of what it was worth.
A bake sale on the UC Berkeley campus is causing outrage, and that's the point, according to its sponsor, the young Republicans. Take a look. It will cost you two bucks for cookies and brownies if you're white, $1.50 if you're Asian, Latinos, $1. wait a minute, it gets cheaper now. $0.75 cents for African Americans. $0.25 cents for American-Indians. And then women, guess what, we get a 25-cent discount.
It's all about SD-185. The California bill that would allow race and ethnicity to, once again, be factors in student admissions. Last year, Roland Martin and Will Cain weighed in on the issue.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) WILL CAIN, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: The existence of white privilege or past racial discrimination is unforgivable. That's not something anyone wants to sit here in excuse, but hold on. Logically, Roland, it does not follow that a harm was done to person A by person B, so you'll 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's 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.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Roland.
ROLAND MARTIN, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Legacy is OK. Preference is OK with legacy because, Will, guess what. If you're 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.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: Now, the bake sale is expected to take place tomorrow.
All right. Kenya's Patrick Makau wins the Berlin marathon in world record time. You're going to hear from him next.
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PHILLIPS: Well, Kenyan marathon runner has set a world record with his time in the Berlin marathon, and CNN's Don Riddell actually got to talk to him and another pretty amazing athlete. Hi, Don.
DON RIDDELL, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Kyra. How are you doing? Yes. I was in Berlin yesterday, and this was an absolutely incredible achievement. Kenya's Patrick Makau ran the marathon in a time of two hours, three minutes and 38 seconds, destroying the previous record by some 21 seconds, and he made it look easy. He didn't even look out of breath as he did it. Afterwards, he told me it was a really proud achievement, both for himself and for his country, Kenya.
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PATRICK, MAKAU, MARATHON RECORD HOLDER: Actually, the first thing I done this to my country because Kenya is full of champions, especially distances, starting from going up, we are all champions. We don't believe on being beaten by people like Ethiopians. Yes.
RIDDELL: So, this is a really proud day for you.
MAKAU: Yes. This is a very proud day. I dedicate it to my country, Kenya.
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RIDDELL: Kyra, you can probably tell there's a bit of competition between Kenya and Ethiopia when it comes to distance running, and he was really referring to Haile Gebrselassie whose record he broke, and Haile Gebrselassie, unfortunately, for him, it wasn't even able to finish the race yesterday.
And just to give you an idea of how fast this guy ran. He was running one mile every four minutes and 43 seconds. If you go to the gym today, put your treadmill up to 12.6 and see how long you can hang on for. If you can do it for more than two hours, you might just be a record breaker yourself.
PHILLIPS: That is insane. What a great way to help us visualize how intense they run. All right. Well, you talked to some amazing runners. How about this young boxer that's making a name for himself. You got a chance to speak with him, as well.
RIDDELL: Yes. This is Amir Khan. You know, he's already a big hit in Britain, and he's making a big name for himself around the world and in the United States, too. Amir Khan was an Olympic champion at 17. He is currently ranked as the best light welterweight boxer anywhere in the world.
And he says he's coming your way pretty soon. He's pretty confident that he's going to get a fight lined up with Floyd Mayweather. He was in here speaking to me earlier, and just listen to how he out lines his plans for the rest of his career.
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AMIR KHAN, WBA SUPER AND IBF LIGHT WELTERWEIGHT CHAMPION: I always want to be know as a legend in the sport. I want to win everything that's in there. I want to become a pound-for-pound champion of the world. Every morning, when I wake up, that's what drives me to go to the gym and train hard. When I'm tired in the gym, that's what pushes me because I ant to be the best there is.
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RIDDELL: I wish I could get away with saying I want to be remembered as a legend. It, somehow, sounds OK coming from his mouth, isn't it? He is doing great, well, both in and out of the ring, Kyra. He was actually invited to Washington to appear with Hillary Clinton recently, and later this year, he says he's going to meet President Obama as well.
So, he's being recognized for his charity work outside the ring, and he's making people take notice of what he's doing inside.
PHILLIPS: There you go. Love that he has heart as well. Don, thanks.
Well, a huge step for Saudi women. They'll be allowed to vote and run for office. But, they still can't drive. We'll have a live report next.
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PHILLIPS: Let's talk about a revolutionary move. In Saudi Arabia, women can vote and run for office now. CNN's Mohammed Jamjoom joining us from Abu Dhabi with more on the story -- Mo.
MOHAMMED JAMJOOM, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, by Saudi standards, a historic moment yesterday when King Abdullah announced that women would be able to participate in the next round of municipal elections, that they would be able to nominate themselves as candidates. He also said they would be appointed as full members of the consultative counsel in about two years' time.
