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Perry Backer: Mormonism A 'Cult'; 'Occupy Wall Street' Protests; A Decade of War in Afghanistan; Foster Kids Aging Out; Michael Jackson's Doctor on Trial; Underwear Bomber on Trial; Hidden Hotel Fees; Restaurants 'Stealing' Credit Card Tips From Wait Staff; Social Media's Role in 2011 Revolutions and the Arab Spring

Aired October 08, 2011 - 12:00   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. Let's get started here. Thanks so much everybody for joining us.

The Values Voter Summit in Washington has taken a pretty controversial turn after a big backer of Republican presidential candidate Rick Perry took aim at Mitt Romney for being a Mormon. Shortly after introducing Perry to the crowd of social conservatives, well Texas Pastor Robert Jeffress said that Republicans shouldn't select Mitt Romney as their nominee because he's Mormon, a religion the pastor described as a cult.

Then later, CNN political correspondent Jim Acosta asked the pastor how he responds to voters who insist that Romney's religion shouldn't be an issue. Here's what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REV. ROBERT JEFFRESS, SR. PASTOR, FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH OF DALLAS: The Southern Baptist Convention, which is the largest protestant denomination in the world, has officially labeled Mormonism as a cult. I think Mitt Romney is a good, moral man, but I think those of us who are Born Again followers of Christ should always prefer a competent Christian to a competent - to a competent non-Christian like Mitt Romney.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Political activist Bill Bennett responded to the pastor's comments today. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BILL BENNETT, CONSERVATIVE POLITICAL ANALYST: And I would say to Pastor Jeffress, you stepped on and obscured the words of Perry and Santorum and Cain and Bachmann and everyone else who has spoken here. You did Rick Perry no good, sir, in what you had to say.

And, if I may say, I hope you (INAUDIBLE) have to announce this for the press, in terms of the debate between Mormons and Evangelical Christians, I was there first, the one true holy Catholic and Apostolic and universal church, and I forgive you all in the Name of the Father and - (END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Well, when Mitt Romney took the stage, he told the crowd that Bill Bennett hit it out of the park, but he didn't address the controversy directly.

He did, though, criticize another speaker who in the past has claimed Mormons and Muslims do not deserve First Amendment protections because they have a different definition of who Christ is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Our values are noble, the citizen, and they strengthen the nation. We should remember that decency and civility are values too. One of the speakers who'll follow me today has crossed that line, I think. Poisonous language doesn't advance our cause. It's never softened a single heart nor changed a single mind.

The blessings of faith carry the responsibility of civil and respectful debate. The task before us is to focus on the conservative beliefs and the values that unite us. Let no agenda narrow our vision or drive us apart.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: So, how is Perry responding to the pastor's comments? Here to tell us, CNN's Jim Acosta actually joins us by phone now.

Jim, you were at the Values Voters Summit. Is Perry distancing himself from the pastor?

JIM ACOSTA, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): Well, Kyra, he is distancing himself somewhat. He was asked about it last night in Iowa, and he said that he does not believe that Mormonism is a cult. And the Perry campaign says, hey, this was the event organizers who asked Pastor Jeffress to introduce Governor Perry, not the - not the Perry campaign.

But I checked with the Family Research Council, and the Family Research Council, which is hosting the event, said well, we did run this pastor past the Perry campaign and he was OK with them.

So, you know, there is a - there is a bit of a controversy over - over the pastor's comments, and whether or not they sort of had the tacit approval of the Perry campaign. The Romney campaign is not making that charge. They are basically stepping away from this controversy. They're not making any further comments.

I had a chance to talk to a spokeswoman for the Romney campaign after Governor Romney gave his speech, and she said at this point they have no plans for the former Massachusetts governor to make any further comments on the subject. They don't - they - they believe that what this pastor had to say yesterday is beneath them and beneath Governor Romney, and so they don't want to talk about it.

PHILLIPS: So then, will this have any impact, do you think, on Romney's campaign?

ACOSTA: I think it will. I think, you know, this was the elephant in the room, if you'll pardon the expression, for the Republican Party heading into this campaign. A lot of social conservatives, a lot of Evangelical Christians have a problem with Governor Romney's faith. They - and then this pastor said this to me yesterday. He said, look, we may not say it to the press, we may not say it to pollsters, but when we pull the curtain behind us in the voting booth, for some Christian conservatives, for some Evangelical Christians, this is going to be a problem for them.

