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Stocks Retreat After Huge Rally; Economy Moving But Markets Wary; Wall Street Tries to Extend Rally; "Occupy Nashville" Charges Dropped; Tea Party Group: Bachmann Should Quit; GOP Candidates on the Road; Cain at Tea Party Breakfast in Alabama; Perry Returns to New Hampshire; Poll: Clinton Would Beat GOP Candidates; Flooding Prompts Thai Exodus; Controversial MLK Play; Statue of Liberty Turns 125

Aired October 28, 2011 - 10:00   ET

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

ALINA CHO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everybody. Top of the hour. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Alina Cho. Thanks for joining us. The U.S. stock market has been open now for 30 minutes. Can it keep the momentum from yesterday?

The Dow finished up yesterday 334 points and news broke that the U.S. economy has been growing, but is it enough? Our Alison Kosik is at the New York Stock Exchange, live for us.

Alison, so how are things looking this morning?

KOSIK: Hi Alina. The market's taken a bit of a step back, not such a huge surprise after the run-up we saw on the markets yesterday. The Dow right now down eight, the Nasdaq, S&P also down slightly. We got a report on the economy as well that's not helping much, showing that spending picked up last month. But the problem is incomes were virtually flat and a lot of that spending actually came from people's savings account.

So there is a silver lining to tell you about. We are getting ready to close out a fantastic month. Take a look at how well the S&P 500 did in October and many mutual funds. It's up a whopping 13 percent. Not a bad month.

In fact, it's the best month in 37 years and you know what? The Dow is not far behind. It welcomed change, of course, after all the volatility we've seen in August and September, with all those European debt problems.

The U.S. credit downgrade so now, we have less uncertainty and those recession fears have faded. Seeing things stabilize a little bit even though we are taking a very small step back this morning -- Alina.

ALINA CHO, CNN ANCHOR: Well, it is a Friday and things tend to be a little bit slower on the markets on Friday, but having said that, you know, the big news yesterday obviously was the European debt deal. So what's ahead for the markets now?

KOSIK: Guess what? We get to go from one debt problem to another. Analysts say what you're going to see happened now is this focus it's going to shift back to the U.S. debt debate happening in Congress. Remember, the "Super Committee" is meeting. It's got a deadline less than a month away. What is has to do is cut at least $1.2 trillion in debt. And analysts say the bipartisan group at this point is far from a deal.

Now if no deal is reached by Thanksgiving, some automatic spending cuts are going to kick in. So either way, we're going to see these painful cuts. No one really wanted to take a step forward right now. But they do have that deadline coming up real soon, November 23rd -- Alina.

CHO: All right, Alison Kosik. Thank you very much.

The "Occupy Wall Street" protesters are showing no signs of losing steam this morning despite increasing run-ins with the law.

This was the scene overnight in Nashville. Police arrested about 25 protesters when they refused to leave their tent city on the Legislative Plaza. A short time ago, the charges were dropped.

In Oakland, protesters hold a vigil for a man seriously injured this week. His name is Scott Olson and he's an Iraq war veteran who suffered a fractured skull. Witnesses say he was struck by a tear gas canister fired by police officers. Today, his condition has been upgraded to fair.

Turning to politics, Republican presidential candidate Michele Bachmann is being urged to quit the race and it's coming from an unlikely source, a local Tea Party group. The movement has long embraced Bachmann as a favored candidate.

Senior political editor, Mark Preston, is joining us from Washington. So, Mark, what does it all mean?

MARK PRESTON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL EDITOR: Well, Alina, certainly not something Michele Bachmann wants to deal with as we're heading in the final stretch of this race for the Republican presidential nomination.

You know, the first votes will occur on January 3rd in Iowa. But American Majority, a Tea Party group that operates in seven states is saying it's about time now for Michele Bachmann to step aside.

In fact, let's look at what the president of that group, Ned Ryan, had to say yesterday. Some very harsh words from this group, American Majority, he says, it's time for Michele Bachmann to go. For the last two years, I've been cautioning about the dangers of individuals or organizations trying to present themselves as leaders of the Tea Party Movement.

Now Michele Bachmann who really rode her candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination on support of the Tea Party Movement is not backing down. In fact, her spokesman released a statement yesterday saying that she is going to stay in it.

And the fact of the matter is the Tea Party Movement is a decentralized movement. It is not a cohesive movement so this gentleman might say one thing, but there are thousands of Tea Party activists across the country that might believe another.

CHO: Well, I mean, you know, Michele Bachmann has been trailing in the polls, so in some ways, this is not a surprise. I mean, this about the Tea Party or at least this Tea Party group trying to get behind a candidate they think can win?

