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9/11 Suspects on Trial; Battle over Student Loans; American Hostage Pleads with Obama to Meet Al Qaeda's Demands; Prostitute: Agents were "Idiots"; Can You Get in on Facebook's IPO?

Aired May 07, 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: And hello, everyone, I'm Kyra Phillips. It's 11:00 o'clock on the East Coast, 8:00 o'clock out West.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WARREN WEINSTEIN, AMERICAN HELD HOSTAGE BY AL QAEDA: And I would like to talk to President Obama and ask and beg him that he please accept and respond to the demands of the Mujahideen.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: An American hostage held by al Qaeda, but begging President Obama for his life.

Warren Weinstein was kidnapped in Pakistan in August. He hasn't been seen since or heard from until that video that just popped up on an Islamist website.

CNN's Elise Labott following that story out of Washington. So, Elise, tell us who Warren is.

ELISE LABOTT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Warren Weinstein, Kyra, is one of -- a very important development professional. He's been working in development for J.E. Austin and Associates, a big development firm, a U.S. contractor in Pakistan. He has 25 years of experience.

This 70-year-old man was kidnapped in August. In December, al Qaeda claimed responsibility and laid out a series of demands. Now, we're seeing in this video today that he's asking, as you said, President Obama to make good on those demands.

PHILLIPS: And so has there been any official reaction from the United States at this point?

LABORTT: Well, not yet. I mean, some of those demands, as we've been talking about, basically, he's asking for the U.S. to release all prisoners from the Taliban and al Qaeda, also asking for all drone strikes to stop in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Somalia, and Yemen, and also going as far as to ask to ease the border between Gaza and Egypt.

So it's not just about al Qaeda and the Taliban, but improving the life of all Muslims. And what the U.S. is saying here is, no, we don't negotiate with terrorists. I spoke to a senior State Department official just a while ago saying, we are aware of the video, very concerned about his well being and safety. FBI working with the Pakistanis who have the lead in the case, but seriously, no negotiations with terrorists.

And if you think back, Kyra, to when the journalist from "The Wall Street Journal," Daniel Pearl, was kidnapped, then Secretary of State Colin Powell said there will be no demands met. We don't negotiate with terrorists.

And I think the U.S. will stick to that policy going forward. Obviously, everybody trying to do what they can to locate Mr. Weinstein, but there certainly won't be any talking with al Qaeda about his release.

PHILLIPS: Let's take one more listen to what his pleas are as he was sitting there being videotaped.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WEINSTEIN: It's important that you accept the demands and act quickly and don't delay. There will be no benefit in delay. It will just make things more difficult for me.

But it's very important that you act quickly and I'm now waiting for your response.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Any progress at all in trying to find him?

LABOTT: No, Kyra. The Pakistanis are telling us, Pakistani police who are leading the investigation, say there have been no developments whatsoever.

They arrested some people in August, a few people connected with the case. Those people were questioned and released and the U.S. is saying they are trying to study the video. Not really sure if the comments were his or whether he was under duress, but no developments so far.

And, in that plea to President Obama, Mr. Weinstein is very poignant, saying you're a father, I need to spend time with my children. If you know what it's like, you'll help me.

But seriously right now, everyone is praying for his safe return, but the U.S. won't be negotiating.

PHILLIPS: Elise Labott, thanks.

And a day after the famed Kentucky Derby, police suspect murder at the racetrack. We're just getting new information in about the victim whose body was discovered by security guards in an area of the track known as the backside of Churchill Downs. Police say the victim was a stable worker.

Deborah Feyerick is keeping her eye on the developments for us. So, Deb, what more can you tell us about the victim?

DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A police lieutenant for the department had a press conference just a little while ago. Here's what we're learning. He is 48-year-old, Adan Perez, a native of Guatemala. He was working at Churchill Downs with his 19-year-old son who has questioned by investigators.

It's believed that Perez is a stable worker, specifically a groom, who had been caring for the horses. The lieutenant says that he believes this is a tragic, isolated incident.

It happened just after midnight really just hours after the derby. It appears there were several argument arguments involving the victim, Mr. Perez, and others working at the barn, what police are calling altercations which led up to the murder and that's why they believe this is an isolated incident and not part of a larger thing connected to Derby Day.

What makes the death suspicious is that the type of wounds that were sustained by the victim, but also where he was found. There's an area in this backside, Kyra, where a lot of these stable hands sleep.

