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Marine Under Fire for Facebook Page; Obama Signs JOBS Act; Santorum Staying in Race; Connecticut May Repeal Death Penalty; Unemployment Claims Continue to Drop; Violence Continues in Syria
Aired April 05, 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: Good morning, everyone. I'm Kyra Phillips. It's 11:00 on the East Coast, 8:00 out West. We've got a busy hour ahead. Let's get straight to the news.
If there's anything Republicans and Democrats in Congress agree on, it's jobs. Sure enough, about three hours from now, President Obama will step into the White House Rose Garden to sign the JOBS Act, as in Jump-start Our Business Start-ups.
It's a bipartisan attempt to help small businesses to get funding faster so they can grow quicker. Critics fear a new wave of financial fraud.
And, as for people needing jobs right now, well, the Labor Department reports another drop in first-time claims for unemployment aid. Last week's number was 357,000, down 6,000 from the week before.
And time is running out for administration lawyers to explain their thinking on a legal doctrine of dating back centuries. A federal judge in Texas took exception to the president's remarks about the health care reform case the Supreme Court heard last week.
Mr. Obama said he's confident the court won't scrape a law, passed by a strong majority of democratically-elected Congress.
Well, courts have passed judgment on laws passed by Congress since the early 1800s. The White House says the president was simply making an observation and not trying to intimidate the justices.
Regardless, the Texas court wants a written response by noon today.
And fighting continues in Syria, despite the government saying that it's complying with a U.N. peace plan by withdrawing some troops from some regions.
But the killing of civilians continues. At least 30 today.
According to U.N. envoy, Kofi Annan, the Syrian government is moving troops out of three cities, but he just told the U.N. general assembly that his six-point peace plan needs to be, quote, "implemented in its entirety and urgently." He says more needs to be done to stop the continuing violence.
Coming up, the latest on the humanitarian crisis in Syria.
The International Criminal Court is telling Libya to hand over former leader Mohammad Kaddafi's son immediately. They say Saif Kaddafi has been mistreated since he was captured last year.
He's been held for 139 days in total isolation except for visits from officials. Amnesty International is backing the ICC and says Saif Kaddafi may face an unfair trial in Libya.
Former RNC chair, Ed Gillespie, joining Mitt Romney as his senior adviser. Romney is expected to do well in the April 24th primaries and today he's focused on Pennsylvania.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MITT ROMNEY, REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Good morning, Lois, this is Mitt Romney calling. How are you this morning?
Well, good. Have you ever heard of me?
I think everybody expects someone to win their home state. Newt Gingrich won his state. I won my state. I think people expect that. But I want to get a lot of delegates and we have several of the states the contest is the same day.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Well, the Romney campaign has also started raising funds for the general election, a clear sign that the primary season is unofficially over.
A marine facing dismissal for allegedly criticizing President Obama on Facebook is getting some high-powered help.
Sergeant Gary Stein goes before a military board at Camp Pendleton, facing discharge, the latest step in his effort to stay in the Marines and test an age-old Pentagon policy of restricting free speech of service members.
Republican congressman, Duncan Hunter, a former Marine, said Stein shouldn't be punished for an opinion he says is shared by a majority of Marines.
Republican congressman, Darrell Issa, also defending Stein, as well as a team of lawyers and the ACLU.
Jerry Sandusky is back in court today. His lawyers are asking that all of his child sex abuse charges be dismissed. That hearing just wrapped up a little bit more than an hour ago.
The former Penn State assistant football coach faces more 52 counts of various sex abuse charges involving ten boys.
But today, Sandusky's attorneys argued the allegations are too vague, the proof is insufficient and, in some cases, the statute of limitations has run out. The judge says he hopes to make a ruling some time next week.
Sandusky pleaded no guilty to all of his charges. His trial is scheduled June 5th.
Whitney Houston drowned face down in a tub of extremely hot water only about a foot deep. That's according to the final autopsy report.
Earlier the coroner said that Houston died of an accidental drowning, but didn't specify just how it happened.
Cocaine-use and heart disease were listed as contributing factors.
HLN's Dr. Drew analyzed the report and came up with a different opinion.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
DR. DREW PINSKY, HOST, HLN'S "DR. DREW": The fact is, this autopsy report shows that she had nominal heart disease, almost none, not sufficient to explain what happened to her.
You also mentioned that she was found face down in water. How would you have a heart attack or take too much medication and slip into the water and drown and end up face down.