Having said all of that, you know, Mitt Romney gave a speech back in December of 2007 where he thought he was able to put this matter behind him. He went to Texas A&M, you might remember, Kyra, and gave a big speech that sort of harkened back to John F. Kennedy's efforts in 1960 to put his Catholicism out of the public minds in terms of what they might vote or not vote on.

And for Mitt Romney, you know, he might have thought that he put all this behind him in the '08 campaign, but, unfortunately for him, this is all back in the forefront. It - it caused a huge uproar at this conference, and my sense is that, yes, he is going to have to deal with this as this campaign goes on. Whether the campaign wants to or not, he's probably going to have to deal with it, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Well, Jim, like you, I'm going to get a chance to talk to the pastor coming up in the 4:00 Eastern hour, so we'll have another discussion about his comments. Jim Acosta, thanks so much.

And then coming up in the next half hour, we're going to hear from Ron Paul, who also addressed the Values Voter Summit.

Well, demonstrators are back in the streets today to the "Occupy Wall Street" protest. They're now in their 22nd day. The protest started in New York and they've spread to more than a dozen other cities now coast-to-coast, including Portland, Oregon; Austin, Texas and Washington, D.C.

CNN's Susan Candiotti with us now from New York. So Susan, Saturday, well it's been the biggest day so far for these protests, right?

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right. And in here in New York, they're planning something different. What's different? Well, instead of just being in that part near Wall Street that we've seen so many times now because we're now entering the fourth week, believe it or not, now the group wants to expand its base of operations here in the city.

So they are going to move to set up a second location in Washington Square Park, which is up the street. It's also in the heart of the New York University campus, which could attract more students, certainly, and it's also near Greenwich Village.

So, the question is, will this be a permanent second base of operations? We don't know yet. PHILLIPS: And last Saturday, you know, Susan, there were 700 arrests alone on the Brooklyn Bridge. What do you think about today? More peaceful? Could we see the same type of arrest count?

CANDIOTTI: You know, it's hard to say. Certainly the organizers of the protest say they're all about being peaceful, but they also acknowledge that whenever there are clashes, they know they're getting more publicity out of it. So it's hard to predict certainly what will happen by the end of the day.

We know that there will be concerts, an additional march. Also, there could be a possible issue, as we mentioned, that second park, unlike the one where they're located now, which is a privately-owned park and open 24 hours a day, this second park that we're talking about is a city park, and it has a midnight curfew. And we're not sure yet whether they will stay beyond that curfew, and that might force a confrontation with police. We don't know.

PHILLIPS: All right, Susan Candiotti, we'll follow it throughout the day. Thanks so much.

Well, professional football has lost one of its most enduring and colorful figures. Legendary coach, commissioner and owner Al Davis has died. The Oakland Raiders breaking the news on its website. The team plans to release a statement later today.

Davis, who was 82, was a very hands-on owner and general manager during his 40 plus years at the helm. His team's won countless championships, including three Super Bowls.

Al Davis, dead at the age of 82.

Well, Apple co-founder Steve Jobs was buried in a private ceremony yesterday. It was very small, family only. That was according to the "Wall Street Journal." We don't even know what - where it was.

Apple says that there wouldn't be any public memorial for Jobs, who died Wednesday of pancreatic cancer, but you can go to rememberingsteve@apple.com to leave your condolences.

Well, troops in Afghanistan struggle after a decade of war and multiple tours of duty.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LT. COL. ERIC ALBERTSON, U.S. ARMY: There is a fatigue factor - emotionally drained, physically tired. We've had instances where soldiers have taken their lives here, and that's - that's tragic.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Haunting stories from Bagram Air Base, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Well, American troops have been fighting in Afghanistan for 10 years now. War protesters marked the 10th anniversary by demanding in immediate withdrawal of U.S. forces in Afghanistan.

The protest was held at the entrance of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial in Washington. Similar demonstrations were held in other U.S. cities and abroad.

Well, the decade-long war in Afghanistan is taking a major toll on our troopers. CNN's Nick Paton Walsh reports from Bagram Air Base just outside Kabul, where the strain of combat is having tragic consequences.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It began when they landed in Bagram, and here it goes on.

SOLDIERS: Our Father, who art in heaven --

PATON WALSH: Ten years of jet fuel, faith, and now fatigue here. You can see what it takes to carry on through this decade of wars.

Lieutenant Colonel Eric Albertson is chaplain to thousands, but, in his several months here, affected by the very few.

