Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Book Claims New Kennedy Conspiracy Theories; Obama College Tour Not Sitting Well with Republicans; Rupert Murdoch Back on the Stand; Teacher Claims She Was Fired for IVF; Star Witness Takes the Stand in Edwards Trial

Aired April 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's 11:00 on the East Coast and 8:00 out West. Let's get straight to the news.

Rupert Murdoch back on the stand today, admitting a cover-up did happen. The media mogul testified for the second day, blaming rogue journalists for the phone-hacking scandal, saying they hid what they were doing from him.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RUPERT MURDOCH, CEO, NEWS CORP.: There's no question in my mind that maybe even the editor, but certainly beyond that someone took charge of a cover-up which we were victim to and I regret.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: The hacking scandal has engulfed Murdoch's vast media empire and resulted in dozens of arrests and two parliamentary investigations. A live report from London coming up in just about eight minutes.

The prosecution's star witness is back to the stand today in the criminal trial of former presidential candidate, John Edwards. Edwards is accused of using contributions from campaign donors to conceal an affair with his mistress.

Former aide, Andrew Young, has already testified that he helped hide Rielle Hunter in his own home while Edwards pursued the White House. Edwards' lawyers insist the way he used the money was not illegal.

This just in to CNN. A Miami federal judge has declared Florida Governor Rick Scott's order requiring drug testing for Florida state workers unconstitutional. An employee's union filed a lawsuit citing a violation of fourth amendment rights protecting against unreasonable searches. The order covers 85,000 state employees.

And you're looking at live pictures now, Vice President Joe Biden at New York University. He's talking national security and pushing a message -- a strong and secure America.

Biden will likely take aim at GOP presidential nominee, Mitt Romney, on foreign policy. We're keeping an ear on it, and we'll bring any news to you as it breaks.

Walmart gets the headlines, but it's far from the only big company accused of bribing officials in other countries to clinch deals, win permits and cut red tape. This week, "The New York Times" reported Walmart's former CEO in Mexico oversaw millions of dollars in payoffs to speed up construction projects dating back years.

U.S. law makes that a federal crime and investigators have their hands full. "Fortune" magazine says at least 81 companies now, including John Deere, Hewlett-Packard, News Corp and Avon, are all under investigation.

And nothing says you've arrived quite like Air Force One and Republicans are now accusing President Obama of using that plane for campaign purposes. The Republican party chair says that trips like the ones the president makes all week, like this week to several college campuses, are purely designed to get him re-elected.

He compares the president's events to campaign rallies and he wants the government to investigate that. The White House insists it's following all the rules about reimbursing taxpayers.

And just last hour, the Republican chairman of the House budget committee defended his blueprint for budget cuts at Georgetown University. Ryan says his proposed downsizing of government programs and social services are a reflection of Catholic teaching.

But ahead of today's speech almost 90 priests and faculty at Jesuit that actually run Georgetown told him that he's wrong.

And during the speech protesters unfurled a banner reading, "Stop the war on the poor." Ryan says he's thinking of future generations.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REPRESENTATIVE PAUL RYAN (R), HOUSE BUDGET CHAIRMAN: You know, we wonder if we will be the first generation in American history to leave our children with fewer opportunities and a less prosperous nation than the one we inherited.

This storm has already hit Europe where millions are enduring the consequences of empty promises turning into broken promises.

But for too many in Washington, instead of learning from Europe's mistakes, we're repeating them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Paul Ryan's budget passed the House, but stands no chance in the Senate.

Bird strikes forced these two flights to make emergency landings. We're talking about a time span of less than one week.

Now, a U.S. Senator is proposing a controversial solution. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand is pushing to make it easier for officials to round up and kill Canada geese on a federal wildlife refuge near JFK airport. She's introduced legislation.

Wildlife advocates are criticizing the measure, saying there are other methods to control the geese.

The parents of a missing 6-year-old girl in Arizona say they will never give up searching for her. Police say they are scaling back the search now for Isabel Celis who was reported missing from her family's Tucson home last Saturday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BECKY CELIS, ISABEL'S MOTHER: We are here today to plea for a safe return of our baby girl, Isabel.