The way that happens is seizure and I add the entire score up and I get seizure here.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Dr. Drew also said if she suffered a seizure, it would have been brought on by her cocaine use combined with the withdrawal from alcohol and prescription drugs.
Connecticut is very close to becoming the next state to repeal the death penalty. Earlier this morning, the Democratic-controlled state senate voted 20-to-16 in favor of banning capitol punishment.
The bill would only apply to future sentences. It now goes to the house which is expected to pass it and Governor Dannell Malloy says he'll sign it.
Eleven people are currently on death row in Connecticut, including the two men sentenced in the home invasion of the Petit family where the mother and two daughters were murdered five years ago.
He was the poster child for sensational murders in the 1960s. This is what Charlie Manson looks like now at the age of 77. The California Department of Corrections released the pic.
Manson is up for another parole hearing next week. You'll remember he was convicted of the 1969 murders of actress Sharon Tate and six other people. He has been denied parole 11 times. It's been a high-tech secret, but now we know what Google has been up to lately, "Project Glass," and it's taking eyewear to a whole new level.
These glasses aren't for correcting vision. They actually work more like a smartphone. The glasses have see-through lenses. They let you text, remind you of appointments and get directions.
Despite all of that, Google says "Project Glass" isn't complete yet. This is just the testing phase. The company has this video on YouTube and they urge you to weigh in.
Well, the late Penn State coach, Joe Paterno, finally tells his side of the Sandusky story. Here what he wrote in a letter just before his death. That's straight ahead.
But first, it's been quite an interesting week for women in sports. First, the ongoing hubbub surrounding the dinosaurs at Augusta National not allowing women members. Now this, a woman who can dunk.
Six-foot-eight, Brittney Griner, leading her Lady Bears into the history books with a perfect season and an NCAA title to boot.
But still, within all of that glory, Notre Dame's coach says Griner, quote, "is like a guy playing with women."
OK, Coach, you say you were lifting here and to your credit Brittney took it as a compliment. But come on. Do we need to go there?
That analogy is as old as Augusta's archaic rules, so let's retire it now.
And, while we're at it, let's retire runs like a girl and throws like a girl. Have you see Flo-Jo run? What about Jennie Finch pitch?
In the words of our favorite sports columnist, Christine Brennan, comments like this just rev up nastier words and thoughts.
Brittney Griner is an amazing athlete, period, and, Brittney, if you're listening, you got skills, you've got brains and you are today's rock stair.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: The accusations against Jerry Sandusky alleged molestation, oral sex, even rape of young boys, all at the center of the biggest scandal to hit college football history.
And now his attorneys are fighting to get all of those charges dismissed. That hearing just wrapped up less than two hours ago.
Let's get straight to our Jason Carroll who was inside the courtroom. So, Jason, what happened? JASON CAROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, basically, Kyra, what we're seeing here is the defense has asked for many of the charges to be dropped simply because they say not enough evidence has been provided to them from the commonwealth about these ten alleged victims.
The commonwealth has basically been saying all along that they have been providing the information in accordance with the law, but there's still an ongoing investigation taking place and because of that they're turning over information as they get it.
And so what we had here today was a situation where the judge listened to both sides of this and basically said, before he could, quote, "make a ruling," he said, "it would be premature to make any decision on what can and cannot be prosecuted because of this ongoing investigation."
So in a sense, everything has been put on hold while this ongoing investigation continues to take place and both sides continue to try to work on their cases.
So, what happened today was Joe Amendola was looking for a little bit of justice. What he basically got was a postponement.
Kyra?
PHILLIPS: But the grand jury indictment was so detailed, Jason. What's the likelihood of all 52 counts being dismissed?
CARROLL: Well, I think a lot of legal experts would say that it looks like at this point, it looks very unlikely.
From the defense's point of view that grand jury report isn't as detailed that they need it to be in order to try their case.
For example, they say with some of these alleged victims there's no specific information about when this alleged attack happened, where some of these alleged allegations of abuse happened.
That's some of the things that Joe Amendola who is behind me now inside that crush of reporters is explaining now.
So the question that is really coming up is, look, you have a trial that's set for June 5th. And you have this ongoing investigation, so how long do you let the ongoing investigation take place before you finally cut it off and make a decision?
And we're hearing that date seems to be somewhere around May 16th.