We should point out though that even though his remarks are being interpreted as saying that women will be given the right to vote, he never actually said the word vote. He said that they would be able to nominate themselves and nominate other candidates in Saudi Arabia for the municipal elections.
That having been said though, yesterday, the mood from women's rights activist I was speaking with was one on pure elation. They were overjoyed. They said this was their moment that had come, but today, I spoke to other female rights activists in Saudi Arabia who started to become a bit disappointed.
They said, look, at best, this is about four years down the line the next round of elections, and anything can happen in that time. The conservative wing of the government could try to reverse the decision. They could try to take the power out of the women's hands before they even get it.
And also, even for the consultative counsel to be appointed as consultants to the government, to the king, that's at least another two years down the line. So, a little bit of a reality check today, even though, lot of elation yesterday. Today, some people not as happy as they were yesterday, but they still think it was a historic announcement on the part of the king of Saudi Arabia -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Sure. And moving in the right direction. Mohammed, thanks.
Well, the nation's biggest subway system is getting a massive upgrade. Cell phone service coming to the New York City trains. Alison Kosik at the New York Stock Exchange. OK. This is revolutionary, Alison. A lot of people are going to be very happy about this.
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KOSIK: Happy but not everybody, Kyra. So, yes, when you go down into the tunnels and take the subway here in New York City, you pretty much can't use your cell phone. There's no service. So, now what's happening is cell phone service is going to be coming to some New York City subway stations beginning tomorrow. This is going to be tested out at six stations along the 23rd Street and 14th Street areas. It's a really, really busy area.
Now, keep in mind, you've got to have At&T mobile. If you've got Verizon, you're out of luck for right now. Now, keep in mind, you're only going to be able to use your cell phone on the platform where you wait for the train, so you're not actually going to be able to use your phone while you're on the train, you know, when you're zooming through the tunnels, but this may be expanded to every station within five years -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Yes. I can just imagine that for some it sounds like a great idea. Others are going to be very much annoyed, Alison.
KOSIK: You said it. These workaholic New Yorkers, they're going to love this. They're going lo love it, because they can just continually be on their phone, but the phone calls are really going to annoy a lot of people. I mean, you think about it. The subway ride itself, it's not the most enjoyable ride anyway, but it really has been this black hole where you can only talk face to face, you can read or listen to music.
But now, imagine all of these people, I'm talking five million people on the phone at once. Everybody yammering on their phones at once. It can get really annoying. You know, you have to also think that there are these trains that go out to the suburbs, the LIRR, the New Jersey Transit. There's train etiquette there.
Everybody talks low. Some people even cover their mouths. I can guarantee you, Kura, you're not going to see the same thing on the subways. Everybody is pretty much -- they throw their etiquette out the window when they get on the subway, anyway. Can you imagine when you add cell phones to the mix?
PHILLIPS: No. No. This is not going -- it's, probably, overall going to be pretty tough to handle for a lot of people. Alison, thank you. We'll talk again tomorrow.
And coming up in the NEWSROOM with Suzanne Malveaux, opening statements in the trial of Michael Jackson's doctor start tomorrow. We're taking a closer look if the make of the jury and how race, sex, even their TV viewing habits could impact the case.
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PHILLIPS: Well, President Obama is the guest of honor at more than a half dozen fundraising events out west, and our senior political editor, Mark Preston, is talking about that out of Washington today. So, does the president still have the star power, you think, to get people to open up their wallets, Mark?
MARK PRESTON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL EDITOR: He sure does, Kyra. You know, there's been a lot of talk about how President Obama is losing his base and how they might not come out and vote for him, but you know what? He still has a loyal following. He certainly has a loyal following on the west coast.
As you said, he had more that he does in fundraisers over the past 24, 48 hours in Washington State and out in California. All told, seven fundraisers. You know, Kyra, of two of these fundraisers, he's raised at least $1.75 million. That is only two of the seven that he will be attending. This is money that, of course, he is going to need to try to win re-election.
But some of the star figures that have appeared at these fundraisers include Lady Gaga, as you've been talking about earlier in the program. Also saw NBA greats as well, Lenny Wilkens and, of course, my favorite from the Boston Celtics, Bill Russell. We also saw the "Modern Family" star, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, hosts a fundraiser for him, as well.
So, he's raising big bucks out on the west coast. You know, there's been a lot of talk, too, that he would raise upwards to $1 billion to try to win re-election. We'll see if he does -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: OK. Mark, thanks.
And, of course, for all your political news, you can always go to our Web site 24/7, CNNPolitics.com. Well, that does it for us. We'll back here bright and early tomorrow morning.
Suzanne Malveaux taking it from here. Lots to talk about today.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN ANCHOR: Absolutely. A lot to talk about. Thank you very much, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: You bet.