PRESTON: Yes, and you know, and you're right in that because the question arises now, are Republicans, whether they're establishment Republicans or Tea Party activists, are they trying to (inaudible) behind the idea of electability?

The fact of the matter is Michele Bachmann's best days were in the midsummer. Right now, she is trailing desperately in the polls right now, but she's not going to get out. She is going to stay in the race.

In fact, she's going to be in "THE SITUATION ROOM" later this afternoon with Wolf Blitzer. We'll hear her address it head on. But I should note, her husband is going to be in South Carolina this afternoon and they are filing papers to run in that primary.

So Michele Bachmann, for all the pressure she might get from this group, she's not going to back down and one more thing I should add, the largest Tea Party group, the Tea Party Patriots actually put a statement out yesterday as well praising Michele Bachmann for her support of Tea Party principles.

So even though Michele Bachmann is being asked to step aside, don't expect it to happen -- Alina.

CHO: All right, Mark Preston. Thank you very much. And speaking of Tea Party, we want to go live now to Alabama where GOP candidate Herman Cain is speaking to a Tea Party group. Let's listen in.

HERMAN CAIN (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Uniform in harm's way unless it is clear what the mission is. It is clear what victory is and it is clear that we are going to give our men and women everything they need to win because that's what they do.

Any time we get in a conflict, our men and women want to be in it to win it and we must give them what they need. This economy's on life support. That's our biggest domestic problem. It's on life support because this administration does not have a clue as to what is the economic engine of this economy.

It is the business sector, not government and you must put fuel in the engine that moves the economy. This administration put a trillion dollars in the caboose. And the economy didn't grow. Now, this administration wants to put another $450 billion in the caboose and want us to believe that this time the caboose is going to push the engine up the hill.

No it will not! It didn't work with a trillion. It's not going to work with $450 billion. We need to put some fuel in the engine in order to drive this economy. First, throw out the current tax code. A sign back there, abolish the IRS. When we throw out the tax code and we put in 9-9-9, it will just be s, service. There won't be any IR.

CHO: You're listening to GOP candidate Herman Cain talking to a Tea Party group in Alabama saying among other things, let's be in it to win it, the economy is on life support and throw out the tax code. Let's replace it with 9-9-9, his now famous tax plan.

Let's check in with other Republicans on the campaign trail. Rick Perry is still struggling. He's back in New Hampshire today. Our CNN/"Time"/ORC poll shows him sitting at just 4 percent.

Mitt Romney sits atop our poll in New Hampshire by a wide margin. He's back in the state today. He holds a town hall meeting in Manchester tonight.

A new poll shows the Democrats would be better off with Hillary Clinton as their nominee instead of Barack Obama. It shows she would edge out the three most prominent Republicans, but not as easy, he would rather edge out the three most prominent Republicans, but not as easily as Mrs. Clinton.

Now here are the results of that "Time" survey. Take a look. They were taken in October 9th and 10th. It shows Clinton ahead of former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, 55 percent to 38 percent.

Clinton would also beat Herman Cain by a wider margin 56 percent to 34 percent and Rick Perry would face a trouncing, according to the poll. It shows Clinton would whip up 58 percent to 32 percent, but Clinton says she is not running against her boss.

Happening now, people fleeing the rain swollen capital of Thailand. We want to get right to CNN Sarah Sidner. She's live in Bangkok for us. I'm afraid to ask you this, Sara, but just how bad is it there?

SARA SIDNER, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We're in the eastern part of Bangkok and the situation is that water has gone everywhere from up to your ankle to up to your waist so a difficult situation certainly for residents.

Some of them have evacuated, but there are still some who are staying put. Let me give you a look at what's happening right now. Just behind me there, you are seeing one of the roads, and almost every single road in this part of Bangkok, is seeing some water, but you are seeing vehicles drive through it so not high enough to stop traffic, but high enough to create problems.

As you go deeper into the neighborhoods though, you're seeing real problems. What we did see though in central Bangkok is that most of central Bangkok that's where the big money is made, that's where the commercial district is where.

A lot of tourists are familiar with, that area has been able to stay dry through much of that. Seeped in a little bit to places like Chinatown and some areas that are closer to the river, but it quickly receded today so that was the good news.

The government had warned people, we can no longer stop these flood waters from coming into Bangkok, but what happened today was heartening. People are happy to see that a lot of that water just drained away within a couple of hours.

Though in the next 12 to 14 hours is another big test. This is when they think the water will get the highest. It will really push against a river banks that swirls its way through the center of Bangkok and if any of those flood walls breaks, a problem in the city -- Alina.