ALBERTSON: A number of our soldiers that are on their third, fourth, or, in some cases, their fifth tour, there is a fatigue factor - emotionally drained, physically tired. We've had instances where soldiers have taken their lives here, and that's - that's tragic. We've had about six or seven since I've been here.

When someone takes their own life, there's almost a sense of, you know, you've reached out to me for everything else, why didn't you reach out to me for this?

PATON WALSH: The ripples of a suicide reach far. Master Sergeant Guadaloupe Stratman is in this war so her three sons wouldn't be, her three tours marred by the recent loss of a friend in Iraq.

MASTER SERGEANT GUADALOUPE STRATMAN, U.S. ARMY: It - it was actually, she - she overdosed herself (ph), so. And, like, she was younger than me, so I didn't - I thought she had a lot to live for.

I don't know why it happened. I - I wasn't necessarily talking with her frequently at that time, but it - it hurt me a lot. And how? Because I knew her. I knew what some of her dreams were, and now she didn't get to - get to live those dreams. It's like it ended.

PATON WALSH: This was a dirt road a decade ago, now it's home to one in nine of America's troops in Afghanistan.

(on camera): When the Americans landed here 10 years ago, it was on this Russian-made runway, and now they've been here nearly a year longer than the Soviets.

(voice-over): The cost to the Soviets, huge. The total cost to America, still unknown, although signs of sadness and change are everywhere, the prison here now gone, its Afghan prisoners elsewhere. Soon troops will leave for good, but will carry away with them the scars of here and Iraq.

LT. COL. JAMES DAVELL, U.S. ARMY: What I do every year is I call the family, either the spouse or the parents of the individual that - that has been associated with me and was lost in combat. And then I also call a very close friend of mine that was injured, severely injured on the day that that occurred.

Like I said, I make three calls a year - actually, four. I'm sorry. Four calls a year to - to family members.

I wouldn't say it makes me feel good or bad. I just think it's just something that I need to do.

PATON WALSH: The closing stages of a war longer than anything America's ever coped with before.

Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, Bagram.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Well, each time a witness takes the stand we learn more about what happened the day Michael Jackson died. Two of our legal eagles get ready to dissect the testimony so far in the trial of Jackson's doctor.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Well, there are more than 400,000 kids in the U.S. foster care system. About 30,000 age out of the system each year.

Well, suddenly faced with having to find work to support themselves, there's a handful of new programs that are helping these young adults get ready for the working world.

Christine Romans reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Raven Profit was 15 when she entered foster care after her mother was diagnosed with schizophrenia. She knows how difficult it can be for foster children to think about the future, let alone a career.

RAVEN PROFIT, YOUTH AMBASSADOR, NEW YORKERS FOR CHILDREN: They really don't have, you know, role models of parents to look up to and actually, you know, gain advice from or, you know, how to put together a resume or how to conduct themselves in an interview.

ROMANS: She's now a student at the University of Albany, studying Biology and Women's Studies. She wants to be a role model for other foster children. She's a youth ambassador for career workshops like this one.

PROFIT: I learned how to be punctual. I learned how to be professional.

ROMANS: A three-state study found former foster care youth are more than three times as likely not to have a high school diploma or a GED. Foster kids are even less likely to earn a college degree, and they're more likely to end up on the government roles.

Three-quarters of women and one-third of men who have aged out of foster care received benefits like food stamps and housing assistance. It's a tough cycle to break.

GARY STANGLER, EXEC. DIR., JIM CASEY YOUTH OPPORTUNITIES INITIATIVES: Veterans and young people leaving foster care are the two largest pipelines to homelessness among young adults in this country.

ROMANS: For those young adults who age out of the system, suddenly being on their own can be difficult.

PEDRO RODRIGUEZ, JOB SEEKER: Right now I'm actually looking for any job that's hiring at the moment. I just need to be financially stable at the moment.

ROMANS: Tom Hilliard is the author of a new study on employment and former foster children. These kids, he says, need mentoring and jobs programs.

TOM HILLIARD, SR. FELLOW, CENTER FOR AN URBAN FUTURE: Any teenager who gets into a difficult work situation could just say the heck with this and then walk out. But what if you knew that you were going to be taken care of and nobody was going to say a word to you about it? Well, then you're a lot more likely to walk out.

ROMANS: Raven Profit says mentors she met in her early teens put her on the right track and that's why she wants to help others.

