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Supreme Court to Decide on Healthcare law; Rupert Murdoch's Media Empire Woes; Santorum's Louisiana Win; New Black Panthers Put Bounty on Zimmerman's Capture; Santorum to Speak on Healthcare; Obama in Korea
Aired March 26, 2012 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. I'm Kyra Phillips. It is 11:00 on the east coast, 8:00 out west. We've got a very busy hour ahead. Let's go ahead and get straight to the news.
We begin with Trayvon Martin, the Florida teen whose death is igniting rallies, marches, forums and, now, a bounty for the man who shot and killed him.
But first, just a glimpse at the events taking place today. The one-month anniversary of his death, two important town hall meetings in Florida. One organized by community activists, the second by commissioners.
Now the new and disturbing developments involving neighborhood watchman, George Zimmerman, who shot Trayvon. Members of the New Black Panther Party have offered a $10,000 bounty for his capture. We'll bring you the latest in just about nine minutes.
Legally, politically, economically, medically, the next three days will affect the course of life in America for decades. Six hours of arguments on four distinct issues arising from the 2-year-old health care reform law are well under way at the highest court in the land.
Today's issue could make the rest of them moot, at least for two more years.
The so-called gateway question asks whether the individual mandate for everyone to buy insurance or pay a penalty amounts to a tax. If it does, it can't be challenged because a law from 1867 bars challenges to taxes until they're paid.
The health insurance mandate doesn't take effect until 2014, so justices could settle this issue and punt on the others.
Today's session wraps in 30 minutes and CNN's Kate Bolduan and Jeff Toobin will join me live as soon as it does.
OK, Rick Santorum plans to be out in front of the Supreme Court building at noon also, weighing in on the health care debate.
The Republican presidential candidate has said the health care law is issue number one for his campaign and has hammered opponent Mitt Romney as the inspiration for the federal government's controversial law.
We'll have much more on the politics of health care just a little bit later in the show.
And President Obama is not at the Supreme Court today. Far from it, actually. While his number-one domestic policy triumph is being picked apart, he's at a nuclear security summit in Seoul, South Korea.
Today, he warned North Korea that provocations in pursuit of nuclear weapons only undermine the country's security. Undeterred, Pyongyang moved to a long-range rocket to the launch pad for next month.
The wife of a U.S. soldier accused of murdering Afghan civilians says he would not do that. Karilyn Bales spoke with NBC about her life with Army staff sergeant, Robert Bales, and the 17 deaths he is now charged with causing.
Mrs. Bales told Matt Lauer the whole scenario is unbelievable and, though she has spoken with Robert since the March 11th rampage, she has not heard his side of it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MATT LAUER, NBC NEWS HOST: You have spoken to him twice on the phone. Did you say, sweetheart, did you do this?
KARILYN BALES, WIFE OF ROBER BALES: No. No.
LAUER: I mean, as a spouse, wouldn't you want to ask that question, quickly? Honey, why are they saying these things about you?
BALES: Not a monitored phone call. So, we couldn't discuss those details. He seemed a bit confused as to where he was and why he was there.
LAUER: Will there come a time when you get to see Bob where you will look him straight in the eye and ask him?
BALES: Probably.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Now, over the weekend, the U.S. government paid compensation to families of the Afghan victims. Afghan officials say that the U.S. paid $50,000 for each of those killed, $10,000 for each person wounded.
Pope Benedict is saying farewell to Mexico this hour and heading to Cuba. Live pictures. It's his first trip to either country as pope and, so far, he's made an impression.
Hundreds of thousands of people turned out for his open-air mass yesterday in the heartland of Mexican Catholicism.
In Cuba, he'll meet with President Raul Castro and maybe the former president, Fidel, who hosted Pope John Paul II in 1998.
Opening statements started this morning in a landmark case against the Catholic Church in Philadelphia. Monsignor William Lynn has been accused of hiding abusive priests by just moving them from parish to parish.
He was responsible for investigating allegations of sexual abuse by priests in the diocese. Well, Lynn has pleaded not guilty to all charges, including endangering the welfare of a child.
Possible widespread cheating in America's schools, but it's not the kids being implicated here. A new investigation from the "Atlanta Journal Constitution" newspaper found irregularities in test scores in around 200 school districts across the country.
The jumping-off point was a cheating scandal right here in Atlanta in 2009 where teachers and administrators were blamed for changing the scores of standardized tests. Some of the districts implicated in the new article are Houston, Detroit, and St. Louis.
Well, we all know that texting ask driving is dangerous, but who are the worst offenders? Well, a new study says teenage girls are twice as bad as teenaged boys and that texting or talking on the cell phone while driving is the number-one distraction for young drivers.