He was found further back in a place that was a little bit hidden and he was discovered by a security guard who doing normal rounds early Sunday morning, so that is one of the reasons that they ruled that this, in fact, a homicide, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right, we're following the investigation. Deborah Feyerick, thanks so much.

And operations at Churchill Downs are back to normal. A racetrack spokesperson says that no races are scheduled at that track until later this week, but the cleanup from the Kentucky Derby continues as police investigate the case.

Well, great bodies, dumb men. Dania Suarez can't stop talking about her infamous encounter with Secret Service agents last month in Columbia. I'm sure you remember the scandal that's ended nine careers, or ten if you count here.

She says she's out of the sex trade now and she's glad that the guys who picked her and a friend up at a bar in Cartagena are out of government service. Suarez spoke to NBC News in Madrid.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DANIA SUAREZ, COLUMBIAN ESCORT (through translator): I think it's fair they lost their jobs and can never have their badges again because they are not up to it.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What do you think of these guys? You laugh? Why do you laugh so much?

SUAREZ (through translator): They seemed like completely stupid, idiots. I don't know how Obama had them in his security force. What dumb men. (END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Dumb? Maybe. But Suarez says the Americans had well- defined abs, which they liked to show off. She also says she has lots more to tell and may write a book.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARK ZUCKERBERG, FACEBOOK CEO: When I was in middle school, I was using search engines like Google and Yahoo. I just thought they were the most amazing things. It was this complete symbol of the age we live where now you have access to all of this information.

The thing that seemed missing was people. Even from very early on when we were building this thing for one school, there was this concept of what it could turn into. We just weren't sure then that we would be the ones who did it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Facebook founder and CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, taking center stage to kick off the company's road show. Facebook goes public next Friday and is courting potential investors who will pay between $28 and $35 to get in on the action.

The company's potential value is up to $98 billion, but there's one billionaire buyer who says he's not interested in Facebook stock.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WARREN BUFFETT, CEO, BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY: We never buy into an offering. I can't recall in my life buying into an offering. The idea that something coming out will say on Monday that's being offered with significant commissions, all kinds of published and everything.

The seller electing the time to sell is going to be the best single investment I can make in the world among thousands of choices. It's mathematically impossible, so we're not a buyer.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Warren Buffett won't invest, but can small investors get in on the Facebook IPO? Poppy Harlow, joining us now, live.

So, I'm guessing he probably doesn't Facebook, Poppy?

POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM CORRESPONDENT: No I asked him that. Are you on Facebook, Warren? He said no.

But he also said, Kyra -- this is important -- he wouldn't short, so he wouldn't bet against Facebook or Google or Apple, even though he doesn't have money in them.

But, you know, when it comes to the people watching right now, people like me and you, just the average person, you can get in on the Facebook IPO, maybe not as much as the big institutional investors or the folks on Wall Street, but you can.

What happened is that late last week, what Facebook did is in their IPO prospectus which is a lot of forms that are filed with SEC, et cetera, different government regulatory agencies, they added Etrade to their 33 underwriters and Etrade is something that many of us use to trade stocks on, et cetera.

So what that signals is that you could possibly buy into this initial offering in that price range that you showed when the company goes public at the end of next week. What you would do is, now or any time, you would put in a conditional offering, sort of the maximum price you would pay, the amount of shares you'd want and then you may or may not get that depending on how many shares there are.

So this the not just for the big hitters, the rich folks. This is actually for the average person. "The New York Times" is reporting some on Wall Street are saying this could see more percent of those shares that are issued going to Main Streeters, which is interesting.

Also, you could invest in a fund like T. Rowe Price or Fidelity. They already have stakes in Facebook, so you could get in that way as well, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right, so, here's my question, a total side bar. My guess is you probably asked him about politics. Is he supporting Romney? Obama? What'd you get?

HARLOW: We had talked about politics. He has been really 100 percent, his words, behind President Obama all the way through. This election cycle, he's already thrown a fundraiser for him in New York.

He still supports the president. He doesn't always agree with all the policies, but he supports the president. The president called him months ago and said, "Can we name this tax proposal, the Buffett rule, after you?"

He gave the president permission to do that, but I did ask him. I said you're in support of the Buffett rule. It didn't get support in the Senate. If Mitt Romney's in the White House, for example, do we see the Buffett rule disappear? Is it dead altogether?