PROFIT: I was blessed to have a - a great support system and a lot of programs, so I feel like that's important. Well, you know, are vital to youth in foster care.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Well, for more on careers for teens and young adults, check out Christine Romans' book "Smart is the New Rich."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Two big trials underway, one involving Michael Jackson's personal doctor; the other, the so-called Underwear Bomber.

First the trial of Dr. Conrad Murray. Our legal analysts today, Sunny Hostin, former federal prosecutor and contributor for "In Session", who's in New York; and Holly Hughes, a criminal defense attorney and former prosecutor. She's here with me in Atlanta.

All right, guys, let's go ahead and start with Conrad Murray. First full week of testimony. Prosecution seems to be racing through its witnesses, painting quite a picture of this doctor who, at the very least, was quite distracted. Jurors have heard most of the audiotape of Dr. Murray's initial interview with police.

So, what do you think, is that going to help or hurt his case? Sunny?

SUNNY HOSTIN, CNN LEGAL CONTRIBUTOR: I've got to tell you, I think it helped Dr. Conrad Murray's case. Bottom line is he sounded reasonable, he sounded cautious, he sounded concerned about Michael Jackson. And, Kyra, he got the chance to testify basically before this jury without being cross examined.

This was almost a slam-dunk for the defense. He painted Michael Jackson out to be this chemically addicted man, who had vast pharmacological knowledge, whose veins were dried up, who have been given Propofol by doctors in Las Vegas, doctors in Germany. He basically said that he didn't even know he had signed onto this. He didn't know he'd be giving Michael Jackson Propofol six days a week.

I think, all in all, when you look at the totality of this interrogation, it was very, very helpful to the defense.

PHILLIPS: And Holly, three of Dr. Conrad Murray's girlfriends testified this week. What did you make of that? And why was this brought up? Why was this brought into the testimony?

HOLLY HUGHES, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Well, Kyra, the reason that they wanted the girlfriends is because they established a timeline, and I thought they were very careful about not character assassinating Dr. Murray. It wasn't about the fact that he was having multiple affairs outside of his marriage, it was really about the standard of care, which is the whole issue in this case.

While his patient is under the influence of Propofol, he is on the phone with one girlfriend, and we know that from the timeline. At 11:57 A.M. she says I'm speaking with him and then suddenly the phone goes dead. She can't get him back on the line. We can assume from that, that's when he discovers Michael Jackson.

We then know that 911 isn't called until 20 minutes after 12:00. That's a lapse of 23 minutes. What's happening during that time? The other girlfriend, we know that while Dr. Conrad Murray is in the ambulance with his patient, rushing to the hospital to try and save his life, he calls another one of his girlfriends.

That is not good medical care, Kyra. There's no way of getting around it. And I've - I've got to tell you, I've got to back up for a second here, I love Sunny Hostin, but I think that tape was incredibly damaging to Dr. Murray because, once again, he's on that tape admitting I didn't know anything about Propofol. I didn't know I was going to have to administer it. I'm not even familiar with it. It's - well, then what are you doing ordering gallons of it, Doctor?

HOSTIN: That's right. That's right. But Michael - but Michael Jackson -

(CROSSTALK)

HUGHES: Why are you ordering it and why are you administering it if you're not familiar with it?

HOSTIN: Michael Jackson is in control. At least he painted Michael Jackson out to be a person in control, very knowledgeable about Propofol, and manipulative.

(CROSSTALK)

HOSTIN: Manipulative. They're both adults.

HUGHES: -- getting for lunch, you're not going to give it to them. Who's the adult? He is the -

HOSTIN: They're both adults, though. That argument doesn't work.

HUGHES: Yes. But he's a doctor. He was hired for his medical knowledge.

HOSTIN: They're both adults. And let me disagree with you about - about the girlfriends.

PHILLIPS: Final thought, Sunny.

HOSTIN: Let me disagree with you about the girlfriends. The girlfriends did assassinate the character of Dr. Murray. There was this one girlfriend, Nicole Alvarez, who described her body as an instrument. She appeared very flaky, and she said that Dr. Murray was paying for all of her bills.

They painted out him - they painted him out to be this sort of sugar daddy that likes young, very flaky, crazy girls. And, I've got to tell you, it was a backdoor way of assassinating his character and, in that sense, I thought the prosecution did a masterful job. Masterful.

PHILLIPS: All right, let's move on to case number two. I'll tell you what, if I ever get in trouble, I'm hiring you two. Oh, my goodness.