CHO: Sara Sidner live for us in Bangkok with an update. Sara, as always thank you very much.

Coming up, she wouldn't be queen if she had any brothers, but her future great grand kids, well, they may have an equal shot. We'll have details live from London.

In Ohio, what should be done with the monkeys, leopards and grizzly bear that survived last week's safari by local deputies? Cross country is next.

Also, the Statue of Liberty turns 125 and celebrates with some 21st Century additions. We'll explain just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHO: Checking stories cross country. From California's air base, NASA successfully launched a new atmospheric satellite a few hours ago. It joins a fleet of others in orbit all designed to study our planet's climate and weather patterns.

In Ohio, six exotic animals will stay put. The widow of the man who freed 56 wild animals before killing himself wants custody, but the state of Ohio will keep them quarantined.

In Arlington, Virginia, two retirees, a business owner and a postal employee joined President Obama for dinner last night. How did they do that? Well, the four are donors to Obama's re-election campaign and they won the right to dine with the commander in chief in a campaign sponsored raffle only in America.

Prince William and Kate can go ahead and have that first baby now, boy or girl. It will have equal rights to the British throne. Max Foster is in London with details on this. Max, we've been hearing that this would happen. Is it official now?

MAX FOSTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: No, but a major milestone. A major milestone has been reached. It is very complicated because the queen is queen in 16 countries.

So what David Cameron was trying to do was get agreement of the prime ministers in all those countries on this. And they have agreed, so that was a major milestone. Prime minister's been trying to change this for decades and just hasn't happened. So he's had a major achievement. Now, these prime ministers need to go back to their countries and get the laws changed in the parliaments, but no great stumbling blocks expected there. There was some toing and froing and there are all sorts of things that could be changed and now we know the only two things are going to change is this sexism built into succession. So if Katherine has a girl followed by a boy, the girl will be queen.

Also, that girl could marry a Catholic and continue to be queen and that wouldn't be possible under the current rules. So, it is historic. It's not quite there yet, but I think, you know, we're heading that way.

CHO: Well, it would be huge if it did happen and it looks like it's going to happen. Are there any people who are against this, Max?

FOSTER: Not really. I mean, I think the problem has always been getting the prime ministers and all these different legislatures on it. It's so complicated. There are some traditionalists who want to keep the current system.

There are those who are actually concerned that once you start looking at the succession rules, perhaps you start considering the whole monarchy and is that relative today. But it's interesting today, the queen actually opened the meetings in Australia where these debates were held.

And she referred to women in that speech, so she's very much behind it although she can't be seen to be getting too involved. She is the queen and many would argue the two most successful monarchs in history were Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth, so there's certainly a general agreement that this rule should be gone in the modern age.

CHO: And the world loves William and Kate. And they'll love their children so, boy or girl. So that's great. All right, Max Foster live from London with that update. Max, thank you very much.

Charlie Sheen is making a comeback. We'll tell you about his new TV deal next in your showbiz headlines.

And a little later on, a 49-year-old woman makes a college swim team. Phyllis Refo is her name. She only took up the sports six years ago. We're going to talk with her live later this hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHO: It's 19 minutes past. A new Rihanna video sparks a new Rihanna video controversy. "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT" host, A.J. Hammer is here with all the details. So what's going on this time, A.J.? Good morning.

A.J. HAMMER, HOST, HLN's "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT": Good morning. Yes, Rihanna seems to have found herself yet in another controversy that ties back into her being a victim of domestic violence. A British rape activist is saying that Rihanna's new video for her hit song "We Found Love" is just sending the wrong message.

Now the video if you haven't seen it shows Rihanna and her co-star, a Chris Brown look alike, in an intense relationship as it kind disintegrates. According to Britain's "Daily Star," a spokeswoman for the Rape Crisis Center says, Rihanna's new video is a disgrace. It sends the message that she is an object to be possessed by men, which is disturbingly what we see in real violence cases.

And I guess that is one possible interpretation. I don't want to minimize that in any way, but it is not the first thing that came to mind when we took a look at this video. But because of Rihanna's history, everyone's always watching for this kind of allegory here. And I don't really personally think it's fair that she is somehow judged differently because she was a victim.

I guess, Alina, people are just going to have to take a look at it and judge for themselves.

CHO: Well, she's always going to get attention whatever she does. She is Rihanna after all, right? Let's talk about Kim Kardashian. She's pulling funny business to help her brother, Rob, on "Dancing with the Stars" and it involves Justin Bieber, right. What's that about?

HAMMER: Yes, is it funny, if you believe some of the headlines out there. Earlier this week, Kim Kardashian actually tricked people into voting for her brother, Rob, on "Dancing with the Stars."