AAA says electronic distractions far outweigh eating in the car or combing your hair, even adjusting the volume on the car radio.
Well, coming up, one month ago today, that's when 17-year-old Trayvon Martin was gunned down. Now, that tragedy has turned into a national movement.
Next, we take you to Florida where two town halls are about to happen. The first of which will be hosted by this guy, CNN contributor, Roland Martin, and he's joining me live, next.
And James Cameron is known for reaching new heights in filmmaking, but now he has gone to new depths of discovery. Cameron rode his veridical torpedo submarine to the bottom of the Mariana Trench.
That's the deepest point on the earth's surface. That's nearly seven miles under water, seven miles, straight down to the ocean floor. It's the farthest solo dive anyone has ever made.
So, for pushing the limits of discovery and imagination, James Cameron, you are today's rock star.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Well, civil rights activists, community leaders, and perhaps thousands of others are converging in Florida for a number of events and meetings today.
In less than an hour, the first of two important town hall meetings to discuss the death of Trayvon Martin. Trayvon's parents are expected to be there.
And by now you know Trayvon's face and the details of his death. What happened to Trayvon has exploded into a national movement for justice and it sparked debate over Florida's "stand your ground" law.
When I say national movement, this is what I'm talking about. Today alone, nearly 20 events all across the country for Trayvon, not just in Florida, but from Pennsylvania to California, Iowa, Michigan, Atlanta. As you can see the list goes on.
And today is especially poignant because it was exactly a month ago today that Trayvon was shot death by neighborhood watchman, George Zimmerman, who claims it was self defense.
Our Roland Martin is moderating the first town hall that's taking place today.
Roland, as we mentioned, there are two events in the community today. You're moderating this first one, organized by a bar association and Trayvon's family, the second town hall later tonight organized by the Sanford city commission.
So, let's talk about why did the family feel they needed to hold their own town hall?
ROLAND MARTIN, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Well, because what they want to do is, they don't want this to simply be a moment that will certainly lead to a movement.
They want to be able to provide information, the latest information in this particular case, but also to get people to understand that this story goes beyond just Trayvon Martin.
To your point, so many folks across this country have been galvanized by this story. I've been getting stories from other people, shootings in other cities, as well, that they would like to have investigated.
And so that's really what their aim is, to be able to provide as much factually updated information as possible.
PHILLIPS: Let's talk about some of the new developments, Roland, that we just found out about this morning.
First of all, a few members of the New Black Panther Party now offering this $10,000 bounty for George Zimmerman's capture. Can you tell me about that?
And also I'm reading there have now been death threats against the Sanford police chief. Are you going to be addressing both of these issues at your town hall?
MARTIN Well, of course. I mean, I talked to the New Black Panthers yesterday. I've covered them actually since their founding when Khalid Muhammad, a former national spokesman for the Nation of Islam was involved with them. And, first of all, they are doing this without the permission of the family. They say they don't need it. They say that they simply are tired of these kind of events happening and folks not brought to justice.
But I also talked yesterday with attorney, Ben Crump, and what he said is, the family does not authorize this. They do not want it to happen. They made it perfectly clear, if George Zimmerman is arrested, that it will be done through by law enforcement officials and no one else.
They made it clear they don't want anybody walking around, arresting anybody because that plays right into the hands of this whole sort of vigilantism that they don't want to actually see take place.
And so I'll be talking later also with the New Black Panthers to get their thoughts on it because, again, they say people criticized them for their involvement and it's wrong, but the family's made it clear. We don't want any of that sort of stuff to happen.
PHILLIPS: Now, what about these death threats against the Sanford police chief?
MARTIN: Have not had an opportunity to talk with city officials with regard to those particular death threats. But certainly we'll be -- I'll be seeing the city manager, Mr. Bonaparte, here as well as the mayor and we'll definitely try to get more information on that.
PHILLIPS: All right. We'll be talking to you all throughout the afternoon. Roland, thank you so much.
And, still ahead today, psychotic behavior, paranoia, hallucinations, just a few of the possible side effects of a pill that the military gives some of our troops overseas. Now, word of an emergency review at the Pentagon.
Coming up next, the investigative reporter who broke the story on the drug, Lariam.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: The lead story on the "Huffington Post" home page caught our attention this morning and this is why.
It reports that just nine days after Staff Sergeant Robert Bales' alleged shooting rampage in Afghanistan a top-level Pentagon health official ordered an emergency review of the military's use of the drug, Melfoquine.
It's also called Larium. It's a drug previously implicated in military suicides and murders.