All right, let's talk about the Underwear Bomber, shall we? Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, 24-year-old Nigerian accused of trying to blow up a passenger plane en route to Detroit, Christmas Day, 2009. We'll never forgot it. He had plastic explosives hidden in his underwear.

Jury selection ended Thursday. Nine women, three men. Acting as his own attorney, is there anyone helping him and guiding him? Holly?

HUGHES: There will be counsel that the court appoints to sit there and help him through the process. But it is extremely difficult when (AUDIO GAP) clearly your client doesn't want you there. You've been appointed by the court to make sure that this man doesn't absolutely, you know, shoot himself in the foot, as it were, because he's not familiar with the processes, he's not familiar with the evidentiary rules and the procedure of the court.

So there will be an attorney who is assigned by the court to sit there and assist him. But getting him to listen to you is virtually impossible.

He's already told the court, I don't like any of these people. I'd rather defend myself.

PHILLIPS: Sunny, wrap it up for us here. How hard is it to prosecute a case where the defendant is acting as his own attorney?

HOSTIN: Well, it's extremely difficult, of course. There's that - that old saying that says, "He who has himself as - as a client has a fool for a lawyer," and I think that's what's happening here.

But let me say this, latest news on this is that he is going to allow his court appointed attorney to represent him in opening statements. So his court appointed attorney is going to be giving the opening statements.

So this is a 24-year-old highly educated man, from an upper class family in Nigeria. He's not stupid, and so perhaps he will take use of his court appointed attorney and not represent himself going into the trial on Tuesday.

PHILLIPS: You two are fired up for a Saturday morning. We're going to bring you back in about 20 minutes to talk about a Muslim inmate who is actually suing the state of Ohio. He says his civil rights are being violated because of the way his food is prepared.

I'll see you guys in a little bit.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Hotel fees are no longer confined to the mini bar. Alison Kosik takes a look at some hidden charges and how to handle them when you're "On the Go."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The hotel industry is expected to make a record $1.8 billion this year in extra fees.

JEANENNE TORNATORE, ORBITZ.COM: There are a number of services that historically were complimentary in hotels, and now some hotel properties are charging for them. This can be everything from shuttle service, fitness club fees, parking fees, fees for hotels to hold your bags, to smaller fees that you might not notice.

KOSIK: By law, hotels are required to disclose all charges on an itemized bill if you request one.

TORNATORE: A lot of frequent travelers tend to use the express checkout service. I recommend getting an itemized bill when you check out and reviewing all of the charges.

KOSIK: Even a late night snack can be costly.

TORNATORE: Many times hotels will automatically add on 20 percent gratuity. They'll also add on a delivery service charge.

KOSIK: Being a member of a hotel loyalty program can help. TORNATORE: Some of them will offer you free Wi-Fi or discounted parking just for being a member of their loyalty program.

KOSIK: And sometimes your hotel points can be redeemed as airline miles when you're "On the Go."

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Well, they help us stay in touch with family and friends, and with what's going on around us. Just ahead, how sites like Facebook and Twitter are changing the world.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Now for top stories.

Defense Secretary, Leon Panetta says any agreement to leave American troops in Iraq passed the deadline to withdraw then at the end of the year must include immunity from Iraqi prosecution. He made those comments after top Iraqi leaders agreed that a number of troops should remain in Iraq but said it was unnecessary to grant them immunity.

Well, Monday is the new deadline to reach a labor deal between NBA players and owners. If there isn't one, Commissioner, David Stearns? says they will cancel the first two weeks of the season. He also said the entire season could be in jeopardy. At issue was how to split the profits between the owners and the players' union. The union says players will lose $350 million for each month if they are locked out.

And a towering figure in the NFL has died. Legendary coach, commissioner, and owner Al Davis has passed away. Over the years he led Oakland raiders to countless championships and three super bowl victories always employing his players to just win, baby. How can we forget that? Al Davis was 82.

Republican presidential candidates are converging on Washington this weekend for the Values of Voter Summit. It's a huge gathering of social conservatives. Nearly every major GOP candidate is attending the event in an effort to win over the key voting bloc. First on stage today -- Texas congressman, Ron Paul.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. RON PAUL (R-TX), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: And our liberties and our economy -- they are under attack today. There is no doubt about it. So we will have to meet up and make these decisions.

To me the most important decision that we have to ask, just as they ask at you know, in biblical times, as well as at the time of our finding of this country, what should the government be like? What should the role of government be?