PHILLIPS: All right, Jason, I want to talk to you about this statement that we got our hands on today.
It was released from the Paterno family. I know you have seen it and apparently, before he died of lung cancer, he put this statement together, something that he wanted everyone to hear, but we didn't get a chance to. We did today.
There's part of it that I want to ask you about. He wrote, "After consideration, I determined that, given Jerry Sandusky's status as a retired employee governed by a retirement package negotiated with the administration, I had no authority to act directly.
"The next day in accordance with university policy, I contacted the head of my department and related what was told to me. That was the last time the matter was brought to my attention until this investigation and I assumed that the men I referred it to handled the matter appropriately."
So here's my question, "a retirement package negotiated with the administration?" What does that mean and how does that justify not following up?
CARROLL: Well, there are two sides to this. I think from the Paterno's camp point of view, what they're trying to say is Joe Paterno legally did what he was supposed to do.
He went to his superiors. He went to Tim Curley. He went to Gary Schultz, the head of the athletic department, the senior VP there at Penn State. He went to his superiors and said, "I have this allegation of something that seems to have been inappropriate. I'm doing what I'm legally bound to do by telling you."
From Penn State's point of view and speaking for Penn State, their point of view is perhaps legally you did what you were supposed to do, but morally, you should have done more.
As you know, Joe Paterno was a man who was a legend at Penn State and prided himself on getting involved in the lives of many of his athletes and so because he had that type of reputation, I believe that the thought process was, basically, such that, he should have done more than what he did.
I think from Joe Paterno's family perhaps this is their attempt to get more of his side out. I think some observers look at that and say perhaps this is some way of trying to protect his legacy.
Kyra?
PHILLIPS: Jason Carroll, thanks so much.
Straight ahead, we're taking you to Syria where we're hearing reports about a troop pullout. What this all means, live from the region, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: A glimmer of hope today regarding the crisis in Syria. The Syrian government reportedly withdrawing military forces from several areas where fighting has been so intense.
Ivan Watson is in Turkey where refugees have been arriving by the thousands. He is joining us live from the Istanbul. Give us an update on the situation, Ivan.
IVAN WATSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, the United Nations said that the Syrian government has told it that it has been begun pulling forces out of three key cities in Syria.
They are the cities of Idlib, Zabadani, and Daraa, three cities that have seen intense bloody fighting over the course of the last year.
The U.N. says that it's trying to verify these claims. We have done a little digging on our own. We called residents in the city of Daraa. They say tanks rolled in last night and rounded up people and arrested more people. They haven't seen any drawdown in forces.
Meanwhile, we have this video coming from outside the city of Idlib, about five miles outside of that city, a town called Taftanaz that I've been in. A helicopter firing rockets at targets in that town of Taftanaz.
Again, within sight of the city of Idlib where the Syrian government claims that it has begun pull its military forces, really casting doubts that the Syrian government has begun any type of withdrawal whatsoever.
Kyra?
PHILLIPS: All right, so, Kofi Annan apparently is going to be addressing the U.N. today, so, what do you think? And how does this all play into this six-point peace plan? And is it working, not working? Are we really getting the truth on what's happening?
WATSON: Well, in fact, he did just address the United Nations general assembly via a video conference.
Take a listen to what he had to say about what he says is the necessary rapid deployment of an observer mission in Syria to observe an April 10th deadline for a cease-fire. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KOFI ANNAN, U.N. ENVOY TO SYRIA: The violence in Syria cannot be addressed through the means of a traditional observer mission interposed between two armies.
The situation is fluid. There's no established frontline. Peace will not be consolidated without credible political process.
What we would need on the ground is a small nimble United Nations presence. It will be need to be deployed quickly with a broad and flexible mandate.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WATSON: So what their talking about, Kyra, is an unarmed military mission and already there's an advanced planning team on the ground in Damascus, meeting with the Syrian government to put together this plan for the force, perhaps 250 people, observers, to come in.
What's worth noting, though, is that this planning mission is not going to be talking to the Syrian opposition, which are increasingly armed and have been fighting against the Syrian military in numerous places, battlegrounds all across the country.
How can you do this observer mission if you're not going to talk to the rebels as well.
Kyra?
PHILLIPS: Ivan Watson in Istanbul. Ivan, thanks.
Trading meth for sex? Coming up the sting operation that busted this sheriff of the year.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: "Travel Insider," as CNN reporters and producers, we often have the inside scoop on some pretty great places to visit and try to relax.