He said absolutely not. Americans are too frustrated with this inequality when it comes to the tax system that, no matter who's in the White House, he thinks that's going to change.

But he's still a big backer of President Obama. Expect to hear a lot about him from the president on the campaign trail.

PHILLIPS: And the state of the economy? Did he give you any inside scoop?

HARLOW: It's getting better. He runs 80 companies from Dairy Queen to Geico to carpeting to bricks. The state of the economy is getting better, slowly. Businesses are feeling it more than we are. We know that.

Housing is the crux of the problem. He told me -- and this is a quote -- housing is still in a depression. That's a big concern.

PHILLIPS: Taking me back to Dairy Queen. That's my youth, right there.

HARLOW: I had a Dilly Bar interviewing him in Omaha. It was delicious.

PHILLIPS: Why am I not surprised? Thanks, Poppy.

HARLOW: Sure.

PHILLIPS: Facebook executives do plan to meet with investors in Boston, San Francisco, Chicago and Baltimore.

And just a quick note for those of you heading out the door, you can continue watching CNN from your mobile phone, or, if you're heading to work, you can also watch CNN live from your desk top.

Here's what you do. Just go to CNN.com/TV and tell your boss it's educational.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: One minute an Army wife was skyping with her husband in Afghanistan. The next minute, he was dead. Just what caused the death of Captain Bruce Clark remains a mystery.

Our Barbara Starr joins us now from the Pentagon. Barbara, what's the military saying about this? It's such a chilling and bizarre story.

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: It really is, Kyra, unprecedented perhaps by all accounts.

Captain Clark was talking to his wife from remote base in southern Afghanistan last week. They were on Skype when suddenly he collapsed. She made frantic phone calls to the military to try to get help to him in this very remote location, but they weren't able to really connect and figure it all out for a couple hours.

She said that she saw a bullet hole behind him. That was the statement that she put out over the weekend, leading to an awful lot of speculation about what may have happened to Captain Clark.

Well, just a little while ago, the Army's criminal investigation division put out its own statement to try and tamp down some of this. The Army CID saying, quote, "Although the investigation into his death is open and ongoing by special agents from the U.S. Army criminal investigation command, we can positively say that Captain Clark was not shot. Agents conducting the investigation found no trauma to the body beyond minor abrasions and a possible broken nose, most likely causing from Captain Clark striking his face on his desk when he collapsed." Terribly sad business here, Kyra, terrible news for the family and for his wife to have seen this, but this somewhat puts a bit of shape on what might have happened here. They have said no trauma, no bullet wound to the body.

The investigation will continue. Medical examiner, toxicology tests underway to try to find out exactly what happened to him, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: What do we know about Captain Clark? Had anything like this ever happened before this incident? Did he have heart problems? Any brain issues?

STARR: Yes, you know, those are the obvious, you bet, those are the obvious medical questions that come to mind, the factors that could have caused someone to instantly collapse like that. They are not saying at this point.

By all accounts, he would have been in good health, otherwise if he had a heart condition or some sort of known medical situation, not very likely he would have been serving in this position in Southern Afghanistan which is a very hot combat zone, of course.

So a lot remains to be seen here. Terribly traumatic situation for his family.

PHILLIPS: Barbara Starr, appreciate it.

Also in Eastern Afghanistan today, three American soldiers were killed when an explosion hit their vehicle. A Western official says two American soldiers were wounded.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Amid pomp-and-circumstance, Vladimir Putin is sworn in as Russia's president. He walked the red carpet and took the oath of office, but outside, riot police cracking down on anti-Putin protesters, arresting more than 100 people.

And that was nothing compared to the thousands who rallied yesterday. Protesters had thrown rocks at police who fought back, clubbing demonstrators and arresting more than 250 people.

Phil Black joining us now from Moscow. So, Phil, did Putin even address the violent crackdown and the thousands of protesters out there, declaring that he was corrupt? And I even heard them shouting "thief"?

PHIL BLACK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, no. The short answer is no. He did not.

He did, though, talk about democracy, about his desire, he says, to increase rights and freedoms under the constitution here, to have more people take part in the political process, for people to live free, to be able to make the most of their talents.

He said this is the sort of Russia that he wants to build. It's the sort of Russia that he will build.