It isn't, you know, where do you cut this penny or this penny and what do we do here and there and tinker around the edges. It should be what should the role of government be?

The founders said the role of Government ought to be the protection of liberty. That is what the role of Government ought to be.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Well, Paul was followed by Mitt Romney who blasted president Obama's economic policies. Results from the Summits straw poll are expected in a few hours. We'll bring them to you.

And, the political primary calendar is like the weather. If you don't like it now, well, just wait because it's probably going to change.

CNN's Tom Foreman looks at all the shuffling.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT : This is the part that hasn't changed, and a lot of candidates still running a race where they're not sure where the finish line is going to be. But it is becoming a little bit clearer. This is what happened. A while back we had everybody clustered here in February. Then Florida jumped forward and said they were going into January. That triggered South Carolina and Nevada to rush in there. And now we're talking about Iowa on the 3rd of January.

That's the closest we've come to a solid date on that, which would probably end up putting New Hampshire somewhere in this vicinity. They all have all sorts of rules about where they need to be in relation to each other. But, this is probably the calendar we're looking at right now. Iowa did not go into December. That's something people were worried about so that's probably a good thing. But there's still concerns about having that front loading of January same as before. Now you have the holidays in here competing with the campaigning. You have the college bowl championships all taking place at the same time the early voting is happening. That's a real issue these campaigns do look at.

So watch for the conflicts that build up there as we move this whole campaign season up. Who benefits? Same as we've said before. Probably front-runners with a lot of money do better, give a shorter race because they have to defend for less time. And they have cab get ready for the general election if they can move through that process.

Voters, just depends who you like, whether or not this is good or bad for you. and For people who want a national primary, having this happen for the second presidential race in a row kind of helps them build their case, that look, we're moving to a national primary anyway. Let's go ahead and get it done. Still might be a long road before that happens. Nonetheless, we said all along if you're writing in your primary calendar, for the moment keep those last few entries in pencil because they are not locked up yet.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Well, have you gone out to eat lately? If you put the tip on your credit card, there's a chance your server had to give two percent back to the restaurant. Is that fair? And, legal eagles weigh in again.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: All right, a Muslim inmate on death row is suing over the way his meals are prepared. We're back with our legal briefs Sunny Hostin in New York. Holly Hughes right here, right here in Atlanta.

OK. Let's start with this lawsuit suing over meals. The Muslim inmate on death row says Ohio prisons refuse to prepare his meals under Islamic law. Holly, is it a violation of constitutional rights?

HOLLY HUGHES, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: No, Kyra. You know, here is the thing. I have read the constitution. And, nowhere in there does it say as a prisoner you get to have a certain thing to eat. This does not violate his constitutional rights.

The prison has gone above and beyond here. They are preparing vegetarian meals. They have taken pork completely off the menu, even for inmates who want it. They can't get it now because they are trying to make sure that this particular inmate does not get something he's not supposed to have under his religious tenants.

His issue is that he's hollering he doesn't like the way that the meat is being slaughtered. According to religious beliefs he can only eat meat that is bled out through the throat. You don't have a constitutional guarantee to get your food served like you want if you're in prison, come on.

He is on death row for murdering his estranged wife and brother-in-law in a courthouse, Kyra. I'm sorry, but when you go to prison you give up certain constitutional rights. You give up your right to be free from search and seizure. You give up your right to privacy. Well, guess what, you give up your right to cook your own meals and have them delivered, as you want. This is outrageous.

PHILLIPS: Sunny, you remember in Texas I think we talked about this a week or two ago when the inmate requested his last meal and it was ridiculous. It was like two pages long, asking for steak and lobster and special desert and vegetables. And they said, you know what, OK we'll give it to you, and then he didn't eat any of it so they said forget it. This is totally going away. We're getting rid of the law.

What do you think?

HOSTIN: You know, let me say this. And I usually agree with Holly on some things BUT. When you become a prisoner you do give up a lot of rights. But you don't forfeit your right to practice religion. OK and I think that's very, very clear. And Holly, you know that.

And so, in this case, they have to make reasonable accommodations just the way they make reasonable accommodations for other prisoners. They are making kosher meals in that prison. And so they do have to, in a sense, make the accommodation for him. He's Muslim -- he is observing his religion. And he does --

HUGHES: Sunny, that's the point. They have taken pork completely off the menu. They have done that. They have made accommodations. He could eat a vegetarian meal every day! (CROSSTALK)

HOSTIN: I don't know that that gets them there. I don't know that that gets them there. I don't know that that gets them there. I think you're painting it out to be -- painting this with a very broad stroke. And this is a close legal question in my mind. I don't think it's that cut and dry. And I think that the prison does have to make sure it makes this sort of reasonable accommodations for him. I don't know that they've gotten there yet.