So, our CNN associate producer, Nesta Distin, takes a look at an all-day Korean sauna.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NESTA DISTIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Nesta Distin in Duluth, Georgia, at one of my favorite places to relax.
The JeJu Sauna is modeled after traditional Korean spas that are popular in Korea. They're affordable and a common getaway for families.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's very relaxing here.
DISIN: A family band on tour from Philadelphia decided to come here and take a break.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My favorite part was swimming in the pool.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The pool feels like silk when you're swimming in it.
DISIN: The swimming pool and floors are made of jade tiles. In Korean culture, jade is used to bring calm and balance to the body.
Like spas in Korea, it has multiple hot and cool saunas. There are seven. Each has walls lined with natural elements, like gold, charcoal and salt.
With temperatures ranging from 120 to 140 degrees, the ice room is much cooler. Owners say that it's the largest of its kind in Georgia.
The JeJu Spa just outside of Atlanta, I love coming here to relax.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: Well, the U.S. Coast Guard has sent a ship to sink a Japanese boat swept away by last year's tsunami. The fishing trawler is now drifting near Alaska and is a hazard to vessels in the area.
The Coast Guard will assess its condition before blowing it up with a cannon.
He's criticized President Obama, questioned his authority and hinted he wouldn't follow the president's commands.
So, does this Marine have the constitutional right to say these things about his commander-in-chief? The military says no.
But he's fighting back. His story, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Men and women in uniform pledge their lives to defend our constitutional rights and, in the process, they give up some of their own.
Right now in San Diego, a military discharge hearing is getting underway for a Marine who for two years now has posted some inflammatory opinions on his Facebook page. It's written under Armed Forces Tea Party, and it bluntly attacks President Obama, the commander-in-chief, and Sergeant Gary Stein's boss. But Stein insists that he's breaking no law or directive. As far as the Constitution --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SGT. GARY STEIN, U.S. MARINE: You're telling me I've sworn an oath to the Constitution, but I don't have the right to interpret the Constitution -- to interpret it? I mean, I'm an American. That Constitution is part of the founding documents of my country. Just because I sign a document that says I'm going to join the military doesn't waive my right to interpret the Constitution.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: CNN legal contributor, Paul Callan, joining me now with free speech in the armed forces. A contradiction in terms? Paul, let's get straight to the rule book. DOD guidelines are very clear when it says, quote, "Any activity that may be reasonably viewed as directly or incorrectly associating the Department of Defense or the Department of Homeland Security with a partisan political activity should be avoided."
So what's to argue about?
PAUL CALLAN, CNN LEGAL CONTRIBUTOR: That's a reasonably clear directive. It arises from this concept that we want our military to be subservient to military authority. If the troops are being openly political while they're acting as soldiers, you know, who's in charge here? So, the Department of Defense has issued this directive saying, you really have to avoid active and blatant political activity while you're in the armed forces. Just because the Department of Defense said that you should do that doesn't mean that it's in compliance with the U.S. Constitution. It may be a First Amendment free speech violation. That's what the sergeant is suing about and that's why they're trying to throw him out of the Marines.
PHILLIPS: Here's where it gets -- (AUDIO PROBLEM) -- not cut and drive because the directive says servicemembers can vote, express personal political opinions. Join political groups as long as they don't show up in uniform. And sign petitions if they do so as a private citizen. Servicemembers may not, though, however participate in fund-raising, solicit votes, sponsor or serve in political clubs or speak at partisan gatherings.
So, when you take that into consideration, do you think that Sergeant Stein has any defense here?
CALLAN: Well, I think under that particular directive -- he's got some good lawyers operating on his behalf. I think he can get around that. Nothing specifically there says you can't have a Facebook page where you say you're expressing personal opinions. Criticizing the president of the United States -- nothing says that.
His problem is in another area, this general concept a soldier in the Marine Corps can't act against his commander-in-chief. And I think the Marine corps is saying his attacks on President Obama constitute an attack on a commanding officer, not on a political leader. And I think that's really where they're going with this.
PHILLIPS: And also, apparently, his Facebook page had been up for two years. And then, he said that his chain of command knew about this. So what do you think -- you know, he's saying it's been up for a while. Everybody knew about this. They saw his opinions. So, do you think he's being treated unfairly?