So here's the question we're all asking this morning. Did Sergeant Bales take Lariam when he was in-country and was an emergency review of this drug ordered because of that shooting spree? CNN has reached out to the Pentagon. We are waiting for confirmation and until then, we've got the author of the "Huffington Post" article, investigative reporter, Mark Benjamin.
So, Mark, you don't make a link between Bales' alleged shooting spree and taking this drug, but it is definitely implied in the article.
So tell me about this task order that you've got from a military source.
MARK BENJAMIN, INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER, "HUFFINGTON POST": That's right. The importance of the task order is that it says to all doctors and, you know, people that are prescribing medications in the military, we have a problem, and the problem is that they are giving this drug to soldiers who should not be getting it.
This is a drug that crosses what's called the "blood brain barrier" and it goes deep inside the brain and can cause very serious problems, including psychotic reactions. That's what it says on the drug's label.
What it says is that even people who have traumatic brain injuries and other problems who should not be given the drug are being given the drug on the battlefield. That's the importance of the review.
PHILLIPS: So, Mark, what was your sourcing for this task order and why did you feel comfortable going with this story?
BENJAMIN: I felt comfortable going with the story because it shows that there is a problem out there on the battlefield.
My sourcing is a military source, who, frankly, is very concerned about the dangers of this drug and doesn't think that people in Afghanistan carrying machine guns should be taking this drug.
Having said that, the real importance of it is that the army is now saying that there is a problem out on the battlefield and somebody like Bales should not be taking this drug.
And I would say I do not know whether Bales took the drug. But my sources do indicate that we are giving it to soldiers on the battlefield, these outposts that are out basically in the bush. And that's where Bales was.
PHILLIPS: Well, you do mention a number of cases in your article of past suicides, homicides that involve taking the drug, Lariam. Tell us about a couple cases.
BENJAMIN: Typically what you'll have -- I mostly looked at very elite soldiers, special forces soldiers, who typically do not commit suicide or commit suicide in very low percentage rates.
And what I found is a series of cases where soldiers would take the drug and they would have a cluster of symptoms. They would have mental problems, psychotic reactions, but they would also have rashes, they'd have problems with their vision, they would have vestibular problems or dizziness, they would have intestinal problems.
All that would happen at once. It looked like basically they were being poisoned. And then in several cases, they acted out, killing themselves and/or others.
PHILLIPS: We also know for sure, and this has been documented, that Bales has a TBI, a traumatic brain injury. What we don't know is that he took this drug, Lariam, for malaria, obviously.
But you did discover in your report a link between TBI and this drug, right?
BENJAMIN: That's right. The army says people who have a traumatic brain injury, who have a problem in their brain, should not take this drug.
And, Kyra, while I've been sitting in this chair, I got a note from the office of the secretary of defense who said, well, this review started before the massacre and so it's unrelated.
I'm not sure that that's really the point. I mean, the point is that this is a document where the army is saying, whoa, guys, there's a problem. People out there in the bush who have traumatic brain injuries, like Bales, are taking this drug, and it could cause a problem.
PHILLIPS: I'm only assuming you're going to do a follow-up, if you're already getting e-mails there from DOD.
Will you be doing that soon? Are you getting a lot of response to your investigation?
BENJAMIN: Absolutely. And there's apparently groups on Facebook, you know, Veterans Against Lariam. There's quite a few service members who believe they've been harmed by this drug.
And, again, I think the side effects are pretty well documented. What the military is not saying is whether or not this guy took the drug.
It is malaria season in Afghanistan. If anybody was taking the pills, it would be now in the spring and we need to know.
PHILLIPS: Mark Benjamin, we'll look to your follow-up. Appreciate your time today.
BENJAMIN: Thanks for having me.
PHILLIPS: You bet.
President Obama's health care reform in the spotlight today, the Supreme Court spotlight. The justices hearing arguments right now and one of the most influential medical groups in the country supports the government mandate of health care. Up next, the president of that group tells me why.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Well, back now to the health care reform on trial. It's the story of the day, maybe even the generation.
As we have reported, the Supreme Court is hearing an incredible six hours of arguments over three days on four key issues arising from the Affordable Care Act of 2010.
Everybody has an opinion on those issues and many others, but when this landmark legislation was moving through Congress, one opinion stood out, that of the American Medical Association.
Naturally, the AMA is watching this week's arguments closely. We're pleased to welcome the incoming president of the nation's largest and most powerful doctors' organization, Dr. Jeremy Lazarus.
Doctor, thanks so much for being with me. The AMA's support was vital in passing the Affordable Care act. So let's go ahead and start with what you like, specifically, about it.