PHILLIPS: Onto a case number two it's outraging a number of workers. This Minnesota restaurant group Parasol is keeping two percent of servers tips if those tips are on credit cards. It says that the change was necessary because more diners were actually using credit cards and bank transaction fees have been rising.

So what do you guys think?

(CROSSTALK)

HUGHES: Well, this really gets my goat, actually.

PHILLIPS: Go ahead, Sunny.

(CROSSTALK)

HOSTIN: I think we might agree on this. We may agree.

And perhaps I'm upset about it because before I went to law school, I was a waitress like so many young people. And the bottom line is, I mean, you don't make that much money. And for this -- these employers to try to pass through these credit card fees to their employees, the ones least able to pay it, I just think is ridiculous.

It's not illegal what they're doing. And I think Holly will agree with me. But what happened to corporate decency, what happened to being a good employer. You're going to take two percent from your employees, from your waiters and your waitresses because you don't want to pay credit card fees. Come on.

(CROSSTALK)

HUGHES: Right, and let's remember, Sunny, most folks don't know minimum wage for a waiter or waitress is not what everybody else gets. If everybody else is getting $7 an hour under minimum wage --

HOSTIN: Exactly!

HUGHES: -- waiters and waitresses make $2.13 an hour. This is crazy. And I will say Sunny's right. It is not illegal, but it is certainly immoral. Who can best absorb this? If a customer says you're worth a $20 tip, it is just absolutely egregious that the company comes along and says, well, we're going to take a percentage of that. If I went in and took 2 percent of my employee's payment just because I felt like it, that would certainly be theft.

HOSTIN: You'd be a thief.

HUGHES: I think this is absolutely outrageous.

HOSTIN: We agree Holly. We agree.

PHILLIPS: All right, yes, now there was this tweet that was sent out from the company that says guests who pay with credit cards spend on average 25 percent more than guests paying cash so the result is higher tips and wages for our servers.

HUGHES: So what? Why should -- you still don't get --

(CROSSTALK)

That's a bonus that goes to the waiter or waitress. The employee who's actually doing the service. They're happy with your service. They like you. The customer gives that money up with the --

PHILLIPS: Exactly!

HUGHES: -- expectation it will then go in the server's pocket because the server did a good job. And I think people would be horrified and outraged.

(CROSSTALK)

PHILLIPS: I'm glad you guys agree on this one because I --Sunny, like you, and Holly, I bet you waited a few tables. That's how I helped pay for college.

HUGHES: Oh yes.

PHILLIPS: And let me tell you what, Tips are everything. If they didn't tip well, I always went back and said, "OK what did I do wrong. That was completely unfair."

Thanks, guys. All right, coming up. We're going to show you the latest college marching band routine that goes viral. You won't want to miss it.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: well, the halftime show is one of the best things about college football games, aside from the actual game, of course. Now, here's a halftime performance from a band that definitely knows how to rock the crowd.

All right. Reynolds, Ohio University knows what they are doing.

REYNOLDS WOLF, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes, yes. Ohio University Bobcats from Athens, Ohio. My goodness, what a beautiful day on the gridiron. Who ever thought that all the action was just during the game itself? Beautiful!

PHILLIPS: College bands, even high school bands need to get a little more credit than they do, OK? WOLF: Absolutely.

PHILLIPS: They -- they have got the rhythm. Sometimes they've got better moves than the football players.

WOLF: It really is, you know, when you listen to music, you know listening is one thing. But this is one of the --

INAUDIBLE

WOLF: Where one of the things you really have to look. You get to see it and hear it at the same time. You lose something when you just hearing the music.

PHILLIPS: More than a million hits on YouTube now.

WOLF: I'm not surprised.

PHILLIPS: You got moves like that?

WOLF: Are you kidding me?

PHILLIPS: I know you do. I hear you sing now and then. I see you off camera. He's got the moves.

WOLF: she's telling the truth. Yes --

PHILLIPS: It's true.

(CROSSTALK)

PHILLIPS: He loves to rap. Rap about the weather now, OK.