Those are the sort of comments that I think will certainly be treated with significant skepticism by many Russians at the moment here, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: And so how serious is the opposition to Putin at this point?

BLACK: They are serious and intent, but they are not yet really a serious threat to his hold on power. The reasons? They are not organized and there's just not enough of them. They're largely confined to the major cities, like Moscow.

Beyond that, across this incredibly-vast country, he still enjoys significant popular support. But it is said that he's lost the support of the educated professional class. These are the people who are educated and are well off. They are growing in number, growing in wealth.

And so growing in political clout, too. So, although they're not a majority yet, there's a view here that governing will get increasingly difficult as long as he does not have the support of this very important demographic, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: So besides the anti-Putin movement, what are his biggest challenges right now?

BLACK: Well, I think they all refer and all have to do with the economy really. I have yet to meet an economist who doesn't believe that this economy needs to be reformed significantly.

It needs to be diversified. It's entirely dependent on oil exports. So very much at the whim of global oil prices.

It needs greater innovation, modernization. It needs to become more business-friendly. Corruption and bureaucracy are a really big problem here.

Outside of the cities, there are very few skilled jobs. The quality of living for many Russians is still very, very poor.

There is an enormous deficit in the state pension system. The people are getting older, an aging population, but much of the infrastructure is already very old.

So everyone is pretty much of the view that this is going to be a difficult presidential term for Vladimir Putin, not a holiday, by any means, some tough decisions ahead, many of which are likely to be painful for some people in the short-term and likely to be increase in increasingly unpopular as well.

So everyone, I think, is expecting this to be a very different term in power for Vladimir Putin to what we have seen up until this point, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Phil Black, thanks. Well, key elections in Europe are having a negative impact on Wall Street following the lead of the world market. The Dow fell some 50 points this morning. The trigger? Concern over the euro after the election of a socialist president in France for the first time in nearly 20 years.

Nicolas Sarkozy was defeated in voting yesterday. Severe belt- tightening policies also compelled voters in Greece to elect parliament members from the far left and far right.

Here in the United States, the Dow industrials down 32 points.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Police are looking for your help, trying to find this man. His name is Adam Mayes and he's considered armed and dangerous. How dangerous? Well, he's the prime suspect in the disappearance of a Tennessee woman and her three daughters.

Authorities found two bodies near a home in Mississippi that may be linked to the case. Maybe one or more of the family is missing. Jo Ann Bain and her three girls were last seen April 27th. Adrienne is 14 years old. Alexandria is 12. Kyliyah is 8.

Martin Savidge is here with more now. Do we know anything about these bodies found in Mississippi? Anything more?

MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Police are being extremely close guarded about the information regarding these bodies, other than to say they are tied to the investigation that is going on.

Now, of course, the fear is it that could be the mother or any of the three daughters. But they haven't said that. They haven't come out and released that. In fact, it was only after the bodies were discovered on Friday and this was in Guntown, Mississippi, that the Amber Alert was issued.

So, of course, everyone is fearful it's family members, but maybe it's somehow connected to the case and not. We don't know at this particular point.

PHILLIPS: Do we know if they knew the suspect, Adam Mayes, and what do we know about him?

SAVIDGE: Apparently, Adam Mayes had a very close relationship with this family. So much so that when you went to his Facebook, you could see a number of photographs of the family, him posing with the girls.

He was described by authorities as a close family friend. So he even apparently went on a trip or met up with the family when they were off in Arizona at one particular point.

So it does appear this man had a relationship with this family. And apparently, a trusted relationship, which is of course, one of the reasons why when this family went missing, he was one of the first people contacted by the FBI, but it was shortly after they made the contact that he fled.

PHILLIPS: What about the husband? Have we heard from him?

SAVIDGE: Not a lot. Of course, he's dealing with the tremendous pain right now and worry. He initially made the report on April 27th, so we're talking ten days ago that he filed the report that his wife was missing with his three daughters.

But again there's so much that we don't really know, other than the extreme urgency. The FBI and authorities believe that these young ladies and their mother are in extreme danger. They do believe that Adam Mayes is the abductor and there's an all-out effort to locate him.

PHILLIPS: Is it true police had Adam Mayes in custody and then let him go? Or was that hearsay?

SAVIDGE: Not in custody, as they were talking to him.