When we talked, you pointed out you liked increasing health coverage, insurance exchanges and subsidies, no denials of care or coverage, and requiring coverage for all, the so-called individual mandate.
Let's go ahead and focus on the requiring coverage for all. Tell me why you're on board with that.
DR. JEREMY LAZARUS, PRESIDENT-ELECT, AMERICAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION: Thanks, Kyra and thanks for allowing us to give our opinion about this.
We felt that the status quo was unacceptable, with having 50 million Americans uninsured, Americans who live sicker and die younger because they don't have health insurance coverage. So this bill gives coverage to 30 million Americans.
And you know, as I listen to the debate and have been listening to the news stations over the last couple days, I think what gets lost is the impact that this act has on the lives of actual, everyday people.
Take, for example, the case of a child who has a diagnosis of leukemia and now because of that act is going to be able to have health insurance coverage, which she might not have had before that.
In addition to that is not going to have a lifetime coverage on the amount of treatment that she can receive.
And also, as a result of the act, is going to be able to stay on her parents' insurance policy until the age of 26.
So this is a real-time issue that affects thousands and thousands and thousands of patients and the physicians that treat them every day.
That's the reason why we supported it and continue to support it.
PHILLIPS: Let me ask you, too, Dr. Lazarus, critics out there are saying this is great because there are so many freeloaders out there, freeloaders that are getting medical care on taxpayers' dime.
Do you agree that that is a big part of the problem?
LAZARUS: We have a policy which goes back to 2006 long before the act was debated that says that individuals should have responsibility to purchase health insurance coverage, or to get assistance if they can't afford to cover it.
And that's because, you know, you never know when you're going to need to get health care coverage, when you're going to be sick, or when you're going to be in an accident.
So to have that coverage up front, it means you're going to get treated early on, so that the illness that you might have doesn't get worse.
And also, then, the cost of paying for the uninsured is then not transferred onto the rest of us who have insurance. And we know that that cost is about $1,000 a year for the average family of four.
So we think there are a lot of good reasons for everyone to have health insurance coverage.
PHILLIPS: All right. You also point out things you don't like. From my notes here, no caps on malpractice awards, the quote, independent payment advisory board, also restrictions on doctor-owned hospitals and also the Medicare payment formula.
That one is a long-standing complaint, right?
LAZARUS: That is a long-standing complaint. Let me point out that from our point of view at the AMA, the law is not a perfect law. It's a good step. It's not the last step in getting health system reform in this country.
There are some provisions in the law that we would like to fix and some provisions that weren't in there. One was the independent payment advisory board which provides for a board that has limited accountability and that could cause dramatic cuts in payments to physicians and then limit access to care for patients.
You talked about the Medicare payment problem. That's been a problem before the Affordable Care Act passed, it's a perennial problem, and, again, it's something we're trying to get fixed going forward into this year.
PHILLIPS: Dr. Jeremy Lazarus, appreciate your time this morning.
LAZARUS: Thank you.
PHILLIPS: Still ahead today, have you heard? Rick Santorum wants you to know something about Mitt Romney.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RICK SANTORUM, REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: He is the worst Republican in the country to put up against Barack Obama.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: So why is the underdog now turning attack dog? That's coming up next in "Fair Game."
But first, our political junkie question. Who is the only former president to sit on the Supreme Court?
Tweet me your answer @kyraCNN. I'll give a shout-out to the right answer.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Before the break, I asked you, who was the only former president to sit on the Supreme Court. William Howard Taft was appointed as chief justice in 1921 eight years after leaving office. He's actually responsible for getting the Supreme Court their own building. Congrats to Shelby from Lexington, Kentucky, for tweeting me the right answer.
The Supreme Court has heard around 90 minutes of arguments this morning on health care. It's the challenge, the now two-year-old health care reform law. Beyond the nuts and bolts, there's the politics of this thing. And that's "Fair Game."
Joining me now, Chris Metzler, conservative commentator and associate dean of Georgetown University; and Democratic strategist, Keith Boykin.
All right, guys, Rick Santorum is going to the steps of the Supreme Court in just about 30 minutes. Barack Obama is in South Korea. Let's talk about the opposite ends here, OK?
What does that say to you, Chris?
CHRIS METZLER, CONSERVATIVE COMMENTATOR & ASSOCIATE DEAN, GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY: Well, I mean, that's the power of the presidency. You can be in South Korea when one of the most important issues is being discussed before the court. So, you know, that's fine.