SERGIO CELIS, ISABEL'S FATHER: We're looking for you, Isa. We love you, and we miss you so much, and we will never give up. We will never give up looking for you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Police are describing the girl's disappearance as suspicious, but haven't identified any suspects in the case.

Family and supporters of Trayvon Martin marking the two-month anniversary of his death. The NAACP and other groups now hosting a rally tonight in L.A. Civil rights activists are expected to join celebs like Magic Johnson, Stevie Wonder, Chaka Khan and others.

Trayvon Martin died February 26th after he was shot by neighborhood watchman, George Zimmerman. Zimmerman is charged with second-degree murder, but insists that he acted in self-defense.

The Marine Corps has discharged Sergeant Gary Stein who slammed President Obama on Facebook. The Marine Corps spokesperson says that Stein was given and "other than honorable" discharge which is given to a Marine who commits a, quote, "serious offense."

Among other comments, Stein called the president a domestic enemy, posted "Obama lies" and says President Obama was the, quote, "ultimate political target."

Stein also suggested he would not follow orders from the president. The Marines say he violated rules limiting political conduct by service members.

And White House party crasher and reality TV star, Tariq Salahi, now wants to crash the governor's mansion in Virginia. Salahi, a Virginia native, says that he wants to run for governor in 2013. He explained why on CNN's "Starting Point" with Soledad O'Brien.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TARIQ SALAHI, PLANS TO RUN FOR GOVERNOR OF VIRGINIA: I love Virginia. I'm taking it very seriously. I have a passion for Virginia. I've been living there my whole life and I'm really excited about this. You know, currently, the Virginia attorney general has brought personal attacks against me and I've just said enough is enough.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Salahi will likely run as a Republican, according to his application. This wouldn't be Salahi's first time in the public sector either. He once served on the Virginia tourism board.

Rupert Murdoch, one of the most powerful media moguls ever, showing a rare moment of humility.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MURDOCH: All I can do is apologize to a lot of people, including all the innocent people on "News of the World" who lost their job.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: But Murdoch also admitting something else today, a cover-up. Details next.

And later, my date with some raging, aging rockers, Styx to be precise. It's part of our weeklong series on baby boomers, taking the golden years by storm.

We call it "Age Against the Machine" and Styx proves that age is just a number, but rock 'n' roll is for life. Don't you believe me?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE, MEMBER OF THE ROCK BAND, "STYX": Baby boomers rock!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE, MEMBER OF THE ROCK BAND, "STYX": Don't listen to anyone who says they don't.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE, MEMBER OF THE ROCK BAND, "STYX": And back to you, Kyra.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Thanks, guys. See you in 40 minutes.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: For the first time since the phone hacking scandal broke, media mogul Rupert Murdoch actually admitted there was a, quote, "cover-up."

And if you think this is a British thing, think again. If you watch television, go to the movies, read newspapers like "The Wall Street Journal" and "The New York Post," even own books published by Harper Collins, you have bought into the Murdoch empire.

And today he was in the spotlight today, facing a barrage of tough questions about the scandal.

Dan Rivers joining us now, live from London. Dan, Murdoch made some news today, right?

DAN RIVERS, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I mean, this is the first time we've heard Rupert Murdoch himself admit in his words that there was a cover-up.

The News Corp line, to start with, was that this was the work of one rogue reporter at one newspaper, "The News of the World" that famously got shut down last year. Then the scandal has spread and spread and spread.

Now, for the first time, he's admitted that he was basically misinformed and shielded from what was going on, but did agree with the lawyer questioning him, Robert Jay, that there had been a cover-up at that newspaper.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MURDOCH: There's no question in my mind that maybe even the editor, but certainly beyond that, someone took charge of a cover-up which we were victim to and I regret.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RIVERS: He regrets, but it's something that is engulfing his media empire, worldwide.

There are going to be big questions for him to answer in the U.S. about this, about, well, if there was a cover-up, why didn't he know about it? Was he part of it? When did he find out and why didn't he tell shareholders of News Corp in New York?