Here's the deal, on Monday during the show's elimination vote, Kardashian sent this tweet out to her more than 10 million followers. She said, "OMG, I have Justin Bieber's phone number."

And then she gave a number, but it was Rob's "Dancing with the Stars" number and she continued, call him. He's taking calls for the next hour.

Well, Rob Kardashian did survive the elimination round. Some people would have you believe this fooled fans into voting for him. I don't know, I want to give people more credit than that.

CHO: I saw it on Twitter.

HAMMER: Yes, and here's the thing. First, she had tweeted to her mans saying, support Rob by calling the number and it was the very same number, same 800 number on there, so obviously it was a joke.

In fact, she later tweeted that she was joking. Did it fool anyone? I don't know. Was it funny? That's also debatable. Was it really a factor in getting Rob through? I actually don't think so.

CHO: Really, I do. I think it could.

HAMMER: I think the two couples who are up for elimination this week. I think they were headed there.

CHO: You follow it more closely than I do. This is the best story coming up. Charlie Sheen's making a comeback. This one's for real. What is this about, A.J.?

HAMMER: Yes, this is for real, Alina. It looks like he has a new job. His new series, "Anger Management," has been picked up by FX. Now the series is an adaption of the 2003 Adam Sandler, Jack Nicholson movie, you'd have Sheen playing the Nicholson part, which is a volatile therapist who runs anger management classes.

Here's the story. FX has ordered 10 episodes of the series. If those 10 do well, the network's going to order an additional 90 episodes. I know that sounds like a lot, but this is this new production model for some cable shows.

Networks essentially stock pile content. This is a very big deal for Sheen though and his production company. They're expecting to show the debut next summer. The movie makes sense for the network.

FX already owns the rights to the film and in fact, of course, it airs reruns of Sheen's old show "Two and A Half Men" and it's also known for other edgy shows. My question, Alina, if the show's not going to debut until next summer is, what will Charlie Sheen do to stay relevant to headlines? I don't even really want to wonder that.

CHO: I have to say though the show that he is in is "Anger Management." I mean, is this for real? It's a great story. All right, A.J. Hammer, thanks so much.

If you want information on everything breaking in the entertainment world, A.J.'s got it this evening on "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT" 11:00 p.m. on HLN.

Want to bring you something just in to CNN. Reuters is reporting that a gunman fired shots in the U.S. embassy in the Bosnian Capital of Sarajevo. CNN is making calls right now to the embassy and we will bring you more information as we get it.

CNN Heroes, ordinary people who do extraordinary things. We will honor all of our top ten heroes in an all-star tribute later this year. But first, actress Kristen Davis introduces us to one of our heroes, a midwife who is committed to making mother hood safer.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KRISTEN DAVIS, ACTRESS: Hi, I'm Kristen Davis. As an ambassador for Ox Fam, I'm committed to finding lasting solutions to poverty and injustice. Now, I'm thrilled to help introduce one of this year's top ten CNN Heroes. Now, more than ever, the world needs heroes.

The moment that a woman falls pregnant in Indonesia, she is 300 times more likely to die in the next 12 months than if she was not pregnant. If you have money, you can get excellent medical services, but the poorest people don't always get the services they need.

ROBIN LIMB: My name is Robin Limb. I'm a midwife. Most people call me Ebu Robin because Ebu means mother. I've learned about the dangers of motherhood when my own sister, she died as a complication of her third pregnancy.

I was just really crushed. I came to Bali to reinvent my life. Hi, baby, hi. We started a clinic run by Indonesian midwifes. We offer prenatal care, birth services. No matter how poor they are, their race, their religion.

We teach new graduating classes of midwifes how to do a more natural, gentle birth. The women can stay as long as they want. Each baby, each adult, deserves a clean, healthy, loving environment. Those are a human right.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHO: And who are the top ten CNN heroes for 2011? Check them out at cnnheroes.com. Vote for your top choice and watch CNN Heroes, An All- Star Tribute live on Sunday, December 11th at 8 p.m. Eastern, 5 p.m. Pacific right here on CNN.

If Hillary Clinton ran for president next year, none of the Republicans would stand a chance. That's what a new poll is showing and coming up, we'll run that by our own political buzz panel. We'll also ask if a $10,000 bottle of wine is a good way to toast Osama Bin Laden's death.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHO: It's 29 minutes after the hour. Checking top stories now, at least seven are dead after a highway accident in Indiana. Police say a van may have hit a deer and stopped before a tractor trailer ran into the van.