CALLAN: I don't think the military handled this very well. They originally issued a directive to him indicating that he could continue apparently with the Facebook page. and now, he says that they sort of changed the rule book and said that he's acting illegally. You know, I think they could have handled this better.
But on the other hand, Kyra, everybody, every institution has a problem with new social media. You know, local school systems are disciplining teachers. The transit system in New York, I know they had a problem with some guy posting political opinions. We're seeing litigation all across the country on this. When you get to soldiers in particular, he said, in one posting, that he would not obey an order of the commander-in-chief, of the president of the United State, if he felt if the order was illegal.
I don't know if you want Marines out in the field saying I'm going to make a case by case judgment whether I'm going to obey my commanding officer. I think that's what the Marine corps is worried about. Not so much his relationship with President Obama, but what happens when you're out on the field? Are we going to have Marines analyzing the Constitutionality of an order being issued by a commander? That's the principal. Soldiers have to obey without question when they're fighting. That's what it comes back to. I got a feeling that Sergeant Stein may lose this battle. Because we treat the military very differently than other institutions in America life.
PHILLIPS: What a message that would send, if men and women in uniform could start expressing their political opinions while in Iraq or Afghanistan, and talking badly about the president of the United States. That just can't happen. That would be destructive on so many levels.
CALLAN: It would be. It would be anarchy in the armed forces. When you put that uniform on, you understand that you're giving up some rights. If you got duty on the base on Saturday, you can't leave. You're AWOL if you do. I'm an American citizen, it's a free country, see you later. See you later into the brig, if you're in the Marine Corps.
(LAUGHTER)
So, we don't have the same rules for the military as we do for everyone else. If we're going to have a good military, we've got to function that way.
(CROSSTALK)
PHILLIPS: Paul, we're the same way. When we sign contracts with CNN, there's certain things we can' say or do as well. You give up certain opportunities, when you sign a contract, of sorts.
CALLAN: You absolutely do. We do in all aspects of life. But we certainly want our soldiers to be focused on obeying their orders of their commander-in-chiefs, for the most part.
What's interesting is we're a country that says that the military can vote and they can participate. We try to balance First Amendment rights with the need to have an efficient military. And the courts are going to be struggling with this, with the Internet and Facebook and twitter and all of these social media outlets that make it easy for even soldiers in the field to express their views.
PHILLIPS: Paul, great talking to you today. Thanks so much.
CALLAN: Thanks, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: A Texas hospital said that it's banning overweight job applicants. That's right. Employment discrimination? Not necessarily. That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Time now to go to stories making news at "Street Level."
We'll start in Augusta, Georgia. The Masters in full play this morning. And as usual the icon of the games, Arnold Palmer, Gary Player kicked it off. They hit the ceremonial first shots. Tiger Woods just teed off last hour. But weather may play a factor with rain as a threat. The Masters runs through Sunday.
Let's head west to Colorado, where a former sheriff of the year is found guilty of a crime. The former sheriff, known for his crusade against drug use, pleaded guilty to charges of trading meth for sex. He was sentenced to 38 days behind bars, eight of which he already served. He also had to pay $1,000 fine and will receive two years of supervised probation. He was arrested after a sting operation last year.
On to Miami, where boxing legend, Muhammad Ali, got in on a different sport. We know about the champ's right and left hook. But this time, he got in on some baseball action. Ali joined the Marlins for the opening of the new stadium. Construction of the park was just completed last month. The sold-out crowd came for the opener. Ali took part in the pregame ceremonies. He's 70 years old.
In Victoria, Texas, a Texas hospital is dealing with heat but nothing to do with the weather. Citizens Medical Center is in trouble for reportedly banning applicants from getting hired because of their weight. The hospital's policy requires all potential employees to have a body mass index of less than 35. That would mean no more than 210 pounds for people about 5'5".
Remember this? A JetBlue pilot yelling on board last week? Well, apparently, that pilot, Clayton Osbon, will now undergo a psychiatric evaluation. The judge ordered the exam to see whether or not he was actually sane during that incident. Prosecutors say that they believe he may suffer from a mental illness.
And Baltimore, Maryland, where Maryland state officials are holding a presser this afternoon. The alleged Mega Millions winner has failed to show anyone her ticket. Does she actually have one? Her co-workers at McDonalds say it's a pool ticket. Marylyn Wilson (ph) insists that she bought it herself. Maryland lottery officials say, until they see a ticket, there's no getting the dough.