Also some interesting insights into the moment he found out that this phone-hacking story was going stratospheric, the day that we got news that a murdered British schoolgirl's voicemail had been hacked into by some of his journalists.

He gave a very graphic account of what it was like to get that news and how he reacted.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MURDOCH: You could feel the blast coming in the window and, as I say, simply I panicked, but I'm glad I did.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, it's obvious that closing it was a disaster, both ...

MURDOCH: I'm sorry I didn't close it years before I put it in.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RIVERS: So they are admitting that he wished he had shut down "The News of the World" earlier than he did. Of course, it was shut down in disgrace last year. All the way through, really, Rupert Murdoch trying to say, look, they have gone to extraordinary lengths to try and get to the bottom of this.

They said they have 300 million e-mails they have looked at, of which 2 million have been forwarded for further investigation by the police.

But this isn't over yet. He's got a lot of questions still to answer about exactly how this cover-up occurred.

And, as the guy at the top of the organization, some responsibility surely for ultimately, as he said, the buck stops with him.

He put a lot of these people in their post and, therefore, his critics will say he must share some responsibility for that cover-up.

PHILLIPS: Dan Rivers out of London. Dan, thanks.

Well, grave, immoral sinner, that's what an Indiana teacher says she was called after going through IVF. Now, Emily Herx is suing for discrimination. She joins me live, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Well, in vitro fertilization is a godsend for millions of infertile couples who long to have children, but the Catholic Church says it's a sin.

So when higher-ups in the diocese in Ft. Wayne, Indiana, learned that a teacher at St. Vincent de Paul Catholic school was undergoing IVF treatments, they fired her and made no apologies about it.

Quote, "The diocese has clear policies requiring that teachers in its schools must have a knowledge of and respect for the Catholic faith and abide by the tenets of the Catholic Church."

Now, the teacher then accused the school and diocese of violating both the Civil Rights Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission agreed.

Still, the church is unmoved, calling the, quote, "core issue ," quote, "a challenge to the diocese's right as a religious employer to make religious-based decisions consistent with its religious standards on an impartial basis."

Meet the teacher, Emily Herx. She joins me now from New York with her attorney, Kathleen Delaney.

And we did invite officials from the Ft. Wayne diocese to join us, but they declined.

So, Emily, let's go ahead and start with you. You taught at St. Vincent de Paul for eight years. Were you ever reprimanded for any performance issues? EMILY HERX, TEACHER FIRED FOR IVF TREATMENTS: Never, not once. I was always given remarks by my parents and by my principal and by other teachers.

I was told that my children performed very well, so everything seemed to be going great for as long as I was there.

PHILLIPS: So did anyone ever tell you that IVF could get you fired?

HERX: No, absolutely not. About two years ago when we started, there was no warning. There was nothing about fertility treatments being an issue.

PHILLIPS: And did you ever try to hide it from anybody, not talk about it?

HERX: No. I was very honest with my principal from the get-go, so I was never trying to lie about it or anything like that.

PHILLIPS: Was your principal supportive?

HERX: Yes, she was. For the first two years, she never warned me about it. She never said there was a possibility that you could lose your job, so that's why this was all so shocking that this happened so quickly.

PHILLIPS: We're talking about a Catholic school. Did she ever say, hey, let's pray about it or I'll keep new my prayers or let's stay focused on this.

HERX: Absolutely. The first time that she was made aware that my husband and I had to go through fertility treatment she said, "You are in my prayers," so that to me was support.

PHILLIPS: So I see that you started fertility in 2008 and you weren't fired until 2011, so tell me what happened. How did this blow up?

HERX: Honestly I'm not sure. It was shocking because one day I got an e-mail saying that I needed to meet with the monsignor at St. Vincent and he told me that, basically, my job was at risk out of the blue.

And I said, "Well, you know, my principal has been knowing about this for two years."

I didn't think I was doing anything wrong, and I had never had any complaints about, you know, me as a teacher so I was shocked and then it just kind of snowballed from there.

So it's been very traumatic.

PHILLIPS: So who had the issue with the fact that you were going through IVF? KATHLEEN DELANEY, ATTORNEY FOR FIRED TEACHER: Well, we're going to have to explore that issue, Kyra, through the discovery process and we'll be able to prove that when the time comes.