PHILLIPS: So they had him in person and questioning him and let him go?

SAVIDGE: Well, at some point, whether they let him go or whether he was free to go and simply disappeared, we don't know at this particular point.

PHILLIPS: We'll follow it. Martin Savidge, thank you so much.

SAVIDGE: You bet.

PHILLIPS: Well, lost in translation? Nice try. But the escort who serviced a Secret Service member in Columbia insists that her client knew the terms of their hook-up. Dania Suarez talked to NBC about the liaison that blew up into scandal. She says there were no misunderstandings the night before.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DANIA SUAREZ, ESCORT INVOLVED IN SECRET SERVICE SCANDAL (through translation): These are very basic words, sex, sexo, cash, money, dinaro. I made a sign with my fingers so that he couldn't pretend I was charging $80 or 80 cents.

SUAREZ: Says, OK, no problem. Let's go.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: For the record, Suarez charged $800 and settled for $300.

If you have pets, listen up. We want to tell you about a recall of dried dog food. It's being linked to an outbreak of salmonella. The Centers for Disease Control says 14 people in the nine states contracted salmonella linked to their exposure to dried dog food. It possible after people got sick after having contact with the dog who ate the food. It's Diamond pet foods. Here's a list of the brands affected. Diamond pet foods says they are expanding their voluntary recall as a precautionary measure. You can visit the web site diamondpetrecall.com and find out if it affects your pet food.

The search is on for a 20th century FOX executive who suddenly disappeared several days ago. Gary Smith is an executive with the distribution department and was last seen on Tuesday. According to the sheriffs department in L.A., he left in his black Mercedes and hasn't been heard from since. The sheriffs department says they don't expect foul play at this point.

No courtroom drama, just courtroom craziness. That's what happened when five men, accused of plotting the 9/11 attacks, made a rare court appearance in Guantanamo Bay. Their 13-hour arraignment included one guy stripping off his clothes, another making a paper airplane. All of this in front of the eyes of families of 9/11 victims.

Chris Lawrence was in that courtroom.

So what the heck did people do, Chris, when this started happening?

CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Everybody just shook their head and looked in wonder at what was coming next. It started at 9:00 in the morning and didn't finish until after 10:00 at night. Right off the bat, all of the defendants took out their ear pieces so they couldn't hear the translation. When the judge would ask certain questions, they ignored him and wouldn't participant in the hearing.

This was a form of peaceful protest over a system that they think is rigged where they are not going to be able to get a fair hearing in military commission. But it had to be an embarrassment who pushed to have the hearings at Guantanamo. It's a stark reminder of President Obama's promise to close Guantanamo and move all this to federal court.

PHILLIPS: What about the families in the courtroom? How did they respond after observing this?

LAWRENCE: They were seated towards the back, and for a part of the hearing, you could sort of see their reactions. They didn't have that much reaction during, while this was going on. But afterwards, several of them -- you know, one of them at least Eddie Bracken, he lost his sister in the attacks. He said it was hurtful because the defendants seemed to show no remorse.

BV

EDDIE BRACKEN, LOST SISTER ON 9/11: It's our justice system. They have rights as of right now. And whatever the due course is and how the process works, eventually, they are either going to be in jail for the rest of their lives or they are going to be dead.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LAWRENCE: The so-called mastermind who once boasted he was behind the 9/11 attacks, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, this time he didn't say anything, at least when he was addressed by the judge. But during recess and breaks, we could see him whispering and talking to the other defendants. At one point, they all had a copy of the economist magazine they were passing amongst each other.

PHILLIPS: When's the next hearing?

LAWRENCE: It's in June. It's a motions hearing for some of the objections that the defense attorneys have. No word yet on if the defendants will necessarily have to be there. But a couple months for the next hearing. The big question is, when it this actual trial going to start? It's coming up on 10 years now since Khalid Sheikh Mohammed was captured. The trial might not start until next year or later.

PHILLIPS: Chris Lawrence, appreciate it. Thanks so much.

This was a case that President Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder wanted to hold in New York City, but after a flood of criticism and security questions, Holder changed course, setting up what we saw over the weekend at Guantanamo.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: If you're leaving the House now, you can continue watching CNN from your mobile phone. You can also watch live from your desk top. Go to CNN.com/tv. You can brush up on your geography like my next guest.