Whirlpool says it's cutting 5,000 jobs mostly in North America and Europe. The appliance manufacturer is also shutting down a refrigerator factory in Arkansas.

And the markets have opened lower today. Looking at the big board, the Dow is now down 15 points. Investors may have more doubts about the European debt deal reached yesterday. The Dow crossed the 12,000 mark yesterday on initial news about that deal.

"Political Buzz" -- it is your rapid fire look at the best political topics of the day. Three questions, 30 seconds on the clock.

And playing today, Democratic strategist Maria Cardona, Sirius XM political talk show host and comedian Pete Dominick, and also, Republican strategist and columnist for "The Hill" newspaper, Cheri Jacobus.

So, first question -- welcome, guys. The Tea Party group American Majority tells CNN they are urging Michele Bachmann to drop out of the race, calling her a back bencher. Do you agree with this?

Maria, let's start with you.

MARIA CARDONA, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Well, look, when I heard this, I actually had mixed feelings, Alina, because Lord knows I've done my share of criticizing Michele Bachmann for her misguided, out of the mainstream, right wing policies that I think would be hurtful for the country. But of anybody on that stage and on the GOP stage competing for the nomination, she has done a better job of carrying the Tea Party banner. And also as a woman, my bet sort of got up for Michele Bachmann.

So, I'm going to say this -- Michele Bachmann, you stay in this race, sister. Don't let anybody be telling you what to do.

CHO: All right. Ooh, well done. I like your curls.

OK. Pete, to you, what do you say to that?

PETE DOMINICK, COMEDIAN: No, listen. I'm a comedian. I don't want Michele Bachmann to leave. I don't Herman Cain or Rick Perry to leave for the same reason. Not only that, I mean, I fully support Michele Bachmann because my issue is gas prices and she promises she'll get prices down to $2 a gallon.

And she believes women should submit to their husbands. And I really want my wife to pay more attention to her and that's how I want my daughters to understand that as well. So, I need to get her message out for all of those ridiculous reasons.

CHO: All right. OK. Well, there you have it.

Cheri, what do you say to this?

CHERI JACOBUS, GOP STRATEGIST: Michele Bachmann has every right to be in this race. She's a congresswoman. She's been a successful tax lawyer.

She's a very strong, independent woman. And I think this also shows that the Tea Party is not this great big organized party. They are centralized around a few key very important fiscal issues. So, you have some people that claim to be Tea Partiers that want her out. Others support her. I think it kind of reinforces the independence as well as the strength of the Tea Party movement.

I think she should stay in. This is just one guy who is part of the Tea Party who actually supports another candidate. So, I think she's doing just fine.

CHO: And the buzzer goes off.

Question two: a new "TIME" poll shows that if Hillary Clinton were running for president next year, she would destroy Romney, Cain and Perry. She would even fair better than her boss, the president. Hillary has already said she is not going to run.

So, does this matter, Pete?

DOMINICK: No. It doesn't matter. We in the media shouldn't be talking about issues like this.

Why is "TIME" magazine, the most respectable magazine, asking this question? I mean, who -- what other ideas do they pitch around for poll question? We should ask if Superman would beat Mitt Romney, another ridiculous hypothetical. If you want to ask about maybe what would happen if she ran for vice presidential, which is partially possible and feasible, perhaps. Well, this is a ridiculous question, a shiny objects for us to swat at. It's like a ball of yarn for a cat.

CHO: I happen to think it's interesting, though. OK.

DOMINICK: It's interesting.

CHO: Your time is up. All right. Let's talk to Cheri.

DOMINICK: I'm sorry. You're right.

JACOBUS: You know, Hillary Clinton is sort of, you know, she's not really -- she's not dealing with domestic issues. If she were actually in the race, that might be different, if she had to engage. But this is very bad news for Barack Obama, not for Republicans.

And at this point, I mean, you know that Bill Clinton doesn't really like Barack Obama. There's already this gravitas gap. Now, the Obama campaign has to deal with this with both Clintons. They're going to be begging them to come campaign for them.

And, you know, the Clintons are still the ones that kind of hold all the cards here. So, this is a very interesting dynamic for the Democrats.

CHO: Maria, you're chuckling.

CARDONA: No, this doesn't matter in the least, Alina. Though I agree with you for the media, this is total catnip.

But I will say this -- it's easy for people to say that Hillary Clinton will beat everybody because right now, she is one of the most popular secretary of states ever because she is not in the rough and tumble of politics. So, it's easy to be above the fray. She has done a fantastic job as secretary of state and being our number one diplomat around the world.

And so, I think that's what a lot of people are reacting to, but she's not in the day-to-day. I think that if she was in the day to day, the numbers would probably be a little bit different.