But as it relates to Santorum, the problem here for Santorum is, you know, he needs to get out and -- front and center of this issue. And he realizes that this is the way to do it. So no surprise that he's out trying to save his failing bid for the presidency.
PHILLIPS: Keith?
KEITH BOYKIN, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Well, to me it says that Rick Santorum is playing politics about health care while the president is busy being president. I mean, on the one hand, neither one of these guys is going to be arguing this case. So Rick Santorum showing up at the court building doesn't actually do anything to further decide for one side or the other. And President Obama doesn't need to be there at all.
The irony is I went to law school with President Obama and with Paul Clement, who were both there at the same time. Paul Clement is the guy arguing the case against health care reform. And I think this is going to be a really difficult case for the court to decide. But I think ultimately it's going to come out in Obama's favor, in the country's favor.
PHILLIPS: Well, you mentioned Santorum. He put out this e-mail, blasting Mitt Romney on health care. Take a look at the -- at the logo here. We're going to bring it up. There you go. Let's talk Santorum strategy here. He says Obama and Romney are two peas in a pod.
Is that a good way to go, Chris?
METZLER: No, look. Here's the problem with Santorum. The fat lady is singing and he's covering his ears. Because he knows his campaign is over at this point. He can't do it from the standpoint of math. There's no way it's going to happen. So as a result of that, he is trying to attack both the president and Romney. You know what? Sit down somewhere and let's move on with the GOP presidential campaign, and let's have the two candidates. Mitt Romney is going to be the nominee. The fat lady is singing, Santorum, whether you like it or not. Get over it.
PHILLIPS: Keith?
(CROSSTALK)
PHILLIPS: Keith, is the fat lady singing?
(CROSSTALK)
(LAUGHTER)
BOYKIN: It seems that way, except that Rick Santorum just won in Louisiana. He has won a string of victories over the course of the past month. Mitt Romney has still not closed the deal. So, yes, he should stay in the race as long as he wants to stay in the race, because Mitt Romney is not very popular in the party.
But the reality is, this stuff that Rick Santorum is saying will come back to haunt the Republican Party in the fall campaign because everything he is saying is stuff the Democrats can use in campaign commercials to go against Romney, who is, by the way, the godfather of Obama-care. So you know, the Obama campaign is now starting to endorse that language, Obama-care, because there is no way they're going to be able to get that out of people's minds. And I think that's going to help them in the long run when people start to realize the benefits of it. PHILLIPS: So if you've got Rick Santorum saying that health care is the number-one issue on the November ballot, and then Mitt Romney is saying, hey, I'm going to repeal the law as soon as I get to the White House, could the court actually just steal the thunder here and make this a non-issue come Election Day? Chris?
METZLER: No, I think, actually, the court is going to frame the debate. Whatever the issue -- whatever the court decides, it's either going to be, one, whether or not this is about big government, this is about interference in the free market system, or two, whether it's going to be extended and expanded government. So then that's going to be put before the American people and they're going to decide. Is it going to be Romney, who essentially says that what we've got is we need less intrusion, or Obama, who says more? It's going to frame the debate. It's not going to decide it from a political standpoint.
PHILLIPS: Keith?
BOYKIN: The court is deciding it all. The court is deciding a constitutional issue, whether the Congress has the power to create a law that affects commerce, in this case, the health care law. And it clearly does. Walter Dillinger has a great piece in the "Washington Post" that goes on about health care and he argues from a legal point why the court is likely to uphold the law.
I think ultimately, when people -- when the court starts to realize, by invalidating this law, it will take away health care from 32 million people, add $140 about to the deficit, prevent people from being covered who have preexisting conditions, make it harder for people to get simple beneficiary explanations from their health care plans, and all of good things this law does, including providing coverage for people to age 26 so they can stay on their parents' plans -- when the people start to realize that and the court starts to realize that, the idea of overturning this law would be a dramatic, judicial excess, just what the Republicans and conservatives say they do not like.
METZLER: Oh. So the court now will be playing politics? You know, look, the court is going to decide the legal issue. I don't think that's the question. The question is how is it going to play politically? And I think politically, the argument is going to be framed from the standpoint of more or less government. So, yes, the court is going to make a legal decision. That then is going to turn into a political decision, whether the court likes it or not.
BOYKIN: Except one quick thing though, Chris. This is the same law that Mitt Romney passed in Massachusetts. The Republicans have no standing if they nominate this guy.
(CROSSTALK)
BOYKIN: They would argue against -- it's very true. It's the same people -- Mitt Romney even said himself in 2009 when they were -- when they were about to do this, he wrote an op-ed in "USA Today," when he said, I endorse this plan. He said, go ahead, if you do these things, we'll be able to support it. He said, if you get rid of the government option, the public option, if you have tax benefits, and is if you slow down the process -- the president did all three of those things and we implemented a law that basically follows the same pattern as Romney-care. So the Republicans have no leg to stand on in the fall campaign.