The experts at the Metropolitan Museum of Art failed to catch it. Millions of history buffs passed right by it and never questioned it. This is what I'm talking about, a map of the Byzantine Empire, 6th century. The one hanging up at the Met looks just like this one. So can you tell what's wrong with it? Well, don't worry. A lot of people didn't know until 13-year-old Benjamin Lerman Coady came along. He saw the map during a trip to the met last summer. Benjamin took one look and knew, this was one of the finest museums in the world, but he also knew they were wrong.

Benjamin joins me now live.

So, Benjamin, let's take a look at that map again. Tell me what caught your attention as soon as you saw it.

BENJAMIN LERMAN COADY, SAW ERROR IN MAP: Well, I noticed that the southern part of Spain and the tip of North Africa like the Gibraltar Strait was missing.

PHILLIPS: OK. And so you noticed that. Let's take a look at the map and see what it's really supposed to look like. There's the part that's missing. So how did you know this? Had you just taken a course in this? Was this something you studied a long time ago and happened to remember?

COADY: No. Well, I kind of studied in my free time history books. But we did learn about the empire this year at my school. It's called Rembrook (ph).

PHILLIPS: OK. So you had been studying it. So you just basically saw it and from memory knew something was wrong. So when you noticed something was wrong, what gave you the confidence to tell the museum? How did you do it? Did you go to the front desk and tell them?

COADY: I went to a docent who pointed me to the front desk. They told me to fill out a complaint form. They didn't really believe me. And five months later, Dr. Evans, who was very nice in the whole process, told me that I was correct and I was so happy.

(LAUGHTER)

PHILLIPS: So you basically went to the front desk and filled out a complaint form. Before that, what did the docent say to you?

COADY: They were like, I was like, I don't think you're right. And they said "front desk."

(LAUGHTER)

PHILLIPS: They sent you right up there. So it took five months to get a response. What did they say to you? How did they tell you?

COADY: They actually e-mailed my mom.

PHILLIPS: OK.

COADY: And it was a very nice e-mail that they sent. Yes.

PHILLIPS: I see the e-mail here. It says, "You are, of course, correct about the boundaries of the Byzantine Empire. It may well have been a misprint. You are the first person to recognize the mistake and we thank you for bringing it to our attention."

What was that like? Did you take it to your history teacher?

COADY: He asked if I printed this out somewhere. I was like, nope, they sent it to me.

PHILLIPS: Does everybody want to study with you in class now?

COADY: Yes. A lot of people have been coming up to me during projects.

PHILLIPS: I love it. Last and final question. Are you getting an "A" in history?

COADY: Yes, I have a 100 percent.

PHILLIPS: Why does that surprise me? You have a bright future ahead of you. I bet you'll be a docent in your free time. Thank you for talking with me.

COADY: Yep. Bye. PHILLIPS: Bye-bye.

Thanks to Benjamin, the museum is working to fix that error. They said in an e-mail to Benjamin, it may take a few months, but it is deciding whether it will now show multiple maps of the Byzantine Empire.

Time for our "Political Junkie" question. Who were the last three incumbent presidents to lose re-election? Tweet the answer to me.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Before the break, I asked who were the last three incumbent presidents to lose re-election. The answer is George Bush in 1984, Jimmy Carter in 1980, and Gerald Ford. Congrats for those with the right answer.

Congress is back in session at the student loan problem is a talker. If you're a parent or hard-working student, you all know interest rates on those loans will be double in a couple months. Stress for you and a big battle between the president and the Republican-led House.

Tara Dowdell, Democratic strategist, and Crystal Wright, editor of conservativeblackchick.com.

Is there a true concern here or is this just about capturing younger voters?

Tara, I will start with you. You had three outstanding loans. You still have one my sources tell me. How do you feel about this?

(LAUGHTER)

TARA DOWDELL, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Well, this is a very big issue. And while certainly the president wants to continue to attract younger voter, the reality is this is an issue that the president has taken on from day one. He actually expanded eligibility for the Pell Grant, which helps low-income students with funding for college. He expanded it to include more middle-income students and put more funding in place. The last thing we want to do at this time in this economy to make it harder for people to try to achieve their goals to make it harder for people to achieve the American dream. I for one know I have struggled with student loans. I know what it's like to not be able to register for classes. It's a shame they are not showing the same level of sensitivity as Democrats.

PHILLIPS: Crystal?