(WEATHER REPORT)

PHILLIPS: Thank you, Reynolds.

WOLF: You bet.

PHILLIPS: Well, they help us stay in touch with family and friends and with what's going on around us. Just ahead how sites like Facebook and twitter continue to change the world.

PHILLIPS: Well, we saw it first in Tunisia, then in Egypt, and Libya, images and alerts of uprisings posted on the internet by people in the streets. Some days that was the only way the outside world knew what was going on.

CNN's Mohammed Jamjoom goes in-depth on the power of social media.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MOHAMMED JAMJOOM, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Even before Hosni Mubarak had stepped down from power, Egyptians were already hailing the decisive roles social media had played in their uprising. WAEL GHONIM, EGYPTIAN ACTIVIST (on camera): definitely this is the Internet revolution. And -- I'm -- I'll call it revolution 2.0.

JAMJOOM (voice-over): But as the Arab Spring started to take root throughout the region, Egyptians weren't the only ones utilizing sites like Facebook and twitter to help mobilize the masses. Tunisians, Syrians, Libyans -- online activism even reached Yemen, the poorest country in the Middle East where few have access to internet and 50 percent of adults are illiterate.

Many activists there said one of the most important aspects of social media was that it could be used as a form of advocacy.

ATIAF ALWAZIR, YEMENI ACTIVIST (on camera): In seconds, you know, someone would post it on twitter, we tweet it to all these and then it's like a tree with long branches and it just spreads -- information spreads around the world in the matter of, you know, an hour.

JAMJOOM (voice-over): It was a newfound freedom using the most up to date technologies to help get the word out in countries with extremely strict media controls. Where populations had grown accustomed to being heavily monitored. Some countries cut internet or phone service at times attempting to shut down these communications but it was never completely effective.

Months of revolt have produced a flood of messages and images from citizen journalists constantly posting and uploading them online. Some claim to prove atrocities. The role of technology in social media during the Arab Spring took on another dimension when news of Steve Jobs death broke.

Activists across the region Tweeted tributes to the man whose apple products made it easier for them to spread their revolutionary message.

on camera): Many express gratitude for gadgets like this iPhone, a device that allowed regional revolutionaries to among other things film demonstrations, post videos online, text message their colleagues, phone their contacts, all from the palm of their hands.

Via Twitter, one Egyptian wrote, so you got Steve Jobs who made millions happy and you got someone like Mubarak who made millions sad.

Mohammed Jamjoom, CNN, Abu Dhabi.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: I have some stories from you from our affiliates across the country.

First, a man ditching his small plane in the Pacific Ocean. The 65- year-old pilot was 13 miles off the coast of Hawaii when he ran out of fuel last night. The Coast Guard crew was there within minutes to rescue them.

Miami-Dade could be losing some of its police force next month. The mayor is threatening to lay off 90 officers if their union doesn't make some concessions to help balance the city budget. Officers who respond to 911 calls could be the last ones affected. Right now, there are about 2900 sworn officers on the force.

Top stories right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Top stories now.

After 10 Years the afghan war fatigue is starting to show. Hundreds of protesters, among them veterans and their families marched through Washington D.C. yesterday carrying signs that said funds, jobs not war. The protest ended at the Martin Luther King memorial. And this is what angers them. America lost nearly 1800 troops. Another 14,000 came home wounded. It cost taxpayers $323 billion and counting.

The woman known as "The Tree Mother of Africa" has been laid to rest, Nobel Laureate, Wangari Maathai, was cremated today in Nairobi, Kenya. Environmentalists launched a campaign that led to the planting of 40 million trees in her country. Maathai believed most conflicts were over natural resources. She was not buried in a wooden coffin in accordance with her beliefs.

GOP presidential hopeful, Mitt Romney's faith is coming under fire from a conservative Baptist preacher who suggests that Romney's ties to the Mormon Church may turn off evangelical voters. Pastor Robert Jeffress from Dallas goes further saying Mormonism is a cult and Romney is not a Christian. Jeffress made the comment when talking to reporters at the Values Voter Summit in Washington.

And join me in one hour because I'll get a chance to talk to pastor Robert Jeffress about his controversial comment.

And then at 3:00 Eastern, we'll take you inside the life of a transgender, the story of southern athlete and military man who chose to become a woman.

And at 4:00, a look back at the training of the US navy bombed Tora Bora as the war in Afghanistan began 10 years ago.

I'll be back in one hour. "YOUR MONEY" starts right now.