Now to Athens, Georgia, where the word's fourth oldest person remains an inspiration. Dr. Lela Denmark (ph) worked as a pediatrician until she was 103 years old. She practiced 73 years in Atlanta. Over the weekend, she died at her daughter's home. She was 114.
Republican establishment rallying around Romney, has Rick Santorum gotten the memo? Apparently not. We'll tell you why next.
But first, our "Political Junkie" question of the day -- when was the last time that the U.S. had a brokered convention. Tweet the answer to me.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Well, before the break, I asked you, when was the last time that the U.S. had brokered a convention. It was the 1952 Democratic Convention. Then Illinois-Governor Adelaide Stevenson secured that nomination but was defeated by Dwight Eisenhower in the general election.
President Obama signs the Jobs Act in just a few hours. The new law will help privately-held start-up companies to look for capital from the public.
Both sides agreed on something. Why can't it always be this easy? And that's "Fair game."
Democratic strategist, Maria Cardona, and former Republican strategist, Gentry Collins, join me.
Gentry, wow, when you look at everything that the party can't agree on, this is a nice change.
GENTRY COLLINS, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: This is big achievement frankly for both sides. Look this could serve as a template for the work that has to happen during the lame-duck session after the election. Between the November and January time frames while we're getting ready for a new president in this country. A lot of work to be done and hopefully this is a step in the right direction.
PHILLIPS: Maria?
MARIA CARDONA, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST & CNN CONTRIBUTOR: I agree that it's something that's very good for both sides. But more importantly it's good for the American people to see that Congress does work, Washington can come together to focus on real solutions to focus on this path of job creation. The president has been urging for a very long time. We're happy that the Republicans joined the Democrats in a lot of the proposals. To make sure that small businesses do have the capital that they need in order to continue the job creation path that this president has put us on.
PHILLIPS: Still the critics are out there. I want both of you to weigh in.
Do you really think that it's going to help the economy, why or why not? Gentry?
COLLINS: It's going to help because it opens more capital markets to small businesses around the country. Small businesses of course over the last number of decades have been the biggest source of new job creation in the country. Not only that, but this moves into the new economy. Harnessing online tools like crowd funding that haven't been open to these businesses in the past.
CARDONA: I couldn't agree more. In fact, this reminds me of April 3rd, was the 16th anniversary of the death of secretary brown whom I used to work for, he used to say when he was secretary of commerce, small businesses are the engine of economic growth in the country and that continues to be true today. The president knows this. Democrats know this. Republicans know this. This is great model in order to move guard where both sides can really focus on what's good for the country and what's good for voters and what's good for the continuing path for job creation and ensuring that voters can see that Washington can come together and solve problems. So, we hope that the Republicans can continue to join us to show voters that leaders can do what's right for this country.
PHILLIPS: And Maria is getting so emotional. Her voice is cracking.
(LAUGHTER)
CARDONA: I know.
PHILLIPS: I know it's an emotional moment.
All right, let's talk about Romney's campaign. Guys, lot of changes taking place, including the announcement that Ed Gillespie is joining his campaign.
COLLINS: Ed Gillespie is the most trusted by conservatives and party establishment leaders alike. They begin leaving the nominating contest behind them and start planning a successful strategy for this November. I think it's nail in the coffin for Rick Santorum.
PHILLIPS: Maria, what do you think? Does Romney become more of a threat when he has Gillespie advising him?
CARDONA: There's no question this is good for the Romney campaign. And what I think that it signals is that the establishment is continuing to make sure that they rally around Romney. They know that the Republicans are in a bad position in terms of the damage that this grueling primary has done on the Republican brand. They're bleeding the support of independent women. They're in the gutter with support from Latinos, and this primary they just want it done. Unfortunately, Rick Santorum and other very conservative Republican voters don't see that Romney is the person that they can trust to be the conservative standard bearer. So I don't see that Rick Santorum is going to get out. I see the Republicans desperate for him to get out. So we'll see what's going to happen.
PHILLIPS: Well, on that note, in addition to Romney getting Gillespie, all these new endorsements, what you said about Santorum, Jon Stewart puts this all in perspective for us.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JON STEWART, HOST, THE DAILY SHOW: Everybody knows the primary is over.
RICK SANTORUM, (R), FORMER PENNSYLVANIA SENATOR & PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We have now reached the point where it's halftime.
STEWART: Almost everybody.