CRYSTAL WRIGHT, CONSERVATIVE BLOGGER: This is another war the president is waging. This time, it's on the poor students and their student loans because he doesn't have a record of economic success to run on. What students want is jobs. They know they are not going to enjoy the enthusiasm and support he got from young people, who thought he was going to actually bring hope and change to this country. So what's really sad, and I think what everybody is really tired of, including young people, is the president isn't talking about creating jobs. He's talking about waging wars, whether it's the war on race with the Arizona law or the war on women. What war is next? I think he's running out of wars.

PHILLIPS: Congress versus the president is a pretty popular theme. The president pointed out during his campaign kickoff with a little twist. Let's take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Now after a long and spirited primary, Republicans in Congress have found a nominee for president who has promised to rubber stamp this agenda if he gets the chance. Somehow he and his friends in Congress think the same bad ideas will lead to a different result. Or they are just hoping that you won't remember what happened the last time we tried it their way.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Rubber stamp Romney. Winning strategy, Tara?

DOWDELL: Absolutely. Romney supports, he said that the Ryan plan which is the budget plan. He said it was a bold and exciting plan. To go back to the student loan issue, that plan slashes Pell Grants. It makes it harder for people in college to try to capture the American dream. We shouldn't be making it harder for people. I think we can agree. We shouldn't make it harder for people to try to achieve their goals and people who want to try to do better in life. We shouldn't be doing it.

PHILLIPS: Crystal?

WRIGHT: The student loan issue, it's about the rates doubling. I don't know what you're talking about. That's where the battle is now. And Republicans have said, including Mitt Romney, that he doesn't want the rates to double. They want to find a way to pay for it because Republicans are concerned with our debt. But back to the to this rubber-stamp issue, the rubber-stamp issue -- if anybody knows about rubber stamping, I think it's President Obama, who seems to have rubber stamped everything the Democrats wanted to do, Obama-care, Romney-care -- I'm sorry, Obama-care and Dodd/Frank --

(LAUGHTER)

(CROSSTALK)

PHILLIPS: A little slip there?

WRIGHT: Yes, yes, it was.

PHILLIPS: Tara is going to be all over that one.

WRIGHT: I know. I know. But at the same time, you know, if anybody knows about rubber stamping, I think it's President Obama. Romney, on the other hand, yes, he has supported the Ryan budget plan, which seeks to bring some fiscal responsibility to Washington, but when he was governor of Massachusetts, he worked across the aisle. He worked with Democrats. He has a record of success. I think this is another distraction from the president because he's the one that has the problems with Congress, he can't work with Congress and take the high road and actually act like the commander in chief.

PHILLIPS: After that attack on Saturday, there's this today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AD NARRATOR: He believed in us, fought for us, and today our auto industry is backfiring on all cylinders. Our greatest enemy brought to justice by our greatest heroes. Our troops are home from Iraq. Instead of losing jobs, we're creating them, over 4.2 million so far.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: All right. Here comes the positive ads. Boy, you sat back and listen to that, you think, OK.

Tara, will it work?

DOWDELL: Absolutely. It's a very strong ad, and it tells the truth. The reality is when President Obama took office, whether the Republicans want to acknowledge it or not, and clearly they don't want to acknowledge it because it was their fiscal policy that is led to this, but we were losing 750,000 jobs a month when President Obama took office. Now we have added 4.2 million jobs. The math does not lie. And the other thing is what the president is doing is he's trying to work to ensure that everyone feels this recovery. The Republicans seem to only want to protect the rich. They believe that for some reason that the real problem in this country, they think somehow we have a rich people aren't rich enough problem in this country. That's not our problem, and the president needs to push back really hard and talk about the things that he's done to make it better for ordinary folks.

PHILLIPS: Crystal?

WRIGHT: Right, Tara. Our problem is we have a spending problem, and it's not about people who work hard and want to keep more of their money. It's a spending problem and a jobs problem. And I think it's nice that the president wants to create this fairytale, this tale of fiction with his positive ads. But I think the American people are tired of the blame campaign and his campaign of blame. If he's not blaming the mess he inherited, he's blaming the Republicans. And at the end of the day his policies have created an economy of failure, absolute failure, and so I think it's good that he tries to go positive, but the ads really speak the truth. And when you look at this ad, he starts off saying we're not there yet, give me another four years. I think the American people are like, another four years for what? To really drive the country into a sinkhole.