CHO: Now is the time for your buzzer beater question, 20 seconds. You know the rules here. Kill Osama bin Laden, open a $10,000 bottle of wine. Now, that's the bet that Leon Panetta made with a restaurant owner friend. Now, he learned that he'll been uncorking that bottle of 1870 wine this New Year's Eve -- a nice way to celebrate or a waste of good wine? Cheri?

JACOBUS: I find it -- personally, I find it in poor taste. But I also find showing the death photos of Gadhafi in poor taste, and that sort of thing, a plug for my column in "The Hill" today, I address that. If you like to take a look at that.

But I also think we have slightly different rules for soldiers and people in combat. They may have a little bit better reason to celebrate. Panetta kind falls into that category, but it might have been one of the celebrations you want to keep private.

CHO: Hmm. Maria, what do you say to that?

CARDONA: There's no question that this is an event to celebrate, Alina, just ask any American. In fact, I think anybody around the world. This was an evil man who had eluded presidents past and defense secretaries past.

And I bet you that when he does raise that glass, he's going to celebrate our men and women in uniform and everybody in the intelligence agencies, just as he should.

CHO: OK, great. I'm not surprised.

And, Pete, I'm afraid to ask you, but go ahead.

DOMINICK: I like that. I like that. Keeps you on the edge.

Listen, I agree with Cheri that it's in poor taste certainly to celebrate in any way publicly about this. I'm sure they didn't want to this information to leak out, but it has and it's bad. It will be used for propaganda reasons.

Frankly, I can't tell the difference between a box of wine and a bottle of wine from the 1870s. So, I don't get the appreciation.

I'd like to see the secretary of defense celebrate cutting our massive blow to the defense budget that apparently, we're preparing for an alien attack for. I'd celebrate over that.

CHO: OK. All right. Pete Dominick, Maria Cardona and Cheri Jacobus, thanks, as always for the spirited discussion.

CARDONA: Thanks.

CHO: Coming up: a new play about Martin Luther King Jr. has got a lot of people hopping mad. Our Soledad O'Brien looks at the controversy next.

And coming up a little later on, Phyllis Reffo swims for Pepperdine University. That's not the good part. The good part is she's 49 years old. She's more than twice the age of some of her teammates and we will take to her live.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHO: A new Broadway show looks at the last night of Martin Luther King Jr.'s life. It's dramatic, emotional, and controversial for the very human way it portrays him. Soledad O'Brien traveled to Memphis with the playwright.

Her report is part of this weekend's new CNN Presents. Here's a preview.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR., CIVIL RIGHTS ICON: We have got some difficult days ahead. But it really doesn't matter with me now, because I've been to the mountain top. I don't mind.

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Wednesday, April 3rd, 1968.

KING: Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord!

O'BRIEN: The last speech Martin Luther King ever gave, Memphis Mason Temple. He finished exhausted and returned to the nearby Lorraine Hotel, his favorite room, 306. It was the last night of his life.

(on camera): Have you ever had a chance to be inside Dr. King's actual room at the hotel?

KATORI HALL, PLAYWRIGHT: No, only in my imagination.

O'BRIEN: Really?

(voice-over): Playwright Katori Hall has imagined Dr. King's last night for almost 30 years of her life.

(on camera): They never let anyone in this room almost never.

HALL: Yes.

O'BRIEN: This is all the way the room was when he died.

HALL: It's so small. It's too small to contain his dreams. You know? He was a king. He was worthy of more, but he stayed like a regular person. Cigarettes --

O'BRIEN: And coffee.

HALL: And coffee, lots of coffee. And the phone and the Bible and wow.

O'BRIEN: Your set designer came.

HALL: He came here, measured everything for eight hours.

O'BRIEN: Why did that matter to get it exactly right?

HALL: It was just important to do it right and to bring the audience inside of this room in a very tactile way. I really feel as though, particularly in terms of the set, in terms of the look, in terms of the -- this fly on the wall perspective, I think he really got this right.

O'BRIEN: And how about the man himself?

HALL: I think we'll never, ever know what was inside of his brain and what his exact thoughts were. But I really feel as though we get to the core of him facing his fears, facing that door and being like, I know there's someone waiting on the other side, but I'm going to open that door and walk out in spite of.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHO: I have to say, Soledad, I'm biased because we're friends. I think everything you do is great.

But having said that, it is chilling to watch that. You have been inside room 306 at the Lorraine Hotel before, but never with cameras. I mean, what was that like for you?

O'BRIEN: It's amazing. It's amazing. Now, viewers at the civil rights museum, people who visit, can go see what's inside the room, because they put up a giant piece of glass, but they keep it temperature controlled. You're not allowed to actually go inside of the room ever. You can just look outside.