PHILLIPS: So -- and I'll talk more with you, Kathleen, of course, about some of the details, but just trying to get a feel from Emily on how this all sort of unfolded.

Emily, it seems like you had a lot of support, that people were aware of what you were going through. The principal, as you say was praying for you. How has this impacted your family?

HERX: Oh, my family is devastated. We are all emotionally -- it's been a very rough year.

My entire family, my parents, it's just been a very hard thing to come to grips to because I did love my job so much and I did love teaching so much.

You know, right after college, I was so excited to get a job there and, you know, to have that stripped away from me, but the outpour of support has been wonderful.

PHILLIPS: So, Kathleen, does the diocese insurance policy cover these treatments, cover fertility treatments?

DELANEY: Our understanding, based upon the information that we now have, is that the diocese health plan covered some of the treatments, including office visits and anesthesia services.

PHILLIPS: OK. So Emily, as far as you knew, you were going through this and the insurance that you have through the diocese was helping you pay for these treatments.

HERX: Absolutely.

PHILLIPS: The bills were getting paid?

HERX: Some of the bills were getting paid, absolutely.

PHILLIPS: OK. So then, Kathleen, if I -- in the diocese -- or to use the diocese's own words, the quote here is that your client was fired for improprieties related to church teachings or law.

So let me ask you this. What about the teachers who use contraception, teachers that are divorced, teachers that live with partners that are unmarried?

DELANEY: That's a very good point, Kyra, and, in proving discrimination claims, the evidence that's relevant includes how similarly situated people who are not in the same gender category are treated.

So if male teachers are using contraception and participating in fertility treatment with their spouses and not being terminated for it, then that is one way that we can prove gender discrimination, for example.

PHILLIPS: Kathleen, do you know if that's happening?

DELANEY: Kyra, I'm not in a position to tell you names and dates on that, but if you read the research in the news media about the prevalence of contraceptive-use within the Roman Catholic community, I think that's a safe assumption to make.

PHILLIPS: So, Kathleen, what do you think is happening here? Do you think someone just had a grudge against your client and sort of made this a big deal when apparently everything was OK from 2008 to 2011, if indeed the principal knew she was going through the treatment, the bills were getting paid for things covered by the insurance policy?

DELANEY: Well, we're not going to speculate on the motives of the diocese of Ft. Wayne. I think it's for them to address those questions when the time comes rather than us.

PHILLIPS: Understood. So, Emily, I know this may be a bit of a personal question, but did the IVF work for you?

HERX: Honestly, no, it has not.

PHILLIPS: And I know that must be tremendously hard to deal with as well. Do you want to do it again? Do you want to keep trying?

HERX: Right now, I don't feel comfortable talking about that, but ...

DELANEY: It's a really tough topic, Kyra, and that's really between Emily and her husband and her doctor.

PHILLIPS: Understandable. How about returning to the classroom, Emily?

HERX: One day, I would love to be in front of children again, but, I mean, this has been such a traumatic year that right now I need to focus on getting through it.

PHILLIPS: We will definitely follow the case. Emily and Kathleen, thanks so much for your time this morning.

HERX: Thank you.

DELANEY: Thank you for your interest, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: You bet.

Straight ahead, traveling with pets is much more common nowadays, but finding pet-friendly destinations, well, that can be a pretty big challenge. Look no further. We do have a solution, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Planning a trip with your family can be pretty time- consuming, especially if you're looking for places to stay with your pets. A report now on this week's "Travel Insider."

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

JAMIE MAGLIETTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi. I'm Jamie Maglietta, a producer at CNN, and this is Rambo, our little mini-poodle.

My husband and I live in Atlanta, Georgia, and we've been looking for some pet-friendly vacations good for Rambo. Our favorite is Hilton Head, South Carolina.

Go get him.

: if you're looking to book a pet-friendly trip search for pet- friendly hotels or rentals at BringFido.com. Out of all the websites, this is the most reliable.

We booked a condo instead of a hotel for a low rate. Just keep in mind that if you bring Fido, it could cost more. Some places require a dog fee.