PHILLIPS: That's "Fair Game."

Ladies, thanks.

From "Fair Game" to a really long game. The Orioles and Red Sox made in 17 innings. The winning pitcher was Chris Davis, Baltimore's designated hitter. That's right. Baltimore ran out of pitchers, so Davis had to come in. It was OK though. He was a pitcher in high school. And he must have had some skill, too, because Davis actually threw two shutout innings. On the other side, the Red Sox sent outfielder Darnell McDonald to the mound. And that marked the first time since 1925 that two non-pitchers actually pitched in the same game. The last time, it was a guy -- you might remember him -- Ty Cobb. But what may have been even worse for Red Sox fans than the loss? Lost call was at the end of the seventh inning. That's right. Ten innings, no breaks. Brutal.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: The last and 11th person charged in a Florida A&M band member's death turned himself into authorities. He was released on a $15,000 bail on Sunday. She's one of the 11 band members facing hazing charges in the death of the drum major, Robert Champion. Medical examiners say he died within an hour of being badly beaten and collapsing on a bus last November.

Vice President Joe Biden's comment that he is absolutely comfortable with the idea of same-sex marriage has set of an explosion on twitter. Let's hear the comment first and then we'll talk about the buzz.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Look, I am vice president of the United States of America. The president sets the policy. I am absolutely comfortable with the fact that men marrying men, women marrying women, and heterosexual marriages are entitled to the same exact rights, all the civil liberties. And quite frankly, I don't see much of a distinction beyond that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Many people are wondering if Biden's remarks signals a change in the president's position. Mr. Obama has previously said his views on the issue are evolving, but both a Biden spokesperson and David Axelrod is suggesting there's no further evolvement in the president's position.

The lawyer for Rachel "Bunny" Mellon back on the stand in the third week of the John Edwards' trial. Her contribution of $750,000 is at the center of the saga.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOE JOHNS, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: After two weeks of lurid details and multiple witnesses who testified John Edwards lied about his relationship with Rielle Hunter, the prosecution is getting in the crux of the legal case against him. The question is whether he knowingly and willingly accepted illegal campaign donations to try to keep his political aspirations alive.

New York attorney, Alex Forger, the lawyers for John Edwards' benefactor, Rachel "Bunny" Mellon, is expected to return to the stand on Monday. He was on the stand as a prosecution witness on Friday when the trial recessed for the weekend. In a bit of a cliff-hanger over the intent that was behind payments from Mrs. Mellon that ended up supporting Edwards' mistress as well as Edwards' fixers who were trying to cover up the affair, Forger had testified that Edwards' good friend and long-time attorney, Wade Smith, had told him the money was for the benefit of Edwards, which may seem like an obvious fact, but Forger's testimony is important because other witnesses said Edwards denied knowing Bunny Mellon's payments were being used to clean up his personal problems. The prosecution tries to wrap up its case by Thursday.

Joe Johns, CNN, Greensboro.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: And Mellon's lawyer says he first learned of a check for $175,000 back in December of 2007. That check was deposited into the account of Edwards' aide, Andrew Young.

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

CNN NEWSROOM with Suzanne Malveaux continues right now, but I hear she's a little extra excited about one of her guests this morning.

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN ANCHOR: What?

PHILLIPS: So I'm told.

MALVEAUX: So you were told, huh? Actually it's creating quite a buzz. Vanessa Williams and her mother, they have a book out, and she has taken about 30 years or so to really tell her life story. What actually took place after the Miss America scandal, how she overcame it, there are a lot of details in this book, Kyra, from cover to cover that we've read.

And so it's really - 'm fascinated to talk to her about how she actually overcame a lot of these obstacles, and some of the things that you just didn't even realize at the time, the kind of pressure she was under from both sides. And really, how hard it was for her, for years and years and years, to kind of push back and not be humiliated, and - kind of confidence she had, the real confidence to move forward. So we're going to talk to Vanessa and her mother.

PHILLIPS: All right, well I loved her in Ugly Betty. And by the way, I know you already have a twin sister, but you and Vanessa come pretty darn close.

MALVEAUX: Oh, you think?

PHILLIPS: Yes. (LAUGHTER)

MALVEAUX: OK.

PHILLIPS: Have a great show.

MALVEAUX: Nice to see you.