So, to go inside and see everything left as it was when Dr. King died is actually kind of chilling. It's really strange and really interesting.

And Katori Hall, the playwright, has really spent her life thinking about Dr. King and her mom's missed opportunity. She was chat, chat, chat and the minute she walked in, almost couldn't get a word out. It was really stunning. It was amazing thing to see.

CHO: And let's talk about that playwright because she's young, she's obviously African-American and she's getting some flak for the show. I mean, what's that about?

O'BRIEN: Of course, of course, her topic is Dr. King. She has really humanized him and she has, you know, a person who most of us think of as an icon, is now portrayed as a regular man. That and in of itself is going to give you critics.

When she had the play running in London, I think people didn't have that same emotional attachment to the legacy of Dr. King, you know, all capital letters -- that we had in America. So, you know, people feel very strongly and passionately about his image, and I think that's going to be a challenge for her.

But she's also very tough. She kind of doesn't care and she also I think has a fictionalized account. And she has two of the best actors on the face of planet.

CHO: Sure. Samuel L. Jackson and Angela Bassett.

O'BRIEN: You could not do better.

CHO: That's right.

O'BRIEN: So, the show that we went to in previews, people loved it. Loved it. Loved it. Loved it.

CHO: Well, I can't wait to see it, when we both get back to New York. As I have said, it takes this for us to at least see each other face to face. Soledad O'Brien, I can't wait to watch this. Thank you so much for joining me.

Soledad's full report is part of this weekend's "CNN Presents." And you can catch it on Sunday night, 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time.

Coming up, a lady who doesn't even look half her age. The Statue of Liberty turns 125 years old and to celebrate, her torch has gone high- tech.

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CHO: Today, the Statue of Liberty turns 125. That's right. And she's celebrating with modern day technology, a series of live cameras are now mounted on her torch. Giving views never before seen.

Our Susan Candiotti is live for us on Liberty Island with more.

Hey, Susan. Good morning.

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Alina, and yes, they have a name for it. It's called the torch cam. There are five cameras mounted, as you indicated, and we're going to see beautiful views from the crown itself -- of the crown rather -- and looking down from the torch, you'll see the beautiful skyline of New York harbor and the skyline of New York City and they will be available for you 24/7 if you go to the National Parks Service. You can see these streaming videos anytime.

And also to mark the occasion, 125 new citizens were sworn in this hour from 46 different countries. We spoke with one of them about how excited he is today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANATOLIY GRYSHCHENKO, BECOMING U.S. CITIZEN TODAY: Coming to New York by Ellis Island, the Statue of Liberty symbolizes freedom from whatever we're running from and for me, just a personal achievement that I've been dreaming for years and years, and I am extremely excited to be here, and I cannot wait to take that oath. I might even cry.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CANDIOTTI: Now, everyone here lucky to be here this day because starting tomorrow, the Statue of Liberty monument itself will be closed to the public after today because they're doing some renovations, some safety improvements to the base itself, so you can't go inside until that $27 million renovation is done. But for today, it's gorgeous out here.

Happy anniversary to the Statue of Liberty.

Alina, back to you.

CHO: Yes, chilly but a beautifully day in New York. Susan Candiotti, thanks so much for that.

What a life. Professional model, businesswoman and now, college swimmer. But here's the catch, Phyllis Reffo is swimming with the Pepperdine University swim team at the age of 49. We will take to her, live -- there she is -- after the break.

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CHO: We've heard before about college athletes making the team without being recruited, but this is one walk-on story you are not likely going to forget. Phyllis Reffo has made the swim team at Pepperdine University and she is 49 years old. She is older than some of her teammate's mothers.

Phyllis Reffo joins us via Skype from Malibu, California, this morning.

Phyllis -- I mean, you're gorgeous. So, I hate to keep talking about this fact that you're 49 years old. But having said that, this is why you're here. You only picked up swimming six years ago, which to me, is incredible.

Just how did you get to where you are now?

PHYLLIS REFFO, PEPPERDINE UNIV. SWIMMER: Well, when I started swimming six years ago, it was just to try to keep up my fitness level. I sustained so many injuries that it was difficult to keep doing what I was doing which was running and mountain-climbing and biking was difficult.

So, swimming was a noninvasive type of activity where it didn't put any stress on any of my joints. So, going from swimming at the Malibu masters at Malibu High School to attending Santa Monica College and swimming there one afternoon, and my physiology professor, who's also the water polo and swim coach, saw me working out and invited me to come try out. He had me come by when they were training and he coached me a little bit and then asked me to participate on the swim team.