PHILLIPS: We've got to leave it there, guys.
(CROSSTALK)
METZLER: -- better argument at that point.
(LAUGHTER)
PHILLIPS: I'll tell you what I -- I would have liked to have seen Keith and President Obama in class with Associate Dean Chris Metzler as the professor.
(LAUGHTER)
Now, that would have been an interesting --
(CROSSTALK)
PHILLIPS: That would be a fun "Fair Game."
(LAUGHTER)
Guys, thanks so much for your time today.
METZLER: Take care.
PHILLIPS: All right.
(CROSSTALK)
PHILLIPS: His is a scandal fit for a juicy tabloid. In fact, his tabloids are a big part of the scandal. We're talking about Rupert Murdoch and the crisis in his media empire. Up next, the journalist leading the investigation into the Murdoch scandal. Lowell Bergman joining me live on his new "Frontline" documentary.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: The phone-hacking scandal that brought down the "News of the World" is still unfolding, continuing to threaten Rupert Murdoch's media empire. The allegations of phone hacking, bribery and corruption. Now a documentary.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALAN RUSBRIDGER, EDITOR, THE GUARDIAN: It became apparent post 2009 that nobody really wanted to look at the story. I think that was one of the most interesting aspects of the story. So all the things that normally kick in, in society, the democratic ways of accountability and transparency, it wouldn't fly. If this was an oil company or any kind of a corporation, it didn't kick in. This was a company that a lot of people were frightened of, I would say still are frightened.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: The sordid, complicated details unfold like a dramatic mystery over several years. And we're getting a better understanding of that in a PBS "Frontline" documentary aptly called "Murdoch Scandal." The scandal is far from over.
PBS "Frontline" Correspondent Lowell Bergman has followed the scandal. He joins us live from New York.
Lowell, we've already seen dozens of journalists and top executives arrested. A number of police officers, and criminal investigations, civil lawsuits. Tell me what I'm going to see in this documentary that I don't know.
LOWELL BERGMAN, CORRESPONDENT, PBS FRONTLINE: You're going to see an attempt to pull a lot of these disparate elements together and take you back in history, both Mr. Murdoch's history and the news business, and also the fact, I think, one of the more startling facts we have run into, which is, in 2003, his then editor of "The Sun" and the editor of "News of the World," two of the tabloids, the biggest papers in Britain, admitted they were paying off the police and nobody did anything about it.
PHILLIPS: You also talk about Murdoch's influence on so many powerful people, I mean, as high as the prime minister, even going all the way back to the Iron Lady, Margaret Thatcher. Let's take a look at another clip.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NARRATOR: For 30 years, Rupert Murdoch had been visiting Number 10 to be thanked for his support by British prime ministers.
MARGARET THATCHER, FORMER BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: A sound defense policy of the kind --
(SHOUTING)
NARRATOR: The deal making began in the late '70s when the Iron Lady was given a helping hand, when Britain's largest daily threw its support behind her.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: How did all of this play into the scandal, Lowell?
BERGMAN: Well, the surprising fact about all of this, similar to let's say the White House getting together with a section of the FBI and the largest media organization in the country, to, in a sense, either consciously or just because they're all friends and look the other way, cover up what was ongoing criminal conspiracy, it appears to me. In other words, this extraordinary thing happened the other day in the public inquiry in Britain. The commander at Scotland Yard in charge of this investigation says there was a culture of corruption inside Britain's largest newspaper, Murdoch's largest newspaper in the U.K.
PHILLIPS: You know, one of the most colorful characters in parliament, without a doubt, is Tom Watson, also a key player in your documentary. Let's take a look at another clip.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TOM WATSON, PARLIAMENT MEMBER: Every friend and adviser I spoke to in 2009-'10 said you're not going to get to the truth of this. There are too many people at the top with a vested interest for this story not to come out. At the time, it was very lonely play to be pursuing the phone hacking scandal in the U.K.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Why were so many people afraid to mess with Murdoch?
BERGMAN: Look, at this -- at this point in history, James Murdoch has apologized to Tom Watson. News International, the section of News Corporation he was in charge of, had him under surveillance while they were appearing before a parliamentary inquiry. Why were they afraid? Because of the power and willingness of the company to have its employees do things which I think in this country would create a huge uproar, as well.
PHILLIPS: We reached out to News Corp., of course, and they told us no comment. What has Murdoch and his company's response been to you?