And if you want your pooch on the beach all day, plan your Hilton Head trip before Memorial Day or after Labor Day. During the summer your pup can only be on the beach leashed before 10:00 a.m. and after 5:00 p.m.

If you think planning a dog vacay is hard, think again. Besides hotels, there are also pet-friendly restaurants. We found a few in Hilton Head that offer a dog menu and consider this, if you travel with your pet you don't have to find someone to watch him and Hilton Head made it easy to enjoy a weekend away as a family.

That's Hilton Head, South Carolina. I'm Jamie Maglietta, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: And again the website, Jamie searched for that was BringFido.com.

Well, it's one of the capital's most infamous murder mysteries. A Washington socialite shot in brought daylight. The victim, a long- time rumored mistress of President John F. Kennedy.

Next, a man who says he believes he knows who killed her.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Sex, murder and alleged cover-up, all the makings of the countless conspiracy theories that are out there about the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Now, the murder of this woman. Kennedy's widely rumored mistress, Mary Meyer. her execution- style murder has been called one of Washington's enduring mysteries. The latest mystery, now detailed in this explosive new book, "Mary's Mosaic." The book claims the CIA has both Kennedy and Meyer's blood on its. The author theorizes this -- Meyers she knew too much, was too close to so-called truth of Kennedy's assassination, and the book claims the CIA masterminded her assassination. The author of the book, Peter Janney, joining me along with presidential historian, Thomas Whalen.

Peter, I'll start with you and I'll be real blunt. Critics here say this book is absolute fiction. but then there's people on the other side, fascinated by the subject, like Oliver Stone, who says that this book moves us closer to, quote, "a reckoning." So tell me about your personal dies with Mary Meyer and the CIA.

PETER JANNEY, AUTHOR: Good morning, Kyra. I knew Mary personally. I knew her family. I was best friends with one of her child before he was accidentally killed by an auto when we were 9. But I did not know of Mary's murder until I came home for Thanksgiving vacation in 1964. Her murder had taken place a month earlier on October 12th, 1964, and so I learned that she had been murdered and it was deeply troubling to me, as I detail in the book, and it has sort of haunted me for a great deal of my life. It wasn't until 1976 that we all learned, through an explosive article in "The National Enquirer," that Mary and President Kennedy had had a fairly involved intimate affair. And in fact I maintain Mary Meyer was likely the last true love of President Kennedy's life.

PHILLIPS: OK. Let me stop you right there. I mean, you're talking about "The National Enquirer" and how can you -- you're talking about "The National Enquirer" here. That's a totally different -- that's a tabloid, so now you're coming forward and saying the CIA masterminded this murder. Tell me where you get your facts, your proofs, your documents, your conversations, you know. Tell me what you got here that should make us believe in this, Peter.

JANNEY: Well, in 19 -- in the early 1990s, an author by the name of Leo DeMoore, who is no longer with us -- and I believe was suspiciously led into suicide -- he had uncovered much of the research that is used in my book, and I became friends with him. And after his death -- I guess it was about 2003 -- I found his primary research assistant who had saved all his research, which I procured, and then I went to his family and asked them for permission to make use of this research in my book. And it's really author, DeMoore, which I credit with having done the real spade work on Mary Meyer's relationship with President Kennedy and her death.

(CROSSTALK)

PHILLIPS: Let me -- hold on a second, Peter. Let me get Thomas to weigh in because we've got a couple more minutes.

You're the historian here. Weigh in on this. What do you think of the allegations that Peter makes in this book, and do I want to add quickly, let me get it in, that we did reach out to the CIA. This is the statement that we got. "Allegations that the CIA had anything to do with Miss Meyer's death are baseless. There is simply no evidence to support this conspiracy theory."

As a historian, Thomas, please weigh in.

THOMAS WHALEN, PRESIDENTIAL HISTORIAN: I think it's interesting speculation, but it's just that, speculation. And I looked at the book, and I had a problem with the sourcing. It's based on a lot of interviews, and as the author suggests, Leo DeMoore's research, but there's no smoking-gun hard evidence to link the dots here.