CHO: Then you moved over, after the junior college, moved over to Pepperdine and joined the team. Have you been swimming a lot?

REFFO: Yes, I swim twice a day.

CHO: For the team, for the team. I mean, how are you doing on the team?

REFFO: I'm doing fine on the team. I'm improving on my times and my technique and stroke is getting much better. And I'm really excited about being able to have the opportunity to improve.

CHO: Now, at 49, you are older than some of your teammate's mothers. How are your teammates treating you?

REFFO: They're really great. They've been very social with me. They've attracted me all over the campus and, you know, participate in every way they interact with each other. It's been -- I'm one of the girls.

CHO: You are one of the girls. Absolutely.

You also are one of the girls in your own family. You have two daughters, 12 and 14.

What do you think about this?

REFFO: Well, at first, I think they were a little confused. You know, they just want their mom. But they're really proud of me. They're proud of having seen me go through process of junior college and swimming with them and then going through the whole process of transferring from a junior college to a four-year university and every one that I had applied to accepted me, but my dream was to come here to Pepperdine. They were very excited about that.

And then, to get on to the swim team -- there's been some attention with my being on the swim team.

CHO: I have to reveal something. You know, when I was younger, I used to want to go to Pepperdine, too -- but to play tennis.

Having said that, I think it's great. I think a part of the reason, we should bring this up, part of the reason why you put your college life on hold for so long was because you were a very successful model after high school, right? Talk about that.

REFFOR: Well, I had left Calgary, Alberta, which is where I was born, to go to L.A. and I worked in L.A. for a little while, and there was some interest from some of the agencies out of Europe. So, I went back up to Canada, then over to Europe to participate in the contract that I was going to take advantage of there.

So, I started in Milan and I would go to Paris and Munich and London and Zurich., and I would just travel around as work required. I also spent some time in New York and in Japan.

CHO: Well, it was a glamorous life, but you have an equally glamorous life now, just in the poll.

So, Phyllis Reffo, a walk-on at the Pepperdine University swim team at the age of 49. We thank you for joining us -- just a joy for me to talk with you.

REFFO: Thank you for the invitation.

CHO: Thanks so much.

Coming up in THE NEWSROOM with Suzanne Malveaux, the "Occupy Wall Street" movement is marching to the Wall Street banks today. We're going to take you there.

And from our sister network, HLN, and more recently, "Dancing with the Stars" fame, we're going to talk with Nancy Grace and her dance partner, Tristan MacManus. Plus, the candidate's favorite movies revealed. Judging from the hat, you might think that Herman Cain leans toward westerns, or does he? Our political update is next.

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CHO: Welcome back.

You might not like Rick Perry's flat tax idea or Herman Cain's 9-9-9 tax plan. But what about their taste in movies?

CNN senior political editor Mark Preston is here with that.

Mark, some pretty revealing details here, right?

MARK PRESTON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL EDITOR: Yes, no question about that.

This is from our friends at "The Washington Times" who went out and asked several of the candidates what are your favorite movies?

So, what is Herman Cain's favorite movie? Probably no surprise about this, Alina. It's "The Godfather." Let's remember that Herman Cain was the CEO of Godfather's Pizza.

Moving along -- Newt Gingrich, what would his favorite movie be? Well, he is a historian, so no surprise when he chose "Casablanca," you know, that time old classic.

Michele Bachmann, she initially said "Brave Heart," but then she added "Saving Private Ryan," two epic war films that she said that she likes the most.

And then Rick Perry, you figure that he would have chosen a western. You know, he seems to have that swagger. He's from Texas. However, his favorite movie is the "Immortal Beloved." And I have to tell you, our friends at "The Washington Times" didn't know what that was and I reveal, I don't know what it is either. But, in fact, it's a 1994 drama about Ludwig van Beethoven.

So, there you go -- a couple of the candidates and what their favorite movies are -- Alina.

CHO: All right. Mark, thank you very much.

Thanks for joining us. I'm Alina Cho. See you back here tomorrow morning at 6:00 a.m.

Now, we're going to turn to a friend I don't see until unless we're on television, Suzanne Malveaux.

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN ANCHOR: Nice to see you.

CHO: You know, we were talking about this a second ago. We both happen to like chick flicks. I'm a sucker for "When Harry Met Sally," I have to say. MALVEAUX: I love that one.

CHO: Right?

MALVEAUX: And "Terms of Endearment." That's one of my -- I love that, too.

CHO: That's a good one, too. A tearjerker.

MALVEAUX: All right. Very nice to see you in person.

CHO: Good to see you.