(LAUGHTER)
BERGMAN: I've been in this business for 40 years. I haven't seen a major multinational corporation, and in particular, a media company, completely shut down. No one will talk -- period. The only communication that we had -- one was of the record, I thought, with Geraldo Rivera that he blogged about, and the other was a personal letter and reply to a letter I sent to Rupert Murdoch in which he said, basically, I can't talk at this time. But otherwise, it's all been intermediaries, press representatives, public relations companies. No one is talking.
PHILLIPS: Actually, Lowell, that's pretty nice. I can't talk at this time.
(LAUGHTER)
BERGMAN: Well, he was the only one with a personal reply like that. But I've got to say, for a -- I know they're your competitor, but for an organization known for big talkers who will talk about just about anything, even when they don't know anything about it, it's really amazing that they won't talk about this.
PHILLIPS: Lowell Bergman, I'm glad you talked with us. Sure appreciate your time and your work. Thank you, Lowell.
BERGMAN: Thank you.
PHILLIPS: You'll be able to see the documentary tomorrow night in a special edition of "Frontline," 7:00 p.m. eastern on all PBS stations.
In case you haven't heard, a man named Tim Tebow is joining the New York Jets. And in just about 15 minutes from now, he'll be officially introduced in a big-time news conference. So why all the spotlight for a back-up Q.B.? You know why. That's next.
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PHILLIPS: Stories making news at "Street Level" now.
First to San Francisco, where a man has been charged with killing five people. The suspect arrested and charged with murder is a 35- year-old San Francisco resident with a criminal record. The "los Angeles Times" reports the victims included three men and two women discovered in a home Friday. Police say they apparently died from blunt trauma.
In Florida, thousands of people converging for two important town hall meetings to talk about Trayvon Martin. His death is igniting rallies, marches, forums all across the country. Take a look. Just a glimpse of the events taking place today, the one-month anniversary of Trayvon's death. The events are playing out following the disturbing developments involving George Zimmerman, who shot Tryon. Members of the Black Panther Party have offered a $10,000 bounty for his capture.
Moving to Oklahoma City, where a stunning video has triggered a police investigation.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No! No!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Officials reviewing the conduct of an officer involved here, handcuffing a man and apparently dragging him face-down out of the city's airport last month. Police say the man was trying to get through security to talk with Republican presidential candidate, Newt Gingrich. The man was charged with disorderly conduct and released after spending the night in jail.
Gas prices got you down? Well, here's some good news. A new report says we may be able to get over the fear of $4 a gallon gas. That's according to the latest Lundberg survey. The price of crude oil is leveling off. That's likely we're near the peak for gas prices. Lundberg says the average price is $3.93, 36 cents higher than it was at this time last year.
Over now to New Jersey and this hot question, is New York ready for Tebowmania? Moments from now the official announcement from the Jets that Tim Tebow is joining the team. Tebowmania has hit. One question on the minds of many though, what will the Jets do with Tebow since they already have starting quarterback? That aside, Tebow appears to be well on his way to becoming the next Broadway Joe.
Speaking of football, did you hear about Mitt Romney's field goal comments? Yes, he got a little snarky after Santorum's fresh win that weekend. We'll tell you what he said coming up next.
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PHILLIPS: Let's take a quick look at the Republican presidential scoreboard. Mitt Romney leading the way with 568 delegates. Rick Santorum second, 261. 1,144 are needed to secure the nomination.
Rick Santorum came out of the weekend with another win under his belt. He easily won Louisiana primary on Saturday, adding to his southern state winning streak, but was it as big of a win as it sounds?
Let's take it over to our political reporter, joining me from Washington.
PETER HAMBY, CNN POLITICAL PRODUCER: Santorum got 49 percent of the vote in Louisiana. Did that translate into a big delegate advantage? Five delegates. He won 10 out of the Louisiana primary to Romney's five. Only 20 delegates were at stake. Louisiana is a complicated formula for awarding delegates. The Santorum tried to bill this win as another seismic change in the Republican race but the Romney campaign was really lowering expectations. Romney only appeared in the state two times ahead of the primary. You know, most people this weekend were probably watching requesting the hunger games or basketball. So this didn't get the attention the Santorum campaign probably wanted. Not a huge win and delegate wise, Kyra, not a huge win for him on Saturday.
PHILLIPS: What is Mitt Romney's campaign saying?
HAMBY: They responded to this claim. This is kind of a funny quote from Ryan Williams, one of the Romney spokespeople, about the Santorum claim this was a huge win. This is what they said, quote, "Rick Santorum is like a football team celebrating a field goal when they are losing by seven touchdowns with less than a minute left in the game." That's from Ryan Williams.