And I also have a problem here. In the book, it makes a linkage to President Kennedy's assassination is as to the motivation, and it seems to suggest that Mary Meyer helped steer President Kennedy to a more dovish stance towards the Cold War, towards the Soviet Union. And as an historian, I just can't buy that. President Kennedy was one of the staunchest cold warriors we had in the presidency. During his tenure, he starts off with, for example, 63 ICBMs and ends with 423.

He launched the greatest arms race in the world's history. And he also is responsible for ordering the coup that resulted in the assassination of President Diem of South Vietnam just a few weeks before his own assassination. And the book also makes the contention here, that one of the reasons President Kennedy was assassinated was because he was going to disengage the United States from Vietnam, and frankly, the proof isn't there.

PHILLIPS: Thomas Whalen, Peter Janney, we have to leave it there. Appreciate your time.

WHALEN: Thank you, Kyra. Good to be with you.

PHILLIPS: Straight ahead, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton may throw her hat back into the ring for president in 2016, so who would be at the top of the list for her running mate? "Fair Game" next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: President Obama's college tour isn't sitting too well with Republicans right now. Let's head to D.C. to talk about this with author and entrepreneur, Tom Blair; and CNN political analyst, Roland Martin.

Guys, the Republican Party chair wants the government to investigate President Obama's recent trips.

They say they amount to campaign stops, but haven't we heard this argument before? Roland?

ROLAND MARTIN, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Yes. My goodness, please. I wish Reince Priebus and all the Republicans whining about this, to stop being stuck on stupid. Seriously. This is what people can't stand. It's an absolute joke. Every president, Democrat and Republican, that's what they do. I can remember in 1984 and '88, actually '88, when Vice President George H.W. Bush was positioning himself to run for president and Ronald Reagan, President Reagan, took him along various trips. There were photo-ops. It was the same thing, so, please, stop it. This is childish.

PHILLIPS: Tom Blair, Obama White House says, quote, "When there is political travel, we follow al rules and regulations that all other administrations have followed." TOM BLAIR, AUTHOR & ENTREPRENEUR: Well, the Republicans call it fraud. And I think Roland is absolutely right. It's jealousy. I would say though I think yesterday the White House perhaps pushed back inappropriately. They pushed back by saying the president needs to get out and chat with real Americans to see what their thoughts are about the course of the country, and I would humbly suggest for a lot less money he could fly the same Americans into D.C., put them up at the Willard, buy them a nice dinner and show tickets at the Kennedy Center.

And during intermission, he could go over there and see what their thoughts are. But from a practical point of view, the presidency comes with unbelievable responsibility, and there's some perks. You walk into a room, they play "Hail to the Chief." You can go skinny dipping in the White House pool at midnight. And you have keys to Air Force one.

(LAUGHTER)

And to try to separate politics from presidential duties like trying to pull the white of snow, you can't just do it.

PHILLIPS: Be honest, either one of you dipped in that pool?

ROLAND: No, so you know black people don't swim. Stop it.

(LAUGHTER)

PHILLIPS: Geez, he had to go there.

(LAUGHTER)

Let's move on to Mississippi, shall we. The Republican governor there, Phil Bryant, signed this tough anti-abortion bill. It's taken a few shots from the agents. Let's take a listen to what he said to Tony Perkins of the Family research council.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PHIL BRYANT, (R), GOVERNOR OF MISSISSIPPI: Even if you believe in abortion, the hypocrisy of the left that now tried to kill this bill that says that I should have never signed it, the true hypocrisy is that their one mission in life is to abort children, it's to kill children in the womb.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: OK. If you're Mitt Romney and you're ready to appeal to the political center, how does this play out what fill Phil Bryant said, Roland?

MARTIN: Round two of stuck on stupid. It's not going to play well. That's like a Democrat saying, hey, it's just the Republicans are so pro gun, guess what? They -- all they want to see 30,000 Americans killed every single year as a result of gunshots. I mean, it's ridiculous. If you want to make the position that you are pro- life, fine, do so, but stop with the nonsense, Governor Johnson, just throwing stuff out. Plus, I'm still waiting to hear him or even Tony Perkins talk about Trayvon Martin easily. You want to be pro-life, talk about that, but I doubt we'll actually hear that.