SANTORUM: Half the delegates in this process have been selected, and who is ready to charge out of the locker room in Pennsylvania for a strong second half?
(APPLAUSE)
STEWART: Game is over, dude. It's over.
(LAUGHTER)
You're done. This isn't the seen in the sports drama where the coach gives the inspiring speech and the team comes back to win the playoffs. This is the scene in the sports drama where Hillary Swank hits her head on a stool and never boxes again.
(LAUGHTER)
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: And then Gentry, quotes the movie "The Sixth Sense," right, Gentry?
(LAUGHTER)
COLLINS: It's like the Bruce Willis character. He's the only guy in the story that doesn't know he's dead yet. Jon Stewart, of course, may be the most insightful political commentator in the country today.
PHILLIPS: Maria?
COLLINS: Well, yes. I mean, I think it's true, but then again it's not over till it's over, and so until Mitt Romney can seal the 1144 delegates he needs, as a Democrat I say continue on Rick Santorum, you have all the right to do so.
PHILLIPS: Maria, Gentry, thanks so much, you guys.
CARDONA: Thank you.
COLLINS: Thank you.
PHILLIPS: New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, and Illinois did it. Now Connecticut could, too. State lawmakers on track to get rid of the death penalty. But it's not necessarily what their voters want. We'll have that in two minutes.
First in our 15-minute segment, if it didn't exist we'd probably invent it for this guy. You may know his face from 2008 when he fathered a child with then-girlfriend Bristol Palin. He's done it again with a 20-year-old teacher in Wasilla, Alaska. This news broke the same day Sarah Palin guest hosted the "Today" show and a friend says that's no accident. A so-called media insider tells "Huffington Post," the daddy to be, quote, "made a fortune selling interviews in the past and expects to do it again." Not here, pal. Your 15 minutes are up.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, my god. Please. Oh, shoot.
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PHILLIPS: The more we learn about the Texas tornadoes, the more we're amazed someone wasn't killed. New figures tell us that winds were clocked as high as 150 miles an hour and the damage assessments keep getting worse. Telling the story of the storm's destructive force, now 200 homes have been destroyed, 650 damaged.
Detroit dodges what could have been a major embarrassment. The city council passed an agreement to share financial power with the state. Now, the deal gives Michigan officials a say in how to fix Detroit's finances, but it avoids a state takeover. The agreement is fiercely opposed by labor unions.
How would you like to be the most important and influential person in town? You can. Buying your town. Buford, Wyoming, called the nation's smallest town, population one, is for sale for a minimum bid of $100,000. You might walk away with the whole entire place, including a combination convenience store and gas station and a three- bedroom home.
Just a few hours ago a new video hit the Internet and it's almost certain to go viral. It's a sequel to "Kony2012," the documentary that targets Ugandan warlord, Joseph Kony.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Releasing this film to explain the creation of the campaign, the progress that's already been made, and what we can al do now to support the ongoing efforts to stop the violence of the LRA.
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PHILLIPS: The first video, "Kony2012," wracked up a staggering 86 million views in just a few weeks.
Connecticut is now one step closer to doing away with the death penalty. The state's Senate approved a bill this morning. The House is expected to pass it, too. And the governor has vowed to sign it into law.
Here is the current lay of the land on capital punishment. These are the states with the death penalty. But in the last five years New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, and Illinois have gotten rid of it.
If things play out as expected, Connecticut would be the fifth state to nix the death sentence. Supporters say the practice is inconsistent and infective. The process dragged on by appeal after appeal, sometimes over decades.
But while lawmakers are working to get rid of it, here is the kicker. Take a look at the recent Quinnipiac poll. 62 percent of Connecticut's residents think abolishing the death penalty is a bad idea. Historically, voters have been divided. The poll director has said this high-profile case changed that.
You may remember this very well. The 2000 murders of the Petit family and the two men sitting on death row are these guys. Dr. William Petit was the sole survivor. He's remained a staunch critic of repealing the death penalty. When lawmakers made a move three years ago, the previous governor vetoed the bill citing the Petit murder.
The death penalty repeal being proposed right now would not apply to criminals already sentenced to death. Critics are worried the convicted murderers, like those two men you saw, will try to use it during their appeals. Connecticut could join other states. The chances are looking pretty good, too. But there's no doubt the debate is far from over.
Thanks for watching, everyone.
CNN NEWSROOM continues right now with Suzanne Malveaux.