And, look, he's right in one respect. The Santorum campaign is trailing significantly in delegates. The Romney campaign has more than twice as many delegates according to CNN's delegate count as Santorum. And Santorum to win this thing has to win almost 75 percent of the remaining delegates, Kyra. That's a real momentous challenge for him. Of course, the Santorum campaign will say, that hey, Romney has to do that, too, and he hasn't done that yet. And that's the rational for staying in.
PHILLIPS: Why wasn't Santorum even in Louisiana to celebrate the win? HAMBY: Right. Well, they're looking ahead to the April 3rd contests, D.C., Maryland, and Wisconsin. The biggest contest for that day for Santorum is definitely Wisconsin. He's not even on the ballot here in Washington and another sign that his campaign organization isn't exactly in tiptop shape but Wisconsin has the most delegates at stake. It would be kind of a big symbolic win. The Romney campaign wants to win there and put Santorum to bed.
Remember, Wisconsin really broke heavily Republican in 2010. There's a strong Tea Party movement, a lot of working class voters, rural voters, the kind of voters that Rick Santorum has appealed to. The Romney campaign is pretty comfortable right now. He's doing a lot of fund-raising this week. He was down in La Jolla all weekend, not campaigning. They're not taking Wisconsin for granted, but they know that if they do win there and beat Rick Santorum, it's another sign that he's in the lead. And you're going to probably see some more top Republicans coming out and saying, hey, it's time to get behind Mitt Romney for the nomination -- Kyra?
PHILLIPS: Peter, thanks so much.
HAMBY: Thanks.
PHILLIPS: All right. Legally, politically, economically, medically, what's happening on the Supreme Court health care arguments is going to impact all of us for the course of life, for decades.
Kate Bolduan, Jeff Toobin, at the Supreme Court for us hearing the arguments.
Give us the latest, Kate.
KATE BOLDUAN, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: So Jeff and I were talking, it really did seem that the justices were ready to move on to tomorrow -- is what we really heard in oral arguments today.
That's because tomorrow is the real centerpiece of this case, right, Jeff?
JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Yes.
BOLDUAN: We're talking about the individual mandate, but today they were talking about a bit of a dry issue.
TOOBIN: Today, it was really a procedural issue. The issue was, is this issue something that should be decided now or should the court wait until the law is fully in effect in 2014 and 2015? And it was quite clear that -- I mean, really all nine justices said, look, let's get this done, let's decide this case. And that's really what today was all about. So, you know, tomorrow is really the nerd super bowl. Tomorrow is the day when everybody is going to be paying attention to whether this law is constitutional or not. Today is kind of like an appetizer.
BOLDUAN: Today was an appetizer. I think Justice Ginsburg summed it up. She said the challenge is not against the penalty would that ensue, if people did not get insurance by 2014, there's a penalty Americans would have to pay, and that's kind of one of the issues they were talking about. And Justice Ginsberg said, the challenge here is not against the penalty. The challenge is against the individual mandate. and that summed up the fact that -- in large part, while they did have some insightful questions about where the line is and is this a jurisdictional issue, the gateway issue, it did seem there was a relative amount of agreement on the bench that they were ready to move on to the real big questions. We saw them wading into it.
TOOBIN: And, Kyra, I assure you that the phrase jurisdictional issue is as exciting in the courtroom as it is to you right now.
BOLDUAN: Exactly.
PHILLIPS: I'm still stuck on nerd football.
TOOBIN: OK. Those of us who couldn't make the team --
(CROSSTALK)
(LAUGHTER)
TOOBIN: -- this is what we have to content ourselves with.
BOLDUAN: Speak for yourself, Jeff. Speak for yourself.
(LAUGHTER)
PHILLIPS: I don't ever think I have seen the Supreme Court issue as exciting as right now, with Jeff Toobin and Kate Bolduan there on the steps.
(CROSSTALK)
PHILLIPS: Kate, I've got to get ready to toss it off to the next show, but has Santorum showed up for his rally there on the steps yet?
BOLDUAN: We haven't seen him, but we literally just walked out of the court and came to the camera.
TOOBIN: It's also a really big crowd here, too.
BOLDUAN: Yes.
TOOBIN: So, Rick Santorum, if he's here, we don't know.
(LAUGHTER)
PHILLIPS: Got you.
OK. Guys, thanks so much.
Thanks for watching, everyone. You can continue the conversation with me on Twitter @kyraCNN or on Facebook.
CNN NEWSROOM continues now with our Ashleigh Banfield.