PHILLIPS: Tom?

BLAIR: Well, I think his comment was right up there with some of the comments we heard in the health care debate where Democrats want death panels. The flashpoint on this issue is moment of conception, and this is something that I've been studying and, for the first time, I would like to disclose when the moment of conception is when the young couple opens the second bottle of wine.

(LAUGHTER)

There's a baby in somebody's future and to interrupt them is somebody's design.

ROLAND: Maybe it's cranberry juice.

(LAUGHTER)

BLAIR: Seriously, no matter how noble the cause or heartfelt the convictions are or the people that support that cause, to demonize the opposition is really just self-inflicted wounds and undercuts the very arguments they are trying to make.

PHILLIPS: Roland Martin, Tom Blair, that's "Fair Game." Thanks, guy.

MARTIN: Let's go swimming.

(LAUGHTER)

PHILLIPS: I'll pass.

But I will rock out with the band Styx. I'll tell you what, it's better than ever. They give a guitar lesson, share their secret of remaining ageless. It's part of week-long series, "Age Against the Machine." You'll see it next.

(MUSIC)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Well, we all have something in our lives that takes us back to our youth, a moment, a person, a letter. For me, it's been music. You know, that first kiss, to an eight-track cut? For so many baby boomers it's been to the tunes of Styx, a band who has truly aged against the machine, showing all of us classic rock lovers age is just a number but rock 'n' roll is for life.

(AGE AGAINST THE MACHINE)

PHILLIPS: Pushing back the boundaries of aging. Still nowhere near the final encore. And to prove that point, you can catch Styx on their U.S. tour starting next week. Already selling out, by the way. It's called the Midwest Rock and Roll Express. It kicks off May 1st in Texas. If you can't make that show, head to styxworld.com and you can find out when you can see them.

The latest twists and turns in the John Edwards trials. His lawyers are turning up the heat on the prosecution's key witness. Details next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Take a look at some top stories. There's no suspension about the NFL draft. The Indianapolis Colts have said they will take quarterback, Andrew Luck, with the first pick. The Washington Redskins are expected to take another quarterback, Robert Griffin III.

Rupert Murdoch admitting to a phone hacking cover-up at his "News of the World" tabloid, but says his company was actually the victim. While Murdoch wouldn't name the people responsible, he did apologize for not taking more control of the situation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RUPERT MURDOCH, OWNER, NEWS CORP: I have to admit that some newspapers are closer to my heart than others, but I also have to say that I failed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Dozens of people have been arrested in the scandal, which forced Murdoch to close one of his best-selling newspapers.

And day four under way as we speak in the John Edwards' trial. Details of Edwards and his former mistress, Rielle Hunter, coming forward. Their affair, the conspiracy to hide her and their baby during Edwards' 2008 presidential bid highlights of the trial. Money from rich donors allegedly given to Hunter. Also kept her from talking apparently. Invoices in court showing alleged expenses of nearly $38,000 for a rental house. Also included more than $28,000 for a car, $40,000 for cash expenses and nearly $25,000 in other expenses.

A lot of those allegations hinge on the prosecution's star witness, Andrew Young. Today the defense is on the attack.

And Joe Johns is on the ground there in Greensboro, North Carolina, with all the details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOE JOHNS, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: The cross-examination of star prosecution witness Andrew Young continued today in Greensboro. It's been a brutal cross-examination so far in an effort to discredit the witness and tear down his credibility. Defense attorney, Abbe Lowell, has been reading page by page, line by line from Andrew Young's book about the Edwards' case, asking him whether he lied about this, whether he made up that story, all in an attempt to discredit him. At the end of the day, however, the question will be whether the center of the prosecution's case holds. That will be the contention by the government that John Edwards had a specific intention to break campaign finance laws. Andrew Young is expected to remain on the stand throughout the day.

Back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Again, that's our Joe Johns.

Thanks for watching, everyone. You can continue the conversation with me on Twitter, @kyraCNN, or on Facebook.

CNN NEWSROOM continues now with Suzanne Malveaux.